iOS is the second most popular mobile operating system worldwide, with a market share of approximately 27%. App Store, the official platform for purchasing and downloading iOS apps, contains thousands of apps for iPhone and iPad users. Users may already be finding it difficult to decide which ones are worth trying, so yours will have to be no less than immaculate if you want it to succeed in the market.
You will want to know the development process if you need to launch a business app for your startup but are new to mobile app development.
Steps to Develop the Perfect iOS App for Your Startup
This blog will walk you through the steps to build an iOS app in an organized manner.
Analyze Your Requirements:
The first step of building an app, regardless of its intended platform, is identifying its objective. You can focus on defining various resources and requirements to make the app once you decide on its purpose. These include multiple aspects, from business and user to needs.
Many startups don’t last long because they don’t take the time to conduct market research. In other words, they simply didn’t know if their app idea was worth the investment or if it really was solving an important issue.
Make sure to avoid this mistake by considering three major aspects surrounding app launches:
- Target Audience: Understanding the specific requirements of the app’s potential users is key. Mobile users prefer apps conforming to the latest standards and offering the features they want in a way that perfectly fulfills their likes and preferences.
- Industry Niche: The iOS app market is highly competitive, so define your niche and understand what people want in terms of features when searching for an app in it.
- Competition: Are there other apps in the market with a similar concept? What features and facilities do they offer, and how can you stand out in this regard? Analyze their strengths and shortcomings to know what you can do differently or fill the requirement gaps.
Validate The iOs App Through A Prototype/MVP
Validating your app idea is a must if you want to ensure your app’s success, especially in the long term. Maintaining an objective point of view is also essential, so don’t lose sight of the real purpose behind building the app. You can validate your app idea by building a prototype or a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and running it with a small test group for a glimpse of the actual user response.
A prototype will help you deliver an efficient product, as it will help you understand the look and functionality of the app. Also, you can experiment with the user interfaces and screen mockups before the development process to ensure your iOS app delivers an excellent user experience.
Ensure App Store Guideline Adherence
The App Store is the largest iOS marketplace online, so compliance with its guidelines is a must for its success post-development. Professionals explain the guiding principle to ensure a safe user experience to download and using apps. At the same time, it gives iOS app developers a shot at success in the market.
However, the App Store contains a highly curated collection of applications, and there are teams of experts reviewing each app. An editorial team is responsible for shedding light on new, useful apps for iOS users on a daily basis.
Moreover, the platform only publishes apps that meet its specific criteria that revolve around five key aspects:
- Utility
- Design
- Safety
- Performance
- Legitimacy
To ensure that you can submit your application successfully, your developer needs to review each of these five aspects carefully. This is because Apple publishes only those applications that meet its specific criteria.
iOS App Design:
Here, your iOS app development company’s design team will work on your ideas and bring them to fruition. Designing an app involves the following components:
- Wireframing: Designers begin to create wireframes to glimpse the app’s appearance after all requirements have been documented.
- UI and UX: The designers will make sure the app doesn’t just look good but is also fully functional, easy to navigate, and convenient to use. Therefore, they will take great care of these two aspects.
- Software and System Architecture: Securing the scalability and stability of your mobile application is also important, and the designers will take care of that.
iOS App Development:
This step involves essential tasks, such as the following:
- Ideal Development Platforms: Only use Mac computers for development, as Apple does not recommend building iOS applications on Windows using VMWare or Hackintosh.
- Use the Right Tools: Apple has an IDE or Integrated Development Environment called Xcode. It provides its own iOS Software Development Kit, source code editor, and key APIs. With the Simulator app integrated into the platform, iOS app developers can build, simulate, and deploy your application for testing on different iOS versions and hardware types.
- Execution: Xcode also enables developers to run the app they’re working on and analyze potential user interactions with it when it is live.
Testing:
Quality Assurance testing follows the technical application development stage. It is a crucial phase that eliminates all the errors and bugs from the code, ensuring a smooth, glitch-free user experience.
Quality Analysts check the app for the following:
- Straightforward, user-friendly UI and UX
- Excellent performance
- Secure use
- Optimal memory utilization
They will ensure that the app meets all of Apple’s guidelines. After completing this process, you are ready to submit your app to the App Store.
To Conclude:
Building an app for your startup can be a challenging and exciting experience. Consider every aspect of its development before, during, and after development to watch your app succeed.
These steps will help you consider every aspect of iOS mobile app development throughout the process. You will have greater chances of succeeding when you hire a professional team to build an iOS app for your business.