Why we love hybrid app development, the steps involved in building an app and the tools we use to help us.
We have been developing native and hybrid apps almost since the App Stores opened their doors over 10 years ago. And we’ve built and launched over 120 of them. Before we tell you how we do it, we’d like to start by explaining why we love it.
1. It's a creative outlet.
App development allows designers and developers to express their creativity in building something that is both functional and beautiful. We enjoy the challenge of turning an idea into a reality and seeing our vision come to life.
2. It's constantly evolving.
The app development landscape is always changing, with new technologies and frameworks such as FlutterFlow, Retool, Webflow and Bubble emerging all the time. This keeps things interesting and challenging, as we are always learning and growing. We enjoy staying up-to-date on the latest trends and finding new ways to improve our apps.
3. It's meaningful work.
We believe that apps have the power to make a difference in people's lives. We have seen how apps and AI solutions can help people access information, support and education (such as our AI-powered chatbot for survivors of gender-based violence). They can help businesses grow, streamline operations, and connect people in new ways. It is rewarding to know that our work is making a positive impact on the world.
4. It's a collaborative process.
App development is a team effort, and we enjoy working with other talented people to bring our ideas to life. We believe that the best apps are created when designers, developers, and stakeholders work together closely and communicate effectively.
5. It's fun!
We genuinely enjoy the process of app development, from the initial brainstorming sessions to the final launch. It is a challenging and rewarding experience that we are grateful to be a part of.
6. We’re not that bad at it.
It’s always nice to be told you’re good at what you do. And we’ve won multiple prestigious awards, been official recognised (for example as FlutterFlow and Shopify Experts) and our clients seem happy.
App development is the process of creating a software application for a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet. It involves a number of steps, from ideation and design to development and testing.
The first step in app development is to come up with an idea for an app. This idea can be anything from a simple game to a complex productivity tool. Once you have an idea, you need to do some research to make sure that there is a market for your app. This involves identifying your target audience and determining their needs. We can help with this process through our prototyping and research phase with our UI/ UX design team. This involves creating a user interface (UI) and a user experience (UX) that are both intuitive and engaging. You also need to decide what features your app will have.
Once your design is complete, which can take some time because it’s a very collaborative process, we can start to develop your app. Our project team, led by a Product Owner and Scrum Master, uses Agile Methodologies to break the project into sprints so we can start to demonstrate real working software as quickly as possible.
Once your app is developed and tested, you can launch it on the app store. This involves creating an app listing and submitting your app for review, which we help our clients with. Once your app is approved, it will be available for users to download.
There are a number of tools we use to help us build hybrid and native apps:
App development frameworks are software platforms that provide a set of tools and libraries to help you develop apps. These frameworks can make it easier to develop apps, and they can also help you to ensure that your apps are of high quality.
Some popular app development frameworks include:
Our favourite is Flutter/ Dart not least because we love the low code platform FlutterFlow that makes the app design and development process a lot quicker, simpler and better than it was when we started all those years ago!
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