Working in a pair or group, you are now going to develop a mobile app of your own!
You may have some ideas already, but software is normally engineered by going through a series of stages:
Let’s consider what each of these stages means within mobile app development.
Identify a problem or need your app is going to address. Think about its possible users. It is often best to choose something that interests you or that you care about.
Design your app in two stages:
“Hours of coding can saved with minutes of design”
Create your app’s screen and components, and then create the code that corresponds to your algorithms. Remember to comment your code so that it makes sense to other developers – and you, when you come back to fix bugs or add new features next year!
A desktop application comes with documentation – instructions on how to install and use it.
However, a mobile app should need little or no documentation. Often the only documentation is some simple instructions, either on the app itself, or on its page on an app store. You must therefore make your app as intuitive (obvious how to use) as possible.
An important part of documentation is ensuring that comments are included with code, although this should be done during implementation.
When you’ve finished the task, make an honest assessment of how you did. Some questions that you might ask include:
This is a vital stage in development because it is only by answering these questions that developers can improve their skills – and future apps.
Maintenance is the process of updating your app. There are three main types of maintenance: