The Apple-iOS ecosystem remains a largely closed system when compared to Google-owned Android. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing has always divided industry insiders. But the fact remains iOS for all its amazing capabilities is an ecosystem with walls all around it.
This makes the job of an iOS app development agency twice as hard. A good iOS developer follows the standard practice of the ecosystem and makes sure not to pollute it with badly designed apps.
As iOS developers ourselves we can understand the pain points of somebody who might be new to all of this. Therefore, we have created a list of ways you can make your iOS development cycle easier.
An iOS App Development Agency Must Understand The Why!
Any experienced iOS app development agency would know that before you start developing, you need to know why you are developing. Now it might seem redundant to many novice developers to pay attention to such a thing. An inexperienced developer may think, I already have the reason behind the development, my client wants to build an app.
This type of thinking about the iOS app development cycle stems from ignorance. Therefore a good mobile application development company knows the reason & vision behind the app. iOS apps are designed and developed to meet the predefined needs of the client or market. To give you a better understanding of this, the following few points below to illustrate the type of question you need to ask:
- What is the crux of the vision behind the app?
- What is the target audience of the app?
- How tough is the competition in the app’s niche?
- What can you provide in your app that competitors are not providing?
An iOS App Development Agency Need To Assess The Market
The market assessment is one of the most critical aspects of the iOS development cycle. An iOS app development agency cannot build apps that convert or generate growth, if they create something users don’t like. Therefore, a business employing the services of a developer must target realistic & achievable goals in their niche.
A good mobile application development company will have plenty of data before they jump into a market. This data can be classified into multiple demographic forms. For example;
- Gender
- Ethnic background
- House-old income
- Employment status
- Age
An iOS App’s Content Structure Plays A Key Role
iOS is the crown jewel of the Apple ecosystem, thus it is no doubt they enforce a stringent content structure. Apple, since the very beginning, has been extremely protective of their respective ecosystems. Apple as a company wants to provide the users of its ecosystem a clean, uncluttered, and seamless user experience.
To achieve the above-said goal, Apple has set a strict content structure guide for the development of third-party apps on the App Store. An iOS app development agency that wants to release their Apps easily on the App Store need to follow those content structure guidelines. The following are the three fundamental tenets of iOS content structure:
- Field of Vision – iOS apps should enhance the user’s field of vision and immerse them into the UI.
- Simplicity – iOS apps should avoid clutter and focus on the ease of handling information. The first priority should be to not confuse the user, while the second priority should be that even if a user is confused, it shouldn’t take him/her external help to figure things out.
- Intuitive – iOS apps must be intuitive in their design philosophy. Clarity of information should be kept at the core of development.
Streamline Compatibility
iOS is an extremely large application ecosystem. Due to its vast size, there is still a considerable number of iOS users who are not running the latest version of the OS. This complicates the job of an iOS app development agency, as it often leads to the development of mediocre products to increase reach. iOS developers need to make the strategic choice to sacrifice certain features to gain market share.
Therefore, you need to streamline your compatibility with multiple versions of iOS. A good mobile application development company can’t sacrifice the user experience of the newer generations, nor can it leave behind the older generations. The following are a few steps you can take to make iOS apps more compatible:
- Optimize media files
- Reduce dependence on internal processor capability
- Integrate ML-based smart optimizations in the UI
Testing Is Essential
Testing is crucial for any type of software development, but even more so with programs/software that open for or are aimed at the general public. An iOS app development agency can never do enough of the testing activity. By being prepared for any eventuality, you help create a safer and secure platform ecosystem.
The more you test, the more you know about your application’s strengths and weaknesses. As a result of having this knowledge, you increase the speed with which you can go-to-market. The type of testing you do will be dictated by the app’s niche, but A/B Testing is fundamental to all apps.
Our Take
Building apps for the Apple ecosystem isn’t an easy task. The walls around iOS’s ecosystem are considerably higher than Android. Nonetheless, an iOS app development agency that is willing to learn and not give up can surely make it.
It is important for businesses looking for good iOS app development to partner with an experienced mobile application development company for their project’s growth.
