Globally, 68.1% of all website visits in 2020 came from mobile devices. As 5G networking technology expands, improved data transfer rates will drive mobile adoption further.
Mobile applications expand the range of user experiences that can be delivered. You can leverage the device capabilities to expand the range of possibilities for how users interact with your products and services. Touch screens facilitate discovery and interaction with your product through a rich set of gestures.
Additionally, customers can make use of mobile applications under a wide variety of circumstances. Since mobile devices come equipped with hardware sensors that can detect motion, environment, and position, unique value reaches customers through mobile applications.
What is Mobile Application Development?
Mobile Application Development refers to the process of building software that runs on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. These applications run on operating systems that facilitate touchscreen interactions, manage energy use, and maintain network connectivity in varying environments.
In addition, mobile operating systems provide access to sensors that enable features such as GPS so you can pinpoint where a device is, camera so you can take photos or video, or an accelerometer so you can measure the speed and direction of movement of the device.
The two dominant mobile operating systems are iOS and Android. Together, they provide significant access to the mobile device market. iOS is developed by Apple and is the operating system that the iPhone and iPod Touch run on. The second operating system is Android, which is developed by Google.
The Android operating system is used by Google and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM). Both Apple and Google provide app stores so applications can be discovered and distributed to users of their respective devices.
Mobile application development involves building software that can be installed as part of a bundle of code, binaries, and assets. Typically, the bundle is hosted in an app store. Mobile applications often require access to nonlocal data that is accessed by APIs over the network.
As a result, mobile development may involve the creation of backend services which we detail with our Web Capability. Finally, since there are many devices that run iOS or Android, mobile application development involves thoughtful consideration of target devices and testing.
Our Approach
First, we work with you to identify the best approach for your mobile strategy. Then, we build a team with the expertise required to deliver on the mobile approach that’s appropriate for you. Often this includes bringing our web and cloud capabilities to bear when mobile applications require back-end APIs and other remote services.
Mobile Application Development Models
There are four common models for developing mobile applications. Careful consideration for your specific context is important because there are tradeoffs between approaches that impact user experience and access to on-device hardware and sensors. Each development model also impacts required team skills, budget, development time, maintenance, and distribution of your application.
- Native: Write applications using the programming language and framework provided by the operating system owner. For example, target Apple’s iOS operating system with Swift and Google’s Android operating system with Kotlin.
- Cross-platform native: Build applications in one language or framework, such as React Native or Flutter. Then, compile it into a native application that runs on a target operating system like iOS or Android.
- Hybrid mobile applications: Blend web and mobile elements with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript then wrap them inside a native container - the WebView. Tools like Ionic or Apache Cordova enable this kind of development.
- Progressive web apps: Users install your application on the home screen of their mobile device and your application runs in a browser. It may leverage GPS access, work offline, and access push notifications. Developers may leverage technology like React to enable this approach.
Striders have experience across a range of mobile application development models:
- Cross-platform native with React-Native and Expo
- Progressive Web Apps with react
- End-to-end testing with tools like Appium and Detox
Mobile Application Services
The mobile experience is enhanced with essential mobile application services. They utilize cloud services to perform common functions and enable the full functionality of your mobile application.
These services aid in building and testing mobile applications, releasing and monitoring them, and enabling engagement with your users.
Striders have experience across a range of mobile application development services:
- AWS mobile suite, e.g. AWS AppSync, API Gateway, Amazon Pinpoint, Amazon Location Service
- Firebase Suite, e.g. Cloud Storage, Authentication, Cloud Functions, Realtime Database, Google Analytics
- Twilio for mobile communications like SMS or Email
- Identity and access management like Auth0 or Okta
- Analytics with tools like Segment
- Beta Testing iOS with TestFlight and Android with Google Play Console
Fill out the form below to speak with a Stride representative about our mobile app development capability.
