Any programmer with good programming skills can become an app developer with sufficient knowledge about mobile application development platforms. Even though the utilities for smart phones are called native apps, they are basically programs that are created for a specific reason. However, those who are experienced with PC application development will certainly find it difficult to develop an app for mobile phones because the smart phone environment is entirely different. Mobile phone app development can become a disaster if the developer doesn't pay attention to the pitfalls that the environments and platforms present.
John Pereless: 5 Mistakes that Must Be
Avoided In Mobile Phone App
Development
Not focusing on end users - Mobile phone app development
process should emphasize user experience in each and every
stage. Apps are developed with a purpose in mind, but
achieving the goal is useless unless the user finds the app to
be useful and enriching. The Mobile application development
company should focus on how the users perceive the app so
that nothing goes wrong in the end.
Not using existing smart phone functionalities - An app should
never be developed just for the sake of it. Business owners are
pushing it to generate native apps suitable for their business, but
the development company should come up with an innovative
idea to offer something of value to the end users while using the
functionalities available. Location based apps are great for
businesses, but the developers should be aware of the right way
to use it.
Not understanding the difference between development
environment and real world - Mobile phone app development is
usually done in a simulated environment and even tests are
done on emulators. Just because an app has worked in the lab
environment, it doesn't mean that it can work great on a device
too. Sometimes, end users pose certain unknown challenges,
rendering the app useless in the real world. So, it is important to
make sure that extensive research is done to ensure that the
developed apps work on smart devices as well.
Not considering scalability and integration issues - The apps that
are developed for a platform must be scalable. Integration of the
app should be done properly so that little tweaks are required later.
The smart phone platforms are constantly upgraded and if the app
is not scalable, preparing the app for the newer version of mobile
operating system can take a lot of work. Also, the app should be
loadable on different devices running the same operating system
and users should not feel that the app is actually behaving
differently in another device. The mobile phone app development
company should be able to ensure that the app remains usable
even after multiple operating system upgrades.
Not knowing how to limit app features - Extensive mobile apps
are good, but there are thousands of feature rich apps that are
untouched mainly because they are too complex to
comprehend for end users. The mobile phone app development
should have a single focus for every single app and adding a
few customization options is acceptable. However, pushing it
too far will only bore the end users because they won't
recognize the purpose of the app.
