Instantly
Bringing fans and creators closer together
(Mobile) app development is where we make a designed User Interface into a smooth running and well functioning application, for either iOS, Android or macOS. But having an app ready to go doesn’t mean much if your users can’t download it. In case of mobile apps this means the entire process also includes submitting the app to the App Store or Google Play Store for the world to enjoy. At Yummygum, we’ve been developing apps for a quite some time now. Here are some insights we learned along the way and continue to apply during our development process on a daily basis. When developing for apps we focus on performance metrics [link naar performance metrics pillar] and aim for a 100 lighthouse score, to ensure the best User Experience for our users.
Our relevant app development projects
Some app development methods we use
Testing
Testing is incredibly important, especially when it comes to devices specific apps. A testing environment needs to be set up in order to gather testing results, process these results and then release a new build. Test often and on multiple devices and never just assume the simulator on your computer is the only source of thruth.
Native vs. Web
There’s something to say for both ways of developing, and it’s good to understand when to use which method. Which one to pick fully depends on both your preferred way of working and your app’s future plans. Ask yourself; do you want your app to be available on multiple platforms, or just for one?
Know the possibilities
App development can be done in many ways. Xcode is the main program to develop for iOS, whereas there’s Android studio for Android devices. Theres a lot of coding languages out there such as Java, Python and C++. Make sure to code in a language that you and your team mates are all proficient in.
Read more of our thoughts on Development
Test, test and then test again
As mentioned before; testing is extremely important. Test on multiple devices, new and older generations. It goes without saying that you should always test on the devices your target audience uses. If you know for a fact your target audience only uses the last two generations of iPhone, then developing for android or for iPhone 8 won’t be necessary. Also make sure to test with a enough users, and don’t just rely on testing it yourself or only have direct colleagues test the app. By doing this you can see what differences or similarities come up whilst testing between devices and operating systems.
Manage your release versions
Something else our team swears by is to have guidelines for your release management. There are differences between bug fixes on one hand and new feature releases on the other. So make sure to think about how you distinguish between them, what wording you use for each and who on your team handles each. Our developers have their own guidelines written for this topic, which everyone can always reference.
Native development isn’t something scary, even though it can sometimes feel that way. There isn’t a battle between native and web. Both are great!
Donovan Roubos
Lead Development
Main takeaways
Always be aware of the minimal requirements for each device.
There’s subtle nuances between developing for Android or for iOS. Each have their own design patterns.
Decide early on whether you’d like to develop a native app or would rather develop cross platform.
App development is a skill, not something each developer has the same proficiency in (did we mention we have those developers at Yummygum?).
