Gaurav Kanabar is the Director and Founder of Alphanso Tech, a globally acknowledged IT consulting company providing services in the arena of Mobile App Development.
We recently asked for Gaurav’s insight on considerations businesses should make when developing mobile applications and about any app development trends he’s following. Here’s what he had to say:
What are the most interesting trends or innovations you’re following in software and app development today?
Cloud-driven enterprise applications and apps are gaining lots of traction. The Cloud makes it possible for software and apps to access data and use it in sync with other devices and users. It has multiple benefits such as enhanced data security, increased collaboration and disaster recovery of data. Companies are quickly moving their applications towards cloud computing.
Internet of things (IOT) is changing the way we live. What if you can manage the temperature of your room from your mobile? Yes, this is reality and IOT is changing the way we interact with devices around us. IOT integration with mobile tech will disrupt this industry in next few of years.
Machine learning and AI is getting a lot of attention from software developers. Machine learning uses algorithms to process data, learn from it and make predictions or decisions on executing the certain task. This can be applied in multiple business applications. Leading brands are also increasingly using AI to learn more about their consumer and to offer them better product/services.
How are companies approaching app development today?
First a RFI (Request for Information) document is sent to the client. Once we receive the RFI we start analyzing it to understand the flow of the app and start the wireframe of the app.
Wireframes are sent to customers for review, once they share their suggestions, we start backend coding along with UI/UX design.
Leading app development companies follow Agile development methodology. Agile is a creative process that provides flexibility and iterative development of incremental modules so that the project can be completed in the estimated timeframe.
Once the design and coding have been done, Quality Assurance (QA) testing is performed on the app. QA testing is done to find out the bugs and remove them to make the perfect app. After detailed testing, the app is finally deployed.
What types of applications are businesses most interested in today?
Businesses are interested in developing apps that makes their life easier. In addition, apps that make their organization workflow easier and smoother, and increase overall productivity are popular among small- and medium-sized businesses.
Apps that serve the customers are also very popular. For example, a customer can generate a support ticket directly from the app and track the progress of the report. Some businesses want to use mobile apps as a branding and marketing exercise.
What considerations should companies be making when developing mobile and web applications?
The development objective of the mobile or web application should be very clear. Companies should write down their requirements and expectations for the application in a document and share it with their developer. Customers demand an optimized user experience, whether using laptops at home or mobile devices on the go. You need to make sure designed applications have sleek User Interface (UI) and amazing User experience (UX).
What types of conversations should businesses be having with app development companies like yours during the development of an application?
A business owner should clearly communicate their objective to the developers. The objective of the app could be branding, acquiring a new customer, growing sales, increasing customer loyalty, etc. Understanding the goal will help them to plan the development accordingly. Businesses also need to make sure they are actively involved in the development process and communicate their likes and dislikes to the developer.
What are the most common mistakes or oversights you see businesses making in this process?
If you have a complex application in mind, launch it with minimal features first rather than developing the full application at one go. Before you roll out all features, develop a core set as the MVP (Minimum Viable Product). You need it to make sure that the basic idea behind the app is something that your customers are interested in. Instead of focusing on including too many options and features, concentrate on User flow and Interaction. Businesses often cut corners by reducing the development budget or time.
What should businesses do to ensure the applications they’re developing are what their audience needs and that they function they way they’re intended to?
Proper market research needs to be done before making the app. Business needs to do intense research on what their customers need or what are their pain points.
Before building the full web or mobile application, develop MVP. MVP is a prototype that can be developed rapidly with minimum possible features, to show to potential clients and stakeholders. The main idea behind building MVP is to find out whether other people find it worthwhile and would pay for it. This will help them to improve on the app and launch it so that it’s successful.
What are the most common reasons that an application fails to perform?
If a user struggles to perform basic functions on your app and can’t figure out core functionality easily, that can lead to failure of an app. Due to bad UI/UX design, the mobile app often fails to take off. You also need to make sure the app doesn’t have any bugs or errors on its launch. If an app isn’t tested properly, it can lead to bad user experience and negative ratings on app stores. And the more negative reviews you have, the more likely your app is to fail.
What advice do you find yourself repeating to customers over and over?
Do intensive research well before making an application. Start with MVP before developing a full-fledged application. A company needs to develop a structured marketing plan well in advance of the launching of the application. The plan needs to tell existing customers and prospects good reasons why they need the application.
Need help with native app development? Contact Glance today.
