It’s not news to anyone at this point, but the prominence of mobile devices is still changing the way we work and live our daily lives. The smartphone becoming a ubiquitous presence in our lives and, according to a research study by In-Stat, over 65%, or over 200 million people, will have a smartphone or tablet device by 2015. Of course, due to this proliferation of mobile devices, I’m often meeting aspiring mobile developers with an idea for the next big app to penetrate the saturated mobile marketplace.

However, I have to keep remind such developers, who are migrating from desktop and web application development, that developing a mobile application requires some special considerations or they risk undermining their creative ideas. The following is a list of 6 important things mobile application developers should keep in mind when designing their apps.

• Choose your target device carefully – There are many mobile device platforms on the market, from the popular iPhone to the security-oriented BlackBerry. Whether its Android, Windows Mobile, or iPad, each device has its own audience that has expectations about what apps they want to see on that device. Before you begin developing, you need to choose a device, or devices, that have the same audience as the target audience of your application.


• Choose the right development platform – Now that you’ve chosen your target mobile devices, your next decision is what development environment you should use. Cross-platform environments like Mono, Phonegap, or Titanium save time by allowing you to develop for more devices at once, but give you less control over device-specific features, like user-interface. Developing just for a native app gives you complete control over the user interface and features of the device, but increases the development time. If you need more information, check out this decision tree to help you choose the right development platform. See our Article: Decision Tree ARTICLE


• Design your app for the mobile market – An application designed for a mobile device should be different than an application for the web or desktop. For example, mobile applications should be careful not to overload the screen with too many text or menu items and take advantage of mobile-specific features like touch-scrolling and buttons. Also, mobile users expect less waiting, so use animations to smoothly transition the user between screens. Finally, don’t forget to utilize the orientation feature and zooming if the user uses the appropriate gestures. There’s more information on developing a mobile application in this article.See our Blog: How To Design Applications For iOS


• Take advantage of device-specific features – The array of features offered on our mobile devices is always growing. Your app should take advantage of any device-specific features like GPS, cameras, etc., to offer the user a more robust experience.


• Identify your deployment environment – Apps can be developed for general use or for internal use at a company. Consider how your application is going to fit into the currently existing environment so the transition is smooth and seamless. For example, an app designed for a large company can take advantage of the iOS Developer Enterprise Program.


• Optimize Offline Compatibility – A connectivity interruption can erase sent data. App designers should utilize data storage so data can be stored on the application indefinitely until connectivity is restored and the data can be sent to the end-user.

Call us at 484-892-5713 or Contact Us today to learn more important things to keep in mind when developing a mobile application for your business.