Last week I posted on here that I was venturing into iOS app development and planned on purchasing a Macbook Pro shortly. While I haven’t purchased the computer yet, I have started to plan out my first app. I’m very excited about the potential of this app as it meets a need that millions of iOS users have.
Developing an iOS app is not an easy task. The app that I am planning is not basic and therefore will probably take months to fully develop–especially since I will be doing the development during my free time after work. I wanted to take a little time to explain the app development process so far for me as I think it might help those who are looking into getting into iOS or even Android app development.
Breaking the process down into steps:
- Come up with an idea for an app. In my case, the idea for the app has been floating around my head for months now. I thought of an app that I would use and that people would like to use on a daily basis.
- Check to see if the idea has already been done. I discovered that the app hasn’t been done yet. If I had discovered a similar app, I would have either come up with a new idea or tried to see what I could improve upon with my app. The last thing you want to do as a developer is rip off someone else’s ideas. If you think you can build a better app than what is already out there, find a creative way to do it that doesn’t rip off another app.
- Come up with a name for the app. You could do this later on in the development process, but I found that it was nice to have one right from the start. I came up with a few different name ideas and then picked what I thought was the best one.
- Buy a domain name and create Facebook pages for the app. This is optional, but in my case, the app that I am planning will have a website tie-in so the domain name is crucial. The site itself hasn’t been built yet, but the domain name is already registered and ready to be used. Ditto with the Facebook pages.
- Write down the desired features of the app. This took me a little less than an hour to do. Rather than getting too technical, I decided to focus on things from the user’s perspective. What sort of features would I expect to see in such an app? How would the app function? I think too often in development, developers get too caught up in the technical things and forget that the app must be built for the average user. The average user isn’t going to care about what language the program is built in; they’re going to only care about how the program functions.
- Sketch the app. I opened Paint.net and created a quick, rough sketch of what the app should look like. I knew that the app’s design would most likely change a lot, but I wanted something to build off of.
