Android Mobile App Development Questions, Answered

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Android app development is the process of developing applications designed to run exclusively on Android devices – smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers, and smart TVs. Android operating system, developed by Google in 2008, is the most widely used OS globally, making it crucial for developers, tech enthusiasts, and business owners. Since its release in 2008, the Android operating system has received worldwide acclaim powering millions of devices across the world.

Android mobile app development involves writing code from scratch using reputable programming languages such as Kotlin and Java, designing attractive interfaces, managing data handling and retrieval, integrating various applications and APIs, and ensuring overall app performance and efficiency. The success of Android applications can be attributed to factors such as the availability of many devices at various price points and an open-source nature that encourages innovation.

This article explores some questions on Android mobile app development and their answers. In this post, we will look at various aspects of Android mobile app development, including architectural patterns, choice of programming language, testing, network, design considerations, and data management.

 

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By examining these concepts, readers will obtain valuable insights, empowering them to build robust, efficient, and feature-rich Android applications.

1. What’s the most frequently used programming language for Android applications?

The answer is Java. However, Kotlin has gained popularity and is now the most preferred language over Java. Developers prefer Kotlin to Java for a wide range of reasons: Kotlin is intuitive to use, easy to learn, and Kotlin code is considered safer and more concise than Java.

2. Do I need to learn Java to develop Android applications?

While Java used to be the primary programming language for Android applications, it is no longer an option. Kotlin is more modern, concise, and accurate, and is preferred for modern projects. However, understanding Java can still be beneficial, especially when you encounter legacy codes or libraries written by Java.

3. What’s the advantage of Kotlin over Java?

Understanding the nuance discrepancies between Java and Kotlin is crucial to making an informed decision about your programming language.

Here are the key advantages of Kotlin:

  • Concise syntax. Kotlin’s expressive syntax allows developers to write more concise code, reducing the chances of introducing errors.
  • Null safety. Kotlin type system introduces null safety, reducing the possibility of null pointer exceptions, a common source of bugs.
  • Interoperability. Kotlin can integrate or interoperate with Java, allowing developers to leverage Java-based libraries and legacy codes.
  • Readability. Kotlin’s type inference and expressive nature make the code maintainable and readable.

4. What is Android Studio, and do I need it in Android app development?

Android Studio is the official integrated development environment (IDE). By integrated development environment, it provides the tools, resources, and machinery required to simplify your code. The Android Studio has diverse programming languages, APIs, and other tools needed for beginners to excel.

5. What’s Google Android SDK?

A Google Android SDK is a toolset for developers to write codes in Android-enabled devices. The SDK contains a graphical interface that acts as an Android-driven handheld environment, allowing developers to test and debug their codes.

6. What are the main components of the Android architecture?

The main components of the Android architecture include:

  • Android applications
  • Android framework
  • Libraries
  • Linux Kernel

7. What are the minimum system requirements for Android app development?

To run Android Studio and design Android apps, you need a powerful computer with 8GB RAM, a recent operating system (Windows, Linux, MacOS), a quad-core CPU, and the relevant tools and technologies.

8. What is the Android API level, and why is it important to consider?

The Android API level refers to the version of the Android operating system that your app targets or supports. When developing an app, you will need to narrow down on special versions of Android available out there. We should consider the Android API level because different versions have different capabilities and features. Selecting the right API level ensures your device operates on as many Android devices as possible while taking advantage of new app features.

9. What’s the difference between fragments and activities?

Activities are represented as a single screen with a user interface. Fragments, on the other hand, are modular components within an activity that can be reused or combined in different activities and are especially useful for multi-pane and adaptable layouts.

10. How can I test my app on multiple devices?

The Android Studio provides tools, including an emulator, for simulating various Android devices. In addition, you can use normal Android devices by setting ‘developer mode’ and USB debugging them. You can connect the Android devices on your computer, and test or debug your app.

11. How can I publish my app in the Google Play store?

To publish your app in Google Play, you will first need to set up a development account. Then you will check your app’s store listings and graphics, set up your distribution options, and show compliance with Google Play Store’s policies. Once your app is ready, you can submit it to the Google Console and upload it for review.

12. Can you develop Android applications on platforms other than Windows, Linux, and MacOS?

Yes, you can use cloud-based environments and virtual machines to develop Android-based applications on environments not supported by Android Studio. However, the app’s experience and performance may vary. That’s why it’s advisable to create applications with supported operating systems.

13. How do you select the appropriate architecture pattern in Android app development?

Selecting an appropriate architecture pattern is crucial for maintaining a well-structured codebase. The common types of architectural patterns include:

  • Model-View-Controller (MVC). The model-view presenter is the oldest and most straightforward. It structures data into three main components: view (user interface), model (business and data logic), and controller, which mediates between the model and the view.
  • Model-View-Presenter (MVP). The model view presenter amplifies the performance of the model-view-controller by adding a component known as a ‘presenter’ that acts as an intermediary between the model and the view. The presenter handles user input and updates the view on a need-to-need basis.
  • Model-View-View-Model (MVVM). The model-view-view-model (MVVM) further simplifies the separation of concerns, introducing a view model that holds the application state and business logic, thus separating it from the view.

The choice of architectural pattern depends on the project’s complexity, the team’s expertise, and the app’s long-term maintainability.

14. How do I ensure my app handles multiple screen sizes and resolutions?

In the diverse Android ecosystem, supporting multiple resolutions and screen sizes is important in ensuring a consistent user experience across different devices. To ensure apps handle multiple screen sizes and resolutions, developers can implement the following strategies:

  • Responsive layouts. Use modern layouts (GridLayout, LinearLayout, Relative Layout) to ensure that screen sizes adjust to screens of various sizes and resolutions.
  • Density Independent Pixels (dp). Use density pixels as a unit for defining dimensions instead of pixels. Selecting dp ensures that elements scale appropriately across different screen densities.
  • Resource directories. Ensure you provide alternative resources like layouts and images in separate folders for different screen size densities and resolutions.
  • Vector graphics. Use scalable vector graphics (SVG) for images and icons as they can scale without losing quality.

15. How do I ensure that my app supports older versions?

Supporting older versions is crucial to ensure that you reach a broader audience.

Here’s how you can ensure that your newly developed Android app works even in older versions of the Android operating system.

  • Set the minimum SDK version. You should specify the minimum SDK version your app supports in the AndroidManifest.XML file.
  • Compatibility libraries. Use AndroidX libraries that offer backward compatibility in case of newer features.
  • Feature detection. Use the Build.VERSION.SDK_INT constant to detect a device’s API levels and apply the appropriate code paths.
  • Test. Test on various devices with varying Android versions to identify and fix compatibility issues.

It’s crucial to ensure that your app can access a broader audience by extending support for older versions of the Android operating system.

 

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16. What are the basic components of an Android app?

Android apps are built with basic components such as activities, content providers, services, and broadcast receivers. Activities represent the user interface. Services represent background tasks. broadcast receivers respond to system-wide announcements and content providers manage data-sharing between the app and different endpoint devices – smartphones, tablets, laptops, and smart TVs.

17. What’s an Android Emulator?

Android emulator is a tool by Android Studio simulating Android devices. Through this simulation, it allows the developer to test an app with different configurations and Android versions.

18. How can I optimize my app for better performance?

Performance optimization is crucial for a good user experience. Some tips include: minimizing network requests, efficient data structures, optimizing images, and using background threads for heavy, time-consuming tasks. Most importantly, it’s advisable to properly manage memory to prevent memory leaks.

19. How can I make my app more compatible with other devices?

Use the latest SDK version and select the minimum API target level. Test your app on different virtual devices with varying hardware specifications and different screen sizes.

20. Can you develop IOS apps using Kotlin or Android Studio?

No, Android Studio is exclusively designed for Android mobile applications. If you want to develop IOS mobile apps, you will need Apple’s development tools like Objective-C and XCode.

21. What are some popular libraries and frameworks in Android App Development?

Some popular libraries for Android app development include OkHttp for networking, Hilt for dependency injection, Room for database management, and Gson for parsing. However, it’s important to remember Android app development is an evolving frontier, therefore, it’s advisable to remain updated with the latest trends and technologies.

22. How do you select the best Android app developer?

Selecting the best Android developer depends on several factors such as cost, expertise, and reputation. Most developers offer a defined budget for mobile app development but this cost may differ depending on the diversity of features, operating environments (Android or IOS), and the complexity of the project.

Here’s how you select the best Android developer:

  • Define project requirements. Define the scope of your project, highlighting app features, app capabilities, operating requirements, and security considerations.
  •  Check experience and portfolio. Look for developers with a proven track record of developing superior mobile applications. Review their portfolio to see the quality and range of their work.
  • Technical expertise. Ensure that your expert or developer has sufficient technical expertise in areas like Java, and Kotlin, and understands Android SDK and other development toolkits and libraries.
  • Reviews and references. Request reviews from previous clients and check their portfolios for any reference materials. Online ratings and reviews on platforms such as LinkedIn or Upwork can provide valuable insight into the developer’s expertise.

Finding the right developer depends on project requirements and overall expectations as a client.

23. How do I know if I am ready for an Android app?

Whether running a small business or managing a large corporation, having an Android app is the best way to simplify those monotonous, mundane tasks such as invoicing, communicating, marketing, branding, and personnel management. An Android app streamlines tasks, enhancing the efficiency, scalability, and productivity of operations.

So, if you’re struggling with managing employees, managing your brand, or growing your revenue streams, it’s high time to consider an Android mobile app. An Android mobile app can provide valuable insights needed to reinforce your decision-making in areas like sales, marketing, advertising, and outreach. And if you’re experiencing HR planning and management issues, an HR app can do the job.

Turbocharge Your Digital Presence with Android App Development

NS804 empowers individuals and enterprises to do more with the power of a mobile app. With a robust, efficient, and feature-rich application, you can reach more customers, communicate with a broader audience, and build lasting brand partnerships and customer relationships.

Most importantly, we allow NS804 customers to experience our MVP product, allowing them to know what solutions they are getting by investing in our digital solutions.

Contact NS804 for superior Android app development solutions.

B2B App Features Your Mobile App Needs

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The high rate of internet connectivity combined with high rates of smartphone ownership have led to the adoption of mobile apps by businesses and consumers across different industries and sectors – retail, manufacturing, service, finance, and insurance.

B2B mobile apps have become indispensable in today’s fast-paced business environment for enterprises seeking to streamline business operations, improve performance and productivity. B2B apps cater to the evolving needs of enterprises, enabling efficient workflows, enhanced collaboration, and increased customer satisfaction.

However, the key to unlocking the full potential of a B2B app lies in its underlying features. A feature-rich application has immense capabilities to deliver value and streamline complicated processes or operations. From navigation, superior customer service, analytics, reporting, security, and seamless integrations, we look at different aspects that make a great B2B app.

 

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1. User Interface and Navigation

User interface and navigation are critical features that influence an app’s performance and adoption. A well-designed user experience and user interface are important in ensuring successful navigation by users.

A streamlined and visually appealing interface contributes to the intuitive design and enhanced user experience. For instance, research shows that 32% of your users will stop engaging with your website if it has a poor design. A well-designed website with clear layouts engages the readers, enhancing readability and retention.

Another component that contributes to the intuitive design and user experience is intuitive controls. Intuitive controls yield easy navigation, allowing site visitors to navigate the site seamlessly. According to documented statistics, 88% of site visitors will depart from a website after a poor customer experience.

2. Security and Authentication

Today, more than ever, organizations should be more secure in collecting, processing, presenting, and reporting data, especially consumer data. Poor security controls may compromise sensitive information leading to devastating financial, political, and reputational consequences.

Of special significance for any B2B app is protecting the security of sensitive information and personal data. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires organizations to protect consumer data against unauthorized access. Enterprises violating consumer privacy regulations may face jail terms, fines, concessions, and possible termination.

So, your mobile app must accommodate the emerging needs of consumers without compromising their information or privacy. Most importantly, your B2B app must consolidate consumer information and integrate the appropriate safeguards against cyberattacks.

Some ways to create secure and authentic apps include:

Creating secure mobile apps requires the technical knowledge of attack vectors and the emerging sophistication of cyber-attacks. Use the following best practices to develop authentic and highly secure B2B mobile applications:

  • Secure login methods. Leverage two-factor authentication (2FA) or Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to add a layer of security to your devices, accounts, or networks. A 2FA or MFA requires additional verification to access a secured account or system. For instance, you may need to input your password and a code sent to your phone to access an email with a two-factor authentication.
  • Strong encryption. Strong encryption algorithms such as SSL and TLS protect against unauthorized access to stored or in-transit data. So, whether you’re sharing fiscal information with your stakeholders or storing your customer information in a CRM database, strong encryption will protect your sensitive information, whether transmitted over large networks or at rest.
  • Role-based access control. Role-based access control provides access privileges based on roles and responsibilities. For instance, if you’re the head of finance, you’ll access devices, systems, and networks with financial information and not any other network. Your roles will define your access privileges and permissions.

A secure app ensures trust and confidentiality, driving brand loyalty and customer retention.

3. Integration

A B2B app must seamlessly integrate with all the other applications used by a business. For instance, if you have enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, your mobile app must seamlessly integrate, exchange information, and communicate with the ERP suite.

The same case applies to your procurement automation software. Your mobile app must communicate with your procurement software to maximize efficiency and productivity. The ability to communicate and integrate seamlessly with other business apps ensures B2B mobile apps can optimize the existing infrastructure and workflows. Seamless integration with ERP, CRM, project management, and other industry-specific applications ensures maximum performance and productivity.

An important part of integration is integration with cloud services for easy accessibility and data backup. Cloud-based services, whether on-premise or outsourced, provide a safety net in case of hardware failures or storage issues, ensuring disaster recovery and business continuity during attack.

4. Communication and Collaboration

Perhaps one of the most overlooked features of a B2B mobile app is communication and collaboration. Mobile apps must ensure effective communication, information exchange, and collaboration.

Business owners use mobile apps to understand consumer purchase habits, client preferences, and customers’ shared values. On the other hand, customers use mobile apps to identify unique value proportions, pricing structure and evaluate competitive advantages. Customers use the app to assess and evaluate their purchase decisions.

The key components of collaboration and communication in mobile apps:

  • Document storage and sharing. The B2B app should ensure that users can securely download, store, and share files and other resources within the app’s ecosystem.
  • Version control. Version control tracks documents, allowing different team members to work on a single document while tracking changes. It allows different users to collaborate on a single document while maintaining a clear audit trail.
  • Task management. Workflow automation helps with task management because tasks can be scheduled to occur in given scenarios. The automation of repetitive tasks improves efficiency and reduces manual efforts. The B2B app should be able to automate task assignments, approval workflows, and notifications, thus minimizing delays and ensuring seamless progress.

A B2B app becomes a central hub for efficient communication and profitable collaboration by providing robust communication and collaboration features.

5. Analytics and Reporting

Analytics and reporting capabilities help businesses obtain invaluable insights and information like customer feedback, track performance, and make data-driven decisions. Analytics provide the business with a clear picture of the market and industry.

Analytics and reporting capabilities provide customer purchase trends, changing perception, product positioning, and brand positioning, allowing organizations to make actionable decisions. Analytics save organizations resources by allowing them to predict problems and their solutions.

The main components of analytics and reporting include:

  • Data visualization. The B2B app must have data visualization boards to present information in a visually-appealing manner. The B2B app must provide data visualization components such as graphs and charts that present complex information simply and clearly.
  • Customizable dashboards. The B2B mobile app must provide customizable dashboards for real-time insights. Customization helps users to personalize their data views and helps them to monitor important metrics in real time.
  • Generation of reports. The B2B app must be able to generate reports of key performance and industry metrics. The app must crunch the data and provide detailed reports that highlight the key trends for decision-making.
  • Data exports. The B2B must allow users to export data in Excel, Word, CSV, and other formats to do an in-depth analysis with other tools or share with other stakeholders. Data exports enhance the accessibility and sharing of data, improving its usability and application.

B2B apps must analyze trends and communicate emerging trajectories with accuracy. This way, organizations can adjust their systems, resources, and networks to respond to evolving market and industry changes.

6. Predictive Maintenance

Beyond data visualization lies data mining for advanced analysis. Your B2B app can have advanced analytic techniques to read and analyze AI, ML, and natural language processing (NLP) with ease. The app can be designed with predictive analytics capabilities to identify trends and propose the best actions. In addition, data analytics can provide intelligent recommendations based on historical data and user behavior.

7. Customer Support

The evolving nature of customer service demands organizations to be more proactive in resolving issues. Today, B2B mobile apps bridge the gap between efficient communication and poor feedback, allowing organizations to be more agile in their outreach and customer communications.

Any successful B2B mobile app must provide efficient communication and gather feedback. By integrating robust customer support features, B2B mobile apps can detect issues, address issues, and ensure continuous improvement.

These are the main components of superior customer service in B2B apps.

  • Ticket creation and tracking. Every B2B app must create, initiate, schedule, and track tickets seamlessly. The app must offer a helpdesk or ticketing system that allows users to create support tickets for any issues they face.
  • Customer feedback collection. Customer feedback collection and analysis is indispensable in any superior customer service. Organizations that provide excellent customer service understand their customers’ sentiments better. The B2B app must offer a mechanism for users to report issues and express disgruntlement.
  • Ratings and reviews. In addition, allowing users to rate and review app features allows B2B apps to understand their performance. Ratings help with continuous improvement because organizations prioritize improvements based on customer feedback.

Customer support is an indispensable part of customer attraction and retention; apps with superior customer support features enjoy better visibility and usability than those without.

8. Offline Data Security and Backup

Offline data security and backup are emerging trends in mobile app development. Today, apps with cloud-based accessibility are in more demand as organizations and employers seek to encourage more remote workforces. The emergence of cloud computing as a model for remote data storage, transmission, and processing, allows mobile apps to secure user data, regardless of location or size.

It’s important to note that specific components facilitate offline data security and backup.

  • Encryption of offline data. Offline data security involves encrypting offline data to ensure it cannot be read or accessed by unauthorized third parties.
  • Data back-up. Data backup ensures business continuity by providing critical operational data during a breach or incident attack. B2B apps use automated data back-up to ensure seamless collection of information.
  • Secure cloud storage. The B2B app provides secure cloud storage for offline data backups, protecting offline data against unauthorized access.

Data security is a critical component of any business, ensuring that organizations adhere to the principles of data integrity, confidentiality, privacy, and accountability.

 

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9. Scalability and Performance Optimization

Scalability is an important factor for any B2B mobile app. The ability to scale up and down depending on changes in operational demands is a critical component of B2B applications. Your mobile app must handle excessive traffic. It must be able to process a growing list of requests and provide efficient feedback and resolution.

To do this, it must be designed with scalability in mind. Expert developers use cloud offline storage capabilities to improve the scalability of their applications in case of excessive traffic or loads.

Here’s what you need to create a scalable mobile app architecture.

  • Your app must handle increasing user loads and data volumes.
  • Scalable architecture that supports a high user reoccurrence.
  • Efficient database optimization for faster response time.
  • Caching mechanism to reduce server load.

Scalable B2B apps can accommodate changes in user requests, ensuring efficient load and data processing and faster response times.

10. Multi-language and Localization

Multi-language and localization support refers to your app’s ability to provide more than one language for your users. For instance, if you’re in the United States, you may be tempted to create an app for English speakers. However, when venturing into foreign markets, you may be forced to include multi-language capabilities and location support in your app.

Multi-language and location support provide numerous benefits. First, it’s easy to switch between different languages in the app. The location of labels and texts suits audiences in different regions. Localization must take care of dates, time zones, and regional differences. Localization ensures that you communicate with clients regardless of their geographical differences.

NS804 – Building Robust and Scalable Mobile Apps

Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, a B2B mobile app empowers you to do more with less. Your mobile app can be optimized to communicate with customers, collect analytics, and report sensitive activities. In addition, the B2B app can be optimized to provide automated reporting of issues through predictive maintenance.

And if you have offices inside or across the country, you can always rely on your app to provide accurate and timely reporting, whether dealing with employee performance or experiencing order delays. Your B2B app must incorporate powerful features that allow you to solve emerging problems. For instance, your app must completely secure user information and sensitive data.

Partnering with a B2B mobile app specialist enables you to optimize their market knowledge of different products and industry expertise of the best practices. NS804 works with experts and professional programmers with a vast understanding of new trends. And with our minimum viable product MVP option, you can seek a replica version before you develop the end product.

Contact NS804 if you’re searching for a B2B mobile app specialist.

What You Need to Know About App Cost Calculators?

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What is an App Development Cost Calculator?

App development cost calculator helps you estimate the cost of building an app that you have in mind. Typically, app development agencies will this tool on their website where you can input details to come up with an estimate figure. The tool, therefore, saves you the pain of sending inquiry emails to different development companies to get a quote for their services.

 

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The Why?

App development is a complex undertaking. A typical app can cost more than $10,000 and take months to build and launch. In addition, the cost comes with no guarantee of a return on investment in terms of revenue or operational cost reduction. Therefore, it’s important that promoters of an app have a strong business case for moving ahead with development plans.

The Subjectiveness of Cost Calculators

Just like any complex problem-solving algorithm, app development calculators are heavily subjective. There are multiple cost drivers including labor, desired features, the perceived complexity of the features, the operating system(s) you are building for, the amount of testing needed, and many more. Each agency is likely to assign varying weights to each of the factors determining the final cost of the app.

When attempting to get a fair estimate of the cost of the app, it may be advisable to use several calculators to come up with a range or an average figure.

The Factors Affecting App Development Costs

Let’s break down the primary determinants of app development costs.

Platform

Perhaps the most important determinant of app development costs today is the type of application. Is it a purely Android app you want? Is it an iOS app? Do you want both versions?

In emerging markets, specifically Africa and Asia, Android commands a supermajority in market share. You may therefore need to prioritize an Android app or at least ensure you have two versions released in the market. The latter choice will mean more app development hours. You may need a team with more developers to ensure the right mix of skills to deliver high-quality native Android and iOS versions of your app.

 

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The Team

Labour is the biggest cost in any development project. Fortunately, the promoters of the app have a choice between working with agencies or with freelance developers. They can also choose to work with developers from different markets because costs differ significantly depending on location.

In the North American market, software developers can charge north of $100 per hour. In Europe, this can be 30% less, and in Asia, the rate can be as low as $25 per hour.

An individual developer can be quite flexible with the amount charged, especially for a big project. However, working with an agency with a big team may mean that they have all the expertise needed to execute the project in-house. A big team is also more likely to keep up with project deadlines.

For complex projects that will require continuous maintenance and updates, some companies may decide to hire an in-house team. This will ensure continuity in the project even when some members of the team move on. It also gives the company control over the documentation, hosting, and other critical elements of the project. Most software-dependent companies are better off with an inhouse-team that is continually working on new features and innovations that may present revenue opportunities.

The Business Model

The purpose of the application will determine the payment processing and security features that will be necessary. An app can generate revenue either through subscriptions or through in-app selling.

An example of a subscription application is Spotify. Such an application requires building account management features and includes a payment processing solution that accepts payments from multiple cards and payment apps.

E-commerce apps require inventory management, a shopping cart feature, and payment processing. Fortunately, developers need not build each of these from scratch but instead, they integrate the main application with third-party industry-grade solutions.

An application that requires payment processing and the necessary security integrations will cost more to build due to the additional hours of integration and testing.

User Interface and User Experience

A mass-market application must invest heavily in UI/UX to guarantee success. The importance of UI/UX is such that there are now front-end developers who specialize in this. They spend hours thinking about how to make the application attractive and intuitive for users. They think about the colors, fonts, button placement, page layouts, progression from one screen to another, and possible choke points in the journey. The goal is to ensure that users find what they need quickly while also maximizing their potential spending within the app.

UI/UX testing is a big part of the development process. The team will in many cases build two versions of the same window and put them both into the market, gathering feedback before building a final version. Extensive UI/UX testing results in additional costs but in most cases, it is usually worth the extra hours.

Feature Complexity

The degree of complexity of an app will naturally affect development costs because of the hours necessary to build and launch. The number of integrations with third-party feature solutions also matters a lot.

Consider a food delivery app that requires integrations to add features such as location tracking, in-app messaging, payment processing, and order status notification. All these features require integration and testing to ensure the app is robust enough to go to market.

During the development, the team must also ensure that the number of features does not result in a slow and hard-to-use application. The layout and interaction of features must be well thought out.

Security Features

App users will need assurances that the security features and testing on your app guarantee the safety of their information. Data breaches not only present a reputational threat to your brand but also legal and potential financial implications if negligence can be proven. Therefore, a significant portion of the app development costs will be taken by designing and implementing of security features for the app.

Interactive apps are particularly prone to data security threats due to the constant passing of information between the user and the server. This is not the case with a more static website or application. Apps with a wide user base are also more likely to suffer more security threats because of the wealth of data stored. Similarly, e-commerce applications are a common target for hackers interested in personal financial information of customers.

Common security measures in apps today include multi-factor authentication for logging in and approving payments. Passwords that users input should be masked using cryptography so that even the internal team cannot crack them. There are also standard security protocols that the iOS and Google Play Store require apps to have before publishing.

It is always best to work with cybersecurity consultants to determine the best combination of security features based on an app’s intended use. They can also recommend threat models to use to get for regular security checks when the app goes to market.

App Hosting

The choice of a hosting service provider directly affects the final cost of your application. The size of your application and the traffic you expect determine the bandwidth you require from your host. A reputable host should guarantee 100% up-time for your app.

Some applications are unique in that they do not need a hosting solution because they work as stand-alone projects with no external communication. In that case, they can be downloaded onto user devices and work fully without communicating with a server.

However, some applications are such that some complex computations require significant CPU power so that only the output is sent back to the user’s application. Other apps have thousands of users using them at the same time. Such applications need resources that only a hosting provider can give. By using a hosting provider, you outsource some of the data security responsibility to them. You rely on their world-class security features to guarantee the safety of user data while at rest.

Using a world-class hosting provider may come with the assurance of support and well-laid-out disaster recovery operations in the unlikely event of a breach.

Therefore, the hosting package that you need and choose will determine how much you will be paying regularly to keep your app running.

Maintenance Costs

The industry best practice is to factor in about 10% of the initial app development costs for annual maintenance and improvement. Inevitably, there will be bugs and feedback from users as they find utility from using the app. Even on the first year after launch, it is important to set aside a significant portion of the budget towards maintenance, perhaps even higher than what will be necessary in subsequent years.

Building Your Own App Development Calculator

The different app development cost calculators available online vary according to the weights given to cost drivers. Bias due to different project experiences is inevitable. With this in mind, you may want to build your own cost calculator. The main advantage of your own cost calculator is you can make adjustments as necessary. For instance, you may want to go with an off-shore team as opposed to a North American team.

Work with NS804

At NS804, we have a proven track record of building and deploying successful apps for clients in the e-commerce, service sector, and corporate operations. Our team’s skill and experience mean we can tailor our services to suit your project needs, regardless of size or scope. Whether you need an Android, iOS, or both versions of the same app, we will deliver on time and within the budget.

You can now use our app cost calculator to get an estimate of how much your app will cost to build. We have included numerous app and feature categories to help you get as accurate an estimate as you can find. Check out the cost estimator here.

If you wish to engage us further regarding your app idea, reach out to us by filling out this form and a member of our team will be in touch soon.

Fintech App Development: 9 Must-Have Features

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Fintech app development has become increasingly popular over the past decade. After all, many startups and development teams are working on innovative fintech apps, especially in the mobile space. It’s a rapidly growing global industry estimated at a whopping $110 billion in 2020 and will likely hit $700 billion by 2030.

But why the interest in fintech worldwide? There’s not a single reason for the meteoric rise of fintech, but several developments have helped to transform this industry. The proliferation of e-commerce entities with the mass adoption of smartphones has led to the widespread use of secure payment processors. These payment platforms and other solution providers have forged ahead with various cashless digital payments and mobile wallets. 

Furthermore, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, data analytics, and favorable government regulations have helped grease the wheels of the fintech industry. And the traditional banking sector isn’t sitting on the sidelines either, with many notable financial institutions investing heavily in mobile banking apps.

The banking sector must also replace and upgrade aging systems designed for an era when customers had to visit bank branches or automated teller machines (ATMs) to complete most financial transactions. Also, many banks are reducing their physical footprint and offering more financial services directly on their banking apps. These apps have become so compelling because they provide an A-to-Z approach for customers to manage their finances.

And that’s why fintech app development is so crucial. It empowers users when they have access to essential features. Now, let’s delve deeper into what must-have features today’s fintech apps should include!  

 

What Should You Know About Fintech App Development?

Fintech app development is a multi-disciplinary process that often requires expertise in several key areas: 

  • Mobile app development
  • Back-end development
  • Software engineering
  • User experience (UX) design
  • User interface (UI) design
  • Application and network security
  • Cloud computing
  • Financial software systems
  • Payment processing APIs
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Machine learning
  • Blockchain

Since fintech apps handle large amounts of financial transactions and sensitive user data, security must come first. Therefore, every competent fintech app development studio must have one or more security experts available on the team. These security experts must deal with all present and future vulnerabilities that may occur within the app, the network layer, the back-end server, and the payment processing APIs. 

As for the latter, it’s unlikely that the studio’s security experts can seal off all security holes in third-party APIs. But they should keep tabs on all known and new vulnerabilities and ensure they provide enough security features and defenses within the app to counter these. However, when dealing with open-source APIs with permissive licenses, they can rewrite parts of the compromised APIs or contribute additional code that will harden security.

What Is A Fintech Application?

As a broad description, a fintech app may include any application that simplifies and automates financial services. The majority of fintech apps are almost always the products of the fintech industry, which is in itself a broad term. In the fintech industry, it’s not uncommon for app developers, venture capitalists, and financial institutions to collaborate closely on products, such as banking apps, digital wallets, and money lending apps.

Several technologies that make up a fintech app may include AI, IoT, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and data analytics. In some countries, cryptocurrencies remain in a grey zone legally. Thus, fintech app development studios must comply with regulations in these countries and apply certain restrictions on cryptocurrency transactions. But most mainstream users will use fintech apps to manage their finances instead of trading and investing in cryptocurrencies.

Generally, fintech apps fit into the following four segments: Business-to-Business (B2B) within the banking industry, B2B bank clients, Business-to-Consumer (B2C) within the small business sector, and wholly consumer based. If you want to develop a fintech mobile app, you’ll need to focus on one of these segments before forging ahead. And that’s because trying to create an app that serves multiple business models seldom works when starting out.

Consider how PayPal began as a digital wallet for electronic payments back in 1999. And soon after this startup launched its initial public offering (IPO), it was rapidly snapped up by eBay — subsequently becoming the preferred payment option for users on the famous auction site. Over the past two decades, PayPal has grown by adapting to the needs of its users. Today, the company effectively runs a two-sided business model in handling financial transactions for merchants and consumers. 

 

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What Are The Most Popular Types Of Fintech Apps? 

One of the neat things about fintech app development is that appreneurs and developers can flex their creative muscles. That’s because there are already many types of fintech applications in the marketplace, and the list of categories will only grow in the foreseeable future. But if you’re new to fintech and wondering what type of app you should develop, then consider the following: 

  • Mobile banking app: You’re probably already using one or more banking apps right now. And you’re likely benefiting from the ease and convenience of handling many financial transactions through these. A side benefit of mobile banking apps is that they provide an indispensable service to formerly unbanked individuals, particularly in developing countries.
  • Investment app: People that don’t have access to large sums of money or a broker will use investment apps to generate some wealth. Several of the best investment apps provide tutorials and simulated stock markets to train new users.
  • Insurance app: Most people will experience at least one major mishap during their lifetimes. It may involve a car accident, a health issue, or lost luggage during travel. But even if insured, these are all stressful scenarios that cause people to hastily look for their insurance policies, wondering if they’re fully covered. Fortunately, today’s mobile insurance apps make it easy for customers to review their policies, make claims, and receive quotes.
  • Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending app: Financial institutions may not always provide loans at favorable interest rates or to individuals with a bad credit score. That’s where loan apps conveniently fill a gap in the market by bringing P2P lending to the masses. But to mitigate risk, these P2P platforms seldom loan out large amounts like the big financial institutions.  

Is Developing A Fintech Application Easy? 

No, fintech app development ranks as one of the more challenging categories in software engineering. Don’t be fooled by the plethora of fintech apps in the marketplace and the many freelance developers making bold claims about quick turnarounds on fintech projects. While the abundance of projects in this domain may make it seem easy, much can go awry by overlooking certain scenarios. 

The hard reality is that not all fintech products offer robust security or comply with mandatory financial regulations. Furthermore, freelancers don’t have the best reputation for tightening up app security or closely following the rules and guidelines set by regulatory bodies worldwide.

Since fintech apps deal with money, no developer should play fast and loose, especially with the law. Any security breaches that result in monetary losses may lead to jail time for the responsible parties, including the publisher or developer, for not following the necessary protocols. So, never place your trust in a freelance developer or a studio that doesn’t have a track record for quality apps and following best practices. Instead, partner with a multi-award-winning and reputable mobile app developer like NS804, which has already released over 100 applications.

Which Steps Must Every Fintech App Development Studio Follow?

We’ve already stressed how important it’s to closely follow best practices, government regulations, and security protocols. But what does that actually mean when developing a fintech application? Before adding innovative new features to your app, you should first ensure that your app adheres to several fundamentals. Be sure to include the following steps in your development process:

  • Legal requirements: Even during your early planning stage, you must know what shape your legal compliance framework will take. Moreover, you must comply with various privacy laws for different territories, such as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the European Union (EU) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Consult a trusted legal advisor during every phase of your fintech app development process to ensure compliance with all regulations, regardless of how obscure or complex these may seem.
  • App security: Security will play a central role every step of the way during your fintech app development process. Toughen security with mandatory biometrics, one-time password (OTP), and two-factor authentication features. Ensure that your team rolls out updates immediately to patch up any security vulnerabilities that may occur.
  • API administration: Your fintech app must communicate with other apps and portals for smooth functionality. Thus, you’ll use APIs to connect these disparate applications. But you must ensure these APIs comply with the most stringent security protocols since this will impact your app’s risk factor.
  • User support functionality: Sooner or later, users will experience issues with your app. Create an intuitive user journey to smoothen the onboarding process. Include built-in training tutorials to help users learn how to use your app and an AI-powered chatbot to respond quickly to their questions.

Before Implementing The Latest Must-Have Features

Fintech apps have evolved considerably over the past decade. Even the most rudimentary applications come with impressive features meant to engage users. While that may seem like a smart move, it’s never a good idea to flood a fintech app with unnecessary features. Instead, it’s better to offer basic functionality that does actually meet users’ needs. You can always add additional features when you roll out updates and when you scale. 

Before commencing on expensive and risky projects, we always advise our clients to build a minimum viable product (MVP). An MVP is ideal for fintech app development because the focus is strictly on basic functionality. Moreover, it’s the perfect vehicle to test an app idea by bringing it to the market cheaply and quickly. 

If users resonate with the MVP, that’s a good sign that it has the potential to become successful as a full-fledged app. And by monitoring and analyzing user data and feedback, it becomes easier to pinpoint the additional features users want. Below, we’ll discuss in detail the various must-have features you should consider for your upcoming fintech project.

 

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1. Gamification

Until now, gamification was more of a nice-to-have feature instead of a must-have feature. But user expectations have changed due to the interactive experiences they’ve had with gaming. There’s hardly a user that doesn’t become incentivized by leveling up their character, achieving a high score on the leaderboard, or unlocking an additional skill on the skill tree. 

Gamification includes all these game-like activities and many more. And these have found their way into all kinds of apps, from productivity to fintech apps. But the real draw of gamification is that it helps to increase engagement by offering users a more fun and rewarding experience. For example, an investment app could award cool-looking badges when users meet specific investment milestones. 

2. Push notifications

Push notifications are not new and are standard in just about every category of mobile app. But it’s not only a matter of having push notifications but how you’ll use them to engage users. The core principles of fintech app development require that you provide users with security and keep them informed of any app changes at all times. 

Consider how users will want their banking apps to remind them of outgoing and incoming payments. And remind them about upcoming bills and alert them of any unusual logins or activity on their accounts. Push notifications are the quickest, easiest, and most reliable way to alert users. Emails and SMS messages sometimes go undelivered, and users may not always check these timeously or regularly. This may put them in a situation where they can’t respond to a potential security risk in time.

3. User Profiles

It’s crucial to let users customize your fintech app to make it more personal and accessible. Users love using apps that feel comfortable and will continue using those that seem designed specifically for them. 

You can do this with user profiles, which will contain each user’s individual preferences. Of course, you may also provide presets so that users can get up and running with a predefined UI, font style, and theme that they’ll find appealing. But customization doesn’t only need to affect the appearance of the app but also how it functions. Users may set their budget and spending preferences and save these in their user profiles. 

4. Blockchain

While not every fintech app benefits from a blockchain implementation, it’s worth considering if your app meets certain criteria. If your app must handle cryptocurrency transactions, you’ll inevitably use a blockchain. But it’s also necessary if your users demand a transparent and secure system to record all transactions without a central entity, such as a large financial institution.  

Where blockchain technology truly comes into its own is with any P2P network. So, if you’re creating a P2P lending application, your users will want to have the surety that there’s a record of all transactions on a distributed database. This way, lenders and borrowers will trust all transactions on your P2P lending app. And if there’s ever any discrepancy, the database will always reveal what happened with any funds after a transaction query.

5. Smart contracts

If you move ahead with a blockchain implementation, you should also consider smart contracts. The best way to think of smart contracts is that of smaller programs that run on the blockchain and automate tasks based on an agreement. And in their more advanced form, they may work with a central securities depository (CSD) to handle fungible assets like stocks, options, and bonds. Also, note that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) operate as smart contracts or under such a paradigm. 

Therefore, if you’re developing a platform to trade NFTs, smart contracts will become central to your fintech app development process. You’ll also need to integrate various digital wallets, crypto exchanges, and NFT marketplaces with your app.

6. Chatbots

We’ve already discussed why you should implement user support functionality in your fintech app. And we even mentioned the need for an AI-powered chatbot that will respond to user queries. Obviously, these kinds of chatbots are not new and are not only meant for fintech apps. But they’re essential to fulfill customer support roles, especially if you don’t have the budget and staff to provide support 24/7. 

Users will want to know how to set up and manage their accounts, get answers to technical issues, and learn more about new and specific features. And while they can find out this information by perusing your app’s docs or support forums, it’s better not to inconvenience them. Ideally, you want to keep users glued to your app and not look elsewhere, even your website, for information. 

An AI-powered chatbot can answer most user questions in seconds and in their native language. Users will feel more confident using your app, even its more advanced features, knowing that help is only a screen tap away.

7. Big Data Analytics

Financial applications live or die based on how well they handle large amounts of data. For example, the more data a banking app has about a customer’s spending habits, assets, and credit rating, the better it can assess risk for a requested loan. When an app feeds from the bank’s Big Data pipeline combined with analytics, it will know if the customer is trustworthy and may also detect potential fraud or malicious intent.  

Once everything is clear, the app can push through the loan request to the loan approval agent and notify the customer. And once the agent approves the loan, the customer will receive the fund in their account. This quick and frictionless way of applying for a loan without needing to call or visit a bank branch is only possible due to Big Data analytics. 

8. Machine Learning

It’s hard to think of fintech app development without becoming proficient at implementing machine learning. And that’s because there’s hardly a fintech application that doesn’t have a ML component in one form or another. Moreover, there are many ways that ML algorithms can aid various functions, even within a single fintech app. 

These algorithms can enhance an app’s fraud detection capabilities, predict market risks, and implement trading strategies. Bots powered by ML algorithms can also advise users on trades, upcoming investment trends, and market opportunities. However, it’s important to note that the quality and accuracy of the data these algorithms use will determine overall efficacy.

9. Multiple Digital Payment Options

No fintech app can function correctly without having at least one digital payment option. But users expect multiple digital payment options, so design your app for such a scenario. While it’s perfectly okay for your MVP or initial versions of your app to have one payment option, you’ll need to diversify payment options as your app matures. 

But what payment options should your fintech app have initially? Offer wire transfer, debit, and credit card payments from the get-go. Then, closely follow with PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Stripe, Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, Google Play, and Samsung Pay. 

However, some digital payment processors prohibit risky speculative trading and investment products from accessing their services. Ensure that your fintech app complies with the terms of service (ToS) of any payment processor you plan on integrating. You may also add cryptocurrency payment options if your app’s meant for the crypto market.

In Conclusion

Fintech app development has come a long way yet still offers many opportunities for forward-looking appreneurs, developers, and financial institutions. Users have become accustomed to handling all their finances on their mobile devices. They seldom visit a physical location or call an agent to do their banking, submit an insurance claim, or invest in stocks. Furthermore, fintech apps make most transactions easy, convenient, and quick. Contact NS804 today to learn how we’ll help you build your next fintech app for a growing and promising market! 

What is Rapid Application Deployment?

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Today’s digital landscape is ever-changing, and with innovation and speed being at the forefront of most digital developments, organizations are seeking innovative ways to boost their software development and deployment processes. The ever-changing digital landscape has seen software developers being more creative in accelerating their software and deployment processes. One area that has gained significant traction in propelling organizations to be steadfast in application development is rapid application deployment.

Essentially, rapid application deployment refers to a set of processes, practices, and techniques intended to increase the speed at which applications are designed, developed, tested, and deployed in marketplaces. Rapid application development harnesses proven techniques and sure-fire practices to propel the software development processes, from conception to completion.

This blog post explores the concept of rapid application deployment to provide business stakeholders, development teams, and potential clients with insights needed to adopt and master rapid application deployment. Adopting these practices and principles will help organizations upscale their application development while enjoying quality software solutions.

 

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Understanding Rapid Application Deployment

Rapid application development is a streamlined approach to software development. Rapid application development emphasizes speed and responsiveness. Development teams who leverage rapid application deployment will be more adaptable to disruptive technological trends. Likewise, they’re better suited to providing quality software solutions to their clients and end users. Therefore, by adopting the principles and practices of rapid application development, you stand to provide scalable, adaptable, and flexible software solutions while remaining within the boundaries of budget and timeline.

Key Features of Rapid Application Deployment

  • Speed. Rapid application deployment provides faster and more timely software solutions. This concept ensures that development teams reduce time-to-market timeframes, enabling businesses to respond faster to market opportunities.
  • Scalability. The rapid application deployment framework embraces an agile mindset. It fosters adaptability and flexibility. Agile principles such as customer collaboration and continuous improvement are central to rapid application deployment.
  • Iterative development. Rapid application deployment takes advantage of iteration. It divides tasks into smaller but more manageable increments. A large and complex configuration or programming task can be segmented into smaller workloads less prone to risk and more cost-efficient.
  • Continuous integration and deployments. Continuous integration and deployment cannot be disentangled from the entire concept of rapid application development. Continuous integration ensures the continuous integration of codes into a shared repository. Continuously integrating code changes to a shared repository prevents recurring mistakes or errors in codes and enhances the quality and adaptability of software development processes. On the other hand, continuous deployment refers to automating the deployment process so that software updates are deployed rapidly and more reliably.

Evolution and Significance of Rapid Application Development

Rapid application development has emerged as a response to key changes to the software development environment. Traditional processes and approaches like the waterfall model resulted in lengthy development processes and late launch dates. Rapid application deployment has emerged as a solution to overcome the demand for faster software deployment.

 

The Benefits of Rapid Application Deployment

Rapid application deployment holds several benefits in the software development environment.

1. Market responsiveness

Companies must constantly evolve and adapt to shifting consumer and market demand in today’s competitive market landscape. Customers need innovative solutions that are paired with cost-cutting measures. Markets demand more responsiveness, agility, and scalability. Rapid application deployment enables organizations to be more agile in their technology uptake. Companies leveraging this concept are more innovative and adaptive, providing less-to-market time for new software solutions.

2. Iterative improvement

Iterative improvement creates room for collecting feedback, validating, assumptions, and integrating suggestions into consequent parts of the project. In software development, feedback must be taken into consideration for quality and reliable outcomes. Interactive improvement leads to continuous learning and adaptability to evolving requirements. Development teams who adopt rapid application development can continuously integrate improvements into their processes. This eventually leads to quality and reliable software solutions.

3. Risk mitigation

The rapid application deployment approach takes into account the risk-mitigation factor. RAD approach continuously tests applications early enough to identify and mitigate unprecedented risks. Early and continuous testing ensures that errors are detected and mitigated early on in the development lifecycle. One technology used in risk mitigation is predictive maintenance. In predictive maintenance, detection bots are used to detect errors in every development cycle, providing insight into small technical issues before escalating to costly problems later on.

4. Enhanced collaboration

Rapid application deployment encourages cross-functional teams to deliberate on issues. Most importantly, this approach is anchored on frequent communication, ensuring that stakeholders can clearly define their project expectations. Frequent communication and cross-functional teams yield the integration required to develop applications that respond to existing problems. In addition, this collaboration leads to a shared understanding of project goals, facilitating knowledge-sharing in different stakeholder groups.

5. Customer-centricity

Rapid application deployment is feedback-driven, placing a central emphasis on customer satisfaction. Its iterative approach to design, development, and testing ensures that feedback is collected and shared. This iterative approach further prevents errors or mistakes from reaching the consequent stages of the project, leading to quality and reliable project outcomes. By integrating customer feedback, software development teams can build reliable software that responds to the needs of markets and customers.

Steps for Successful Rapid Application Deployment

1. Project planning and gathering requirements

A successful first-step approach for rapid application deployment is conducting project planning. The first step of conducting the project planning is defining your project goals.

  • Define your project goals. You must set out your project goals and objectives. Clearly defining your vision and goals helps you to align your development efforts with defined business goals. For instance, if you want to increase your client base by 30% in two years, your application deployment must guarantee this outcome.
  •  Identify your project requirements. You must meet with different stakeholders to identify any prevailing requirements. Prioritize all requirements based on their value and feasibility. Your plan must focus on core functionality and project outcomes in early iterations.

Successful project planning ensures that the consequent stages of the project proceed as planned.

2. Iterative development and release management

The rapid application deployment uses iterative development. This type of deployment delivers iterative deployment cycles. Each cycle leads to a deployable and manageable software increment. This process involves the following two steps.

  • Breaking down the development into smaller sprints. Typically, break down the project into smaller, manageable cycles that run between two to four weeks. Each iteration involves developing a testable and almost deployable software increment.
  • Prioritizing features and release plan. This step involves collaborating with stakeholders to comprehensively understand the project. Reiterate goals and project expectations. Reiteration ensures that the application or software developed meets the client’s needs.

Iterative development provides room for collaboration and information-sharing. This ensures that the project meets the needs of both the developers and the clients.

3. Test automation and continuous testing

Test automation ensures that any deployable increments are tested for quality outcomes. Each code that’s continuously integrated must be tested before deployment. Test automation is critical in rapid application deployment because it provides timely and accurate feedback on software quality.

Test automation involves the following two steps;

  • Identifying test cases. This step involves identifying test cases for automation. Test cases involve selecting areas that are critical for validating the security, performance, and functionality of an application. After identifying areas critical for a software’s performance and functionality, you can automate the test of these areas in a repeatable manner.
  • Deploy continuous testing. Now it’s time to implement continuous testing. Three types of tests must be deployed regularly to ensure that errors and mistakes in codes and executable or deployable increments are detected early in the software lifecycle development stages. These tests include automated tests, acceptance tests, and integration tests.

Test automation ensures reliable and accurate reporting of software quality, ensuring that teams proceed with information on the development lifecycle.

4. Continuous monitoring

Feedback loops and continuous monitoring are important in ensuring customer satisfaction, reliability, and performance of the application. Achieving continuous monitoring and feedback loops involves the following steps.

  • Application monitoring. Development teams use applications that track and evaluate key performance indicators. Monitoring tools are used to track KPIs such as response time, resource utilization, and error rates. Monitoring tools collect user feedback, identify improvement areas, and prioritize developments.
  •  Integrating feedback into development cycles. Collaboration with stakeholders helps to gather feedback. This feedback is injected into the development pipeline, ensuring that every iterative cycle captures the intended needs of customers and clients alike. In addition, this iterative feedback is shared in the development pipeline to ensure continuous improvement.

Providing continuous monitoring is a critical element of rapid application development. Continuously monitoring ensures that every deployable increment meets and exceeds the needs of the application development project.

Challenges of Rapid Application Deployment

Although rapid application deployment provides numerous benefits, there are various challenges that you must overcome to ensure successful implementation. Overcoming these glaring challenges is critical to meeting the needs of reliability, flexibility, and quality related to rapid application deployment.

1. Managing technical debt

Technical debt refers to the costs or losses incurred while taking suboptimal solutions in software development. Technical debt can impair future development. So, it’s crucial to take measures to mitigate technical debt. Some of the steps taken to manage technical debts include;

  • Regular refactoring. Regular refactoring is allocating sufficient time and resources to a code to improve its structure. This approach helps reduce technical debt, by ensuring that the code base is always clean and adaptable.
  • Prioritize technical debt reduction. Integrate efforts to reduce technical debt at every development lifecycle. Integrate efforts, systems, and processes that detect and mitigate costly risks. In addition, reconcile differences between new feature development and technical debt to ensure that you do not create more but less-likable features against the backdrop of rising debt.

Debt must be mitigated because it represents a risk to future application development.

2. Ensuring quality assurance

Ensuring quality assurance is important in application deployment because the design speed must not inhibit the quality of the end output. In rapid application deployment, experts believe that all steps, although proceeding at a significant pace, must take into account quality requisites. Deployable software increments churned at every iterative cycle must respond to quality requirements set out in that specific developmental cycle or stage. There is a wide range of strategies set to ensure quality assurance.

  • Automated testing. This step involves implementing a comprehensive suite of deployable tests. These tests may include end-to-end tests, integration tests, and unit tests. Automated testing ensures quick and reliable feedback, thus providing opportunities to improve the correctness and stability of an application.
  • Code reviews. Continuous code reviews detect, mitigate, and manage costly errors emanating from flawed code integrations and code deployments. By emphasizing code reviews, organizations can identify potential technical problems early in the development cycle. Peer reviews in code design and deployment ensure adherence to coding stands. Code reviews further help to catch bugs and promote knowledge sharing among peer groups.

Quality assurance is an instrumental challenge in rapid application deployment. Luckily, mitigation steps set to ensure the successful implementation of RAD provide immense solutions.

3. Security considerations

Rapid application deployment doesn’t overlook the vulnerability of attacks. Applications are one of the most targeted platforms, with hackers and attackers looking to exploit vulnerabilities. If financial software is infiltrated by unauthorized users; they will steal millions of credit card numbers. And using bots and iterative software, criminals can match credit card numbers with other user credentials like names, SSNs, and street addresses to gain access to protected information.

  •  Incorporating security practices. The first step taken to ensure maximum security is adherence to coding standards. Vulnerability testing is also incorporated early in the development stages to identify loopholes.
  • Secure deployment practices. The developer must follow established code standards, code configurations, and encryption of sensitive data. Following these secure protocols in code development and design enhances application security, increasing customer trust.

Development teams must provide secure applications prioritizing the customer’s safety, accountability, and security.

4. Continuous monitoring

Continuous monitoring and collecting feedback are critical for ensuring scalable and quality applications. Strategies deployed for effective monitoring and collecting of customer feedback include:

  • Application performance monitoring. The development teams deploy application performance monitoring tools and techniques to track an application’s real-time performance. Application tools report critical metrics on performance like response rate, overall responsiveness, functionality, application, and usability. Application
    performance monitoring helps monitor indicators such as error rates, response time, and resource use. These measures monitor and solve performance bottlenecks.
  • Engagement and user feedback. You must actively solicit user feedback using surveys, direct communication channels, and user testing. In your user engagement journey, prioritize user behavior, preferences, and pain points. Analyzing these trends is crucial in making important decisions about future improvements.

Continuous monitoring is critical for determining what works and what doesn’t. Evaluating feedback provides room for information-sharing, leading to informed decision-making across every stage of the development cycle.

 

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The Outcomes of Successfully Adopting Rapid Application Deployment

Although expensive and time-consuming in some quotas, rapid application deployment provides numerous benefits to enterprises and marketplaces.

  • Reduced time-to-market. Traditional development methods were time-consuming. Rapid application development provides a cohesive model with proven techniques to escalate an application’s development and deployment. Escalating the development process reduces the time-to-market, allowing customers and enterprises to take advantage of emerging opportunities.
  • Customer satisfaction. Customers are satisfied when the products and services meet their immediate needs. To meet your customers’ varied satisfaction levels, you must understand the perceived usefulness of your product. An application’s ‘perceived usefulness’ refers to the collective value of the product. Rapid application deployment provides quality assurance, developing products that meet and exceed expectations.
  • Efficiency and collaboration. Rapid application deployment leverages collaborations among stakeholders. Development teams, customers, and respondents all participate in different iterative stages. Each stage carries the collective feedback of every stakeholder. Iterative development helps deliver a holistic perspective and version of software to everyone.
  • Flexibility and adaptability. Rapid application development underscores the values of flexibility and adaptability. A large and immensely complex project disintegrates into smaller, more manageable deliverables. Each deliverable can be quantified, tested, and even deployed independently. Thus, the end outcome of rapid application deployment is a flexible and adaptable application that can respond, configure and detect changes based on changing user needs and demands.

Ensuring that you leverage the capabilities of rapid application deployment will ensure that you take advantage of emerging changes in the technology landscape.

NS804 – Scaling Heights With Rapid Application Deployment

NS804 works with a multidisciplinary team of professionals to deliver actionable software solutions. NS804 software solutions are scalable, adaptable, secure, and quality. The company has leveraged rapid application development mechanisms to accelerate application design, development, and deployment.

So, whether you’re a medium-sized e-commerce enterprise seeking rapid software solutions, or a large hospice seeking leverage in emerging e-health technologies, we are here to power your dream. We help all enterprises, small and large, simple or complex, reach the apex of transformative technology.

Reach out to NS804 for quality and reliable solutions in rapid application development.

What We Learned From Building The PreVue Dating App

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At NS804, we love developing apps like PreVue that positively impact users. PreVue is a dating app that breaks the mold of what users have come to expect from online dating and modern dating applications. Nowadays, popular options include the likes of Bumble, OkCupid, Tinder, and many others. And while these have revolutionized modern dating by allowing users to meet those outside of their ethnic backgrounds, social circles, and even geographic locations — they’ve also introduced a lot of problems. 

The founder & CEO of PreVue — Lucanus J. Grady — briefly described these problems in his mission statement: “Dating app profiles had become just this fabrication to attract a quantity of candidates like it was a game. And it’s just hard, right? So I just kept thinking, there must be a better way! How do we filter out all the nonsense, cut through the heavily-doctored pictures, the wordy biographies, and just the genuine lack of honesty?”

Grady’s assessment regarding the current state of the modern dating app holds true, and there’s a real need for a fresh approach. Fortunately, Grady did approach things differently when formulating PreVue, a video-based dating platform. With PreVue, users take a short 22-second video without filters, showing off their true selves. The nuances in their facial expressions and mannerisms provide a far more authentic picture of who they are than edited photos, biographies, or text messages. 

We helped bring PreVue to life and feel privileged to have worked closely with Grady on his innovative dating app concept. Our partnership on this exciting project has been a relatively smooth process. However, we did learn several important lessons that we’ll discuss in greater detail below.

 

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Modern Dating In Crisis

Now, you may think that there are already too many dating apps flooding the marketplace — and that’s true. But have you asked yourself if these apps help or hinder users from dating successfully? And if you’ve been out of the dating pool for a while now, you may be shocked to learn that the modern dating scene isn’t very healthy, to put it lightly.

While apps such as Tinder make it incredibly easy for users to find matches in their area, that doesn’t mean these are quality matches. If anything, Tinder and many similar dating apps facilitate hook-up culture, where sexual encounters are at the forefront, and long-lasting relationships come last. Gen Z and Millenials in the younger age range may only be looking for short-term relationships or ‘situationships.’ And that’s perfectly fine for some but completely wrong for those wanting deep and meaningful relationships. 

Furthermore, things don’t look rosy for most American men under 30 who remain single. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, approximately 63% of men in this age bracket find themselves single compared to 34% of women. And if that wasn’t bad enough, fewer single American men are looking to date now than before the Covid pandemic (42% now versus 49% in 2019).

Things get worse still, as an overabundance of online pornography and OnlyFans models grab male attention and interest at a disturbingly high rate. And while we hope this trend will change at some point, it’s definitely an ominous sign that we can’t afford to ignore. From a societal and economic standpoint, it isn’t good if young men forgo dating and relationships, as this will lead to a demographic decline in the foreseeable future. 

How Does PreVue Solve Notable Problems?

The best and most successful apps solve problems that users often encounter. And as we’ve already covered in significant detail, modern dating is in crisis mode with plenty of problems. Moreover, the creator of PreVue, Lucanus J. Grady, has experienced the pain points of modern dating apps firsthand. With most dating apps, it’s too easy for users to enhance their looks via filters and present a false self through their biographies. 

And that’s why he set out to offer an alternative that allows users to date with intention, where they can see, hear, and get the vibe from a potential candidate before taking things further. Thus, it’s difficult for users on the PreVue platform to present themselves inauthentically, as the short form 22-second videos are great at conveying subtle changes in facial expressions and voices that accurately reveal the candidate’s appearance, emotions, and desirability. 

But another reason why video is such a powerful medium is that it’s become the number one way to distribute and consume content today. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have carved a path for creating and sharing short-form videos effectively, and it’s time that dating apps catch up! 

How Does PreVue Work? 

PreVue offers users a dead simple onboarding process that’s as frictionless as possible. This dating app only requires the most applicable information from the user, their location, and their dating preferences. Then, it’s time to film the 22-second-long video with no filters or uploads permitted. Once done, the user may access the portal with all candidates that match their criteria. Furthermore, PreVue will match users based on what they said and even the backgrounds in their videos. 

PreVue officially launched in Boston, MA, due to the city’s vibrant and ethnically diverse culture. This works well, as dating with intention is something that the people of Boston want in a dating app. And it’s a great success thus far, with over 7,000 downloads and 1,200 active users over the past two months. 

While it’s still early days, users have responded positively to PreVue. Many are happy with how much more natural matches feel compared to other dating apps in the marketplace. It’s also easier for users to initiate conversations due to how PreVue manages profiles, and there’s a refreshing lack of spam accounts and creepy users. 

And similarly to other dating apps in the marketplace, there’s a free version of PreVue available. However, users can opt for in-app purchases, such as PreVue Premier 1 Month at $19.99, Unlimited Connections 24h at $6.99, and Video Chat 1h at $2.99. 

What Surprised Us About The Target Demographic Of PreVue?

PreVue successfully eradicated issues commonly found in other dating apps, such as catfishing. And so far, it seems that users are having more meaningful interactions in PreVue than with other alternatives, which was one of the primary goals of this project all along.

However, we initially anticipated that college users between the ages of 20 and 25 would make up our target audience. But we resonated more with the young professional demographic instead.

At first, this was surprising, but it makes sense since younger professionals are more likely to seek long-term partners for fulfilling relationships. And PreVue’s video-based approach facilitates the pursuit of these types of relationships, as users can easily screen out the chancers, players, and other disingenuous candidates.

 

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What Was The Development Process Like? 

The development process went smoothly, but we could have benefited from an entirely Agile approach. In hindsight, it would have been better if we released smaller feature sets since we’re now making changes on the fly based on user data and feedback we’ve obtained. 

That’s why at NS804, we always recommend that our clients scale back on their concepts to get their apps to market quicker. Users will always reveal what they want, and we can always pivot quickly based on user feedback. 

However, we did proceed with simple and clean code that was modular and flexible from the early stages of the project. If there’s one thing that every developer should know is that planning proper architecture saves a ton of time.  

Our development team includes four members, two founders, a marketing team, and a public relations (PR) team. While the development team may seem small, it’s actually the right size for this project and managed to complete it successfully. The build process took 12 months, which included a very long BETA to ensure we gathered enough feedback to launch the best product possible. But without the BETA and the additional scope, it would have taken around eight months. 

Which Programming Languages Did We Use During Development? 

NS804 is fundamentally a native mobile app developer. That means we use programming languages, frameworks, tools, and APIs for creating native apps for Android and iOS. We could choose hybrid mobile app development tools like Flutter or React Native to reduce development time and cost. However, that would result in lower-quality apps lacking the native look, feel, and performance users have come to expect. 

And given that PreVue is a dating app that must deliver video content regularly and consistently, we had to go native since performance is imperative. Thus, we chose Swift for developing the iOS version and Kotlin for the Android version.

Both Swift and Kotlin are modern, high-level, and statically typed languages that are easier to debug and maintain than the languages they’re gradually replacing, namely, Objective-C and Java. A side benefit of using Swift and Kotlin is that they integrate flawlessly with the latest user interface (UI) toolkits, such as SwiftUI and Jetpack Compose UI. And that allows us to create attractive and responsive UIs that look and feel native on a wide variety of modern mobile devices.   

We also used the Structured Query Language (SQL) for our back-end relational database. And Node.js, as it’s an efficient and powerful runtime environment for creating servers, modular applications, and even video streaming apps such as Netflix. It’s written using the JavaScript (JS) programming language, which has played a pivotal role in front-end web development.

How Crash Reporting And User Journeys Helped Us?

While we did not have any bugs reported, we did implement crash monitoring and user journeys built into the app. So we know if any issues arise before users report these to us, which allows us to take a proactive approach and fix these issues. 

The user journeys allow us to see where users may drop off during the process. And this allows us to refine and tailor our offering that will best suit end-user needs. The ultimate goal of the user journey is to determine the optimal path within the app that will enhance the user experience (UX). Ideally, users must reach their goals quickly and easily without being stumped by an unintuitive UI or other questionable design choices.

Due to our user-centric approach to design, we’ve regularly updated the UI to meet users’ needs. To date, our users benefit from a clean, slick, modern, and highly intuitive UI. And this allows them to engage with our dating app in a fun way without breaking their flow since the screen isn’t cluttered with text and any design elements that cause confusion.

What’s Next For PreVue?

PreVue has made a notable impact in a short space of time, and the future bodes well for our dating app. As we’ve already witnessed, there’s a real need for a platform that makes the dating experience much more honest and meaningful.

So, what have we got planned for PreVue moving forward? Currently, it’s only available in Boston and Washington DC. But we will open availability to new markets and expand our international footprint. Furthermore, we’ll use Machine Learning (ML) to enhance our existing matching algorithm. We started with a basic algorithm designed for maximum matches while the user base scales. 

It will be a learning experience as we use tools that improve the matching process over time. Our goal is to ensure that PreVue users will only have candidates appear in their feeds that align perfectly with what they’re looking for in potential partners. 

And speaking of partners, Lucanus J. Grady shared a few thoughts about his experience working with us: “Top Tier communication. Excellent relationship with the CEO. Always extremely knowledgeable and eager to help. Has provided assistance outside of the scope of responsibility and is an intangible member of our team. The company and its founder are now personal friends due to NS804’s core ethos and incredible professionalism.”

The Bottom Line

Working on PreVue, coupled with our close and fruitful relationship with our client, has made the development process an enjoyable and eye-opening journey. Furthermore, it’s a privilege to work with talented people that have all contributed to a dating app that conforms with our client’s visionary approach. Contact https://www.ns804.com/ today to learn how we’ll help you create phenomenal and trailblazing dating apps!  

Why You Should Outsource App Development

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Mobile apps have defined the future of business. Their ability to connect consumers and mobile users with prospective businesses and remote accessibility makes mobile apps a new frontier in virtually every industry – banking, retail, e-commerce, and manufacturing.

According to documented statistics, mobile apps are expected to generate over $900 billion in revenues in 2023 alone. Additional statistics show that the Apple App Store has over 1.5 million apps for download. This shows that a majority of enterprises and organizations have widely adopted mobile app capabilities. This is not to mention an additional statistic that shows that 20% of millennials open mobile apps over 50 times in a single day.

Despite the growing popularity of mobile apps and their revamped adoption by populations across different age groups and races, enterprises are struggling to leap into this new frontier. The high cost of mobile app development and the expertise required to develop a functional and relevant app all represent critical barriers to mobile app development.

 

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Key Reasons to Outsource Your Mobile App Development

In this article, we discuss key reasons you should outsource your mobile app development.

1. Access to expertise

Although it may appear convenient and flexible to hire an internal team to work on your app, you’re likely to miss out on the expertise when you do so. Outsourcing your mobile app development gives you access to a unique level of expertise. Outsourced teams and groups of developers are conversant with recent tech trends and they’re likely to bring their expertise to your project. In addition, hiring an internal team means that they do not keep up with recent tech trends and this will impair your mobile app development project as far as expertise and market relevance are concerned.

2. Latest tools and technologies

Did you know that Django and Kotlin are the latest programming languages when developing IOS projects? Well, you’re unlikely to know this if you deal with an internal team of ‘experts’. Working with a reputable and renowned developer gives you access to the latest tools and technologies. It allows you to tap into the latest technology when developing your app. So, whether you’re dealing with an Android app for a small enterprise or an IOS app for a large organization, outsourcing gives you access to the latest tools and technologies.

3. Flexibility

Outsourcing your mobile app development project comes with unique flexibility. That’s because when outsourcing, you delegate this task to an external party, which gives you the ability to work on your core business without interruption. Moreover, you get to focus on the bottom line without having to deal with the intricate nuances of designing and developing the app yourself. Outsourced mobile app development teams take the burden off your shoulders, relieving you of the stress and time required to develop the app yourself.

4. Fast project completion time

Did you know that developing an app can take months depending on the size and scale of your business operations? Well, imagine developing something you have little or no experience with. This can be time-consuming and strenuous at best, denying you the freedom to focus on more business-oriented activities. For instance, if you’re a marketing agency or an advertising company, you may find yourself dealing with design and development instead of focusing on your core business. However, outsourcing mobile app development gives you external expertise much needed to ensure that the project is finished on time.

5. Risk mitigation

Another benefit of outsourcing that’s often overlooked is risk mitigation. While risk is inherent in any business regardless of industry, hiring or outsourcing developers gives you some mitigation in case things do not work out as planned. Outsourced developers are responsible for any unforeseen risks. The outsourced team will work and re-work the design until you’re comfortable that things are perfectly okay. In addition, outsourced teams first work on a minimum viable product MVP before proceeding to the actual design and development work. The MVP is a prototype of the actual product, which gives you an overview of the entire project before completion. This, in turn, helps you to mitigate risk.

 

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6. Cost-effectiveness

Hiring an internal team to handle the project design, development, deployment, and maintenance can be costly. This is because you’ll not only have to deal with the salaries and remunerations of the hired staff, but also the cost of the technology, tools, software, and computers required to do so. More often, you’ll have to deal with costs of risk and failure should the plan go as unintended. However, having an outsourced team gives you cost-effectiveness to your project, because the team will work closely with you on an agreed budget. This saves you the cost of failure, it saves you the cost of the technology that goes into the project and helps you to focus on the bigger picture.

7. Efficiency

Efficiency deals with the qualities of effectiveness, planning, regulation, and orderliness. When designing and developing an app, you need a team that’s experienced in doing that. Outsourced teams work on multiple projects, therefore, they have the proficiency and excellence of developing functional and efficient apps. Efficiency further addresses the amount of useful work that goes into a project against the total resources injected into the project. Outsourced teams work on proven budgets and timelines. They are therefore efficient in what they do. However, hiring a team to deal with such an insurmountable task may lead to inefficiencies, especially when your company or business has other core responsibilities.

8. Optimized support

Did you know that the support of an outsourced team comes with the benefit of continuous improvement? Your company not only has the support of ensuring that the app is updated but there’s also always a team ready to assist with any issues or concerns that may arise during the implementation phase. Most importantly, you get to enjoy constant upgrades, maintenance, and repairs that may be needed during the operational phase of the app. Outsourced teams provide this level of optimized support, ensuring that your app functions even during difficult times. These are times when many users are leveraging the app at go.

9. Tested and proven work

Outsourcing teams come with personnel who’ve written many applications. Outsourcing gives you the leverage of working with experienced and competent personnel. These personnel can identify glitches and can always thrive for perfection. In addition, they know when your app is likely to stall or be hacked by malicious software. On the other hand, handling the development yourself by hiring an internal team denies you tested and proven skills, making you vulnerable to unforeseen circumstances like malicious attempts.

10. Customer satisfaction

There’s no denying that achieving high levels of customer satisfaction is highly important in today’s customer-centric environment. Businesses are always striving to be customer-centric in efforts to achieve high levels of customer retention. Three main factors drive customer satisfaction: cost, quality, and completion time. Outsourcing your app development project will help you achieve these three metrics. First, you save on costs, you achieve desired levels of quality, and finally, your project gets completed on a scheduled timeline. Overall, this helps with customer satisfaction and loyalty.

11. Regulatory compliance

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a framework that addresses laws and policies that protect consumer data. Personally-identifiable information such as names, addresses, social security numbers, and credit card information must be protected at all costs. Your app must be in a position to protect against consumer information.

Outsourcing trusted teams to develop your app ensures that you get qualified personnel who are conversant with overlapping laws and policies in cybersecurity and data protection. Your business will not have to suffer in the event of a data breach because this task is outsourced and delegated. Your enterprise will not take responsibility or be culpable for data breaches and unlawful access to unauthorized information by third parties.

12. Competitive positioning

Mobile app developers have developed apps for multiple enterprises and organizations. They know what sets you apart from the competition. Their vast knowledge of different market dynamics and their expansive outlook on different industries means they know what should set you apart from the competition. And because you’re building an app for competitive positioning, it makes perfect sense to rely on experts, people who understand the market. However, hiring people to do the development for you denies you the competitive market insight required to develop a competitive app.

13. Scalability

Assuming that you develop an app in 2023 and your consumer base grows by 40% in three or four years, will your app manage to accommodate this additional user base? Well, not. However, outsourcing your mobile app development efforts gives your app scalability much needed to capture an additional user base. That’s because outsourced app developers can scale your app up and down depending on changes in your computing needs. Outsourcing allows you to access new technologies such as the cloud which can be scaled up and down depending on changes in a business’s computing requirements.

Avoiding Risks and Optimizing Your Outsourcing Success

It’s important to know that although outsourcing provides a unique set of advantages and benefits, it presents inherent risks with often intricate nuances. For instance, outsourcing does not give you control of the development process. In addition, there’s little engagement with the development team. Time-zone differences and communication challenges can also impair the mobile app development process. However, despite these nuances, you can navigate these challenges with the following tips.

Here’s how to avoid risk and optimize your outsourcing success.

  • Geography. It’s advisable to select an outsourcing company located in your home country. If you’ll hire abroad, ensure the company doesn’t have crises or political instabilities like war. And if you’d like to meet the team in person, it’s advisable that you select an outsourcing company that you can access when you want.
  • Market. It’s further advisable to select an outsourcing company that has been in the market for a long time. A well-established company will always give you expertise and experience. And if you want to outsource your development to a new team of developers, ensure they have quality standards that match yours.
  • Documentation. It’s important to ensure that your code documentation is accurate and code quality is at the top. If in doubt, it’s advisable to hire an outsourced developer to review your code. Remember that successful project implementation depends wholly on accurate documentation. This means you may want to be extra vigilant when hiring an outsourcing team.
  • Copyright. You must protect your project by adding intellectual copyright and non-disclosure agreement (NDA) clauses. Remember that hiring an unreliable and unauthentic outsourcing team can cost you significantly, especially if your app is etched on creativity, innovation, and ingenuity. So, protecting your unique creation starts by signing a contract with an outsourced team. Otherwise, you may end up incurring thousands or millions in lawsuits after the theft of your unique idea – and ultimately the failure of your innovative business.
  • Updates. It’s important that you agree on a communication timeline. Your outsourced team must agree on when updates must be given. And once you’ve scheduled your project, you can agree on when to visit the outsourced team to track your progress. Requesting constant communication and updates is a great way of fast-tracking your project and ensuring that the outsourced team delivers as expected.
  • Quality. Learn more about the developer’s development process and quality assurance. You may also want to look at how they address risks and threats throughout the development process. Your mobile app developer must assure you how best they will address unforeseen threats.

NS804 – Your Trusted App Development Partner

NS804 provides quality and reliable app development services. As your outsourced partner, we value your privacy and are accountable at every step of the development process. With experience in IOS app design, Android design, and hybrid design, we can assure you of quality and reliable services.

So, whether you’re a small enterprise seeking a new entry-level app or a large organization seeking a secure app, you can always count on our expertise. In addition, NS804 provides a minimum viable product, allowing you to review the quality of the end product long before we kick off the project.

Contact NS804 for tested-and-proven mobile app development services.

 

3 Reasons Why Mobile App Developers Should Explore User Testing

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User testing is a crucial step in the mobile app development process. And yet, many appreneurs and developers largely ignore it due to inexperience or time constraints. But that’s a mistake and potentially damaging to the reputation of any developer that releases untested apps in the marketplace. 

And that’s because untested apps often suffer from performance, security, and usability issues. Thus, users will have a subpar experience causing them to leave negative reviews, uninstall these apps, and not recommend them to others. 

Furthermore, user testing makes life much easier for developers in the long term. Since it’s necessary to maintain and update an app during its entire lifecycle, it’s essential to identify bugs and other issues and fix them before rolling out the next version. Regular troubleshooting and user testing early on lead to high-quality apps that delight users. Below, we delve into this matter in more detail.

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User Testing Helps Developers With Quality Assurance

Many developers may have hang-ups with user testing because they don’t know where to start. Moreover, they may not know whether to run internal tests with company employees or open or closed beta tests with early adopters. And if they go with internal testers, how many will they need?

If the developer must release an app early, it’s better to run an internal test with the help of in-house staff and trusted users. Google recommends up to 100 internal testers per app, which the developer will invite via email and manage through the Google Play Console. 

The Google Play Console also makes it easy to run open and closed testing tracks. A closed testing track allows the developer to reach more targeted users for feedback. And an open testing track makes the app available to the largest pool of users, but the app and store listing must be visible in Google Play. In all cases, users will give the developer invaluable feedback about the overall quality of their app and what they’ll need to fix.

Understanding The User’s Journey

User testing reveals much about how users interact with an app. Savvy developers implement analytics and visualizations to better understand the user’s journey. And this entails how users launch the app for the first time to how they navigate through the app’s menus and pages. Thus, with the user feedback they receive, developers will be in a better position to make improvements in all their current and future apps. 

User Testing Increases App Success

All appreneurs and developers want their apps to succeed, but that only happens if they don’t skimp on any important steps during the development process. User testing is one of those essential steps that shouldn’t go ignored for the following reasons: 

  • Smoother development process: User testing results in more helpful user feedback, which allows developers to quash bugs and technical issues early and often. This makes it easier to maintain apps and attain higher quality levels. 
  • Better user experience: Higher-quality apps keep users engaged for longer periods. Thus, app stickiness improves, resulting in users returning to these apps regularly rather than abandoning them, which is, unfortunately, the case for most apps. 
  • Increase in word-of-mouth referrals: Satisfied users are more willing to recommend high-quality apps to family members, friends, and their followers on social media. They’re also more likely to leave positive app store reviews and ratings. 

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The Bottom Line

Appreneurs and developers ignore user testing at their peril since that often leads to low-quality apps. Users expect a rock-solid experience from their apps and have no qualms about uninstalling buggy apps and leaving negative reviews. Contact NS804 today to learn how we’ll help you create outstanding apps with quality at the forefront. 

11 Ways an HR App Improves the Employee Life-Cycle

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Mobile applications and cloud-based applications and services are gradually transforming today’s workplace, processes, and culture. Companies are starting to integrate employee applications into their work culture and processes. These apps improve communication, efficiency, and overall employee productivity.

HR apps are applications and technologies that help to automate and streamline the usual human resources processes. These applications range from mobile applications to cloud-based platforms. HR applications offer great flexibility and reliability in the employee lifecycle; from recruitment to employee performance and wellness management.

HR apps can support and streamline all the stages of the employee lifecycle. Here are some ways in which HR apps improve employee lifecycle:

1. Recruitment

Recruitment is the first stage of the employee lifecycle. And, definitely the most critical one. Every company’s success is heavily reliant on having the right employees. The only way to get employees that fit into the skills, talent, and culture of your company is to ensure you hire the right people. HR apps can help to attract and recruit the best.

First, HR apps make the recruitment process easier by attracting the desired talent. All you have to do is put out your HR app on public application stores such as App Store and Play Store. Job seekers interested in working for your company will most likely download the app.

The app can also help to post vacancies on different job boards and social media platforms such as LinkedIn. So, the app should have vacancies, employee experiences, benefits, and answers to frequently asked questions. This will attract people who fit with your company culture.

Another stage of the recruitment process is the pre-onboarding process. You can use the HR app to track and screen applicants. HR doesn’t have to go through every application which can be hectic. AI and machine learning technologies will help to automatically select the right matches for the advertised positions.

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2. Onboarding

HR apps can help to streamline the onboarding process by automating some functions and processes. These include; sending welcome emails, tracking the progress of applicants, and filing paperwork. You can also use portals on the app to orient recruits to the company, hierarchy, and work culture.

Paperwork can also be hectic for the recruits hence the HR app can make the process easier. This app can offer a stepwise system of filing the necessary paperwork. It can offer great flexibility as the recruits can file the paperwork online and at their own pace.

3. Training and Education

Learning is a lifelong process. There is always something new to learn to keep abreast with new information. So, it is crucial to incorporate training and educational materials relevant to your work on the HR app.

Having training resources on the HR app will give employees the flexibility of learning at their own pace. It will also save the company the time and financial resources involved in providing on-site training. The HR team can also monitor the learning and career development progress of the employees.

4. Bridging Communication Gaps

Proper and clear communication is a paramount element in the success of any business. Companies can use the HR app as an internal communication tool to share news. It might even prove to be a better communication channel than emails which often go unread.

Many companies adopted remote and hybrid workplaces post the COVID pandemic. With these models, effective communication can be challenging. Hence, you can use HR apps to share important reports, new projects, new strategies, and goals/milestones.

Employee apps can help to eliminate miscommunication and other communication challenges faced by companies. These apps encourage employee engagement hence open communication in the workplace.

HR apps can also be configured to enforce collaboration. Team meetings and social virtual events can be set up on the HR app.

5. Employee Recognition and Rewarding

Feeling recognized and valued is a great motivation for your employees. Well, working with Gen Zs and millennials will teach you the importance of appreciation and recognition. Even simply thanking your employees for their commitment and effort is a good start.

You can use the HR app to award employees for hitting set milestones and their work in general. Use some regard systems such as badges, an employee of the week, additional vacation days, and shopping vouchers.

Employee demotivation can be detrimental to any organization. So, it is important to recognize and reward your employees.

6. Processes Automation

Most HR tasks are repetitive and involve a lot of paperwork. Using an HR app to automate most of these processes can save time to do other things that require in-person intervention. HR apps can automate employee attendance and time when employees check in and out on their own.

Other processes include; payslips, payrolls and, booking and approving time off and vacation requests. Automation of these tasks and operations can save time and prevent many human errors.

7. Performance Management

HR apps can help in performance management by providing platforms and metrics for setting milestones. These apps can also help HR in automating employee appraisal and performance review. The same platform can also be used to give feedback on various projects.

8. Benefits Management

HR apps can help in managing employee benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans. The app will allow employees to enter their respective benefit program information without having to go to HR. This will reduce errors and save time.

Integrating the benefits information and program on the HR app can automate the notification process. To remind employees to update their details accordingly. It also allows HR to check compliance with the respective bodies.

9. Sharing Opportunities

The HR department can use the HR app to share any vacancies internally. Your employees have the opportunity for career growth instead of looking for new talent. Continuous training and education of your team ensure that you have qualified professionals who can take over the existing ones.

The HR app can also share other career and personal development programs with the employees. These opportunities range from special training programs, career growth programs, scholarships, and partnerships.

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10. Feedback Channel

Employee experience and satisfaction are critical in today’s business world. It directly affects retention and engagement in company activities. HR apps can be customized to have feedback surveys for employees.

The response from these surveys and pools will give great insight into what to improve and also employee satisfaction. It is also a way to encourage engagement and openness in the workplace. The employees can review the workplace and culture using the HR app.

11. Referral Programs

The HR app can be customized with tools that allow your employees to refer professionals to open positions in your organization. This will make the recruitment process easier because you don’t have to go headhunting.

In conclusion, HR apps can improve the employee lifecycle by providing tools and platforms for automation and streamlining of hr tasks and processes. HR apps facilitate easier and more effective recruitment, onboarding, time management, performance management, training, and education.

Get a Custom HR App

If your company is looking to improve the employee lifecycle and streamline HR processes, then a custom HR app is what you need. HR apps are an investment that every visionary company must have.

NS804 is a renowned mobile application development company with experienced developers. Reach out to NS804 for consultation and development of the best HR app for your business. NS804 will be your partner throughout the development to implementation of your HR app.

Mobile Enterprise App Development: 6 Myths Debunked

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Mobile enterprise app development may sound rather esoteric to most. After all, many appreneurs and developers spend time and effort creating apps for the mainstream consumer market. That means apps within the educational, entertainment, game, lifestyle, social media, and productivity categories.

However, one could argue that productivity apps closely resemble enterprise apps. And yes, many enterprises will use apps, such as Office365, Slack, and Trello, to boost productivity. And it’s even possible to customize many of these productivity apps to fit the needs of an enterprise.

While that sounds great, not all mainstream productivity apps and other turnkey solutions can solve specifically unique needs. For example, Trello is an effective and user-friendly project management tool, but best suited for simple projects. But for more complex use cases where it’s necessary to store, share, and retrieve plenty of notes, Trello may fall short. 

Think of an architecture and design firm dealing with bidding procedures, construction documents, construction administration, programming design, schematic designs, design development, and post-construction tasks. Furthermore, the firm’s staff will want to share and edit resource-heavy ArchViz animations and 3D CAD models in real-time with each other and all the relevant stakeholders. 

With so much documentation, designs, and 3D visuals, the design firm will require a more robust custom solution than Trello or other turnkey solutions. The firm may approach an acclaimed and reputable studio, such as NS804, to provide a custom solution. And since NS804 specializes in mobile enterprise app development, we can build an app that has all the features that the firm requires for all its project management needs. Below, we bust a few common myths about enterprise development that many have.

Myth 1: Mobile Enterprise App Development Is Too Difficult

The difficulty of a mobile enterprise app project largely depends on the scope of the app. A complex and large app with many features will challenge even seasoned developers. However, seasoned developers know how to properly plan out a project and break it down into manageable chunks to complete it on time. 

Ultimately, every developer that has completed several large projects successfully will have procured the know-how and skills to finish even the most demanding custom mobile apps for their enterprise clients. But be sure to check out a development studio’s portfolio of completed mobile apps before partnering with them. And gauge whether their apps are within the scope and quality level that you expect from your finished project. 

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Myth 2: Mobile Enterprise App Development Is Unnecessary

Many think that mobile enterprise app development isn’t necessary with so many turnkey solutions already available. But as we pointed out earlier with our project management example, this isn’t necessarily the case. Many existing solutions are jacks of all trades yet seldom solve specific problems appropriately or at all. 

And while many small businesses may function just fine with turnkey solutions initially, their needs will change and evolve as they grow. An increase in customers, staff, vendors, physical facilities, inventory, and service offerings will always require more robust solutions. And it’s almost impossible for niche businesses to function efficiently, due to their nature, without custom-developed enterprise apps.

Myth 3: Enterprise App Development Is Meant For The Desktop Or The Web Only 

Desktops have often taken center stage in enterprise environments. Therefore, it’s easy to assume that an enterprise app must run on a PC or off a company’s server as a web-based application. Moreover, most people envision enterprise apps having grey and dated-looking user interfaces (UIs) typically found in Windows WPF applications. 

And yes, many businesses, big and small, will have several Windows desktops and servers as the backbone of their IT infrastructure. But for several years now, mobile devices have also become an integral part of this infrastructure. 

Consider a restaurant that must process multiple customer orders simultaneously and in real time. The restaurant would usually equip its waiters with pens and order pads, but with the advent of mobile devices, it no longer makes sense to use waiter pads. 

These mobile devices can run a custom-developed food-ordering app that allows the restaurant’s waiters or customers to place orders directly. Then, the food-ordering app will update the kitchen order system immediately. The chef and kitchen staff will expedite the order far quicker and more accurately than before since it’s easy to lose, misplace, or tear paper order slips.

Myth 4: Legacy Systems Hinder Enterprise Development

Most enterprises that have been around for several years have legacy systems they must maintain. And it’s often time-consuming, difficult, and costly to update these systems. However, that doesn’t mean enterprises mustn’t forge ahead with their mobile enterprise app development plans.

And that’s because all competent development studios know how to integrate legacy systems with custom enterprise mobile apps. They will have the skills and know-how to work with various backend databases such as MySQL, NoSQL, and SQLite. And also have experience in Mobile Backend as a System (MBaaS), a unified solution for managing APIs, databases, push notifications, and security.

Myth 5: It’s Necessary To Invest In Additional IT Infrastructure

One of the key benefits of developing mobile enterprise apps is that they don’t require the extensive IT infrastructure of traditional PC and web-based enterprise applications. And that’s because enterprise mobile apps can run directly on employee smartphones and tablets.

Many startups and small businesses without legacy systems can run mission-critical apps entirely on mobile devices. And since there’s no need to invest in expensive servers with high power consumption, this results in substantial cost savings. 

And with a plethora of cloud services available, such as AWS, Azure, and Firebase, it’s unnecessary to invest in servers for the mobile app backend. The economical, flexible, scalable, secure, and user-friendly nature of cloud services makes them a viable option.

Myth 6: Mobile Enterprise Apps Suffer From Security Issues

This largely depends if the mobile app developer adheres to the necessary security protocols. And also if there’s a policy to roll out updates and security patches regularly. Furthermore, an organization must enforce specific security guidelines that employees must follow. These guidelines may cover password complexity requirements, user permissions and restrictions, and two-factor or multi-factor implementation. 

The organization must also decide whether to opt for a bring your own device (BYOD) or a corporate-owned and personally enabled (COPE) model. A hybrid model regarding device use in the workplace is yet another option. However, if tighter security is in the cards, then it’s best to adopt the COPE model since the organization can vet all the apps that will run on company devices. And employees will be unable to install their own apps since these could pose a security threat. 

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Another way to harden security is to encrypt all sensitive data. It’s common to encrypt data using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) or Triple Data Encryption Standard (DES) and to transmit the encrypted data via HTTPS or VPN. Furthermore, firewalls, endpoint protection tools, and network monitoring enhance security considerably. 

In Conclusion

Mobile enterprise app development is here to stay, given the growing use of mobile devices in the workplace. Unfortunately, many common misconceptions regarding the proliferation of mobile enterprise apps often hinder organizations. But once they see and experience the benefits of these apps, there’s no going back. Contact NS804 today to learn about custom-developing an enterprise app that will enhance the efficiency of your organization.