Have you ever wanted to build/create an app? The process is not always easy, but it’s possible. In this guide, we’ll walk through the steps that are required for most apps and give you some tips on how to make your own.
How to create an app: The definitive guide
To create an app, you’ll need the following:
- A computer with internet access.
- A copy of Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Paint (or something similar) on your computer.
- An idea for the app you want to build and what kind of device it will run on.
1. Do some market research.
Before you get started, it’s important to do some market research.
- Know your target audience: Are they the same as mine? Are they different? What do they want from an app? How much money do I need to make in order for this app idea to be profitable for me?
- Know what your competitors are doing: If there are other apps that are similar or better than yours (or even just different), then try and figure out why those apps exist in the first place. What makes them so successful compared with yours? Is it because of their design, branding/marketing strategy, etc.?
2. Look at your competitors’ apps.
The second step is to look at your competitors’ apps. This will give you an idea of what they’re doing well, and what they could do better.
For this exercise, take a look at the following apps:
- Google Maps (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google)
- Twitter (https://twitterappforandroid69e8c7cb137dfe39b5a6bb924f66306a33e685834d039f4ba4bf2ce87664d)
3. Write a list of features and functions you want your app to have.
Now that you’ve decided on the idea, it’s time to write a list of features and functions you want your app to have. You can do this by creating a feature list for each individual feature or by writing one overall list that includes all the different components of your app. For example:
- A feature list for an app might include:
- The name of the app (e.g., “The Best Guide On How To Be Successful”)
- What kind of function does it serve? For example, an e-commerce site like Amazon or eBay would probably have “Buy” as one feature; likewise, if your company sells products online through its website then “sell” would be another common word used in conjunction with “product.”
4. Draw some sketches of your app’s user interface (UI).
It’s important to make sure that you have the right style and look for your app before you start building it, so we recommend drawing out some sketches in color. Make sure these are in the same style as competitors’ apps and target users, so they can be easily recognized by both groups.
5. Make wireframes for your app’s user interface (UI).
Wireframes are the blueprint for your app’s user interface (UI). They show the flow of information, how users will interact with it and where they’ll find specific features. The best wireframes are simple, but they should also be functional.
Wireframes should be easy to understand and easy to modify: if you make them too complex, you risk losing potential customers who can’t follow along with your design process because they’re not familiar with how things work in software development.
6. Choose the right mobile app development tools and technologies for your project.
- Choose the right tools for your project.
- Choose the right technology for your project.
The right tool and technology are essential to creating a successful mobile app, but they’re not enough on their own. You also need to know how to use them effectively because there are many factors that influence how well you can build an app:
- The size of your budget (and what you can afford)
- The complexity of the app’s features and functionality
7. Create the server-side backend for your mobile app with a RESTful API.
The API is an interface between your application and the rest of the world, allowing it to talk over HTTP requests and much more. A good way to think about this is that everything you do in your application should be possible through a single endpoint rather than having multiple endpoints (like getting data from a database via OAuth2). In order for this to work, you’ll need some sort of framework which allows you to build these APIs quickly and easily without having any knowledge about how they work internally – here are some popular options:
- Spring Boot – Spring Boot provides both an easy-to-use @Component annotation processor as well as auto-configuration capabilities through its own @Configuration class based on annotations such as @EnableAutoConfiguration. This makes creating new projects very simple!
- Spock Framework – Spock provides an easy way for developers who aren’t familiar with web frameworks but still want something powerful enough at scale (think Facebook) because it has been battle tested by companies like Linkexchange before becoming open sourced under Apache license terms back in 2015!
8. Decide whether it should be a native, web, or hybrid app.
The third decision you should make is whether your app will be a native, web, or hybrid app.
There are two main types of applications:
- Native apps are built for a specific platform (e.g., iPhone), meaning they require access to the device’s hardware and operating system at the point of installation. This means that they’re optimized for performance on the devices where they run, but not necessarily elsewhere—such as PCs or Android phones running older versions of OS (operating systems).
- Web apps are built using HTML/CSS/JavaScript programming languages; however, unlike native apps which can only be downloaded from official app stores, web apps can also be accessed through websites such as Google Play or Apple Store without having to download them first!
9. Hire a designer to make your app look amazing, or do it yourself!
Hiring a designer to make your app look amazing, or doing it yourself? Either way is fine! If you don’t have the skill set to design an app yourself (or if you’re just not that into it), there are plenty of designers out there who will be more than happy to take on the job.
If this sounds like something that might interest you and your business goals, then I recommend talking with people in your network about this option. You never know how many connections might come up if someone mentions that they know someone who knows someone else…it’s worth asking!
10. Test, test, test!
Testing your app is crucial to making sure it’s going to work correctly on different devices and operating systems. You should also test the app on different network conditions like Wi-Fi vs mobile data. Testing your app with different internet connections will ensure that it performs well when used in a variety of settings – from home computers to tablets and smartphones alike (and beyond). Finally, testing for compatibility with various browsers allows you to make sure your app runs smoothly across all devices that might be using them at any given time (or even before then).
Alongside these broad categories there are other specific types of tests that have been developed over time by developers as well: screen size and resolution; screen density; typeface size; font weight/style; text flow rate; word spacing between characters (leading); auto-formatted paragraphs within each paragraph because some people prefer this format over verbatim text while others want their paragraphs untouched but still readable without having too much content crammed onto one line where one would normally expect two lines instead
You can start building an app by following these steps in order
- Start with market research
- Look at competitors’ apps to see what they do well, and where you can make improvements on your app’s functionality based on their features and functions
- Write a list of features and functions you want your app to have
- Draw some sketches of your app’s user interface (UI)
- Make wireframes for your app’s user interface (UI).
Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you to get started on your journey to building an app. With all of the resources available, we’re confident that there is something here for everyone. Good luck!