Mobile apps are emerging as a game-changer for many businesses as they make things accessible right at their fingertips. Mobile users are increasing every day, and experts predict even more growth in the coming years. The total value of the mobile app industry will reach $188.9 billion by the end of 2021, according to statistics.
This highly potential and profitable industry can’t be possible without the help of developers who build these applications. This results in high demand for the role of mobile app developers all around the globe. To develop mobile applications, one does not need a college degree and experience in computer science, but rather, knowledge of certain programming languages.
The blog is a step-by-step actionable guide to becoming an app developer that should be followed properly to achieve the desired goal and have a good career in the same field.
What Does a Mobile App Developer Do?
The main job of mobile developers is to create, test, update, and manage mobile applications along with programming them from scratch or design or modify the user interface from time to time.
They also have to keep up with the market and changing trends of the audience and keep the applications up-to-date. Mobile app developers also have to collaborate with various teams under one organization to achieve certain goals and meet the requirements of the users.
Having a mobile application is an important business strategy. Even though effective websites play an important role, there’s no substitute for a mobile app. They’re effective because they get installed on mobile phones directly and send real-time notifications that have higher chances of getting clicks. Also, they can be accessed anytime and anywhere and at the go, hence they are highly popular.
Advantages of Being a Mobile App Developer
- An individual will have better job security and can opt to work either in-person or remotely
- It develops the skills for creating an immersive and structured program
- It is a quick and highly potential way to have a great career and salary packages
- It enables individuals to have better communication skills by collaborating with various teams or individuals
- It helps in creating a strong and professional network with various knowledgeable people all around the globe
Steps to become a Mobile app developer
1. Select a platform
Picking a niche in mobile app development is the most crucial decision in one’s career. Android, iOS, and Windows are the most popular choices among users. Blackberry RIM and Symbian aren’t that popular in the market and don’t provide many opportunities.
Among the top three options, users can either opt to select one or learn for all three to eventually have a better career. However, an individual should first start and gain expertise over anyone platform only. After mastering that, they can expand their horizons and learn the development of other technologies too.
2. Learning the coding skills
Right after selecting one platform, an individual should start learning the core concepts for developing the mobile app on the preferable platform.
3. For iOS
For developing applications for iOS, that run on Apple mobile devices, one must learn either Swift or Objective-C. If you want to start successfully and want to develop applications for yourself, going with Swift would be a wise choice because it is easy to learn. It was first launched in 2014 and has gained a lot of traction over the years.
However, it is suggested for individuals to learn Objective-C if they’re planning to work with an organization as an iOS developer because a lot of applications currently are based on Objective-C and you might have to manage and maintain their codes. It also comes with detailed documentation for beginners to start effectively and never gets perplexed while working with the same.
Apple also offers a well-documented iOS library to help with the entire development process. Also, users can take the help of various tutorials and videos available over the internet to break down the complexity of the iOS development program.
4. For Android
The basic elements of developing websites are Java or Kotlin. An individual can take the help of various introductory courses to learn the development using the same. One of the most common ways of getting started with the same is Google’s Android Developer Library, a very well-documented and comprehensive document.
Keep in mind that the devices running on Android have an extremely dynamic and wide spectrum in the market that may result in incompatibility issues at the beginning of your development cycle. However, this issue will be resolved over time and you can cover a wider audience. For keeping up with the latest information regarding Android, you can subscribe to their weekly newsletter.
5. Using Development Software
An alternative to developing mobile applications via codes is using mobile development software. They offer multiple templates to help developers start without going through many hurdles.
6. Focus these areas
Every process calls for a clear understanding of concepts, and mobile app development is no exception. Following are the core fundamentals that should be focused on properly to become a mobile app developer.
7. UI Design
The end response of the users completely depends upon the User Interface Design of the developed application. It is crucial to create an interactive and easy-to-navigate website, and knowing how to do so will serve as a launching pad for your career.
8. Programming
The language you’re choosing is not a point of concern but your programming skills. Using proper logic and translating algorithms into compressed and powerful codes is important. Getting well-versed with this will allow an individual to choose any programming language as per the requirements.
Following are some of the basic languages for becoming a mobile app developer:
- Object-oriented programming languages such as Java, C++, Objective C, and Swift
- Front end languages such as HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript
9. Business expertise
Making few conceptual errors can work because they will be improved after a certain time and threshold. However, one thing that is mandatory to keep in mind is business cases or the main purpose of the app, because this is where the money revolves. The structuring of the app should be done by keeping the factors of monetization in mind. Putting the fences within an app to eventually make the user make the desired action is important.
10. Practice and work on real projects
After learning the required skills and languages, an individual should regularly get their hands dirty with the development to keep their skills sharp. This will prevent developers from forgetting the concepts and codes and therefore, they should constantly practice coding, programming, and development.
Also, developers should work on some real projects to make things more professional that may also work as a portfolio for getting a job in any company.
11. Have an idea
To build something that can work well in the market, one has to take inspiration from day-to-day activities and come with ideas to resolve the issue using a mobile app. Start working on that idea by using all the skills you’ve built. If you have an existing idea, then start working on it.
12. Structure your idea
This is the process of defining all the navigations, redirections, several pages, and sections, etc within your website to help visitors surf through the app properly. This process helps in achieving the appropriate User Interface Design and makes your application stand out.
13. Collaborate with other Professionals
Developing an app from scratch without taking the aid or suggestions from other professionals will consume a lot of time and the probability of mistakes and bugs can be more. It is really important for beginners to have someone who can guide and assist them in building the mobile application for better results. Additionally, one can hire professionals to collaborate on the same.
14. Test your app
Right after completely developing the mobile application, mobile developers should test them before sending it to the final audience. This will help in eliminating the underlying issues and bugs that may have the potential to make customer’s experiences awful.
15. Make the app for other platforms
After finalizing the development of your mobile application on one platform, you should try covering the wider audience by converting the application to other platforms as well. Since every platform has its own requirements, working with each platform will help you build more skills and knowledge of working with multiple platforms.
16. Apply for Internship
To finally start your professional career in mobile app development and earn a good amount of money, apply for internships for the same. Internships help in building the process of organizing and implementing the projects. In addition, they work as a recommendation to help you get your first job as a mobile app developer.
Conclusion
The ever-growing mobile audience brings out a huge opportunity for mobile app developers. Their main role is to develop, test, manage and update mobile applications for better functioning. Being a mobile developer gives job security and allows individuals to work remotely and with better flexibility. To become a successful developer, an individual must follow the steps mentioned in the blog. It starts from selecting a platform onto which the application will be developed. One can select from two of the most popular platform, i.e. Android and iOS, or even select from other less popular options such as Windows or Blackberry.
Developers should keep the main areas stronger, that is User Interface, Programming, coding skills, and business expertise. Having a stronger grip on them helps in getting better results. Right after this, getting hands-on experience with some real projects is really crucial as it helps in the improvement of skills even more.