iOS stands as the leading mobile platform, and countless aspiring app projects target this platform to launch their first mobile app. But building an iOS app is not easy considering the strict quality guidelines the platform comes with. The platform gives little scope to compromise with the app quality.
Whether you want to hire expert iOS developers for the app project or just want to build the app on your own, it is important to have an idea of the steps involved in the process. Here we explain these steps briefly.
Carry out research on competitor apps
First of all, it is important to know what are the leading apps in your niche you are going to compete with. For example, a coffee shop app must be competing with Starbucks and the links. For finding more competing apps, you can carry out a Google search or search by specific category in the App Store.
Now try the most successful ones among these apps and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Find out the main features of the app and the ones that can be added to make the app better. You should check out customer reviews as well to know what users are saying about the respective app.
Know Your Potential Audience
Now it is time to know the people who are likely to use your app. When carrying out a survey, make sure to draw responses from all demographic categories of people accessing your business.
You can engage professional agencies or carry out such survey on social media platforms as well. Asking your existing customers and taking people’s opinions far and wide is an ideal way to know the audience.
Create a Development Plan
Now, you have all the required information regarding your competitors and audience and this is the time to make a plan for your app. First of all, make a list of all the features your app needs besides giving details about the way these app features will work.
You also need to make a priority list of primary and secondary features for the app. Since the app always has limited space, you need to ensure that the most important features can be accessed easily.
Build a Wireframe
Now, you need to shape the app visually through a wireframe. This basically works like a map displaying all the app screens and respective turnouts from each tap on app screens. For wireframe creation, there are various tools such as Adobe XD, Illustrator, and Canva.
Wireframe design is also available with many app builders. Many app builder engines offer ready to use templates for shaping the app design with appropriate visual elements.
Start Developing Your App
This is the time to go ahead and develop the app. You can build the app either by using an app builder tool or by coding yourself, or by hiring app developers. We will briefly explain each of these options.
App Builder Platforms
App builders offer the reliable and easiest way to build a powerful iOS app.
All you need is to sign up and create an account for the respective platform, select your preferred template for the app, personalise the template by incorporating your business logo, images, and company information and customise the template as per your specific design preferences.
Code the App Yourself
The second and most demanding option is to code the app on your own. If you want to build an app from scratch on your own, you have to learn to code and master some skills for the iOS platform.
The most important thing is to master Xcode that comes with a lot of things such as a code editor, code compiler, project organiser, debugger, and several other tools. You also need to learn Swift programming language, which is the de-facto language for all iOS apps now. You need to learn to create have the edge over iOS app UIs by using UIKit or SwiftUI. Apart from these basics you also need to have a solid command over code logic, app architecture and writing clean code.
Hire iOS Developers
The ultimate way to develop the iOS app is to hire a developer team from a reputed development company. You can give the project to the respective company and get complete peace of mind regarding the final product.
For this, the very first step is to get in touch with several reputed app development companies. Depending on your budget, you can either hire a full-time developer team or can hire a freelancer or a development agency offering a very competitive budget. It is advisable to drop the idea of hiring freelancers for your project as this can be highly counterproductive.
When hiring an expert iOS app development company focus on their prior experience, portfolio and the development process they follow. Instead of considering only the budget constraints, it is advisable to opt for a balanced approach focusing on value propositions.
Keep the iOS guidelines in mind
iOS as a platform has the strictest app submission and approval policy and hence any app project targeting this platform needs to adhere to compliance guidelines and principles throughout the development process. This is where professional app development companies with a dedicated team of iOS experts have an edge over the so-called freelance developers,
DIY platforms and new developers. You cannot mess around with the UX guidelines and security laws of the iOS platform, Research Essential And this is what plays an important role in the approval of your app as well.
Conclusion
If you want to develop an iOS app from scratch, it is always advisable to get a fuller idea of the iOS platform, its opportunities, constraints and qualitative parameters. An iOS app project can only be successful when it can add value over and above the competition while adhering to the platform-specific guidelines and development principles.