Mobile application development is the process of making software for smartphones, tablets, and digital assistants, most commonly for the Android and iOS operating systems. The software can be preinstalled on the device, downloaded from a mobile app store, or accessed through a mobile web browser. The programming and markup languages used for this kind of software development include Java, Swift, C#, React Native, Flutter, and HTML5.
Mobile app development is rapidly growing. From retail, telecommunications, and e-commerce to insurance, healthcare, and government, organizations across industries must meet user expectations for real-time, convenient ways to conduct transactions and access information. Today, mobile devices – and the mobile applications that unlock their value – are the most popular way for people and businesses to connect to the internet. To stay relevant, responsive, and successful, organizations need to develop the mobile applications that their customers, partners, and employees demand.
Yet mobile application development might seem daunting. Once you’ve selected the OS platform or platforms, you need to overcome the limitations of mobile devices and usher your app all the way past the potential hurdles of distribution. Fortunately, by following a few basic guidelines and best practices, you can streamline your application development journey.
To learn more about the specifics of mobile application development on either platform, read our articles on iOS app development and Android app development.
To explore mobile application development, see IBM’s simple tutorial on building a voice-enabled Android-based chatbot.
Mobile Applications and Device Platforms
There are two dominant platforms in the modern smartphone market. One is the iOS platform from Apple Inc. The iOS platform is the operating system that powers Apple’s popular line of iPhone smartphones. The second is Android from Google. The Android operating system is used not only by Google devices but also by many other OEMs to built their own smartphones and other smart devices.
Although there are some similarities between these two platforms when building applications, developing for iOS vs. developing for Android involves using different software development kits (SDKs) and different development toolchain. While Apple uses iOS exclusively for its own devices, Google makes Android available to other companies provided they meet specific requirements such as including certain Google applications on the devices they ship. Developers can build apps for hundreds of millions of devices by targeting both of these platforms.
HBWINK SOLUTION
Develop for both Android and iOS: Native apps or hybrid apps?
Let’s say you need to do mobile application development for both the Android operating system and iOS. What is the best software development approach?
You could develop two native applications. Taking advantage of native APIs and OS-specific programming languages can help you build a powerful app. Most enterprise apps, especially ones that require substantial API traffic, benefit from native development.
Let’s say you need to do mobile application development for both the Android operating system and iOS. What is the best software development approach?
You could develop two native applications. Taking advantage of native APIs and OS-specific programming languages can help you build a powerful app. Most enterprise apps, especially ones that require substantial API traffic, benefit from native development.
Another option is to go hybrid, taking a write-once-run-anywhere approach. Hybrid apps use a single codebase that can function on either platform. They’re typically coded in a programming language that’s universally recognized, such as Java, React Native, Dart, JavaScript, HTML, or CSS. Because you’re denied access to the operating system’s native APIs, hybrid mobile application development works best for simple web applications—three- or four-page mobile applications with limited functionality.
Alternatives for Building Mobile Apps
There are four major development approaches when building mobile applications
- Native Mobile Applications
- Cross-Platform Native Mobile Applications
- Hybrid Mobile Applications
- Progressive Web Applications
Each of these approaches for developing mobile applications has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. When choosing the right development approach for their projects, developers consider the desired user experience, the computing resources, and native features required by the app, the development budget, time targets, and resources available to maintain the app.
Think light: Building for a mobile platform
Whether you choose native or hybrid mobile application development, one of the first hurdles you’ll need to overcome is the relatively limited resources on mobile devices. Your target mobile device will have much less processing power and memory than desktop computers or enterprise servers. These constraints might seem like a significant challenge, especially if you’re more familiar with the comparatively boundless resources for conventional software development for web apps.
Limited mobile platform resources mean you need to adjust your goals for your app design.
Throughout the mobile application development process, developers must work to ensure that their mobile app is less resource intensive than a typical desktop application.
Delivering a great user experience is vital. That starts with understanding that your user interface for a mobile app should be simpler than a desktop application interface. By creating a straightforward UX design that is focused on critical functions, you can provide a better user experience while consuming fewer resources.
Your mobile app interface should be designed for touch. Mobile users must be able to navigate your app easily and provide input without excessive typing.
Fortunately, these requirements for efficient, simple touch-based apps map well to user expectations. Mobile users generally want to accomplish tasks simply, with just a few taps. They want apps that are above all fast, convenient, and easy to use on their mobile devices.
Offload processing to the cloud
What if your mobile application requires more processing than a typical mobile platform can support? Consider offloading that processing to the cloud.
Through the judicious use of APIs, you can connect your app to cloud-based services and databases to provide advanced functionality without slowing your application or straining the device it is running on. You can even offload data storage and caching to a cloud-based server, leaving very little data on the device.
Extend your app with advanced cloud services
The cloud can offer additional advantages beyond performance boosts. Connect your mobile application to powerful cloud services to add features and improve usability. Employ APIs to integrate new features, such as advanced cloud-based services that can help you enhance your mobile apps. These include push notifications, IBM Watson®-powered AI analytics, Internet of Things (IoT) smart device integration, and more.
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