I recently moved into a new city for work. The city is really magnificent and vibrant. As a new person in the city, I was not aware of the various things I can do during my free time after work. But this was not something I had to break my head over as all I had to do was say “Siri what’s happening around me in the city?” to know everything that is happening in the city! Life has become so easy these days, thanks to the latest technologies being developed on a rapid pace everyday. Developers today are able to build mobile apps from scratch within a very short span of time. Technology has enabled us to create various apps that help people in their day to day activities in different ways, may it be entertainment, booking travel tickets, getting food delivered anywhere and everywhere and more such things. 

The mobile app development industry is one of the key players today and we can see that the app stores are flooding with new apps everyday. But this does not mean that there is no scope for developing more apps! This field is an ocean and can absorb a lot! But only those apps rise and shine which are able to capture the interest of the user. One such example is TikTok in the latest days. This Video sharing app has acquired more than 1 billion users in its 3 years of an active existence. What made this one of the most used apps out of the 3.3 million apps on the android and 2.2 apps on the apple store? It was the hard work of the mobile app development team and the designs they used to ensure that it becomes an app that people from across the globe loved. 

It is plain basics that users love apps that have a great look and more importantly easy to use without any lags in performance. There have been many examples where the apps which concentrated on only of the above have failed miserably. Mobile app development companies Either an android or iOS app development have to ensure that they have strong User Interface (UI) and impressive User experience (UX). While building an app one should keep in mind that an app’s success depends on both the look and the functionality of the apps.
See few of our Android project done my yugasa team see here and For Ios see here 

The mobile app development companies should ensure that they strike a perfect balance between the way the app looks and the way the app works. According to a reputed analytical agency about 23% of the apps in the app stores are used only once. This is an alarming note to all mobile application development companies. Since there are millions of apps available in the market, people have a lot of choices. If your app is not performing according to the expectations of the user, they will just uninstall your app and find another one in the app store. 

Mobile app development being such a vast industry, we have ensured that the developers or and companies into a mobile app development get  to learn about the different aspects that they should keep in mind while working on it through this article. We will be describing about the various aspects that will make your app on of the best for your target audience.

The most important process for an app would be the onboarding process of the app. The app should have a seamless onboarding process that makes the user fall in love with the app, at first sight, itself! It’s not just the sight however, the user experience is equally good. You can learn about the various factors one should keep in mind while building a mobile app from scratch that has a hassle-free onboarding process. Here is my another blog for application life cylce 

Let the user know why they need to use your app:

A user would have come searching for your app so that it is capable of solving a concern of theirs. Hence, when a user downloads your app, it should very precisely tell the user what are the various features it processes and how they can make use of it. If there are 100s of features but hidden under a tab or in places which are difficult to be found by a user, there is no point in having those features at all. Be very clear about the offerings of your app, especially about those functionalities that you think gives you an edge when compared to the rest of the apps that are already available in the app stores. 

Quick and accurate is the new sexy:

Today we are moving towards 5G internet speeds where most of the apps are able to operate and load in a fraction of a second. Ensure that your app is able to load all required content at a time below the current standard time to ensure you have an edge over the other app when a speedier internet connection is available. A few aspects you need to keep in mind to ensure that your app loads swiftly would be to have accurate image sizes and resolutions to balance between quality and speed of loading the content fast, have the content and images at the top of the page load first and those at the bottom load in the background. A few other features like clever animation will help retain customers during the loading period if any compared to a regular loading bar. 

Creating a data mine the right way:

There is no second thoughts that an app should be able to collect as much data as possible from the users, to enhance their productivity in the future and sometimes to function the right away as well. However, it is very important for mobile application developers to have a scare free method of collection of data. A few pointers to keep in mind would be:

• Allow users to register later after they take a tour of the app
• Get the email id from the play store
• Ask permissions only if required
• While collecting personal details, be very specific as to why you need it
• Use personalization to give a feel-good factor instead of generic instructions

Typing made easy:

A lot of people have started using their phones to work of various types of documents also now, but typing on phones is still a concern point as it tends to make mistakes due to the limited space. An app development company, irrespective of whether they are an Android app development company or an iOS development company will face this challenge of typing errors. Hece to tackle this, try and minimize the need to type in your app, auto change the keypad type for your queries. Further, ensure to provide the right size of buttons if you are providing such options. The average size of a finger would be in between 14 – 15 mm. Therefore have the buttons designed accordingly to increase their usability index. 

Feast for the eyes of the user:

It is a well-known fact proved time and again that humans tend to remember images easily and for a longer period of time when compared to text. Ensure that your app can take advantage of this at all times. Try to convey most of the messages to your users through photos wherever possible. But keep in mind that images take time to load. While it is very important to ensure that the quality of the image is high it is equally important to have the images loaded at a quick pace. Hence it is very important to strike the perfect balance between images and text in the mobile application. 

Consistency always pays off:

Time and again, it has been showcased that consistency is the key to success. This is very much true while developing a mobile application as well. Especially, if you are someone who has a website and now you are ready to launch the mobile app, then you have to ensure that the UI on the website is not very different from that on the mobile app being developed. The last thing you want is to confuse the visitors to the app if both the website and the app belongs to the same brand. Ensure you use the same brand images, color coding, templates, fonts and more as that in your website in such a scenario. You can contact a mobile app development company for more inputs on the same.

Improvisation is always good!

Nobody is perfect from the beginning. Mobile application developers seem to forget this point these days! While you have multiple pages being loaded into the app, especially when you are asking a user to fill some details and you don’t provide a clear option to go back to the previous page to update some information, it is obvious that the user gets frustrated and would not want to proceed with the app. Be it on Android or iOS, always ensure that you display a very clear way of how a user can go back to the previous page. When it is really very easy to move back and forth while filling data, users feel really comfortable and would not mind filling all data most of the time. 

Clear display of text:

In pursuit of making your app look different do not end up using fonts that are not legible. Always remember that users always like to be very clear about the way the app operates. Hence make sure the more you play around the design of the app, the more your text fonts should be. Keep them as simple as possible if you are playing a lot with the images and other designs. This doesn’t mean the content has to be boring too! We are only referring to keeping a readable font here and not about content! 

Always remember the rule of thumb:

Every day, the size of the mobile screens are increasing! But this is not true about our fingers! We have a predefined area that are fingers can reach! Users prefer to use only one hand most of the time while using their phones and this means they only have their thumbs to navigate the app that they are using. As a mobile app developer, one must keep in mind the area which the thumb can reach on a mobile screen. If your app needs the user to stretch a lot use the app single-handed, it is very unlikely that they will be using it for very long. 

Everybody remembers icons!

Everyone has an icon in their life and they will remember throughout their life no matter which part of the world they are in or what they are doing. This is true for a mobile application as well! But the icon we are talking about for mobile apps are the mobile app icons that act as an alternative to represent that brand logo! It should be designed with caution so that it fits perfectly in the app store and also when it’s size is reduced when it is in the notifications part of the phone. The icon of the app can itself act as the brand recogniser in many of the cases. 

Attention! Your user is here:

Most of the apps today, be it in the food delivery industry, store locators, transit apps and more require the location of the user to provide them with the best results. Hence, a mobile app development company should ensure that they build an inbuilt function in the initial phases of the app itself where the app can automatically detect the location of the user once the required permissions are obtained. It so happens that the users most of the time would not know that location where there are in. This should hinder the ability of your app to acquire them as your users. 

In search of success:

As a mobile app development company one should always remember that a user would have come to your app in search of a solution to their problem. If your app ensures that it caters to this problem every now and then, you can be rest assured that the user will love the app. One of the key features worth having in your app is the in-app search option. Many a time a user might want to quickly find something out of the 100s of offerings that you have in your app. In this case they should be able to find that one thing within seconds. Ensure you use effective search indexing, provide auto-complete search options, avoid no results found and try to replace it automatically with the next nearest available option in your app. 

Nobody likes Ugly:

Everybody wants to be perfect! In such a competitive world, if your app is showing screwed images that do not appear appealing to the eye, then forget about gaining any popularity either be it an Android mobile app or an iOS mobile app. The aspect ratio or in simple words the width and height of the images being used should be appropriate throughout devices. Keep in mind that there are devices ranging from 4 inches to 10 inches today. Ensure that the images that you use appear clearly in all the devices while building an app to ensure accessibility to a wide 

range of people. You can also ensure that you plan your target audience based on the types of devices that they would be using and decide to emit a few aspect ratios if this is the case. 

Color coding it the right way:

It is no surprise that the colors used in the app have found a top spot in the various key features one must consider while developing a mobile application. If you consider case studies, you will very easily recognise the importance of color in branding your app as well. Consider the dark blue color of facebook, the green of WhatsApp of the or the sky blue of skype. All of them have given immense importance to the color coding to ensure that people can easily recognise the brand with just the colors. 

In the end…

At the end of the day all of us would want to have an app that caters to maximum people and help the brand get recognised across the globe. For this to happen, one has to ensure that they follow the above-mentioned features while wither developing a mobile app by themselves or when hiring an external mobile development company. 

Checkout what should you consider while hiring an outsourcing agency for your mobile application development needs.

In India, one can find the best of the mobile app developers in Gurgaon, Bengaluru and a few other places. These places can help you with both Android app development and or iOS app development. These cities can end your search to get the best of the best mobile app development companies in India. They help with services at very economical pricing as well. Hope the factors mentioned in this article helps you get the best mobile app developed for your brand! Do not forget to thank us once your app has become a well-known entity across the globe! 

You might like to see what free tools may you need to get an app developed through a third party agency.

Smartphones are becoming an inseparable part of our lives, so are the mobile apps in our smartphones. Mobile apps are becoming more popular day by day as they are easy to install and use on smartphones. Gone are the days when we had to log in to computers to check and read emails, with high-speed internet and high technology, we are carrying everything in our smartphones. So much time and energy are saved just by using smartphones for paying bills, booking tickets, for educational purposes and much more. Mobile apps are being used in our daily life and have become an integral part of our lives as it makes our lives more organized and for better time management. The number of mobile apps that are provided by Google and Apple stores is crossing millions especially the Android application development. All thanks to the mobile app developers and mobile app development companies for making our lives so much easier.

The need to develop and protect the apps from malware, hackers and IP theft is very important, as one breach can not only cost you lose out your money but also the trust of clients. Hence, it is very essential to know the process involved in creating and securing mobile apps in the best possible ways. There are many iOS app development companies who provide you with the best app development. Android application development plays a key role in the development of mobile apps. Here we are going to find the methods involved in for successful creation of mobile apps development for your business.

Safeguarding your mobile app concept

Your concept behind the development of the mobile app must be kept safe and secure during the initial process of setting up the software. As setting up the mobile data involves a lot of people it is very essential to safeguard it else it may get stolen and someone may develop it before you even know. The initial stages when you are explaining the concept behind your mobile app is very crucial. When you talk to your prospective clients who would be sponsoring for developing your apps, make sure you select few people and trustworthy people. Even when you explain the idea to them mention only the highlights and not the entire project.

Choosing your team

Go for simple apps and you can always consult people who had done similar working apps for the cost involved and other real-time issues faced by them. When choosing the partners, developers or designers make sure you do a thorough background check on them. There are many websites that give you details of their legal and copyrights infringements against them. You can ask them for their testimonials, past projects they had worked with and client experiences, this you help you to narrow down the people you select for you to work with. So, upon choosing your team you are going to work with, you may need to get a non-disclosure agreement signed by them. There are many mobile app developers in Gurgoan and choosing the right developers will give you the best results for your project. As developers need to know all the finer details about the project, it is very essential for them to keep the details within themselves and not to reveal it to anyone. Anybody who doesn’t abide by the non-disclosure agreement will need to face legal proceedings. Hence signing NDA will keep your project safe.

Non-compete Agreement and Patent

A Non-compete agreement is an agreement made to the developer that he cannot work on any other project when he is working on your project. This will safeguard your project further and getting someone to do that will be a little difficult. Signing an NDA is not a guarantee that your app is 100% safe, it is always better to work with a reputable company. Although the patent is expensive and takes time, patenting your idea or part of your mobile app will be a good move on the legal side as this will give more security to your project. It is important that your idea and the origin of your idea are both original for patenting. You cannot patent already existing methods to create your app. There are many types of patents that can be of best use to your project. Since developers are the ones who work on the minute details of your project, it is very essential to make sure they hand over the entire project coding software and other important details to you before they leave your project. If you find anyone has infringed your data, make sure you tackle them legally and do not hesitate in doing as this will prevent others from hacking to your data.

Branding your app

Selecting a suitable app name, logo and icons used in your apps is vital as it would not only highlight your app but would make it unique and different. When your app name and icons are trademarked it can not be used by others. But first, you need to check if the name you have selected for trademark your app is not used by anybody. Although you can trademark your product, you cannot stop anyone from developing a similar product of yours. Trademark can be formed only after your business is formed legally. There are many hackers who are ready to steal your app’s credentials in the initial stage of development itself, so make sure it is protected by an encryption key or code. A highly encrypted data would render the stolen data useless to a hacker. A poorly encrypted data pose a security threat to the mobile data app as the hacker can intercept the server and gain access to the vital information.

Password security

When you create your mobile application, it needs to be checked constantly, both development and testing should go hand in hand. Also, the file size of the apps, time taken for it to load, battery and other details needs to be constantly checked. If there are poor loading time, preloaded advertisements and unnecessary pop-ups, then even with high secure apps, you would lose your clients. The mobile app you develop should not only have the safety features but also be user-friendly. Hence there should be a proper balance between security and the ease of usage of mobile apps. these can be taken care of by the iOS app development company who specializes in details of developing a proper android application development. Your app should be easy to update and rebuild and easy for a transition between devices and OS. There are many cybercriminals who had hacked even the toughest apps and there are many ways a cybercriminal can access your app. It is the work of the developers to make sure the details of the people using the apps like credit card numbers, phone numbers, exact locations, and other details remain safe and secure and don’t land up in the wrong hands. Care should be taken to protect not only the software part but also the physical devices too. Employees who work for the project must be aware of the possible methods of hacking including the threat from malware and spyware. Studies have proven that weak passwords can be easily tracked by hackers and can get into your app without your knowledge. Hence it is always necessary to have a strong password that contains 8 characters, with alphanumeric and special character in it.

Server security

The apps server also requires equal protection. There are many ways by which hackers can penetrate your server by using the client’s phone. So, it is very important to protect the server and the cloud server so that there is no way a hacker can get into your server’s details. There is malicious code that a criminal can use to reverse engineer your code. He can simply inject that code to your apps and in no time then code can reverse itself. Hence make sure your code is safe by using binary protection and code obfuscation so that it cannot be reversed. Database encryption with SSL(secure socket layer), TSL(transport layer security) and VPN (a virtual private network) may add extra security to your mobile app. There are many coding techniques like jailbreak detection, debugger detection to secure your code. Transmission Control Protocol or Internet Protocol is nothing but a set of networking protocols that allows two or more computers to communicate. The transport layer which is a part of the TCP/IP protocol plays an important part when data is being moved from device to server or vice versa. A criminal can trace the path of communication to get into the system and can cause massive damage.

Data theft from smartphones

A smartphone can be easily used for data theft since it is being used all day and if the client forgets to log off from the apps, it is likely that someone may be able to view all the details from the client’s phone in case the phone gets stolen. Hence there should be the auto logoff process in the app, once the session is not in use for some time. There are also chances of data leakages as a client may use more than one device for using the app. So, there is a good chance the data stored in the common phone is available in other devices which may lead to unauthorized usage by others. App developers should take care of possible areas of data theft like cache, cookies, etc. There are many good mobile app developers in Gurgoan who specialize in developing apps that are resistant to data theft. Some developers use their own devices for working on projects. So care should be taken such that their devices are well protected from antivirus, firewall, and anti-spam. Also activate a VPN for a more secure connection and allow only authorized devices to connect to it. Check another blog here telling more insights about Data Security.

Third-party software

When the client downloads apps, there are much third-party software that gets automatically downloaded. It may contain software that unknowingly gets all the details of the client and may send it across the hackers. When using third party libraries be extra cautious as some libraries can be insecure for your app so check for the coding fully before using it on your app. So, developers should use controlled internal repositories and protect their app from vulnerabilities in libraries. The cache is good for the smooth working of the apps, but it can also prove resourceful for hackers for gaining into client details, so cache should not store sensitive information pertaining to client bank or financial details.

Development stage security

Each stage of your apps function must be safe and secure. The app needs to be thoroughly checked by a security specialist and every stage needs to be checked of the bugs and fixed right away. You can also use an emulator so see the way a hacker can get into your system and fix the ways to close the path. The steps involved would be to decompose your application, ranking the threats and categorizing them and then mitigating methods to safeguard the app. A security framework for your coding will help to secure your code in every stage and thus build a strong framework for your app. Encrypting data is the best method to protect against hackers. A strongly encrypted data even if found by a hacker will render useless, so make sure the data or at least parts of the data are properly encrypted with a strong encryption key so that only an authorized person can encrypt it. There should be multi-password authentication when using secure apps like banking. There should be a login password and another password like an OTP or user-specific password, especially during the transaction process. Some apps allow for biometric password recognition like fingerprint and retina scanning while accessing sensitive information.

Backend protection

Methods such as containerization and database encryption protect the backend data which are sometimes ignored and lead to data theft. Containerization is a method of creating encrypted containers for storing your data securely. Backend data also contain vital information about the client and other important server information, which could be a disaster if found in the wrong hands. As API is liberally used by developers, there is a need to encrypt the API traffic with SSL and TSL to keep the data safe, especially during data transfer. Use only authorized API as unauthorized API are not well coded and may give hackers the privilege to hack into your apps easily. API coupled with a modern and well-supported algorithm acts as a double protection layer to your mobile app. Testing is the best method for keeping the app safe. There are many testing methods like AppScan, Veracode, and Sonar which can be used as separately or as a combination for covering the maximum areas of your apps. Schedule and automate your testing for getting real-time reports on runtime errors. Once you get the runtime error it is essential that these are fixed and again tested to check if it has worked. Use tamper detection technology that will set off an alarm when the code is modified or altered. These will make sure that the code will not work if it been tampered or modified. Federation is the next level of security process that spreads resources across the servers so that the key resources are separated from the clients. Open Id connect is a federation protocol that has been specifically designed for mobile apps, this allows the client to reuse their credentials across multiple domains with a specific token ID so that they need not register and sign in each time.

App store protection

Though there are many instore protection apps provided by the android play store and apple app store, do not rely completely on them as they have got millions of apps and it is possible for some malicious content to find its way through the apps. Always have your own app protection security standards that will help you in the long run. Ensure that the clients download the apps from secure and authorized sites only and provide enough pointers if any kind of vulnerability is detected.

Lost/ Stolen Devices

There is a constant worry of theft or losing smartphones and it becomes a nightmare for people as important and crucial information is stored in them. Mobile app developers should develop apps that don’t require the user to store valuable information like password and credit card information on the device. If they are stored it should be safe and encrypted. The app should have the capability to wipe and block access if such a condition occurs.

With the increasing number of criminal hackers who are lurking around for hacking the mobile data, we can still protect the mobile data from hackers by having a solid and stable mobile app protection and a good developer who can respond immediately to bugs and threats. Thus, by following the above-said methods we can safely protect the mobile app from hackers and making it safe for clients to use them and gain their trust.