The Complete Guide to Mobile App Development: From Concept to Launch

Our guide to mobile app development is the perfect place to start the new year, especially if your business is planning to launch one in 2025. If you haven’t thought about it yet, it’s time to take it a step further than just having a website and provide your prospects and customers with a highly interactive experience filled with relevant content. 

But why are mobile apps becoming so big? We see that in today’s world, there is basically a mobile app for almost everything we need or do. There’s one for managing your finances and investments, making a doctor’s appointment, playing crosswords, reading, finding a plumber, checking the weather, counting four steps and calories, shopping, and more. 

It’s no coincidence; there’s a reason why almost every company is investing in creating mobile apps. Smartphone users spend 88% of their digital time on mobile applications, in short, this is the perfect way if you want to grab their attention and promote your brand. 

Read on to discover the different steps to success in mobile app development.

In this article

What Is a Mobile App?

A mobile application is a software program designed to run on a mobile device (smartphone, tablet, phone, or watch) and perform specific tasks. Its functionality depends on the purpose for which it was created, but it can vary greatly from games to navigation apps to banking and everything in between.

Today, the most downloaded mobile app categories are games, photo and video, shopping, entertainment and utilities. While the most downloaded mobile apps are TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp Messenger and Temu. 

What Is Mobile Application Development?

This term refers to the process of ideating and building software for mobile devices, specifically for the Android and iOS operating systems. The mobile application development process is very similar to the process used to create other software and web applications, the main difference being that mobile applications need to be equipped to use native features (GPS, camera, microphone, Bluetooth, etc.) of the mobile device they are running on.

Types of Mobile App Development

With today’s technological advancements, there are several ways for mobile app development. Let’s take a look at them, their pros and cons, so you can make an informed decision about which one to go with.

Native App Development

Native applications are those that can be installed directly on a smartphone or other mobile device. They are usually downloaded from one of the app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play Store, etc.). 

That said, it’s imperative that we make it clear that if you choose to work with this type of mobile app development, you or your team would need to use a specific programming language and a set of tools to create a project for an app store. 

This option has a number of advantages and challenges. On the one hand, native apps use the platform’s native APIs and programming languages, resulting in faster processing speeds and smoother responsiveness compared to other types of mobile apps. They also provide a consistent and familiar look and feel, have direct access to device hardware (GPS, Bluetooth, camera, etc.), and can leverage built-in security features. 

On the other hand, it comes with higher development costs, takes longer to get to market, and forces you to work with developers who are proficient in the programming languages and frameworks specific to each platform (Swift/Objective-C for iOS, Java/Kotlin for Android).

Hybrid App Development

In this case, you would be using technologies such as HTML, CSS, or JavaScript to write a single piece of code and create a mobile application that is compatible with multiple mobile operating systems (iOS, Android, web browsers, etc.). 

The main advantage of this approach is that you can reach a wider audience (for example, both Apple and Android users) without having to perform multiple development efforts or work with different languages and tools. 

However, you need to understand that this comes at a cost: performance limitations. Hybrid apps may not perform as well as native apps, especially for complex applications that require high processing power or smooth graphics, because they rely on a web view to render content.

Cross Platform App Development

Cross-platform and hybrid models tend to be used interchangeably. While similar, they have some differences, especially from a development standpoint. 

This approach basically encompasses both native and hybrid methods, so you can write code once and deploy it natively on different platforms without having to develop separate versions for each platform.

The main advantage of working with cross-platform models is that it comes with low cost and effort while allowing you to reach a larger audience. However, it is not as user-friendly as the first two options and requires you to have highly technical application development skills. 

Progressive Web App Development

Instead of being installed natively on the user’s mobile device, these applications are delivered over the Web. This means that the user must navigate to your website and follow a few steps to add your PWA as an app to their smartphone or device. 

As a developer, you may want to consider this approach because it allows you to enjoy the benefits, features, and convenience of both a website and a native app. These include offline capability, improved performance, cross-platform compatibility, an app-like experience, and lower development costs.

On the downside, the apps you develop with this approach have limited access to hardware, may not work on older browsers, face iOS limitations, and not all users may be comfortable installing and using them.

Low Code App Development

This option is especially interesting if you want to launch an app quickly and you have a team with some knowledge and skills in coding. 

In this case, you would need to invest in a low-code platform (such as UI Bakery, Appian, Appsmith, and Xano). There, you would use various features, including pre-built components, visual interfaces, and templates, to design and build your app while streamlining the process and reducing time to market. 

The result is rapid application delivery that is cost effective and facilitates collaboration between technical and non-technical staff. Keep in mind, however, that depending on the tool you use, you may face challenges such as limited customisation options, vendor lock-in, and the inability to integrate with other applications.

No-Code App Development

Finally, if you don’t have any programming skills and can’t invest in an app development agency, then this would be your best choice. No code app development software allows you to build, prototype, test and launch functional applications without writing a single line of code. 

While this may seem ideal, keep in mind that apps developed using this approach face customisation issues, vendor lock-in, security challenges, complexity and performance limitations.

Developing Mobile Apps: Challenges

As you can imagine, ideating, designing, building, and launching an app is not easy. There are many different steps, details, and team members involved, opening the doors to challenges that include:

1. App development approach: As you can see above, you and your team have different approaches to developing your app. Choosing the right one will be the first big challenge you face. Making the right decision early on can save you a lot of time and resources, while increasing your chances of launching a successful app.
2. User experience: One of the most important parts of your mobile app is the user interface. It should provide a flawless experience with the best usability, low load times, and a design that guides the user on what to do.
3. Device compatibility: One of the biggest challenges you may face is ensuring that your new mobile apps work perfectly on different devices and screen sizes. On the contrary, it will greatly affect the user experience. While there is no specific requirement, you should aim to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) at every stage of the mobile app development process.
4. Financing and funding: The cost of creating an app can vary greatly depending on the features, platform choice, team location, development process, level of sophistication, and competition. On average, a mobile app can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000, so finding the resources to cover this and any hidden fees is definitely a challenge you need to consider.
5. Standing out: With over 8.93 million apps worldwide, your biggest challenge is to make your app stand out from the competition, drive people to it, and keep them coming back. 

What Are the Basics of Mobile App Development? – How To Make an App

With that in mind, it’s time to take a look at the different steps you should be taking to get your new mobile application from idea to design to development to launch.

Step 1: Research and Planning

The first stage is to sit down and study every detail that plays a key role in developing your app.L Let’s take a closer look at the details you should consider and why they’re important.

Define Measurable Goals

The first step is to decide what you want to accomplish with your new mobile application. You can do this by asking yourself questions such as:

• What do you want to achieve?
• What problems do you want to solve with your mobile application?

Whatever your goals are, they should be written using the SMART methodology: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This will make it clear what you want to achieve and how you will measure success. App development goals vary widely. They can be business goals (increase sales, improve customer retention, expand market reach, etc.) or user goals (simplify a task, entertain, solve a problem, etc.). They can also be focused on:

1. User acquisition: Increase app downloads by 10% in 2 months.
2. User engagement: Increase the retention rate of daily active users by 5% in 3 months.
3. Monetisation: Increase in-app purchases by 20% within 4 months.
4. User experience: Reduce new user churn by 15% in 3 months.

Remember, just because these are examples of what other companies have set as their goals does not mean they have to be yours. Set goals that are aligned with your overall business strategy, your target market, and are realistic. Whatever you decide here will determine your entire app development process. 

Research your Target Market

You also need to pay close attention to your target audience. Focus on understanding their age range, gender, location, language, occupation, interests, challenges, motivation, goals, and pain points. Learn about their technology usage habits, including the type of device and operating system they use. 

You can gather all of this data by:

1. Surveying and interviewing potential users.
2. Analysing data to identify behavioral and demographic patterns.
3. Building user personas with detailed behavioral trends.

Identify your Competitors

Another key detail to focus on is identifying who your competitors are, what they are doing in terms of mobile apps, and why people love their apps. You should also pay close attention to what platform they have their app on, what pain point they are trying to solve, and what strategies they are using to promote it. 

Understanding this will facilitate the process of making your app unique and solving a market need. 

Decide What Type of Mobile App Development you Want to Work With

With all the information you’ve gathered so far, you should be able to determine where you want to launch your mobile application. The two main options are either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. The former limits your application to Apple users only (iPhone, iPad, iPod, iWatch, Apple TV), while the latter is an open source system available to almost everyone. 

Consider your options carefully before making a decision. This will determine the level of expertise of your mobile application development team, the programming language, and many other details that can make or break your application.

Identify Key App Features

Finally, you need to plan what features your app should have to solve a specific pain point, fill a market need, and be valuable to the end user. 

In addition to the features specific to your app, you should aim for engagement features (e.g., push notifications, alerts), accessibility features (offline access), social sharing (social media integration), privacy, user experience features (intuitive interface, easy navigation), analytics and insights (tracking usage, engagement, etc.), and location-based features. 

Step 2: UX and UI Design

By now, you have a pretty good idea of what you want your app to do and who it is for. It’s time to sit down and start designing it to make it happen.

Decide Who Will Create an App: In-House Team or App Development Agency?

The first challenge you will face in this process is deciding who will handle the UX/UI design and development of your mobile app. You can either add experts in the field (project manager, UX/UI designer, developer, QA engineer) to your team or work with a mobile app development agency. 

Weigh your options, consider the costof each option, analyse each path. Both can lead you to success if you make the right decision based on your business needs and budget. If you are a medium to small business, you have a small and dedicated team, and you have not worked on a project like this before, then your best option is to work with a mobile app development agency. They have a team packed with experience, knowledge, tools and resources ready to help bring your idea to life.

Follow Basic App Design Rules

Whatever you decide, encourage your team to follow basic app design guidelines and the latest trends. You want your creation to stand out from the competition while still providing a rich user experience. 

Some important design basics to keep in mind are:

1. Simplicity is key.
2. Consistency is important.
3. Readability is a top priority.
4. Design for thumbs.
5. Use push notifications.
6. Embrace personalisation.

Remember, a well-designed mobile app goes far beyond appearance. It provides a seamless user experience and prioritises essential elements and how the user interacts with the app (swipes, clicks, taps, pinches, etc.).

To learn more about UX/UI design for mobile apps, we encourage you to read our blog post “UI/UX Design: Best Practices for a Successful Mobile Application”.

Key Elements You Need to Design

At this point, your goal is to create an interactive prototype of your mobile application. It basically shows what your application will look like and how each feature you have decided to include will work.

For this, it’s important that your UX/UI designer provides you with the following:

1. Information architecture: Specifies, details, and organises the content, data, interface, and functionality of your mobile app.
2. Wireframes: a sketch that details the basic structure and functionality of your app and outlines the user flow.
3. Style guide: A set of rules that defines the graphical elements of your mobile app.
4. Mockups: a visual representation of your app that shows the design elements (colours, fonts, etc.). 
5. Prototype: a visual mockup that demonstrates the basic design and functionality of your app without requiring any code.

Step 3: Mobile App Development

Once you’ve approved the UX/UI design and shown it to potential users, it’s time to start coding. This happens in three main areas: the back end, the API, and the front end. Each has its own set of challenges and requirements. So it’s imperative that you work with an experienced team that can handle all the requirements and obstacles. 

Choose a Development Method

But before you start writing lines and lines of code, you need to decide what kind of mobile application you want to launch. As we explained earlier, you can create a native app, a hybrid app, or a cross-platform app. You can opt for a low-code or no code app. 

Again, review the options. Analyse the challenges and benefits of each. Consider the cost of each mobile app development and choose the one the app type that provides the most value to your business and target audience.

At Sortlist, we encourage you to consider building a native app. According to research, they get over 90% of all downloads in both the App Store and Google Play Store. Plus, customers spend 15x more time in a native app than in a hybrid app.

Create a Timeline with Milestones and Owners

Ask your project manager to create a document with the timeline of your mobile application development. It should include the details of milestones, tasks, responsibleparties, and due dates. This document should be available to everyone involved, and it is the perfect way to keep track of how well you are doing with the estimated launch date.

Build your MVP

Your first goal should be to build a minimum viable product (MVP). This is a version of your mobile app that contains only the core features, with the goal of showing it to potential users and getting feedback. 

You want to understand if your great idea actually resonates with them and if they see value in it. All before you spend thousands of dollars and months of development. Mobile apps like Twitter, Spotify, and Airbnb started out as MVPs. Today, they are businesses that generate millions of dollars in revenue.

Step 4: Test and Launch

A mobile application development project requires a lot of testing. You and your team need to thoroughly test both content and functionality. You need to look for bugs, glitches, or anything that needs to be improved as it might affect the user experience.

Test Your App with QAs

Have your team run a quality assurance test before you launch your app. This will ensure the functionality, usability, and reliability of your application and help you avoid glitches or inconvenience. 

This process involves a series of testing and inspection activities that include user requirements, cross-platform compatibility, performance, user experience, regulatory compliance, security, device testing, and more.

Ensure Security Measures are Implemented

Before you start, there’s one last thing you need to consider: security. You want to make sure you have all the security measures in place to protect users’ data and privacy. Failure to do so can lead to legal problems, financial problems, and the end of your project.

Publish your App to Stores

Once everything is done, tested and approved, it’s time to publish your mobile app development to the app store of your choice. While this process seems very straightforward, it’s worth noting that there’s a high chance that it will be rejected because it doesn’t meet all the guidelines (design, privacy, content). If that’s the case, don’t worry. You can always make the necessary changes and resubmit.

Submit your App to the App Store

Here’s a quick, step-by-step guide to submitting your mobile app to the Apple App Store. 

1. Join the Apple Developer Program: You will need an Apple Developer Account, which costs $99 per year.
2. Prepare your app: Make sure your app meets Apple’s guidelines and standards. Test it thoroughly to avoid any crashes or bugs.
3. Create an App Store listing: In App Store Connect, enter information about your app, including its name, description, screenshots, and promotional copy.
4. Upload your app: Use Xcode to upload your app to App Store Connect.
5. Submit for review: Your app will be reviewed by Apple to ensure it meets all guidelines.
6. Publish your app: Once approved, you can release your app to the public.

Submit your App to the Google Play Store

However, if you want to publish it to the Google Play Store, you should follow these steps:

1. Create a Google Developer Account: Sign up for a Google Play developer account for a one-time fee of $25.
2. Prepare your app: Make sure your app meets Google’s quality guidelines and test it thoroughly to avoid any issues.
3. Upload your app: Use Android Studio or another development tool to build and compile your app, then upload the APK or app bundle to the Google Play Console.
4. Set up your store listing: Fill out the necessary details in the Play Console, including app title, description, category, screenshots, and promotional text.
5. Rate your app: Fill out the content rating questionnaire to give your app a rating that informs users of its content.
6. Configure pricing and distribution: Set your app’s price (if it’s a paid app) and select the countries where it will be available.
7. Publish your app: Once everything is set up, you can publish your app to the Google Play Store. It will go through a review process before becoming available to users.

Step 5: Marketing

Now your mobile application should be available for download in the app store of your choice. However, it will not be successful until you start getting downloads and usage. For this to happen, you need to involve your marketing team or digital marketing agency. 

Their job is to create a marketing strategy that encourages users to download, use, and return to your app. They can use social media ads, search engine ads, influencers, social media, email marketing, content marketing, or any other marketing effort that will resonate with your target audience and get them to take action and use your app.

Keep in mind that you should have a dedicated portion of your budget for this purpose. It can take weeks and months before your app has a significant user base. 

Step 6: Support and Maintenance

As an app owner, it’s imperative that you internalise that the work is not done when you launch it. Mobile apps require constant improvements and updates to prevent bugs and errors. They also help provide an optimal user experience and keep your app filled with relevant information and features.

Remember, you should always track analytics, comments, reviews, and ask your users about their experience. This will give you relevant information to understand what updates need to happen, what features users enjoy the most, and which ones they do not use.

Front-End and Back-End when Building Apps

As you have seen from all the previous reading, the mobile application development process has two major components: the back end and the front end. The former refers to the part of your app that users interact with directly (everything they can see and use); it is responsible for the user interface and user interaction. The latter refers to the server side of your application. It handles data management and storage, user authentication, and integration with third-party services. 

But there is a third important component: The API. This refers to the interfaces that allow the front end to communicate with the back end, exchanging data and functionality. Without it, your app won’t work. 

When you start planning your business idea, make sure you have enough budgetto work with experts who can ensure seamless integration between all three components. This is the only way to ensure a robust, efficient, and user-centric application.

Compliance and Industry Standards You Should Know About when Creating Mobile Apps

We said it before, launching an app is not easy, there are specific guidelines and compliance that you need to follow. That’s the main reason why we at Sortlist recommend working with a mobile app development agency instead of an in-house team. They are already familiar with these details and will help you ideate, plan, design and develop an app that meets them all. 

But to make the process easier on your end, here’s a quick recap of the key regulations you’ll most likely need to meet.

1. PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard):A set of security standards designed to ensure that all businesses (including mobile apps) that accept, process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. It is designed to help prevent credit card fraud and protect cardholder data.
2. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): a comprehensive data protection law in the European Union, which sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal data. It’s designed to give individuals more control over their personal information and ensure that their privacy rights are protected.
3. COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act): A U.S. law designed to protect the privacy of children under the age of 13. It requires websites and online services (including mobile applications) to obtain parental consent before collecting or using personal information from children.
4. CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act): A law that enhances the privacy rights and consumer protections of California residents. It provides consumers with the right to know what personal information is collected about them and how it is used, and gives them the power to access, delete, or opt out of the sale of their information.

Please note that regulations, laws and compliance requirements vary depending on your location and jurisdiction. 

Conclusion

Launching a mobile app is not an easy task, but it comes with great benefits. Otherwise, we would not see so many options when we enter one of the app stores. But for your app to work, it needs to fill a market need, provide value, and deliver a seamless user experience. Follow the steps outlined in this guide to mobile app development and partner with an outstanding agency with a proven track record.