6 Ways to Build a Better App Development Timeline
There’s a never-ending battle in app development between fast speeds and quality. When developing mobile apps, the longer development cycles can lead to more problems for both developers overseeing it and the entrepreneurs behind it all.
The race to being the first to be released can unfortunately lead to compromises. The rewards of being the first are very tempting, with dreams of instant success and hundreds of thousands of potential users.
No matter if you are an entrepreneur or a developer, every stakeholder can benefit from a better app development timeline. Here are a few simple tricks to keep in mind if you’re looking to develop and roll out a mobile app without an absurdly long app development cycle.
Low Fidelity Wireframes can be used as a Blueprint
Low fidelity wireframes can be used in the mapping of an app. They’ll save you time before you ever have to begin building your mobile app. These abstract representations of your app are admittedly rough but these wireframes will provide programmers direction on a number of things such as the functionality and user interface aesthetic.
MVP Launch and start Testing
Instead of launching your product fully formed, the fastest way to enter the marketplace in an app development cycle is to do so with the minimum viable product (MVP). Though this may turn off some who are looking to make a big splash right away, launching an MVP gives you the chance to collect data using a build-measure-learn feedback loop.
The data collected can help inform the later stages of app development. Successfully plan new update releases every two to four weeks, and sequence out remaining development according to these releases.
Hybrid Solutions (Cross-platform) are worth Considering
There are many hybrid mobile app development solutions that will allow developers to use one codebase to reach a number of platforms. The alternative is to write native code that is specific to each and every platform. This way, you’ll build the app one time but you’ll obtain two apps in the end - one for Android and the other for iOS platforms.
Do keep in mind that hybrid apps are known to be less capable with regards to animations and do tend to require a lot of memory compared to non-hybrid types. That said, many start-ups have utilized them successfully to penetrate the marketplace before replacing them in time by native apps that resolves any hybrid-related issues.
Offload Non-Core Activities
When you have your core product built, next is what strategy to use to engage customers via your mobile app. Many pre-made applets typically can be added to a core product without any additional coding.
Do research into what companies provide pre-made applets. There are numerous applets in the market specifically targeting app development components such as engagement, communications, or email.
Outsourcing Non-Core App Development Features
Consider outsourcing some app development efforts if it does indeed require some level of coding.
At times, this can prove more cost-effective and quicker than having your own team complete it. By outsourcing, you will ensure that your main development team is concentrating on where they need to be.
Maintain app Security by setting up Automated Testing
Providing a secure, quality product in a fast development cycle requires automating mobile application testing. This way, you can conduct lots of testing that may have otherwise taken hours to complete. By speeding this aspect of development up, you can expand test coverage in a similar amount of time and be more confident in a code that is bug-free.
The internet is filled with different app development tools and resources on these six points that are well worth exploring. Do your research. These are the six best ways to increase speed in the app development process without sacrificing quality. Some of the world’s largest app development companies use these strategies regularly to speed up operations.