In the third quarter of 2019, telecom companies in Jamaica earned 25% higher revenue as compared to the same quarter in 2018. Much of this growth was driven by internet usage [1]. The number of people using the internet through their smartphones is expected to have increased even further in 2021. This brings many opportunities for Jamaican businesses to take advantage of via mobile app development.
Whether you want to develop an app for your existing business or have an exciting new idea, it is highly recommended that you work with a mobile app development company, instead of trying to run the project yourself. This will be more efficient and cost-effective in the long run and you will end up with a much better application. To be able to effectively evaluate and select the right mobile app development company in Jamaica, you need to have an understanding of what these companies do? In this article, we will explain the step-by-step process of mobile app development.
Process followed by most app design & development companies
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Strategy and Ideation
Every app development process starts with strategy, ideation, and validation. The goal of this stage in the process is to understand what we are building and why. During this stage, the app development company will work with you to identify who will be the app users? Research competition, and validate that there is an actual problem the app will solve or if there is demand for a service it will provide.
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Planning and Roadmap
During this stage, you will get a better picture of what your app will be. You will define the ‘use cases’ for when the app will be used, understand what functionalities it needs to have, and what functionalities will be built first as per priority. Based on these factors, the mobile app development company will create a roadmap for the application and will define the development milestones.
A good idea is to finalize an MVP for your application. A Minimum Viable Product (MVP), is the set of functionalities that the app must have for it to be launched. Then you can continue development and release additional functionalities after launch. An important part of this stage is understanding what technology will be used in the development and hence what expertise your development team needs to have. For example, if you are building an App for iOS, you will need iOS developers, for Android you will require Android developers. If your MVP requires both iOS and Android versions to be available, your development team will need both expertise.
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UX/UI design
User experience is extremely important to make your app easy to use, intuitive and interactive. Good UI design will help your app look professional, polished and encourage users to download. Quality UI follows a well-defined UX. You may choose to work with a different company for app design and a different company for app development. However, it is recommended that you find a mobile app design and development company, so that the app development process follows a holistic approach starting from the ideation and strategy phase.
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Workflow and Information Architecture
During this stage, the company will finalize what information will be displayed to app users and what information will be collected by the app. Decisions need to be made on how data will be transported, encrypted, and stored.
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Wireframes, Style guide, and Mock-ups
Mobile app design often starts with simple sketches on paper. Wireframes are the digital version of these sketches. They help refine ideas and layouts. Once the wireframes are finalized the app design company will work on the style guide. The style guide will finalize the colours that will be used for your app, the fonts, the style of icons, etc. They are the design language that will determine the look and feel of your application. The wireframes and style guides are combined to create your app’s mock-ups. These are high-fidelity renderings of your final app design.
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App development and testing
Only after the mock-ups have been finalized can mobile app development begin. Based on the earlier planning and the existing processes, the mobile app development company will define the technical architecture of your application, finalize the technology stack that will make everything work, and define milestones for delivery.
Testing is the final phase of app development before launch. Extensive testing is necessary to ensure that your application is stable, secure, and works the way it is supposed to.
When you are evaluating a mobile app development company in Jamaica, you should ask them about how they work in these different stages and how you would be kept updated. If you lack technical expertise you want to work with a technology partner that will include you in the development process and explain things in uncomplicated terms.
Businesses in Jamaica can get in touch with Toucan Digital Media, a website services and mobile app design and development company in Jamaica. We collaborate and work with our clients to bring their app ideas into existence. Schedule an appointment to learn more about our processes and expertise.
Sources:
Mar. 2020, “Telecoms grow revenue 25% as internet usage climbs”, The Gleaner, [available online] available from: https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20200308/telecoms-grow-revenue-25-internet-usage-climbs [accessed Jun 2021]