What an App is vs what it Isn’t
Last month, we did a post about developing an App versus a mobile website. Today we’re going a little deeper into that process and what all is involved in developing an app. With so much confusion raging out there from all the guru’s, it’s not surprising to see misinformation being blindly peddled as gospel. This post will likely be most poignant to students out there considering tech as a career and that’s great! But we think it will also hit home with business owners as a handy, brief guide on the process. Enjoy!
What you need to know about Apps:
An application is basically defined as a software program that’s running on any platform. Most of us tend to think of applications as the programs that run on IOS or Android. The word app is derived from application and it mostly has to do with the idea of your phone, tablet, smart tv or another type of hardware being able to run the application with or without access to the Internet.
There are many different types of applications including desktop, web and mobile apps. Applications also have different goals whether it’s to entertain you through games or offer discounts and a specialty interface to learn more about a business.
The best platforms available :
There are several different platforms available for applications. They can be created within a web browser, they can be built for IOS devices, Windows-based devices or Android. In most cases, applications today are built for either android or IOS for a mobile system. Depending on the goal, they are built to be specific.
Programming languages you should know :
To get started in application development you should know some base programming languages like Java, HTML5 or potentially Swift. Knowing languages like C++ or Objective-C can also help you to build more scalable applications.
How to host your app and costs associated with hosting ?
Hosting your own app server can start to grow expensive especially if you wanted to keep user data and data for your application privately. Luckily there are hosting packages available for apps on many major marketplaces. The data that you will need to also be invested in using the same methods you would for server space with a website. Costs can be fairly low until your app starts to scale.
What are your responsibilities after the build ?
Bug fixing maintenance and improvements are constantly needed after the development process. If you plan on making consistent improvements to your application this can also mean further development and testing. The extra cost of keeping a staff on hand to maintain an application can grow extensively from the cost to pay the original development team because the app will need new requirements as it scales.
Can an app get hacked ?
Applications can get hacked like almost any website. Having a team on hand that can be prepared for malicious threats is important. Protecting your customer data and servers is an essential element of maintenance for any application.
How to get your app approved on iTunes or Android :
This isn’t 1989, we’re not in Iowa and no, if you build it, they will not automatically or necessarily come! Any app will need to fit a specific set of requirements for the Android or iTunes markets. Before submitting your application to either market you need to make sure that it is completed. Roughly 40% of applications for apps get rejected because they contain broken links, crashes, placeholder content or a functionality that doesn’t add lasting value to the marketplace. Some apps may never gain approval due to any number of factors, including the guru-developers, fyi!
Kiosk Mode for Apple, the best app experiences :
If you are planning a live experience or a product like a menu, museum installation or other interactive exhibit, you can run your application in kiosk mode on apple. This is the perfect way to ensure that your application can stay open with assigned access passwords to close it.
Final Thoughts
Apps aren’t for everyone and certainly not mandatory for every business. They are complicated to build and can be really expensive and relentless after the build, especially with bug fixes and hosting. But for some, a solidly performing App might really hit that sweet spot for your business growth!
We hope this post has provided an albeit, brief overview of the processes involved in app development. Maybe it’s inspired you to learn more about careers available in tech? If you found it helpful, that’s awesome, why not consider sharing it along to someone you know?
Thanks so much for reading!