What is Firebase? How to build a Cloud Firestore database successfully?
Trying to manage your business data within a spreadsheet is pretty annoying. Whether you are a small marketing agency monitoring leads in Google Spreadsheets, an entrepreneur keeping thousands of data rows in Excel, or your range anywhere in between – data management can get sloppy and disordered.
As the database starts increasing, you quickly face the limitations of a basic spreadsheet such as unresponsiveness, slow loading time, arranging burps that generate hard-to-spot formula errors, etc.
It is possible that you might have experienced some of these hurdles and are searching for the best solution to address them. You have noticed that dozens of online database management solutions are out there.
If you choose AWS (Amazon Web Services), it has a couple of database offerings like Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) and Amazon DynamoDB. From Google, you will get Firebase which offers many features as a back-end development tool for Web and Mobile apps.
It mitigates development workload and time and is also a perfect prototyping tool.
In this post, we will understand Google Firebase, Cloud Firestore, how to create a Firebase account, and how to build a Google Cloud Firestore Database. So, let’s get going.
What is Google Firebase?
Google Firebase is a platform that offers active Backend as a Service (BaaS) to develop fully dynamic Mobile and Web applications.
The concept of Firebase is simple. While developing a client-side application with JS or any of its frameworks, Google Firebase can transform this into a serverless app immediately. It also removes the need for database management by yourself.
Therefore, using Firebase means integrating a ready-made backend into the code to make it completely dynamic. So there is no need to write back-end code from scratch and give a fully functional one.
When it comes to security, it also has built-in security regulations that make it a reliable data and server controller.
What is Cloud Firestore?
Firestore is a NoSQL database hosted on a Cloud platform that stores and synchronizes data among users and devices at a global scale.
Google Cloud Firestore offers you live syncing as well as offline support with efficient data queries. Integrating Cloud Firestore with the other Firebase products facilitates you to develop truly serverless mobile and web apps.
How to create a Firebase Account?
#1. Get Going
Go to https://firebase.google.com/ and click on the ‘Get Started’ button.
#2. Create a Project
Once you get started with the Firebase, the next step you need to follow is to create a project. So click on the ‘Create a Project’ button.
The next step is assigning a name to your project.
You can enable Google Analytics but for now, make it disabled if you just want to analyze the service.
#3. Set up Private Key File
The next step is to set up a private key that is required once you begin with writing code and for the access of your Firebase Database.
Go to Project Settings. For that, click on the Setting icon next to ‘Project Overview’ and click on ‘Project settings’.
Next, go to the ‘Service accounts’ tab and click on the ‘Generate new private key’ button. It will let you download the JSON file.
Click on the ‘Generate key’ button and save the JSON file in your local system.
How to build a Cloud Firestore Database?
#1. Create a database
Now you have an account and private key. The next is to build a sample database using Google Cloud Firestore. Click on the ‘Firestore Database’ tab from the sidebar menu and then click on the ‘Create database’ button.
Watch out for the dialog box and finish the database building process by first clicking on the ‘Next’ button and then the ‘Enable’ button.
How to create a Collection and Document?
#1. Create a database
Click on the ‘Start collection’ option to build a new Collection to store all the documents.
For example, let’s name the Collection as ‘Laptops’.
Click on the ‘Next’ button and include some documents in the collection. By default, Firebase assigns ‘auto-ID’ in the Document ID.
There should be some fields in the Document. So enter something like below.
Let’s add one more field in the document that is ‘Model Number: 20KGS8ML00’.
Bingo! No more than that!
Summing Up
As you may have noticed, you can save a lot of time and mitigate latency with Google Cloud Firebase. While it’s keenly developing, it already empowered multiple mobile and web apps on the internet.
If you are not sure to use it for any compound project, you can begin with a small one. You will discover some useful practicals in the docs to know how it performs.
Source: https://ereleasewire.com/what-is-firebase-how-to-build-a-cloud-firestore-database-successfully%ef%bf%bc/
What to Consider while Planning to Develop a Successful Mobile App?
Mobile apps have generated 365b in the year 2018 and are estimated to generate 935b+ dollars by the end of 2023.
Businesses are making efforts to leverage the best out of mobile app trends. But, they are somehow failing at various points to be successful.
Nowadays, it is very significant for businesses to be competitive in everything they do. For that, the mobile app development process is one of the factors you can’t overlook.
A mobile app could be very beneficial only when you consider certain aspects before heading towards development.
|1. Know your targeted audience
Identify your customer better as only they can aid your business to get more leads and ROI. Acknowledging your targeted audience thoroughly is the key to serving them with superior services and products. It will ultimately generate strong customer relations and obviously new sales.
To understand your customers’ needs better,
✅ Monitor their real-time behavior ✅ Discover different categories of your customers ✅ Invest in social media to engage your customers ✅ Leverage customer service discussions ✅ Identify customers’ preferences ✅ Provide all-inclusive contact information |
|2. Provide Value
When you have a unique app idea to address issues identified by the users, it will add value to your app. The mobile app should offer significant advantages to the users that urge them to download the app.
A unique value is related to various aspects such as the product’s price, costs, speed, the way apps perform, etc. A perfect app includes customer needs, business goals, and advanced technology to deliver better customer satisfaction.
Note that it is always better if your app solves multiple real-world issues.
|3. Define your business model
A business model is just an analysis of your expenses and how much you can charge for your mobile app. To monetize the app, businesses use different advertising-based models.
Video ads, in-app purchases, etc., are widely used on a global level. You can also choose from other models as well according to your preferences.
Competitor analysis will also aid you to decide on which business model will succeed. Getting profits is not the only mark of success.
There are various categories with various benefits. Sometimes you need to develop an app to save money or improve business functionality, not for the profit only.
A Business model is a blueprint for small business success. It is necessary to take your time creating a business model by considering all potential areas of concern.
|4. Identify the feature’s scope
Once you have your app idea, you have visualized all the unique features and functionalities, but what next?
It may happen that additional features will impede the development of your core features. If you start focusing on the wrong end of the app development, you will lose time, quality, and resources. You will end up overlooking the core app ideas.
Once again, think about the core concept of your app. You can develop other features lately, in the near future. Follow these three steps when it comes to defining the feature scope.
✅ Set the base of your product ✅ Determine and prioritize features ✅ Develop an MVP(Minimum Viable Product) |
|5. Select the suitable technology
Deciding on the right technology will set you closer to the success of your mobile app. You will have three options to choose from when it comes to selecting the right technology.
- Platform-specific native app
These apps are coded for a particular mobile platform such as iOS or Android. You can use only those programming languages supported by the platform’s OS.
A platform-specific native app leverages the hardware and functionality of your device as much as possible to enhance the user experience.
- Cross-platform native app
These apps use shared SDKs but run on a native platform. Cross-platform native apps developed using React Native and Flutter technologies.
If you have a tight budget and still want to leverage the benefits of multiple devices, choose cross-platform native apps.
- Hybrid app
This approach is popular because hybrid apps are compatible with all the OS and devices. This method is cost-effective, flexible, as well as quick to deploy.
However, you can not leverage the advantages of native platforms. Hybrid apps let you use the single codebase for multiple platforms.
|6. Simple yet intuitive UI/UX
Simplicity is incredibly significant when it comes to UI/UX designs. People nowadays have shorter attention spans and will not accept mobile apps that take longer to load. Mobile apps which are as simple as possible to use will have competitive advantages.
A lively and spanking UI feels good while using the app, but also intuitive UX is also vital for usability. A properly brainstormed registration process drives better user acquisition and boosts downloads.
Note that simple is more enjoyable for the users that ultimately drive more leads.
|7. Choosing the right team
The quality of the mobile app is directly proportional to the ability of your development team. A single app developer can help you with small projects. When you have a lengthy process, you can outsource your mobile app development project to the agencies.
You can also hire a consultancy partner who also assists your market success along with offering technical experts.
Ensure that your team has all the abilities required for the successful development of a mobile app. They must have good communication skills and be able to perceive all the tasks assigned to them.
|8. Ensure security of your app
The safety of a mobile app is not a feature or benefit, it is absolutely an essential thing. One failure can cost you not just dollars but a lifetime of trust.
When you were busy with the development of an intuitive, and innovative mobile app, security failure troubled you.
Developers can build security into the app by,
✅ Writing a secure code ✅ Deploying proper session handling ✅ Deploying tamper-detection technologies ✅ Being extra careful with the libraries ✅ Using high-level authentication ✅ Encrypting all data ✅Using the best cryptography tools and techniques ✅ Using legitimate API only ✅Testing repeatedly |
|9. Integrate third-party APIs
Third-party APIS enables developers to develop a new solution within a short time frame. Users can use already existing elements instead of creating everything from scratch.
For an online business, third-party APIs serve multiple benefits. It enables them to get new customers, make their brand visible, and boost sales.
Some of the benefits are,
✅ Shorter time-to-market ✅ Better user-experience ✅ Lower-cost ✅ Add value to your business ✅ High flexibility ✅ Quicker production |
Before integrating third-party APIs, remember that the more integration you add, the more it will cost you. Third-party integration also demands more comprehensive testing.
Moreover, the implementation of technically complicated APIs needs steady and reliable maintenance.
|10. Work on marketing strategy
You must know the art of advertising your mobile app to appeal to mobile users. If it is applied right, mobile app marketing strategies enable mobile users with the best, personalized information.
You can target mobile users through,
✅ Mobile websites ✅ Mobile emails ✅ Mobile searches ✅ Text messages ✅ Mobile social media |
You can split strategy into pre-launch, launch, and post-launch stages and leverage the marketing tools to promote your mobile app.
Summing Up
There is a phenomenal growth of mobile users over the past few years. Mobile user penetration has covered half of the world’s population. Therefore, it is significant that with the cutting-edge mobile app, any business can have the upper hand and drive more success.
If you are an entrepreneur, you can consider all the above-mentioned aspects to get the best business results.
Source: https://newsrivals.com/what-to-consider-while-planning-to-develop-a-successful-mobile-app/
How to create a successful online business through mobile apps
One of the key reasons for the enormous growth of hand-held devices, especially smartphones, is the availability of different mobile apps offering intelligent features and user-centric services. Mobile applications are more likely to invade each field of everyone’s life as well as business.
The advancement of smart devices and mobile app development technologies has transformed the whole scenario of extending business upside down. As the world has become heavily app-dependent, organizations of all shapes and sizes need to assess genuinely how to leverage mobile apps for enhanced growth and increased customer reach.
According to Statista, in 2018, mobile app revenues raised more than 365B U.S.dollars worldwide. In 2023, it is expected to create over 935B U.S. dollars through in-app purchases and paid downloads.
The significance of mobile apps for businesses
In older days, mobile apps were common only for big brands. But today’s market scenarios have thoroughly destroyed this delusion.
At present, even a startup knows the importance of mobile apps for their business and wants to customize them according to customers’ demands.
There are various examples of startups that have gained huge reputations and become more competitive in the ever-changing market with the help of fully-featured mobile app development services.
Today’s consumers expect all the details of products/services promptly at their fingertips. It shows how the buying nature and strategies of customers have changed thoroughly.
A mobile app will play a significant role to modernize your entire business and offer multiple benefits such as,
☑ Boost your brand visibility ☑ Improve customer loyalty ☑ Serve as a direct marketing channel ☑ Increase leads and profits ☑ Enhanced customer service ☑ Improved business recognition |
A strong online presence is directly proportional to boost the opportunities of getting a high ROI.
Here are some tips helping you to succeed through feature-rich mobile apps that address your customers’ changing needs.
Tips for business success through a mobile app
#1. Create an intuitive UI
The first thing that any user will experience through your mobile app is user-friendliness. An intuitive UI enables users to effortlessly navigate into the app, explore all the categories in the app easily, and search anything with a few taps on the mobile screen.
So when you design the UI, remember how users are using smartphones. You have to display everything within a tiny screen of the mobile. Each button, menu, and content need to adjust accordingly in a well-organized manner.
Good UI and the design of an app appeals to more customers to explore the app that ultimately drives more purchases. So make the UI as perfect as it can be.
#2. Compatible navigation with basic steps
You will have enough space to accurately display a large menu and its sub-menu on the website, but what about apps? There are constraints for the screen size that make it impossible to showcase everything in a single drop-down menu appropriately in the app. You need to limit things without compromising the app’s effectiveness.
You can streamline the product discovery by continuous menu sticking in the app. Also, ensure that the app menu includes only necessary categories and sections. Name each menu item with just a single word.
You have to brainstorm to build a menu that is compacted, condensed, and yet user-friendly.
#3. Add a progress bar
At some point, it could be necessary to get all the details from your customer before they make any payment for the purchased items.
If some of the processes are lengthy and you can not divide them into various short steps, you can provide a progress bar. Progress bars help users to identify how many steps they have completed and what is remaining. It aids users to keep going until the last step.
A green progress bar provides needed patience to users that encourage them to complete the task, no matter how much lengthier the process would be.
#4. Simple log/sign in and checkout
Lengthy log-in/sign-in forms and checkout forms irritate users. Moreover, the touch screen of smartphones distracts users from writing and entering too much detail in the form as there is no physical keyboard.
So try to split out the log-in/sign-in and checkout processes into 2-3 short steps. You can also offer direct log-in/sign-in through social media accounts or Gmail accounts. Because each user who is using a smartphone already has Facebook and Gmail accounts log-in. So there is no need to enter too much information in the forms.
#5. Increase loading speed
Today’s consumer does not have the patience to wait for an image or video to load. Advanced mobility made computing quicker and consumers impatient. Loading circles that keep loading for more than 4-5 seconds irritates them. So you have to optimize your app’s loading speed as fast as it can be.
All the aspects of your app, whether product images, videos, various app pages, loading time, etc., need to load within 4-5 seconds. If you overlook app loading speed, there are high chances that consumers disregard your mobile app.
#6. Place shopping cart at a visible position
When you have an eCommerce app, you need to focus on the placement of the shopping cart in the app. Because it is something customers use to purchase items from your mobile app.
You have to enable your users to add items to the cart without diverting them to the cart page. So they can continue shopping without any interruption.
It will also decrease the overall steps of the online shopping process and offer an increased shopping experience.
#7. Provide high security
As the number of mobile app users is increasing, the chances of targeting apps for attacks are also booming. Hackers and attackers have all the techniques to fetch the confidential and financial data of users.
So it is always preferable to secure your app with high levels of security standards. Make all the app transactions encrypted so the malfunctions can not destroy the sensitive user data from your highly secured app.
#8. Do not forget to offer a wish list/favorite
While browsing, a customer can discover more than one product that addresses their needs. They want to keep all those products in a wish list or favorite items to purchase in the future at their convenience.
Offering a feature such as “Add to favorite” or “Add to wish-list” enables users to keep all their favorite items in one place. It also assists users to choose the best product among their own selected items.
#9. Leverage smartphone abilities
Today’s smartphones have multiple capabilities such as sensors, wireless connectivity, the ability to identify human gestures, and whatnot! A mobile app can leverage all the intelligence to deliver a smart feature that drives the user’s attention.
You can also fuse advanced technology like AR and VR for the development of unique app features.
#10. Automated recommendation
When a user browses an app, all his activities generate data logs. Those data logs are utilized to acknowledge the user behavior.
Mobile apps with analytics provide detail of user behavior to understand various aspects of users. So you can deliver better recommendations according to their interests.
Summing Up
Entrepreneurs who want to be more competitive in the market must keep pace with advanced technology.
If you want to enhance your brand awareness and make your product/services more accessible to your targeted audience, developing a mobile app is one of the wise decisions you made.
Businesses globally are adopting the trend of developing mobile apps. You have to ensure that your business is not left in the lurch.
Source: https://readworld.online/how-to-create-successful-online-business-through-mobile-apps/
Top Questions to Ask Before Getting into Mobile App Development
In today’s era, the future of your mobile app can decide how successful your business would be because smartphones and tablets are where today’s customers breathe. A feature-packed app can upsurge your business, and a feature-lacked app can slump all your efforts.
If you would like to develop a mobile app that appeals to your targeted audience, you need to ask some questions before getting into the development. It will help you to decide on various app aspects according to your customer needs.
Here are some key questions to answer before you move ahead with mobile app development.
|1. What is the objective of your mobile app?
First and foremost, you need to assess that your business really requires an app or you are developing it just because each business is having an app nowadays. You HAVE to have a solid logical purpose for developing an app.
Make sure your app idea is unique, and you are not copying something already in existence. If you have a similar app idea just like another app, try to find out what features you are offering to make your app unique from the other similar apps.
Also, conduct a feasibility study to check out whether your idea is feasible or not. Do market research, predictive analysis, evaluate targeted audience and stakeholders, etc.
|2. How to maintain the confidentiality of your app idea from being copied?
Anyone who somehow gets any hint of your app idea can copy it before you publish it. So you need to protect and maintain confidentiality to safeguard your app idea from the pirates. Here are some useful ways.
☑ Non-disclosure and Non-competence agreement ☑ Apply for a patent for your app idea protection ☑ Trademark the app name or logo ☑ Copyright the app ☑ Get involved with the right people for the business |
|3. What will be the essential features of your app?
You need to ensure that your mobile app remains equipped with essential features that customers need. So deciding on the key features is a significant step that you can not overlook. If you do feature stuffing at the initial stages, users might be confused about the core app purpose.
If you are not clear about the specific features, you will end up with a messy and inefficient user experience. If your app idea has something unique, stand out with it and achieve success. Also, decide on payment facility, in-app purchase, or other app safety features.
|4. What would be the perfect timeline for getting your app developed?
Decide the maximum timeline for developing an app because it needs brainstorming to choose a top-notch mobile app development company. Remember that when there are tight time constraints, it will cost you more in the development.
Assess how much time it needs for designing, prototyping, development, testing, improvements, deployment, etc. Check reviews and portfolio of the app development agency, and choose the best developers that will help you develop features according to your business needs.
|5. Do you have enough ability and budget to execute the app?
You might think you can develop the best app by hiring developers at a low cost. But in reality, you will get only that much you have paid. So for the development of a revenue-generating app, you need enough money from the investors.
To convince prospective investors, you must have the ability to present your app idea by following the approach that excites them to invest in your app idea.
|6. Have you analyzed your competition?
By assessing competition and market leaders of your industry niche, you can effortlessly determine how other apps are performing, what mistakes they have made, what makes them excel in the market, etc. It will aid in discovering the exact features and functionalities of your mobile app.
When you measure your competition, you will acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses. It helps to improve your own business strategies. It will tell you how to outshine your competitors in certain areas to gain customer attention.
|7. What would be your marketing strategies?
Have you planned any marketing strategies for your mobile app? What would be the budget for promotional activities? These are some important questions to answer. App store optimization is the best technique, to begin with. In most situations, third-party endorsements are one of the best forms of marketing.
Monitoring tools can help you discover the exact target market and range of your potential users. Also, give a solid reason to your audience to leverage your app because there are millions of apps accessible to users.
|8. What UI/UX design considerations need to be followed?
When it comes to UI/UX design, it needs patience, inspiration, and dedication. If you do not focus on the app design in the designing phase, it will result in major setbacks. The app needs to be appealing, alluring, and eye-catchy.
Are there any guidelines to adhere to for mobile app layout and screen designs? Are your designs mobile-friendly? Are there any barriers to how it can look in the app store? What would be the icon and logo of the app? Consider every aspect.
|9. Does your mobile app need to be hosted?
☑ Is there any specific infrastructure it requires to plug into? ☑ Are there any upstream micro-services required for a plugin? ☑ Is there a mobile responsive website along with the app? ☑ Are there any other vendors that need to integrate with the app? ☑ Is hosting for a mobile app really essential? Or are you convenient without it? |
Hosting is necessary or not; it actually depends on what you want to leverage from the app and how it is structured. So think upon all the aspects before deciding on the mobile app development.
|10. How will you tackle challenges and unexpected hard times?
Even if you have planned everything perfectly, keep in mind that success is never guaranteed. Deliberate on how you will handle any adversities. If the process turns into difficulties, will you continue or leave?
The first version of your app is not always perfect. So always be ready with plan B including new ideas and tactics. It all depends on how you tackle complexities and fight until you succeed.
Summing Up
You should be able to answer all the questions before stepping towards mobile app development. You have to be clear about all the aspects of your app.
Without clarity, faith, and confidence in everything you are attempting to develop, you are destined to fail. So make sure you are clear with all the fundamentals of the app.
Source: https://sooperposting.com/top-questions-to-ask-before-getting-into-mobile-app-development/
Mobile App Development Company – How to Hire the Best One
Having a customized mobile app is imperative in today’s mobile-driven market. Mobile apps are becoming an integral part of almost each and every business. Various industries have already benefited by building Mobile applications for their brands. When organizations have an online presence, it is pretty convenient for them to boost their revenue.
If you want customized mobile app development, you need to search for a top-notch mobile app development company. But when there are plenty of options to choose from, you might get confused about which to prefer.
It is a daunting task to find a technology partner that acknowledges your long-term goals, vision, has the technical expertise, and delivers a comprehensive app with advanced features. So before you choose the right one, try to assess the below-mentioned points. It will make your task easy going to hire the best mobile app development company.
#1. Portfolio
The first and foremost thing you need to consider is the company’s portfolio. When you analyze the work portfolio, you can discover the company’s experience, work quality, past performances, etc. will help make the right decision.
You will get a clear picture of how capable a firm is. You can also visit Clutch, GoodFirms, and AppFutura that list out the best B2B mobile app development companies you might like to review.
You can ask them about the,
✅ List of clients they have worked with previously ✅ List of the best mobile apps they have developed so far ✅ List of references ✅ List of resources and skills ✅ List of technologies they can work upon |
#2. Technology
If you are looking for android app development, a company that works only on iOS technology will not help you out. So you must check out the number of platforms they are working on.
Today is the era of AI-based chatbots, AR, VR, Blockchain technology, Big data, and cloud platforms. The best development company has expertise in all or one of all the leading-edge, trending technologies. So hire accordingly to be competitive in the digital market.
If you have a plan for cross-platform mobile app development, you should also ask your potential tech partner about that. In the long run, if you want your app to run smoothly on all the platforms, you should also consider that aspect before hiring the right mobile app development company.
#3. Development Process
A successful mobile app is a result of a step-by-step development methodology. The right mobile app development agency follow the right approach starting from,
1. Provide mobile app RFP templates to clients to brief out everything about the app. 2. Analyze the app idea thoroughly by considering all the development aspects. 3. Develop wire-frames. 4. Analyze the technical feasibility. 5. Prototyping. 6. Design the user interface. 7. Write optimized code. 8. Check quality. 9. Deploy in the mobile market (Relevant App store). 10. Support and maintenance of your mobile app. |
Assure that the company must follow SDLS to design, develop, and test your mobile app that enhances your app quality.
#4. Coding Standards
No matter what technology you choose for your mobile app development project, the development agency has expertise in it. Whether it is Android or iOS, the company needs to be proficient in offering cutting-edge software.
You have to make sure that the mobile app development company leverages the best suitable development frameworks, whether it is for hybrid or native apps.
To assure the ownership right of your mobile app and its coding, you can ask a company to sign a copyright agreement stating that you are the sole owner of the app, source code, design, or any other content.
#5. UI/UX
User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) play a significant role in the success of a mobile app. An intuitive design says all about the UI and UX standard company has followed. Convenient UI serves user-friendly navigation and helps customers with smooth operating. It ultimately boosts UX.
Better user experience can be the reason to drive more user involvement. Make sure your app development partner provides you the best UI/UX experts.
Try to hire the one that provides design mockups at the time of the proposal. It will help you to assess their expertise and how thoroughly they comprehend your app concept. You can also look at their portfolio to get a good idea about how well they develop UI/UX.
#6. Data security
As the usage of mobile apps has increased, mobile device security threats are also at their peak. Various organizations have experienced issues due to poor cybersecurity standards. It results in privacy assault, detail losses, unsafe storage, and volatile deployment. Thus, select the agency that develops apps adhering to all the security standards.
You have to make sure that the company you choose understands the importance of your data and takes all the necessary steps to secure it.
You also have to ensure that they provide multi-layer security to prevent your data from threats such as data leakage, unsecured Wi-FI connection, Phishing attacks, network spoofing, broken cryptography, spyware, etc.
#7. Industry & Domain Expertise
Mobile apps these days are certain things for each industry niche. Having a domain specialization aids to discover the gap in requirements, ensures business scope in terms of functionalities, and enables early identification of bugs through testing.
Without precise industry knowledge, bugs in the underlying business rules can stay uncovered at the initial phase and cause problems at the final stage. A mobile app development company that thoroughly acknowledges the domain can determine issues in advance. The detailed know-how of the technical terminology defines the imperfections and design edge case scenarios precisely.
Correct understanding of the business processes helps in better understanding the project needs. So choose your development partner wisely.
#8. Communication
Communication is one of the significant aspects you can not overlook while deciding on a mobile app development company to hire. A successful mobile app is a result of how well you have communicated your idea to the developers.
A good app developer should be able to grasp every information you provide. He should be clear and concise in the interactions for the updates or the progress status of the mobile app. So hire developers who are excellent with communication through your preferred language.
You can also ask the previous clients to understand their communication level better.
#9. Service Package
Some app development agencies offer you separate services according to your diverse needs. Whereas some agencies offer the whole package of different services.
When you choose separated services, you can adjust the cost accordingly. Whereas in the complete package, you can leverage the advantages of multiple services within a single price tag.
Considering your business model, you can choose among both service patterns. Select a separate service pattern if you require any particular solution. If you want the company to manage everything starting from requirement analysis to deployment, then the all-in-one package suits you the best.
#10. Timeline
Timeline is also one of the vital aspects to consider before choosing the right development partner. You have to ask them about the estimated time frame in which they can deliver the project.
Also, ask them about their availability for your project as app development companies keep working on simultaneous projects. Therefore, identify how many other projects they are working on along with yours.
You have to make sure that your project has a team of dedicated developers who works only for you. This way, you can determine whether the company will respond effectively to the upcoming challenges and deliver your project as scheduled or not.
#11. Customer Support
Reputed companies know the worth of their valued customers. It always assists its clients over any hurdles and issues regarding their mobile app development project.
If the company doesn’t provide you with sound customer support, you are not likely to choose that firm because you would invest your money in that product. So it’s pretty essential to check out customer support delivered by the company by asking their previous clients.
#12. Budget Efficiency
If a company exists over the years and gets a pretty good reputation worldwide, the price of products and services would be competitive compared to a new start-up firm.
Picking such companies would be a significant choice for you. As mobile apps are often costly, only preeminent companies offer them at an efficient price.
Also, note that the company would not be able to provide you an accurate quote at the initial stage as work requirements are changing after starting the development process.
Summing Up
To hire the best Mobile Application Development Company amongst all, you have to take an overview in all the aspects like the company’s reputation, customer services, smartness, creativity, expertise, cost-effectiveness, etc.
A company’s online reputation and its digital work structure can be like a backbone to businesses. Exactly how it would be feasible for your requirements is you need to decide. The above-mentioned points will definitely help you in making an intelligent and sensible decision.
Source: https://thepcmagazine.com/mobile-app-development-company-how-to-hire-the-best-one/
What Should Avoid While Making a Convincing Mobile App RFP?
Request for a mobile app proposal plays a significant role while beginning a mobile app development project. Businesses write mobile app RFP when they have requirements for mobile app development.
Mobile app RFP helps businesses engage with top-notch mobile app development services providers and mitigate the waiting time. So they can complete the project as quickly as possible without compromising on the quality.
So What Actually Mobile App RFP Is?
A mobile app RFP is a document used by businesses and mobile app development companies. RFP helps to understand the purpose and strategy of the project.
A comprehensive mobile app RFP helps to get precise detail about a particular project. RFP is a point of reference for a business and app development company throughout the whole duration of the collaboration.
Generally, the summary of the RFP includes two different parts. The first one is filled out by a business (Client) with all the details of the mobile app they want to develop. The second one represents the app development company (Service provider) proposal for the specific mobile app. It helps better understand the project needs and simplifies communication for both parties.
Writing an accurate request for a mobile app proposal is an intimidating job. If you do not write precisely, it can lead to false information and wrong development partners. In this post, you will find some common mistakes individuals make while writing a mobile app RFP.
Mistakes People Make When Write a Mobile App RFP (So you can avoid it)
Avoiding these mistakes saves you a ton of time and money in the long race.
#1. Not Defining Full Project Scope
Determining the project scope is a cunning process because requirements are ever-changing. Therefore, analyze and decide on the following things.
- Create product vision: Decide a vision that helps you to address your long-term goals. Provide details of your future goals to mobile app development companies. So they better understand exactly what functionalities and features you need.
- Single/Multiple platforms: Decide whether the project you want to develop is only for the mobile, or you want it for the web, wearables, smart home accessories, smart TVs, car integration, etc. You also have to be sure the development partner you choose must have the expertise to develop an app for all the platforms.
- Other services: Decide you want only development services or need UI/UX design, quality testing services, consultation services, technical delivery, etc.
- Operating Systems: Decide which OS you want to support. iOS, Android, or hybrid. But it’s quite complicated to develop all at once because of the time, budget, and resource limits. Initially, try to focus on a single platform.
- Necessary features: It is essential to limit the number of features on an initial basis. Try to focus on significant features only to take the mobile app to the market. Prioritize product features and include them in the RFP.
- Backend system: Decide the backend system you want to develop. It is significant to define these details so that you get precise responses from the service providers.
#2. Not asking the basic questions
Before you start writing your RFP, contact a mobile app development service provider so they fully understand your app. By asking the right questions, you can filter out service providers that don’t have the required expertise for app development. Generally, a good RFP template consists of plenty of questions that help you to make the decision.
Try to discover what services the company offers, their working patterns, a philosophy they follow, what they have on a plate for long-term support, developers that will work on your app, etc. Do not forget to check out the company portfolio.
#3. Not defining estimated budget
You can filter out the list of service providers when you estimate your budget. So it is good to interact with the service provider before you write an RFP. It will help them to discover your budget at early stages. Revealing your estimated budget helps you get qualified responses.
#4. Failing to provide enough project detail
It is quite significant to provide every tiny detail about what you want to include in your project. Because those are the details through which service providers get to know about your requirements.
Writing a detailed request for a mobile app RFP helps you decide the time frame, budget, and required resources. Saving valuable time means delivering projects before or on the deadline.
Summing Up
A thorough analysis results in a well-written and convincing mobile app RFP. Before proceeding towards the development phase, you must define business and technical requirements, discuss all the opinions, dependencies, as well as boundaries to the selected mobile app development company.
Writing a brief with a tech partner, when you are new to the mobile market will help you in good ways. So you can avoid mistakes that might happen due to lack of expertise. Assess cost precisely and after all develop a worthy mobile app.
Source: https://www.suchpost.com/what-should-avoid-while-making-a-convincing-mobile-app-rfp/
Silicon is Glad to Receive an Award for “Excellence in ICT Business”
Knowledge Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) along with Global Knowledge Research Foundation (GR Foundation) with the support of the Government of Gujarat has organized IT Awards 2022 concurrent with the 6th International Conference on ICT for Intelligent Systems (ICTIS – 2022) on April 22 – 23, 2022 at Ahmedabad, India.
The Chief Guest of the program is Shri Jitubhai S. Vaghani, Hon’ble Minister, Education and Information Technology – Department of Science and Technology Government of Gujarat.
This conference focuses on leading experts to share their insights, provide guidance and address participants’ questions and concerns. The key objective of this interaction is Aatmanirbhar Bharat Mission by leveraging Information and Communication technology.
The conference has two different sections, Industry Session and Researchers, Academia Sessions. It promotes development and research in major elements of the cloud ecosystem containing AI, ML, blockchain, quantum computing, and other evolving technologies.
Silicon IT Hub – as a renowned web and mobile app development company has received an award for “Excellence in ICT Business” from Dr. Milan Tuba, Vice-Rector for International Relations, Singidunum University, Serbia. Silicon offers unparalleled expertise in all aspects of modern software solutions.
The company delivers an array of user-validated digital products that help brands keep pace with technology innovations. Professionals at Silicon IT Hub are dedicated to offering a wide range of tailor-made IT services. It includes advanced technologies such as IoT, Cloud Computing, Big Data, AI, Blockchain, and Machine Learning.
With its inception in 2012, the Silicon IT Hub has started growing at an ever-increasing pace by aiding businesses of every niche globally. The company has a team of 150+ professionals who have deployed a manifold of mobile and web apps to 500+ customers worldwide.
Whether it is a simple mobile application or an enterprise-grade solution, Silicon IT Hub is a one-stop solution for any customized software needs.
Source: https://express-press-release.net/news/2022/05/10/1159582
Mostly Asked Top 10 Mobile App Development Questions and Answers
In today’s era, most people use their mobile devices to manage their business. Shifting to mobile is one of the smart ways to reach out to a targeted market.
Nowadays, each business finds mobile apps valuable and is keen to start development by hiring dedicated developers or mobile app development companies.
But there are some mostly asked questions you must take into account before initiating the mobile app development process.
|1. Is just having a website is not enough? Or is it necessary to have a mobile app presence?
The answer to this question depends on the type of your business. If you want to offer mobile-friendly content to a wide-ranging audience, then just having a responsive mobile website is enough.
But when it comes to high-functionality, quality, and performance, websites are more likely to disturb the potential users. More website loading time, small-sized product images, poor navigation, network issues, etc., are the reasons users face trouble reaching you.
Compared to websites, mobile apps are very convenient to use. It helps users to interact and engage with your brand efficiently.
It’s a kind of personalized communication tool for your customers that ultimately helps you to drive customer loyalty. In this ever-changing digital market, it is inevitable to have mobile websites as well as mobile applications.
|2. What approaches to follow to validate my app idea?
There are three ways you can use for your mobile app idea validation.
Feasibility test/Proof of Concept
It is one of the accurate and quickest ways to test the feasibility of your mobile app concept and targeted audience. So you can conclude whether it is conceivable for app development or not.
Mobile App Prototype
Prototyping helps you to see how your app will look and functions in a real environment. It requires user research to provide strategic direction to your product. You can test the overall user experience by developing a mobile prototype.
MVP
With MVP, you can identify the core functionalities and value proposition of your mobile app. MVP is the minimal form of your whole project that you can test in the actual market. Developers can easily understand the users and how they will respond to the MVP. So you can easily determine the budget, efforts, and time frame for the overall mobile app development.
|3. How to make money with mobile apps?
Deciding the appropriate monetization model helps you a lot with mobile app success and making money through apps. You need to develop a monetization strategy before launching your app to the Play Store. Certain monetization models examples are,
✅ Subscription-based ✅ Freemium Up-sell ✅ Advertising based ✅ In-app purchases ✅ Referral Marketing ✅ Crowdfunding ✅ Physical purchase ✅ Selling Merchandise ✅ Sponsorship ✅ Transaction fees ✅ Collecting and selling data |
All the above-mentioned techniques help you make money with apps to earn passive income by launching free apps on the app stores.
|4. Which platform and OS suit the best for mobile app development?
At a time, you may focus on a particular type of device or OS to leverage the benefits of its native nature. Other times, you can focus on all the main OS and mobile devices for the app development.
Actually, the decision of which OS suits you the most depends on your business goals, your targeted users, your competition, and various market aspects.
Each OS has its own strengths and weaknesses. So, it’s vital to analyze all the platforms (Native, Web, and Hybrid) thoroughly before choosing the one.
|5. How to make a convincing mobile app RFP?
You need to discover enough information and specific insights from the client to build a really strong mobile app RFP.
Clarify all these necessary aspects of the development project.
✅ Business issues that the mobile app meant to solve ✅ Who is going to involve in the project development and their roles ✅ Already existing back-end systems that the mobile app would require an interface. ✅ How the app will fit into the client’s long-term strategy. ✅ How the app will perform after 5 and 10 years. |
Describe the app background, give short bios about you and your team, break down the process into different units, decide on a budget and future steps, and establish terms and conditions.
|6. Does outsourcing seem to be the best option for mobile app development?
If you want to take advantage of expertise and experience, if you need to adopt the latest technology, if you want to customize your app as per the latest trends, it is a better option to outsource your mobile app development.
You should outsource if the budget and time frame suits you, and the developers who will work on your project must have enough expertise.
There are some other reasons as well to outsource your project.
✅ If your app development needs new infrastructure and more investment. ✅ Your internal staff doesn’t have enough expertise. ✅ Your internal staff is occupied with some other work. ✅ You do not want to tackle any development risks. ✅ You are not able to develop a mobile app within a decided time frame. |
|7. What is all about agile mobile app development methodology?
The mobile app development process needs high flexibility and adaptability, and it can be achieved only by following an agile methodology.
The Agile approach is iterative. So changing customer needs can be developed, approved, and modified before completion of the whole project. Each iteration in the agile approach finishes with the end product. All the team members can see the progress of the app development project.
|8. What to evaluate in a mobile app development team?
When it comes to evaluation of the app development team, thoroughly assess their portfolio.
It helps you discover their skills, expertise, and abilities to successfully complete the app development task. You can also consider their past delivered projects that help you identify how capable they are.
|9. How to maintain a mobile app after launching it to the app store?
Once you launch an app, all you have to focus on is adding further features, update release, overall functionality maintenance, bug-fixing, etc. You need to track day-to-day growth that helps you discover improvement areas of your app.
|10. How much do I need to spend on building a mobile app?
According to GoodFirms, calculating with the required time and average hourly rates ($65), the average mobile app development charges would be,
✅ Approx $24,830 to $59,150 for simple apps with minimum viable features. ✅ Approx $36,107.5 to $85,150 for complex apps with prominent consumer features. ✅ Approx $59,507.5 to $137,150 for advanced apps with modern features. |
Summing Up
To develop a successful app, you need to discover the importance of mobile apps for your business, their design and development, their marketing, and future strategies. It requires sheer dedication and time.
Mobile apps can be advantageous for businesses as well as customers. That is the reason why almost every business wants to make a presence on mobile apps. It helps them to remain viable in today’s changing digital market.
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Agile Methodology – Accretive & Iterative Approach for Mobile App Development
Different methodologies are adopted for mobile app development based on business demands, software needs, prototyping, mobile app architecture, design and development integration testing, market analysis, etc.
When it comes to agile methodology, it is more likely to focus on the management and development of integrated and refined software.
It helps in mitigating various mistakes by enabling several iterations and revisions. It involves the contribution of all the team members by a collaborative approach. Each individual has assigned responsibilities throughout the whole development cycle.
According to Gartner, the old-school mobile app development methods will not work nowadays due to device diversity, network connectivity, and other mobile-specific considerations.
So what is Agile Technology in App Development Process?
Agile methodology is all about dividing app development tasks into a step-by-step process. It aids in organizing app development phases throughout the software lifecycle. Whether you want to,
✅ Inform the client about changes you have made in any phase ✅ Integrate changing requirements of the client in any phase ✅ Measuring progress ✅ Collaboration between client and developers ✅ Accretive app development with planned time frames |
You can make any tweaks in between the ongoing development process. It helps to organize the work of different development teams and manage their tasks effortlessly.
How does Agile Methodology Actually Work?
When you have plenty of tasks to complete but lack enough time, what would you prefer to do? You will list out all the activities, set priorities, assign enough time frames, and try to conclude it. Agile methodology is also working in the same way.
Suppose a client wants you to develop a mobile app for their business. Below are the steps you will follow with agile methodology.
|1. Make a list
This step includes meeting a customer with a Mobile App Proposal consists of all the details and features they want to develop. This mobile app RFP with requirements and functions becomes the to-do list for the overall project.
|2. Estimating and sizing
After listing every essential thing, you will decide the size of stories and come up with the estimation of how long each story would take to conclude.
|3. Set priorities
After an estimation, you ask the client for his preferences. Ask them to prioritize the user base so that you can prioritize your development tasks accordingly.
|4. Execution
Now you can start from the top with the high-priority tasks and work your way down for the least priority tasks. After every execution, you can take feedback from the client.
|5. Updating plans
After you begin with delivering the product, the client will come up with some modifications. You will add these changes to your list and prioritize the tasks again. In this way, a prioritized list will help you to define your work order.
Agile methodology aids build a culture and provide an environment where real solutions develop.
Reasons why you should opt for Agile Methodology
|1. Real-time planning
Planning for the whole app development process all-in-one is a tough nut to crack. With agile, you can make a plan for each phase individually. You can save extra time as well as resources from solving bugs and making changes in functionalities. It also helps you to decide the overall budget.
|2. Sprint by sprint
The agile methodology enables you to develop a mobile app sprint by sprint. There is no need to finish the app development process quickly. You can analyze and test each functionality after each sprint to find out if it is working or not.
|3. Perform changes instantly
It is quite convenient to make changes immediately in any of the sprints without affecting any other sprint. You can save time, money, and resources needed in revisions after the completion of app development.
|4. Manage risks effortlessly
When you follow agile methodology, you can release apps step-by-step. Initially, you can release a beta version and try to discover any remaining bugs. Based on that, developers can make changes to the app. So, potential risks can be addressed in advance.
|5. Immediate feedback from customer
The agile methodology enables developers to always be in touch with the client. Inform a client about the completion of any task and ask to review it. If a client needs any modification in features or functionalities, it can be done quickly without disturbing other ongoing processes. Feedback helps to enhance the app at every phase by keeping transparency with a client.
How is agile beneficial over traditional methodologies?
|1. Flexibility
Agile methodology is more flexible compared to the traditional waterfall approach when it comes to making changes. If you need to experiment with something out of the box, you can do it with the agile method. You can focus on product improvement rather than following a strict structure. Any last-minute changes can perform.
|2. Transparency
With agile methodology, clients and developers stay connected through any development phase. Both can discuss and make decisions to enhance app quality in any phase. Transparency is 100%, and there is nothing to hide.
|3. Ownership
In the old methods, only management had all the rights to make any changes in the project. Their permission is required. Customers are involved just in the planning phase and after delivering a project. But in agile methodology, all the team members have a significant role. Anyone can see the progress from start to end.
|4. Feedback scope
In the traditional approach, everything is well-defined before starting the project. There was pressure to complete the project within a decided time frame. So, any changes or feedback got overlooked. But with agile methodology, feedback is always welcomed to enhance app quality.
Types of Agile Development
|1. Adaptive Software Development
This method is utilized for small-sized projects developed within a short time and has fluctuating requirements. It just needs assumption, collaboration, and learning to build these sorts of mobile apps.
|2. Crystal Methods
This method utilizes when the focus is on people, interaction, frequent delivery, frequent integration, community, abilities, and close communication.
|3. DSDM (Dynamic Systems Development Method)
DSDM assures at each step that it gets completed enough to move to the next step. It consists of 7 phases. Pre-project, feasibility study, business study, functional model iteration, design & build iteration, implementation, and post-project.
|4. Feature Driven Development
In this method, a model is designed that defines different features and their iteration. It contains various processes such as the development of the overall model, listing of features, planning, designing, and building by feature.
|5. Lean Development
This method manages and deals with risks and turns them into opportunities. It mitigates wastage, creates knowledgebase, defers commitment to limit the mistakes, delivers rapidly, builds quality, and optimizes everything.
|6. XP (Extreme Programming)
This method focuses on projects rather than documentation as it follows the principle of simple code and design. So the people who join at the later stage can also easily understand. XP emphasis on teamwork, collaboration, and feedback.
Constant development and customer satisfaction are at the core of XP. It helps with changing demands of customers. Customer feedback is achieved through unit testing.
|7. Scrum
It is one of the widely used agile methods represented by various development cycles. Scrum divides the development phases into stages called sprints. The development time for each sprint is increased and dedicated, thus controlling only one sprint at a moment.
Scrum helps developers set priorities to ensure that any unfinished or delayed sprints get more attention. The scrum team consists of project roles like scrum master and a product owner with steady communication on the everyday scrum. Activities are organized to design the best way to execute the sprint.
Getting Agile with Mobile App Proposal
Following an agile approach is all about transforming how mobile app proposal teams deal with their workflow. As businesses become more and more cross-functional, the proposal processes also become the same.
Using an agile method with a scrum framework that can endorse the operations and solutions, will provide better insights and progress for effective, quick, and more successful mobile app proposals.
Summing Up
Entrepreneurs never risk handing over their mobile app development project into the wrong hands. If you want to gain user attention and are keen to deliver a supreme user experience, you must practice agile methodology.
You already know that a mobile app is just not a project, it is one of the ways to succeed in this digital market.
What to observe while planning to raise funds for a mobile app idea?
Having an idea to start a tech business is something good to go but, what about funds? How to get funds? Whom to approach? What to plan? These are the questions that hesitate plenty of startups.
Most often, startups are not able to get their business on the floor. The reason is they assess too high and too soon. It is not about raising funds all the time.
First and foremost, analyze the absolute reasons why you require funds? What can you do for a successful money-raising? What are the different methods to raise money?
Why do you seek business finance?
It’s obvious that you trust your idea and have faith it will help you to earn multi-millions. But in real life, your idea is just speculation, or we can say untested theory and guesswork. It is because your targeted audience still has not signed up or paid for it. They have not experienced the actual product.
So, at the initial stages, all you need to focus on is building something actual and delivering it to your potential customers. Determine the genuine reason why you need business funding.
Not only website or mobile app development needs money. Marketing and attracting customers also requires funding. So plan your budget accordingly.
Who receives money during the concept stage?
Who are the ones that get funding while their business idea is still an untested hypothesis? The answer is individuals who have a successful history of starting & running various companies.
They have developed strong relations with the investors throughout the years of intercommunication.
These are the ones investors are more likely to invest for. What about the other 99.99% of startups? Watch out for what they all need to do.
What are other startups supposed to do?
As mentioned before, app development and marketing are the key steps you need money for. Let’s understand what you can do with that.
Product Development
You need to discover the possible ways to build an app with minimal functions. A product that you can also call an MVP.
Develop only essential features and functionalities that deliver the basic concept of your mobile app. Try to keep your targeted audience engaged through your app by not delivering everything at first. Surprise them with more features in the future.
Building this much at the initial stage does not cost you more. You can use your personal savings or seek help from your friends or families.
Product Marketing
There are multiple ways you can gain user attraction without spending a lot of your money.
If you want to rank well in the online market, get high-quality backlinks to your website. If you have partnerships with service providers and business partners, they will turn out to be a great source for your backlinks. Encourage them to link your website.
Host a webinar as it helps you to introduce your product to a wider market. You can also cross-promote your product. With cross-promotion, you can partner with relevant businesses that can market your product/service in exchange for marketing their services. It’s a worthwhile deal.
Start commenting on the blogs. Discover top-ranking blogs of your niche and start commenting regularly. People can see your name and want to know more about you and your brand.
Signup on HARO (Help a Reporter Out). It provides free service to the reporters who are seeking new stories. You can share your story and get publicity.
Also, keep in mind that each person you meet is a marketing opportunity. Do not just show off your business directly to them, but as you keep interacting, share your business details.
Online contests are also a low-cost marketing tactic you can leverage.
Social media like Twitter and Facebook can also help you. Follow some random number of influencers on social media in your industry. You can follow their followers, retweet their tweets, as well as mention them in comments.
Use the hashtag, discover more email addresses, talk to your targeted audience, start guest blogging, and create a Linkedin group.
Use Craigslist to geographically target particular markets adhering to all the terms and conditions of the site.
After following your preferred marketing tactics, the question is how to raise funds?
How to raise money from the investors?
You have built a product with essential features, perform marketing, and get initial attention from the users.
All these efforts show how focused you are on transforming your mobile app idea into reality. And these are the qualities investors keep looking to invest their money.
Now you can also showcase your product that is no more an untested hypothesis. It is now a tested one in a live environment with real customers.
Basically, to find investors, you can go through the Linkedin profiles, search for the one who is directly in touch with the investors, look closely at your offline network, get in touch with the firm which has recently got funded and ask them for the introduction to the investors. These are the best possibilities to get in touch with the inventors.
Summing Up
Bringing mobile app ideas to reality and getting funds for that is a challenging task. However, with proper planning and a sleek approach, you can achieve any milestone.
Keep in mind above mentioned details and start raising funds for your mobile app idea. With the guidance of a top-notch mobile app development company, you can definitely achieve success.
Source: https://www.allperfectstories.com/raise-funds-for-a-mobile/