For some people, creating an app design from scratch sounds like a big hassle, but actually, it’s not! The app design process is not as challenging as we think of it.
Complex coding requires a full-time understanding of technicalities, making the work more problematic to handle & manage.
But, you don’t have to be like that! Before starting with the mobile app design process, you first need to do the research.
It’s critical to plan everything from the start, but at some point, with the right senior advice, you will be able to build a much better mobile design.
So, if you’re looking for a customer-centric mobile app designing process that every business needs, you can genuinely follow this blog.
Everything You Should Know About Basic App Design Process
In this blog, you will explore the following things about mobile app design strategies:
- Setting the Scope
- Market and User Analysis
- UI and UX Wireframing
- Creating the Prototype
- Mobile Interface Animation
- Software Architecture
- Mobile App Development
- Mobile App Testing
- Launching
However, let’s get started with the best mobile app design process;
The Process Of Designing An Application For Your Business
As the world is continuously changing, the business maestros, from executives to the frontlines and the business analysts, are looking for the easiest way to get started with design.
You can say that designing and developing a mobile application might be a bit tricky, but the task is to help people and find the ability to create a sleek mobile application.
Cydomedia is now offering mobile app designing services, backed with recent technology & practices.
1. Setting The Scope Of Mobile Application
The first step is to set the scope of the mobile application, which is one of the crucial steps in the mobile app design process.
The scope of the mobile application should include:
- The nature of the application
- Your target audience
- Most crucial functions & features of the mobile application
- Application’s visual design features
- Potential technologies to be utilized
- Consistency with the business strategies
- Specific preferences
Did you observe the word consistency here? It’s one of the essential parts of the app design process.
To document the scope of the application, it’s crucial to identify the following:
Core Objectives
- Goals of the application
- Phases and sub-phases
- Tasks and Resources
- Budgeting
- Scheduling
- Project Scheduling
If the project’s scope is time-taking & requires resources, the processing time will automatically extend.
2. User and Market Analysis
In the second phase of the mobile app design process, the steps include UX and UI designing, where the designer has to work the most!
The absolute joy of designing comes when you’re best in UI and UX because these two are the essential pillars of designing any mobile application.
But do you know, how will you design the ideal mobile interface? After performing market research and learning about the existing trends.
The designer’s job is to critically analyze the customers’ requirements and then develop a perfect mobile design that meets the client’s requirements.
The UX design should help make the mobile application stand out from the rest! So, do you get an idea of how Market and User analysis is done?
Here you go!
How’s it done?
You can initially start by conducting in-depth market research and analysis of the existing mobile applications in the market.
In this way, you will get to know what steps you can add to your mobile app designing process. You can look at the image-sharing applications, color scheming, patterns, and more for your ease!
Surprisingly, the user research will provide various insights like the color scheming and themes that will assist you while designing your mobile application mockups.
Whether you’re making a mobile game application or some informative application making the user interface stand out should be the priority.
Pro Tip: Don’t let all the changes prescribed by the user be implemented because if you do so, you will create something different and vague.
Clients are usually confused and don’t know the technical details of the mobile application.
3. UI and UX Wireframing
We know that the visual representation of the user interface matters a lot, and it’s related to the UI and UX wireframing. Whether it’s a web solution or a mobile application, UI and UX will occur!
Maintaining a sleek user interface backed with user experience makes the user stay on the application.
You can utilize the wireframing software or even create a simple outline out of a paper to build a blueprint of the app design.
Sit down over somewhere, and make everything happen with all the positive means. Various students in their early days are taught wireframing with paper and pen.
So, you don’t need to work extra and put extra effort. Simply download any application and get started with your ideal mobile application designing with your peers.
Initially, the purpose of the UX and UI wireframing is to define the flow of action in which the application will operate.
The number of screens, buttons, and active users leads to the registration process to the final login screen.
This is the very initial stage, and if there are any changes the designer corrects them over there. Once rectified, it’s given to the developer for final development.
4. Creating the Prototype
A prototype makes you see what your application will look like after complete development. Usually, after taking the complete meeting with the Business Analyst, the clients are ambiguous with the final product.
We give them a small demo of the prototype phase one to earn their trust and confidence.
Once you have learned the UI and UX wireframes, you can create a low-fidelity prototype that is relatively easy! The prototype is made with all the possible steps.
A low-fidelity prototype is a quick sketch of what can be created, which you can even show to the customers.
For startups, it’s ideal because they don’t have to waste money on expensive prototypes. Not only this, you can even go with a high-fidelity prototype, but it consumes a lot of time & money.
A quick and straightforward way is to develop a low-fidelity prototype that will show you how the application will look like. The only purpose is to test and improve the mobile application’s functionalities.
5. Mobile Interface Animation
The mobile application would be great if it had animations mixed up with it. Animations will make your mobile application look even better in a real-time environment.
Interface animations give the power to grab user attention, as per the Google’s material design principle:
“Motion design can effectively guide the user’s attention in ways that inform and delight. Use motion to transport users between navigational contexts smoothly, explain changes in the arrangement of elements on a screen, and reinforce element hierarchy.”
Mobile phone animation will add beauty to the simple mobile interface. You can choose from the following list:
- Visual feedback
- Functional change
- Element hierarchy
- Orientation in space
- Condition of the system
- Visual prompt
- Fun animations
6. Software Architecture
This is one of the most crucial parts of the entire mobile app design process. The core reason for software architecture planning is to scale up the application, improving functionality and design.
It might take a lot of effort, but the results will amaze you! Moreover, it will involve the entire team members in the designing, programming, and managing phase.
The core idea is to improve the backend and frontend of the mobile application by constantly doing changes in the software architecture till it’s finalized.
The key basis for software architecture is to define a structured solution that fills all the customers’ technical, operational, corporate, and other system requirements.
7. Mobile App Development
And finally, here comes the phase where we do mobile app development. The developer starts the development of the application, and this is something that will begin right after completing the previous stages.
In this phase, the developer has to ensure that he is dealing with all the obstacles and coming up with a better Android and iOS mobile solution.
Instead of creating the application for multiple platforms, the best approach is to create a mobile solution that is forum friendly.
Do you know why?
Because developing an application for a single platform will be costly, but if you go for multiple platforms, you are saving up a lot of money!
Cross-platform app development is tricky, but if someone knows how to develop it then they can easily do it without any issue.
8. Mobile App Testing
The second last stage in the mobile app design process is testing the application. You can not launch any mobile application without testing its features and functionalities.
Testing aims to ensure the application doesn’t have any bugs and it’s working just the way you want!
However, the Quality Assurance Engineer is responsible for checking the entire interface of the application; both white and black box testing.
However, different mobile testing processes like unit testing, integration testing, and others make the mobile application even more trustable.
The mobile application can be tested in-house and outsourced as well. It depends entirely upon the requirements. The tester should pay attention to the development phases and then decide what to do.
9. Launching
The last and most crucial step is to launch the application. You’re responsible for establishing the application with all the tweaks and necessary features in this phase.
A synchronized mobile app design process will let you create a flawless mobile application that will entice the audience towards your application.
The steps to design a mobile application are crucial, but keep in mind everything takes time & you need to put effort to make the outcome or product look ravishing.
The mobile app design and development process is a time-taking task that requires precision; critical thinking backed with creativity to bring out the best results on the tables.
FAQ’s
Here are some of the questions related to the relative field of concern.
1. What are the steps involved in the mobile app design process?
All the basic steps are already mentioned in the blog. However, research is always valuable for creating mobile applications with remarkable features.
2. How do I start designing an application?
The nine valuable steps for creating a mobile application include;
- Generating ideas
- Setting scope
- UI and UX wireframing
- Creating prototype
- Mobile interface animation
- Software architecture
- Application development
- Testing
- Launching
Key Takeaway | App Design Process
You know, designing an application is quite a hectic task! However, Cydomedia has years of experience dealing with customers’ requirements and developing mobile applications that are flawless and engaging.
You can always call us to start your mobile app designing process.
Above all, got some questions? Connect with one of our experts to get started with the project.