Tushar, Author at anteelo

Strategies to Reduce Mobile App Development Cost for Startups

Posted on 26/10/202012/06/2021 by Tushar

The competition in the app market is too high for you to compromise with the quality of your app. But with high quality comes high costs and when we say high costs, we mean it. This may be a reason why most people avoid app development altogether – which, in turn, does more harm than benefiting.

The world is going mobile rapidly so it becomes important to make your place in the same world. Businesses have doubled their revenues and sales with the help of their mobile app. So, when you see at the long term benefits, these initial investments seem quite worth it.

However, mobile app development cost can still be high for startups since the capital is limited and there is not much to offer. But that shouldn’t stop any startup from reaping the benefits of having an app. For the same, we figured out some great strategies to help you reduce app development cost.

We will discuss the mistakes you can avoid to reduce app development cost and some strategies to reduce app development costs.

Mistakes to avoid to reduce app development cost for startups

According to many researches, the cost of actual app development almost always exceeds the budget allocation for the project. There are some hidden costs in the entire app development process that needs to be identified and removed to reduce app development cost.

We tried to find some mistakes that can cause the cost of app development to rise. Let’s see if you are aware of any of them.

Mistake 1. Wrong UI/UX and QA Testing Cost estimates

This would probably be the first mistake that you can make. The cost of UI/UX depends largely on how many devices, OS and features are involved in your app. It also involves the type of designing an app will have. Simple designs and features are less costly than complex designs and too many features.

Another place where the costs increase is the testing stage. For every device and every OS, independent testing is done. For this, it is advised that a conservative number of testing should be done before launching the app. Once the app is launched, the feedback can be used to decide whether further testing is required or not.

Mistake 2. Not Taking into account the cost of updates

There is a common misconception that you only need to launch updates when something needs to be changed. In reality, the mobile app needs updates for improving the interface and fixes any bugs. There are also UI tests that need to be run so that the user experience is enhanced.

As per the AnyPresence survey conducted for enterprise apps, it was revealed that 80% of the apps were updated twice a year and some of them were updated twice a month. These apps show great performance and have a high rate of active users.

The mistake made here is that most app startups don’t consider the costs that incur post app launch. So planning for these big and small updates are some ways to reduce app development costs for enterprises.

Mistake 3. Not Being Able to Decide Between Native and Hybrid app development

As a startup, you may not be aware of the difference between a native app and a hybrid app. And when going for app development, knowing the difference between these two types of apps is important. Once you know the difference you will be able to decide which is better for you, hybrid vs native apps. Also, the cost of app development is different for both types of apps.

Well, a native app is built from scratch and is developed for a particular platform. This means that the cost of development will be charged twice, one for Android and one for iOS. But the native apps have high performance and provides the better user experience.

Whereas a hybrid app is built for multiple platforms and gives more of a web app feel. The quality of apps differ from native apps since its built for multi-device and developed at the same time. The one-time development method reduces app development cost for hybrid apps.

In this situation, you must be aware of what’s going on with your app. You should be aware of the type of app that you are getting and the costs involved in the development process.

Mistake 4. Ignoring The cost of Adding Latest Features

Sometimes there may come a need to add some latest features to your mobile app and then you will be the inventor of the feature. You can resell it to many companies after licensing it and earn huge profits. But that may also be costing heavy. Of course, the benefits are going to be there but there again comes a factor of cost.

If you ask your developers to build something that hasn’t ever been built in the market before, you are putting yourself in a position of cost overrun possibility. Here comes another issue that the developers can cause. Most developers would not warn you if you are unknowingly adding cost to your app development project.

This is why working with a genuine app development company is important. There are many companies like Anteelo, that help in finding ways to reduce app development for enterprises. These are the companies any startup should be working with for their app development.

Mistake 5. Not Considering Implementation costs

Even after identifying all other costs, you may forget the cost of implementing everything. For an app, there are different features that need to be added and this depends on the type of app it is. For instance, an e-commerce app will have features like payment gateway, the category of products, wishlist and a lot more. All of these features will have to be implemented, maintained and improved.

To ignore implementation costs will be a serious issue since it comes under the hidden costs of app development. To reduce app development cost, keep in mind that these factors also contribute to the overall cost of app development.

These were some serious mistakes to avoid to reduce app development cost for startups in 2019-2020. Now we move on to the strategies or tips to decrease mobile app development cost.

Strategies to reduce app development cost for startups

Almost all the startups planning to go mobile have been asking ‘How to reduce app development cost?’ Even though the cost of app development cannot be slashed 50% yet there are some ways we can reduce it enough to make it affordable. Here we will see some incredible ways to reduce the app development cost.

MVP

Minimum Viable Product or MVP is built with fewer features and at low cost than the original product. You can get an MVP built and release it publicly. You can avoid wasting time and money on building the original app in the first attempt and use the MVP to raise money for your app. Once you do that you will gain profits and feedback to work with for the original product.

Readymade templates

How to reduce app development cost? Go for readymade templates. As good as building things from scratch is, it’s not very cost effective. There are many templates that are present online for use and would fit perfectly with any app. Using these readymade templates will reduce the time and cost of the app development process.

Regular troubleshooting

Even after the launch of the app, it will require constant improvements and fixes. Hiring an expert for that would a good idea since they can provide tips to decrease mobile app development costs throughout the process. Keep in mind that if you hire cheap freelance developers from far away places then you might have to spend a whole lot of money in redoing the app in case things go downhill.

Access Mobile-specific features

Every device has some built-in features such as the camera, GPS, call options, etc. Employing them into the app may seem a good idea but there are two issues to face. First, not every device has the same features which mean the app may not function for some users. Secondly, adding these features incurs a cost which can be simply avoided if there is no need for those features. For instance, a news app does not need to access the GPS so it can be skipped.

Regular communication flow

We cannot stress enough on the fact that regular and continuous flow of communication between you and the developers is essential. This regular communication will make things more clear for both you and the developers. It also helps in keeping a track record of how the process is going.

UI/UX Simplicity

One of the strategies to reduce app development costs is to go for simple yet elegant designs. A simple UI design is very important especially for new users since adaptation becomes easy. Most apps and websites are opting for a minimalistic design which is extremely cheap to design. Complex designs and too many features will not only confuse the users but also will add unnecessary costs to the project.

Hire skilled testers

If you want to save cost and time then hiring an expert team of testers is the best investment. At Anteelo, we practice an agile testing process so that there are less cost and less time in the testing process. This is one area you should invest in properly since it will only enhance the over app experience for the users.

Don’t hurry the process

Most of the times developers hurry the client in order to finish the project early but that may not be the right way. Unless and until you are working with a team of experts, you cannot hurry the development process. The reason is that in case of any mistakes, there will be an extra cost incurred. It will be a wise choice to go slow and deal with each part of the development patiently.

Outsource app development

One of the biggest reasons why businesses outsource is to lower the mobile app development cost. You see, when you get an app developed in eastern nations like the USA or Australia, the average hours of development is in the range of $100 – $120, while in the case of eastern nations it is $60 – $80 per hour. The difference is very massive.

So this was our take on how to reduce app development cost for startups. Want to get an app developed by us? Contact our team of developers.

How Much Time Does It Take for Development of a Mobile App?

Posted on 25/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

All the different app development processes take their individual development time.
Although research stages take up around 2 to 3 weeks of development time, when done right, they can not just save time on a later stage but also aid the smooth sailing of processes.
Factors that slow down the mobile app development timeline are changes made mid-project inexperienced developers and use of complex technologies
RFPs, MVPs, and Cross-platform development tend to speed up the app development process.

There is no doubt about the fact that with 350 billion app downloads worldwide, businesses are looking to get the same attention. It’s very normal for a business to inquire about the app development process and the mobile app development cost.

Usually, businesses and clients are interested in knowing how long does it take to create an app, the cost of app development, and all the efforts involved. As soon as they learn the benefits of having a mobile application for their business, they wish to get on with it. Hence, the question how long does it take to develop an app.

{Also read our article on – How much Does it Cost to Develop an App Like Careem & Uber}

Now, usually, the average time to develop an app looks like the below image. But there is no definite time as it depend on person to person and company to company

But there is no definitive-ness. And thus this article.

In this blog, we will not only look at the mobile app development process, factors affecting the average time to build an app but also will determine how long it takes to mobile app development.

Key Stages of The Mobile App Development Process

The app development process has different stages and all of these stages require different time slots. From the planning process until the launch of the application, the entire process is interdependent on each other and requires proper attendance. It is quite obvious that apps with different sizes and different features have different app development time.

Each development stage is discussed below to answer the question ‘how much time does it take to build an app?’

This is one of the main documents that entrepreneurs and app developers often miss out on. Ideally, the better the brief the lesser time it would take to understand the software project and the requirements. In fact, this one step can have a HUGE impact on the time required to develop an app.

There are some things that you have to include in the brief which you are working with such as the company information. But to help give your app development agency a detailed understanding of the project and the mobile app development services they will have to deploy.

The outcome of this stage is usually: The Brief of an App Development Before we look into the different design and development related phases, let us first look into the time it takes to set the basis of all the design and development processes that follow.

Project

Project goals and the success metrics
RFP
NDA
The budget range
Delivery date

Stage 1: Forming ideas and research

It’s easy to get great ideas but it’s not necessary that everyone will agree to it being great. The idea formation and research part very much affect how long it takes to build an app. This stage involves starting with an idea and then researching it for more improvements.

Even if the idea of the app seems right, a test must be run to keep things as real as possible. This can prove to be a very important step taken in the initial stage. Testing application ideas also ensure that when the app is launched in the market, the users are going to love it.

Another thing that this stage involves is targeting the right audience. It is in this initial stage that the right audience is targeted for the app. Defining the target audience not only helps in boosting the app after its launch but also in shaping the app in the right direction.

Different apps have different size and ages of the target audience. For instance, Facebook has all ages of people on its platform whereas Tinder has a younger target audience. Targeting has made these apps so successful therefore is suggested that proper targeting and research should be done.

Analyzing the competitiveness of the market and the app is also necessary. During the research about the app, one should also gather information about the competitors and potential threats. This will prepare the app owners for any difficulties after the app launch.

The entire research takes several weeks. By the end of the research, you should know all the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors, the app strategies and defined target audience.

By the end of this stage, you should get these outcomes:

Minimum Viable Product
User Stories
App Prototypes

Stage 2: Planning it all out

The next stage is the planning stage. Once you know all about your market, its time to plan out the app development process. The planning stage involves decisions regarding the configuration of the app. These decisions include making a choice between iOS and Android, native or hybrid, cross-platform or not, web-based app or mobile app, etc.

Once these plans are made, its time to add on the features. Now the features of an app should be such that neither does it complicate the app nor slows it down. There are many basic features that an app should have such as search bar, social media sharing buttons, profile building, login option, etc. These features make a basic app much convenient for users.

As the app size increases, the features are more and more directed towards the type of app. For instance, any e-commerce app will have the ‘Add to cart’ feature. Similarly, social media apps have the option of media sharing and various other features for engagement on the app.

All these planning is quite complex and will require a month or so.

Stage 3: Design Sprints and Idea Validation

Design sprints processes are being used for testing different aspects of an application. It takes around a week to complete the whole design sprint. The idea of the stage is to test different aspects of the idea and get them validated by a pool of prospective users.

Design Sprint helps businesses understand if users value a feature, how they use it, when they would be using it, how easy or difficult do they think it is to navigate the application, etc.

Stage 4: Development stage

In the development stage, there are three elements that need to be built: the UI, Front End and Back End. Once all the planning is done, the developers and designers will work their magic and start building the app. So how long does it take to build an app? Well, the development and designing stage takes about six weeks.

The UI of an app is taken care of by graphic designers. This gives the apps an appearance to enhance the user experience. UI is important for any app to flourish in the market because the users seem to like visually appealing apps more.

The Frontend and the Backend are also very important components of the app development process. The Front End is what users see and how they act in an app but nothing will make sense until the Back End is developed. The Backend connects the UI with the system and allows the proper functioning of the app. So, how to make a mobile app without either of these? Well, you cannot.

Let us deep dive a little to know what both the engineering processes consist of:

Backend Engineering

Data storage
Users management
Server-side logic
Data Integration
Versioning

Frontend Engineering:

Frontend logic
Caching
Synchronization
Wireframing
UI Design
UI development

Stage 5: Developer and QA Team

Picking the best development team is never simple, even when you have the best team you are in constant search of more. To help you with the hunt, you can either look for them locally, which is quite difficult or outsource the task to either app development companies or to freelancers that will turn into a team under your influence. Or if you want, you can opt for companies in your area like mobile app development company in USA if you live in the US or any other area where you reside.

Obviously, the most ideal alternative is to find a current development team with demonstrated experience in the industry and direct all the requirements to them. There are a few reasons behind that:

Having a team means that they know each other and are strong as a group.
As the developers know each other thus, their work timings and pace are similar minimizing any sort of delays.
Having a strong team with a project manager will help you to place all your requests to an individual (project lead/manager).

Another incredible benefit of selecting a ready to work development team is that, they will give you the end result and will handle all the application development stages themselves. In addition, proficient groups can provide you with a good understanding of the process of developing apps, guide on improving the work process, and assist you with picking a native or a hybrid app, based on your objectives.

Stage 6: Testing

What does it take to run an app? To know whether the app is even going to run after the development is finished, we need to do test runs. We cannot deny the fact that the app will have some or the other bugs that need to be fixed before the final launch. These bugs can be identified with the help of tests.

There are many ways to test a mobile app’s performance and functioning. We, at Anteelo, have our own strategies for testing mobile apps. The quality assurance tests are run so that users don’t find any issues when they first use the app making the app more likable.

Alpha and Beta testing are done on the app to make the app error-free. After the testing, the app is launched. Post-launch whatever feedback is gathered from the users, the necessary changes are made.

Stage 7: Deployment on Stores

The time that it takes to deploy the app can be divided in two sections: submission & review. When you submit an application, either on the Apple App Store or on the Google Play Store, there are some guidelines you will have to follow, such as:

Screenshots
App Descriptions
Icons
Video or Image demonstration
App Store Optimization

The time stores take for deploying your applications.

When you compare the time it takes to launch apps on App Store compared to publishing them on Play Store, Apple follows a very detailed reviewing process – which increases the launch time to some extent. On the other hand, Google makes use of algorithms for pre-analyzing your apps, thus lowering the app launch time.

What Slows Down The App Development Process?

As seen in the section before, the app development process usually takes about 2-3 months. But there are some things that delay the overall process and the answer of how long it takes to create a mobile app.

Mid-project changes

Developing apps is a continuous process where all the stages are connected to each other in some ways. If there are sudden changes in the plan in the middle then the process is bound to get slower. These mid-project changes can also affect the app’s performance since too many changes in an already built code base can do that to the app.

Unexperienced developers

What does it take to build an app that is successful? Great ideas, proper budget and a good developer, for sure. Often business especially start-ups make the mistake of hiring developers that aren’t up to the mark with the work. This results in slowing down the process as well as a poor app for the business. Our team of app developers is highly skilled with good experience at hand which has allowed us to launch high performing apps one after another. We also have helped our clients with their app ideas so that they get the best outcome for their business.

Complex technologies

Technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence, VR, AR, etc. cause the slow down of the mobile app development process. There’s no doubt that these technologies make the app a better experience but everything good comes at a price. And the price of using the latest technology is that they might slow down the app development process.

The reason why this happens is that the technologies are a bit complex and takes time to fit in the app.

Industry-wise difference

The industry for which the app is being built also plays an important role in the average app development time. The answer to the question of how long does it take to make a social media app is 1-2 month(s). Whereas on-demand apps take more time to be developed. Therefore, the industry is another factor that affects the time required to make an app.

How to Speed Up The Time of Application Development?

With the fast growth of mobile apps, one cannot afford to slow down in the development process. Businesses, be it startups or enterprises, are looking for mobile app developers who can develop apps faster without compromising the quality of the app.

There are no problems without solutions and the same goes with time required to develop an app. When it comes to startups, then gathering a massive crowd is a survival goal and for that mobile apps are the solution.

By now we know how to create an app and what does it take to make an app? We have also known what factors affect the time to make an app. It’s time to see how we can reduce the time of application development.

MVPs and prototyping

MVPs or prototypes are a great way to save time. They can be built easily and resemble the original idea of the application. Once the MVPs are out in public, the actual app can be built by adding features and making improvements. Many businesses like Airbnb, MailChimp, etc. started as MVPs before the actual implementation.

Go for cross-platform

Android vs iOS is the biggest debate of all times and sometimes people get so confused that they don’t know which to choose. The timeline and cost of app development of both the platforms individually are relatively high. But cross-platform app development is a solution for this. With tools like Xamarin and PhoneGap, great multi-platform apps can be built which take less time.

Hire a professional developer

A professional app developer for your app is the best you can do. Not only will the app have amazing UI/UX design but also will take less time to develop. In fact, the hours will only lower if you choose to outsource. Being one of the top reasons why you should outsource, when you choose a professional app development company off-shore, you’ll not just get a good experience but will basically make your work easier. Appinventiv is also a professional app development company that has developed several successful apps for clients.

Agile development

There are numerous app development organizations that follow agile development as it accelerates the development cycle. The main purpose behind agile app development is that the organizations can’t face the challenge of starting all over again. It has a flexible and adaptable programming structure that is ideal for open-ended communication between app owners and developers. To put it plainly, it speeds up the development process and guarantees that the application is developed on time.

White label solutions

White label solutions are products that were produced by one company and then is rebranded and made to look like other company’s. This will save a lot of time since there will be no need to build anything from scratch. However, this will not result in a good application especially not the one that generates huge traffic or sales.

Automated testing

Automated testing, although it sounds a quite obvious thing but this is ignored by many. This type of testing is one of the significant periods of development that reduces the mobile app development cycle. The best thing about automated testing is that it can run a whole set of tests all at once. This decreases the time spent on manual testing and helps in improving the security of the application. Automated testing involves several testing methods that are applied to save time. As the testing process becomes quicker, the development process also aces its speed. Executing more than one testing strategy can offer error free code.

This was our take on the mobile app development process timelines and some ways to reduce app development timeframe. Feel free to contact our app developers at Anteelo for any further queries on how to reduce yours.

Your Guide to Writing a Fantastic Mobile App RFP

Posted on 25/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

Request For Proposal is a significant part of the starting of any mobile app development journey. The proposal written by businesses who wish to get an app built states all the important information, requirements and necessary details of the contract.Businesses write mobile app proposals when they are looking for long term, custom made solutions that will help them achieve their goals. Going through an RFP process means that the business is looking at the app development process for its long term benefits. Anteelo has seen many requests for proposal over the years and knows well how a perfect one is written. We respond to RFPs on a regular basis and also help our clients with the RFP process so that they are able to define their projects better.

To make the knowledge of drafting the best RFP a common language, it was only about time that we shared a template for everyone who wishes to start the process of their mobile app development journey on a sound note. And so, we have prepared an RFP template for entrepreneurs for you to pass your requirement to the app development agencies with utmost clarity.

But before we move on to the mobile app RFP 2019 best practices, let’s first go through some terminologies associated with the procedure.

What are RFP, RFQ, and RFI?

An RFP or request for proposal represents a company in front of its potential collaborators. Basically, RFP for mobile application development is a document that outlines all the necessary requirements for a specific project. This is a mobile app business plan doc that identifies the most qualified developer for the project.

There are certain terms that sound close to RFP and are often misunderstood. Terminologies like:

RFI – stands for Request for Information. RFI is used to gather information from various sources but there are no intentions of making any proposal. This is solely used to gather necessary information which may be used in the RFP process later on.

RFQ – stands for Request for Quote. This is used to get the pricing information, delivery and supply policies from the seller. Businesses send an RFQ to developers asking about the final pricing and other details of the deal.

These three are the terms that are often used during the proposal of a document for any project.

Now that we have attended to the Whats of RFP and what are the concept’s similar terminologies, it is only normal for one to wonder, why is the business plan for mobile app concept so important? The answer is in the next segment.

Before we move on to the mobile app RFP template, we need to see why is it so important to write a good RFP for your app development. For one, the proposal helps in conveying all the necessary requirements a business has. And two, finding the right app developer that meets those requirements and qualifies to carry out the project.

RFP process takes a lot of effort and time so only two reasons cannot be enough for its necessity. Following points will give you some more solid reasons why good RFP should be written for your mobile app.

Important requirements

An RFP helps your business in stating the requirements in an organized and detailed manner. The RFP template should be designed such that it holds space for all the information to be noted down. When these documents reach the app developers, they know exactly what the business wants. A better approach is made by the developer and the business when both know what the exact project is about.

Comparison

When an app development company responds to the RFP of any business then these responses can be used for comparison. The comparison then gives an idea of the right app developer. The pricing, skills, time of completion and other additional information are used for comparison. Choosing the right fit is important as mobile app development process is one that costs both money and time.

Return on Investments

When comparing different responses, businesses are also able to analyze the return on investment from various app developers. It also helps in comparing the advantages that a business will be getting from different developers. It’s always better to have options so that the fittest one can be chosen.

These were some compelling reasons to write a solid RFP for your mobile app development. Let’s now move on to the most awaited segment that answers the question ‘How to write mobile app RFP?’.

How to Write Mobile App RFP?

Following is the sample of mobile app RFP template for writing a proper Request For Proposal:

1. Purpose and strategy of the project

This is the section filled by the issuers or the business. Each business has a different purpose and therefore the templates may differ. The business should state the necessary information related to the purpose of building the project here. It should also contain details that would convince why an app development company or a single developer should respond to the RFP. Often the purpose and app strategy are not known to businesses so it’s important to learn those. Following pointers must be included in this section of the RFP:

Business problems: The problems that the mobile app will be able to solve for the business should be mentioned here. The reason why this problem arose and what brought in the idea of having a digital solution should be explained.
Leading body: The next thing that should be mentioned is the leaders of the project. The developers must know who is involved and in what level in the project. The decision makers, stakeholders, funders and project leaders are mentioned here.
The scope of the project: The scope of the project answers whether the project is part of a larger project, does it mean a new line of business or an extension of an existing one, etc.
End users: The information regarding the end users of the app must be disclosed to the app developers. Information like Personas, journey maps, and user research and methodologies should be mentioned here.
Features of the app: The features are the most important part of an app. Businesses should mention what features they want in the app in the beginning as well as in the future updates.
Competition: The ones building your app should know who is a threat to your business. Both the weakness and strengths of the competitors should be mentioned here. A proper competitive overview will help developers understand the business and find solutions that give you an edge over the competitors.
App design: The issuers should provide references for app designing to app developers. The importance of UI/UX in app development is just too huge to ignore, therefore detailed description must be included in this section. The latest designs are most recommended in today’s market.
Platforms and OS: The platform of development and supporting OS should be decided in the initial stages. This is one of the most important decisions in the app development process. The decision between native vs mobile web apps, Android vs iOS apps, etc are some important ones.
Integration: The app’s architecture and integration is another thing that must be mentioned in the document. The questions of API development and architecture should be answered for the developers.
Prototypes: If the app has any prototypes that have been built earlier then it must be mentioned. The prototypes should also be provided to the developers.
Marketing the app: The developers must know what will be driving engagement for the app and how it will be used to market the app. The promotion, distribution, and marketing of the app depend on how the app will be built. Also, many businesses start the marketing of the app way before the app is developed.
Launch date: The completion of the project on time is very important. Developers need to know the estimated date of launch to see if they can deliver it on time or not. There should also be time for any improvements in the app so the completion of app and launch date should have some gap in between.
Goals and outcomes: What any business is expecting from the app developers must be known to them. The goals, outcomes, and expectations after the app are launched should be mentioned in this section. Goals and outcomes will be measured in certain ways and those should also be mentioned here.

2. App developers background and capabilities

This section is designed by the business and has to be duly filled by the responding party. It consists of questions that analyze the capabilities of the agency. The main goal of the issuing business is to find out which companies match the requirements for app development. The questions are designed such that they help to issue businesses gather all information for comparison between different development agencies.

History: The background of the company and a short summary of the company will be mentioned here. This way the businesses will be more familiar with their work if chosen for the project.
Differentiators: The agency should mention some key points that differentiate them from other agencies. This should be answered very carefully as it may be one of the deciding factors for the project.
Portfolio: The summary of the top app projects and the problems faced during the project should be mentioned here. Also, mention the ways how the problem was dealt with.
Awards and Recognitions: Mention the awards and/or recognition that the agency has received or anything similar.
Designers: Details of the designing team members are mentioned here. The number of designers, their special skills and their mastered skills, types of designers (freelancers, full-time, overseas, etc.), the process of communication with the designers (direct or indirect, weekly or daily basis), a summary of how the team designs ADA compliant experiences, resume of the head of Designing team and resume of two more members of the team.
Developers: The agency should mention how many developers does the agency has, their skills and specialization, type of developers (freelancer, full-time, overseas), the way of communication with the developers and how often will the interaction take place, resume of the head of the development team and resume of two more members, the development process followed and measure taken to ensure proper development.
App Security Protocol: The security of the app is crucial, therefore, answer the security measures that will take place. Mention how will the app be protected from malicious codes, use open source libraries, security of third-party libraries and client materials.
Quality Assurance Process: Details about the QA team members and their qualification, type of QA members (freelance, full time), interference with QA team and communication facilities with them, resume of the head of QA team and two other members, a summary of the QA process they follow, etc. should be mentioned here.
Project Managers and Management Process: Information about the number of project managers, type of managers (full time or freelancing), any overseas work or in office team, etc. The agency must also answer the communication process with the project managers, capabilities of the PM team, resume of the head of PM team, a short resume of two PM members, communication with the two PM members and the automation strategies.
Reference Projects: The agency needs to provide at least three similar reference project for which interviews shall be conducted.

This was all about the practices to write RFP for mobile app development. Contact our app developers’ team at Anteelo for further details.

How Do You Make a Visually Impaired Accessibility App?

Posted on 24/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

Till a few years back there were around 285 million visually impaired people in the world a number that is now growing and is expected to reach 115 million by 2050.

On one hand, while the number of visually impaired is on a rise in this colorful world, on the other, technology has made a series of advancements to impart all the possible visual abilities to the impaired so that there is no difference in the digital experience that someone with a perfect vision and those who challenge on the front encounters.

However, if you look at the time that has gone by, while it is impossible to argue that revolutionary work has been done to make the visually impaired independent (such as voice-based user interfaces), the grim side of it all remains – out of all the mobile app user demographics, visually impaired are the ones that are rarely planned for (if at all brought out of the backseat).

But when you too, like those technologists who work at making the digital experience similar for both the user set, look at designing accessibility apps for visually impaired holistically, what you are likely to find a promising scenario. A situation suggesting that designing apps for the visually impaired is not just a humanitarian move but also your ticket to reaching that n – 285 million user base.

For those of you who are still sitting on the edge on whether or not to invest in accessibility apps development or if you are still unsure on the clarity if at all your user base is made up of any share of the visually impaired population, let us concur here that there are in fact ways to make your app accessible without having to ignore the 70% of world’s population.

In this article, we are going to look at the different ways you can inculcate accessibility in your app design to impart a memorable user experience to the millions of people suffering from visual impairments in the world.

But before we head there, let us step into the shoes of the visually impaired and see what they see.

Colour Blindness

The concept of color blindness does not automatically mean a situation where visual impairment sufferers see things in black and white. In most cases, users simply confuse one color with another for they cannot see any difference.

Apart from color blindness, a disease that every 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have in the world, there are a number of visual impairment challenges that you will have to attend to when you work on accessibility app development.

Let us now show you what different visually impaired people see by making you visually impaired for the next 2 minutes through the help of NoCoffee Vision Simulator Chrome Extension.

Now that you have stepped into the shoes of the visually impaired and have seen what they see when they visit a website on desktop, imagine how annoying would be their experience when the screen size reduces several inches and the device changes from a widescreen laptop to a palm-fitting smartphone.

And while you are imagining the irritability also note how low your app’s usability is proving to be with every passing visually impaired interaction.

With you now having stepped in and out of the same shoes as the million of your visually challenged users and witnessing their frustrations and your lackings first hand, it is time to look at the solution – How to Make Your Mobile App Accessible for Visually Impaired?

How to Design Mobile App Experiences for the Visually Impaired?

1. Use ENLARGED TEXT in Abundance

Sometimes, what your users need is a large size text. Now instead of relying on the zoom function which is notoriously famous for increasing the unnecessary time in the app session and spoiling the user experience, what our team of UI UX app designers, who excel in design for visually impaired suggests is giving a manual option to the users to adjust the font size of the text on the mobile application.

2. Use Alt Text for Images in Surplus

A number of structural elements like images can be a difficult area for people with very low vision. Now what happens is that the visually impaired people generally use in-built screen readers present in mobile devices.

In the case of images, these screen readers read out the entered Alt text, hearing which users imagine what the image is portraying.

In that context, it becomes of prime importance that you use a very descriptive text explaining what is happing in the image instead of 4/5 words when you design for visually impaired.

3. Be Wary of Contrasts

Deciding on a color combination can be one of the most difficult choices that you would have to take when designing accessibility apps, especially for the color blind user segments. Now, instead of limiting yourself to a Black and White combination, there are a number of other pairings you can use to show the difference in background and the front element or any two elements.

When deciding on the contrast, you should ensure that the contrast ratio is at least 4:5:1 between the text and background.

Also, there are some clear combinations that you should avoid at all costs to ensure that your app is not a nightmare session for your color blind users.

Green & Red
Light Green & Yellow
Blue & Purple
Green & Brown
Green & Blue
Green & Black
Green & Grey
Blue & Grey

4. Make Textures Your Friend

While the majority of your visually impaired users would have a problem with identifying the different color shades in the mobile application, using textures in place of colors to differentiate one element from another will help solve your purpose while helping your users have a memorable experience within your application.

In fact, it is not just your visually impaired users who would appreciate the usage of textures but also all the other users as usage of different textures can be very appealing, design wise.

5. Refrain From Using Just Colours to Give Out Information

Haven’t we all experienced the time when we fill in a form and accidentally put in the wrong information which makes the box turn red? While the whole situation has been in-built in our digital journey, imagine someone who has difficulty understanding colors facing the situation. Imagine how they would struggle not knowing what they are doing wrong simply because they can’t see a red margin box on the screen.

The solution to this dilemma is pretty simple and even aesthetically alluring – using icons, vibrations, and text to show every right and wrong action taken by the user within the application.

6. Make Minimalism Your Mobile Accessibility Apps Design Principle

Whether you are making Android accessibility app or one for iPhone, if there is one element that can make your mobile app a visually impaired user’s magnet it is Minimalism. The secret that revolves around giving the most minimum to the users design-wise, has a two-fold benefit – A. The visually impaired users have a memorable experience and B. Your visually strong users will also love working around the white space in the application.

7. Make Dark Mode Your Companion

This one element would come in most handy when you have a lot of texts in your mobile app. The low vision users will find it much easier to read the content in the Dark Mode as opposed to the Light mode on your app.

A thing to note here is that if you are making an Android accessibility app, you will have to implement the dark mode design, but if you are developing accessibility app for iOS, you will ensure that your team of developers is working on an app that is compatible with the Smart Invert Colours feature.

What is Accessibility Testing?

The process of testing whether or not your efforts to make your app design right for low-vision users was successful is what defines accessibility testing for visually impaired users.

As you are making accessibility refinements in your mobile app, you can make use of the accessibility scanner app available on the Play Store. But what our experience tells us is that accessibility testing for visually impaired users is more often than not incomplete until you take your application to real users. While the accessibility testing tools for mobile development can come in handy, you can never be too sure.

Also, instead of waiting for your whole accessibility app development process to end, conduct testing at every stage to prevent yourself from going too down in the wrong way.

Navigation, Multiple browser design, and perceivable content are just a few things that you will have to prepare your application for to ensure that ALL the users who visit your app, irrespective of whether they have a 20/20 vision or are colorblind, have a great experience.

Now that you have seen it all, there is just one thing left to do – shed the misassumption that these accessibility refinements in your mobile app will only attend to the low-vision users and understand that they will benefit all – as ALL your users will be able to have an easy on the eye experience in the application.

Well, there you go. You are now ready to launch your accessibility app in the market and reach all the users who were unconsciously left behind.

The Relevance of UI and UX Design in the App Development Process

Posted on 24/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

How many times have you opened an application and have found the button and element placement going beyond your device screen? Or do you remember how you felt the last time you clicked on an option and it took you to a screen which was filled with bold colours and a lot of text?

Everytime we face an issue related to the app design, especially in terms of it being starkly opposite to what we expected, the outcome is almost always app uninstallation.

The design industry has crossed many rivers to become innovative and immersive. While there are some brands like Uber with its design guideline or MailChimp who have understood and went with the flow, there are brands that are still not giving app design its fair share of attention.

The intent of this article is to look back at the basics – at the importance of UI/UX design.

Read this blog as a beginner’s guide. One that will help you, an entrepreneur with the understanding of what makes the role of user experience and UX review process as important as the development and testing process itself – After all, the present time is operative in such a way that the importance of UX and UI design in an App development is not just crucial but unquestionable.

Table of Contents:

What is UI Design in a Mobile Application?
What is UX Design in a Mobile Application?
What are the Deliverables of UI/UX App Design Development?
The Key Components to Know When Designing Mobile Applications
Importance of Mobile App UI/UX Design
Mobile App Best UI/UX Practices
The Top UI/UX Trends 2021 and Beyond
FAQs About the Importance of UI/UX Design

To understand the importance of mobile app UI/UX design, let us understand both the terms first.

What is UI Design in a Mobile Application?

The abbreviation UI stands for User Interface. It is the way through which users can interact with any mobile apps. Mobile app user interface design is aimed towards easy, enjoyable and effective interactions between users and the app. UI in IT is any device that allows users to interact with monitors, screens or mobile devices. The primary goal of mobile app UI principles is to provide the best interaction possible.

What is UX Design in a Mobile Application?

UX stands for User Experience. The whole idea of UX is to create a system that provides the best experience to the users. The aim of mobile app UX principles is to turn customers into loyal customers by providing a positive experience to them. UX is responsible for a user’s journey through the mobile app or website which ultimately decides the success of the business.

Mobile app UI UX design is always put together as they are complementary to each other. For an app to be successful it must be the best.

What are the Deliverables of UI/UX App Design Development?

The work of any UI/UX designer has many phases. During the UI and UX designing process, various deliverables are created for the clients. These deliverables are created for reasons like better communication with clients, documentation or presenting the ideas in a proper way. Both UI and UX have their separate deliverables, let’s take a look to get a clearer understanding of the role of mobile app UI/UX design in the mobile app design and app development process.

A. UI deliverables

Mood boards

Mood boards are used for presenting innovative ideas in a way that everyone understands. It helps the clients understand the app idea that the designer will be working on.

Visual designs

Visual designs will help understand the effects of elements in a design. The effects of elements like photography, typography, space, colours, layouts, images, etc. are better understood with visual designs.

Dynamic prototyping

Another one of the UI deliverables is the dynamic prototypes. Prototypes help in improving the overall functioning of the app as well as making improvement as and when needed. With dynamic prototypes, UI can be built as per the clients’ desire.

B. UX deliverables

Competitive analysis report

The competitive analysis report is created to measure the level of competition your app has. All the efforts go into vain if the app is in a highly competitive market or if it is not prepared to beat the competitors. With a competitive analysis report, the strength and weakness of the competitor’s app can be found out.

User personas

Designers have to make sure the client understands what their customers need and expect from the products. Creating a buyer persona not only helps in understanding customer behaviour but also in communicating the same to clients. The UX process involves user research to learn the behavioural pattern.

User journeys, experience maps and user flows

Experience maps showcase users overall behaviour towards a product. The expectations, time spent, reactions, thoughts, needs, etc. are all displayed in the experience maps.

User journeys or user flows are specific steps taken by the user to interact at different stages of the product. These can be the current interactions or potential interaction with a product.

Interactive prototypes

Interactive prototyping is another one of the deliverables of UX. Rudimentary prototyping saves a lot of time and effort and works well enough to get the job done. The prototypes help in demonstrating how the actual product will work once it’s fully developed. It also helps the designer communicate the ideas better.

Now that we have looked into what UI and UX stands for and what is the role of mobile app ui/ux design in the app development process, let us move on to the importance of UI/UX design in delivering a bespoke product.

The Key Components to Know When Designing Mobile Applications

There are some main components which have to be considered when you design mobile apps UI/UX.

A. Information architecture:

The idea behind IA is to offer users an easy navigation, irrespective of which browser they are using. It mainly surrounds offering them a top-level navigation experience.

B. Interaction design:

It is the creation of a conceptual design through which users interact with the app. It includes elements such as colors, aesthetics, icons, fonts, images, etc.

C. Usability:

This part of the mobile app design principles deal with figuring out if users are getting the information they need through the use of the application and if the app gives them a self-serving way to handle issues.

D. Wireframe:

This part of the user interface design for mobile applications is all about the creation of an app’s sample for the purpose of testing features, usability and look of the app before it gets live in the market.

E. Visual design

It is all about defining the app’s brand in the users eyes. It is not only about choosing the best colours, icons, images, fonts, etc but also its appearance that can have an impact on the users at different times of their interaction.

Importance of Mobile App UI/UX Design

To know the significance of ui ux design in an app development is a must. Most developers create an app with great performance but fail to focus on the designing which leads to the downfall of the app. The balance between the functionality and importance of UI UX design of an app is hard to keep but that’s what needs to be done.

To answer the question, ‘What are the Benefits of User Interface and User Experience design?’, let us look at the pointers below:

Attracts users

A saying goes, ‘A good teacher is the one that grabs and holds the attention of the students and then teaches the lessons.’ This saying is very apt in the case of UI/UX design for mobile apps. The designs grab the attention of the users and ensure they spend as much time on the app as possible. However, the users should be able to understand the designs and navigation well enough to stick around for the long term.

Creates a good impression

For a startup or any small business, the importance of a UI/UX design lies in the creation of the first impression. When users visit your app, they should be hooked to it immediately so that they come back for it again and again. A good app has higher usage time and this can be done with the app’s UI UX design.

Get featured in app stores

Whether a mobile app is good or not is determined by how many users like it. The ratings and reviews by satisfied users will bring your mobile app to the top lists. To get your app featured in Play Store or App Store, make sure the users get a good UI UX. getting featured in the top lists of any category will automatically bring more traction to your app.

Get loyal customers

Attractive apps have more users and it’s a fact. Apps like Instagram, Facebook, Candy Crush, etc. have great UI/UX which has drawn millions of users to them. The satisfaction that comes from great user experience is what makes users loyal. Word of mouth is another reason why UX design is important.

Saves time and cost in the long run

When you work with the understanding of the mobile app best UI/UX practices from day one, you have the guarantee that there will be less need for app maintenance and updates. And since those two things will be at bay, the challenges that you might face after app launch will also be very low.

Builds brand

Putting resources into a productive Ul/UX design helps in rising consumer satisfaction subsequently ending up with cheerful customers. Individuals like working with brands that make them happy. They will be willing to take up features that can be upgraded, and thus, put resources into improving your application. This builds the credibility of your business as a customer makes great relationships with your organization and brand. The aftereffect of this is the development in the worth of your business and your brand name.

Increased traffic

A good UI/UX consistently makes their users stay. If your website or mobile application is designed splendidly and client experience is staggering, nothing can prevent them from exploring the pre-decided target and transforming the users into valuable customers. Hence, it’s the duty of you and the UI/UX Developers’ responsibility to guarantee the greatest UI/UX of your site/application.

Now that you have seen the importance of mobile app UI/UX design, let’s move further into the concept. It’s a common assumption that if you have mastered the UI/UX development process then you don’t need tips for improvement. However, there’s no harm in going through some great tips, considering how the effect of UI/UX design can be long lasting.

Mobile App Best UI/UX Practices

Use conventional elements

Using familiar elements in the app will save time for users. They can quickly learn the app without getting confused. Elements like buttons, icons, colors and symbols should be designed in the way it’s designed in most apps. The quicker users learn to operate the app, the higher will be the chances of liking the app.

Maintain uniformity

It is very important for the design to be uniform across all the windows. The uniformity shows the quality of work put in the UI UX designing of the app. Not only with icons or buttons but the colors and patterns should also be the same across all media.

Employ the right UI and UX designer

If you are focusing on the mobile app user interface design and experience then working with the experts is highly recommended. You can also outsource app development for your app from an expert app development agency to make sure the UI UX designs are on point. The UI UX designers should understand all the end-to-end user interaction and incorporate them within the app.

Make it as interactive as possible

An interactive app is better than a non-interactive one and that’s a fact. When you allow users to interact with the app, it creates a connection between them. Interactive apps give freedom to users to navigate themselves through different windows.

Consider platform specific designs

There is a stark difference in the iOS app UI design and Android app UI design. Likewise, considering the way both the platforms are designed at the device level, the iOS app UX design also varies from the Android app UX design.

What is important is for you to understand both Material Design and Human Interface Design in addition to the elements that separate them from each other.

Don’t hamper the speed of the app

The speed of the app is just as important as the design. Startups do make this mistake by thinking the app only needs its appearance to attract users. But the truth is, the functioning of the app is just as important. The mobile app needs to be speed while having a good mobile application interface design.

Keep it simple and don’t complicate things

If a feature can be put in a simple way there is no need to overdo it. The users will appreciate the simplicity just as much as the overall app. Complicating designs leave app users either confused or furious and we don’t want either of those. It is also seen that apps with simple design have more users than complicated ones.

Keep the focus on limited things

Often the UI/UX development process focuses on so many elements at the same time that the entire user experience turns bad. If too much is going on the screen then that won’t let the user focus on the content of the app. Overcrowding content on the screen is another way to quickly lose users.

Have detailed understanding of your audience

After everything’s said and done, the only thing that can save the effect of ui/ux design from being negative is having an understanding of your users. Only by knowing who you are making the product for, you will be able to deliver a memorable experience to your user set and the world. One way to achieve that is through a well strategized product discovery workshop.

The only thing left for you to do is find a trustworthy and reliable app design company to partner with. A proper app design and app development company will help you expand your mobile ui ux design services.

The Top UI/UX Trends 2021 and Beyond

To get started with the best mobile app UI UX designing, let’s look at what the future of UI/UX holds in 2021.

Voice-based UI

Google Home and Alexa have taken over the voice assistant world. These two technologies are being used by people to get anything and everything done. Voice searches are becoming more and more popular and by in the end of 2021, 50% of the searches will be voice-based. Users are preferring buttonless options to do their everyday tasks, and increasing with this demand is the need to understand how to design voice user interface.

Foldable/Split screen

With foldable phones app development being on the rise, the split screen trend is one of the hottest 2021 app design trends. The idea of actively using two screens together, whether on websites or mobile phones, is amazing! The trend has come back after a short break and is looking more alive than ever. Split screen in mobile allows more user interaction all the while giving aesthetically appealing visuals.

Variety & combinations in fonts

Fonts that will fit any writing space will have another place in the latest UI/UX design trends. Earlier, inserting text in writing spaces had limitations in terms of adjustment. It also made designers send multiple files for the font designs used. Variable fonts are a great solution for this, since it only needs one file for any design.

Dark mode

With both Apple and Android focusing their efforts on bringing health focus in the picture through dark mode app design functionality, the 2021 trend is also inclining towards it. In fact, our app designers feel that it is only about time when health betterment will become the outcome of the importance of a good user interface design.

Animation

The use of animation in apps makes them more visually appealing. It connects with customers more than any other design. Designers are using this tool to create a positive impact on the users with the help of meaningful animations. Earlier, things were simple with flat logos, icons, buttons, etc. but now animated buttons, icons, and even logos are happening. In the coming years, animation will be one of the trends for UI UX designing.

This was our take on the importance of User interface/User experience design system services for mobile apps and the foreseeable future of UI/UX as we reckon. The next step for you herein is to get in touch with a bespoke mobile app design agency that can help you deliver lasting memories.

FAQs About the Importance of UI/UX Design

Q. Why do apps need efficient UI/UX Design?

The importance of UI/UX design in mobile apps goes beyond simply making them appear well to the end users and the other stakeholders. These are some of the other reasons that mark their importance:

Attract users
Increase probability of getting featured in the stores
Increase brand’s ROI
Lower the app maintenance time and cost in the long run

Q. Why is UX important for business?

Here are some business benefits of investing in an efficient user experience –

It has a direct effect on your conversion numbers
It helps saves long term app updation costs
Increase the probability of getting word of mouth referrals and ultimately brand evangelists.

Exclusive Top 10 Programming Languages for 2020

Posted on 23/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

As the web and mobile solutions are becoming an indispensable part of every business, the programming world is also growing at a faster rate than ever before.

While on one hand, various new programming languages and technologies are getting into the limelight for making the different app development processes more efficient. Whereas, on the other hand, many existing web and app development technologies are disappearing from the graph.

In a scenario like this, keeping yourself updated with what’s the most popular programming languages/s is necessary for both the developers and businesses to build profitable solutions.

Taking the same thought forward, here we have created a list of Top 10 Programming Languages for 2020. In this list, every new system-level programming language is included to keep you up-to-date with the emerging trends.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Java
C
Python
C++
C#
JavaScript
PHP
SQL
Swift
Go
Top 6 Emerging Programming Languages to Look For in the Future
How to Decide Which Programming Languages to Consider?

1. Java

When talking about the top programming languages to prefer in 2020, Java is on the first position.

The language was once the primary language for Android development. But with the advent of Kotlin, many apps have switched from Java to Kotlin for futuristic services. However, this has not made a major difference in its market popularity.

The language is still considered by leading enterprise mobile application development companies and introduced into the software development plan both as a backend and frontend programming languages due to its impressive features, like:-

Ease of use
Enhanced performance
Higher productivity
Improved polyglot programming, etc.

2. C

C, also called the backbone of the software world, also lands into the list of all programming languages to focus upon this year.

The language became the winner of ‘ Programming Languages Hall of Fame 2019 ’ for giving deeper insights into how software actually functions on machines and thus, is used for building embedded systems and VR-based apps.

Besides, this language delivers high-end performance, reliability, and variety of context: making it the first choice of reputed brands including Oracle, Microsoft, Adobe, and Paypal.

3. Python

Python, which received the recognition of ‘Programming Language Hall of Fame’ by TIOBE in 2018 is also one of the best languages to consider in 2020 and beyond.

The language is used for creating different kinds of applications including scalable web solutions due to its characteristics such as easy-to-use, easy-to-deploy, and expeditiousness which made it the right tech stack for YouTube, Survey Monkey, and Pinterest.

Besides, it is also considered a prime choice for the sophisticated deep learning and ML app development processes.

4. C++

C++ is a general purpose, object-oriented and hybrid app development language to watch out for in the year 2020.

The language, often considered as a superset of C, is stable and comes loaded with ample ready-to-use libraries. But, what makes the language capable of enjoying wider community support and becoming a part of the technology stack of popular brands is its extensive library support and speed.

5. C#

C# is yet another multi-platform programming language that is enjoying a huge momentum these days.

The language, being one of the technology stack of top brands like Microsoft Intel and Hewlett Packard, is often considered by both app developers, software engineers, web developers, and automation test experts because of features like:-

Strong typing
String interpolation
Auto property initializers
Exception filters, etc.JavaScript

6. JavaScript

JavaScript, which was holding the first position in the 10 most in-demand programming languages list last year, has experienced a decline in its ranking. But, it is still considered as one of the programming languages for both frontend and backend services in the mobile industry.

As per the Stack Overflow’s annual survey of 2019 , 67.8% of developers employ a highly efficient and flexible language like JavaScript to build interactive web pages, exhibit dynamic content and make the transition from web to mobile platform.

Besides, the language also provides developers with an exquisite collection of frameworks as shared in our JS framework guide which increases its popularity in the market and makes it the right fit for Linux, Mac OS X, SunOS, and Android.

7. PHP

Despite the competition from different server-side environments like Node.js and Python, PHP remains the star of the sector. And the credit of this popularity goes to the frameworks that makes it a perfect fit for scalable and robust app development and the fact that 83% of websites on the Internet are based on this backend programming language.

8. SQL

Though various database technologies exist in the IT industry, SQL (Standard Query Language) is still one of the top programming languages in demand.

It was founded by IBM Research center in 1974, is simple and reliable in nature and offers exclusive database management services to business developers.

9. Swift

Swift has not only become the preferred language for iOS development, superseding Objective-C, but has also emerged as a trending programming language 2020 with a steep rise in its popularity as noted in the Google Trends graph below.

Introduced back in WWDC 2014, Swift programming language is faster, easy to learn, secure, and has various other features that make it a perfect language for developing apps for iPhones, iPads, and macOS. Due to such features, it is considered as a highly efficient and flexible language.

10. Go

Also known as “Golang”, Go programming language has also made its entrance into the list of 2020’s top programming languages.

The language, with its concise and easy-to-embrace syntax and faster compilation characteristics, has not just become the favorite of SoundCloud, Google, Netflix, and other such popular brands. But, it has also proven to be one of the best options to get higher salaries.

While these were the Top 10 Programming Languages for 2020, there are various other languages that are gaining huge momentum in the mobile industry and are supposed to join the league. A few of which we will be covering in the next section.

Top 6 emerging programming languages to look for in the future

1. MATLAB

MATLAB, the proprietary language of MathWorks, has also landed into the coding languages list for 2020.

It delivers a myriad of options to developers, such as:-

ease to plot functions and data and implement algorithms,
ability to create high-end GUIs, data-focused and scientific research apps,
opportunity to work with codes written in C, C++, C#, Java, Python, and Fortran, etc.
Facility to enjoy higher coding efficiency and productivity, etc.

2. Kotlin

From the day Kotlin was introduced as an official Android app development language, the programming language has enjoyed a skyrocketing rise in its popularity. It has not only registered itself as the first preference for building Android mobility solutions, but also got established as one of the most loved programming languages by mobile app developers, posing as a strong contender in the battle of Kotlin vs Java.

What’s more interesting is that kotlin language has extended itself beyond mobile, in the form of Kotlin Multiplatform and is giving a tough competition to Flutter in the cross-platform market. A detailed information about which is covered in our Kotlin vs Flutter comparison blog.

3. R

R is also one of the most commonly used mobile app languages to introduce into your app development process.

Developed in 1993 by Robert Gentleman and Ross Ihaka, this language is highly preferred for building healthcare, government and enterprise mobility solutions because of its built-in machine learning algorithms and data analytics functionalities.

4. Dart

Dart, the language behind Google’s cross-platform development framework Flutter, is also showing a huge momentum in the market.

The general purpose language, since its inception in 2013, is providing ample benefits like clean and simple code syntax, higher productivity, support to JIT compilation and AOT compilation, ease of compilation to fast Native code, impeccable tooling support, and more. The language, just like Golang, has also fit into the category of programming languages with the ‘Scalable JavaScript’ tag.

5. Scala

Another language that might enter into this list of Top 10 programming languages of the future is Scala. The general multi-purpose language has reached to 25th position as recorded in TIOBE Index for February 2020 from 28th position noted in January 2019.

A reason behind which can be that it lets you enjoy the perfect blend of functional programming and object-oriented concepts and is giving a tough competition to Kotlin in the battle to become the next JVM language. A detailed information of which can be taken from our Kotlin vs Scala comparison blog .

6. Bosque

Bosque, one of the emerging programming languages, is a creation of Microsoft. The language looks to enhance developers’ productivity, software quality and provide an array of new compilers and developer tooling experience.

Bosque is inspired by the types and syntax of TypeScript, along with the semantics of ML and one of the best OOP-based programming languages ― JavaScript.

Now that we’ve covered the latest programming languages used in the industry, it’s quite possible that you’re confused with which one to pick for your app project.

Let us help you pick the right programming language.

How to choose the right programming language in 2020?

The decision of which programming language is best in 2020 for your app project depends on three factors, namely:-

1. App purpose

The main reason why you want to develop an app is helpful in picking the right language.

For example, if you want to create your presence on the web, PHP is the right programming language to go with as it holds the title of being one among the best programming language for mobile apps 2019. If you need a programming language for database management, SQL is helpful. But, if you want to add AI features to your app, Python programming language is a good option.

2. Language characteristics

Are you developing a native mobile app or investing in Cross-platform app development? Are you looking for an open-source or licensed option? What type of technologies and features are you planning to introduce to your app development process? What level of security do you want to add to your mobility solution? These questions will help you to understand the technical requirements of your business app solution and thus, select the best programming language for mobile app development.

For example, suppose you want to build an app based on the Machine Learning concept. If you are looking for a programming language with years of existence, Python is the right choice, for it is the among the most active top programming languages. But, if you are ready to go with a newcomer based on the options it avails, TypeScript is apt for you.

Likewise, if you are planning to make your presence only in the Apple market, Swift is the preferred language for iOS development. But, when it comes to making an app for both iPhone and Android, going with JavaScript is a profitable deal, as it is deemed as a swift and versatile programming language by Github.

3. Local ecosystem

Last but not least, the decision of which top programming to prefer also depends on the skill set of your inhouse or hired developers.

If you choose a programming language out of this programming language list that they have expertise in, you’ll experience a smooth app development experience. Your app project will face lower challenges and reach the market at the earliest.

But, on the flip side, the app development timeline might increase, hidden costs would more often be added to the overall app development cost and your app might fail to take the best advantages of the chosen language if they do not have a sound knowledge of the language you choose.

With the aforementioned factors and knowledge of the top 10 most popular programming languages for 2020, we hope that you will find it easier to make the right decision and build a successful approach to enter the mobile market. But, in case you encounter any challenge, feel free to consult with our tech experts.

How Much Does a TikTok-like Mobile App Cost?

Posted on 23/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

If there is one thing common between Uber, Facebook, and Snapchat it is the fact that they are losing on their active user count and engagement rate.

And the brand that they are losing out to is one that has become inescapable and a major revolution of the entertainment world – TikTok.

The multi-faceted immersive mobile app that is present on both Android and iOS has not just ruled out its dominance in the world of the millions and billions of users around the globe but also thousands of businesses that are marking their presence in the platform to enjoy the many perks that the app has to offer.

Well.

The intent of this article is to help you join the short-video creation and distribution revolution that has been initiated by TikTok by helping you understand what it takes to develop a TikTok mobile app. We will look into the technical and monetary side of the app and in the end, the cost of video creation app development which is entirely TikTok focused.

Before we go on with the article and look at factors like the top players in the industry, the funding rounds that have been held in the segment, the technical aspect of the app and the costing element the application, let us first give time to looking at how TikTok managed to become the top-grossing application of the world.

The international version of Chinese hit platform, Douyin, TikTok took very less time to enter and rule the mobile entertainment industry. The app which allows users to lip-sync dialogues and re-enact their favorite scenes from different movies and music videos has become a go-to entertainment hub for almost every teen and pre-teen in the world.

The app which has Artificial Intelligence powering its every single move has defeated a number of hot-shot businesses of the world with its engagement and revenue numbers.

Here are some statistics that prove how big the TikTok market is and how the app is ruling the world while setting new standards in the Entertainment app sector and how you can too whether you make TikTok app for iOS or build TikTok for Android

The latest TikTok statistics show a picture that TikTok has placed itself at the top of the market acquisition pyramid. Does it mean that a monopoly picture has been drawn in this specific entertainment sector?

Well, the answer is no.

TikTok, in spite of being the most installed and immersive of all the apps in the category, is not the only one that the users are following, there are a number of other similar apps in the domain that have been keeping the category up and running.

Also, the demand that the segment is seeing is something that has acted as a catalyst for other businesses, like yours, to enter the in-demand market segment. So, all in all, the list of TikTok competitors is not limited to just these names.

Fundings in the Segment

It is not just the market demand and emerging competitors count that has seen a rise ever since the TikTok app, earlier Musical.ly started witnessing a high demand from the world. There has been a sharp rise in the number of investors as well, who have shown their interest in putting their money into apps working around video creation and sharing.

Here are the three major funding rounds that hit the category between 2017 and now.

Bytedance – The parent company of TikTok received funding of around $3 Billion from the SoftBank group in October 2018. The use that they cited for this fund round is international expansion. The company plans on taking the Chinese platform across the globe.
Clip – The multi-lingual app which allows users to develop and edit videos alongside an active chat functionality, raised $6 Million in Series A funding round led by Matrix Partners, where the platform’s present investors Shunwei Capital, and India Quotient were also there.

While these are just two high-level funding rounds that the app category has witnessed, there have been a number of other funding sessions in the segment as well.

One thing and probably the sole thing that has been driving the attention of both investors and end-users towards the interactive video creation and sharing platform is the set of features that it comes with.

Let us look into it next.

While on a high-level the main feature of TikTok like the application is the ability to make videos and share them on the platform for other users to view and react to it. The app gives users the facility to lip-sync either some movie dialogue or some song or even the voice of other users.

But when you deep-dive into it from a business front which is looking to enter the same entertainment space as TikTok app and others in the domain, there are a number of other features that you have to attend to in order to make the whole experience immersive and entertaining for the users.

For the context of this article, since you are just starting up in the industry, what we would recommend is making an MVP first that would contain all the must-have features that have to be present in your app as it hits the store and become the answer to How to Create an App like TikTok. The features that you read here are what would go into answering ‘How much does it cost to make an app like TikTok’

Let us look at what they are –

The Must-Have TikTok Features

When you invest in TikTok app development, you don’t just invest in one application but two – User Side of the App and Admin Panel.

Let us look at the features which should be present in both the versions, individually that come together to answer how TikTok works.

User Application Features

Login

The first and supposedly the most attractive screens of an app – Login screen is the one that you will have to pay the most attention to. At this stage, you should aim for having a small form to make users enter the app also they should be given the facility to log in through their social media account to save those extra, unnecessary steps.

Video Section

Since the whole concept of TikTok like app runs around Videos, this has to be the one section that gets the maximum attention from both development and users front. Here, you will have to give users the option to not just create and share their videos but also save them in the draft to be published on a later time. The users are also given the facility to share their videos on social media.

Notifications

The app should send over real-time notifications to the users with respect to followers’ addition, the likes, and shares activity that they make on your videos, and when people they follow make a new update on their profile.

Settings

Under the Settings section, users will be able to manage their profile, change their password, manage blocked users, work around the app settings, and contact the parent company in case of any dispute.

Admin Panel Features

Admin side of the TikTok application will give the admins the facility of doing the following tasks – user management, content management, notification management, manage the flagged videos, and handle reports.

Now that we have seen one technical aspect – App Features let us attend to the other technical element that would help define the whole development process and ultimately the TikTok app cost – Technology Stack.

The Technology Stack we Base Our TikTok Application Development On

TikTok is one of the most innovative apps out there in the entertainment sector of mobile app development domain. The technology stack, in a scenario like this, has to be prepared to back this level of innovation and scalability.

Let us look at the Technology Stack that you can use to back your TikTok like application.

Now that we have looked at both – the Marketing and Technical side of TikTok like app, it is time to look at the business cum revenue side of the app.

Frontend- Native
Backend- Python
Database-Postgre SQL
Cloud- AWS, Google Cloud Storage, Azure
Media Server Configuration- HTTPS, RTMP & HTTP
Video/Audio Transcoding- FFMPEG, Amazon Elastic Transcoder

It has always been a very commonly searched question on the internet, which a number of users around the globe seek an answer to – ‘How do Brands like TikTok or Dubsmash earn money?’

So, next let’s look into the ways TikTok makes money and has managed to become one of the highest revenues generating brands of not just the entertainment industry but of the whole world, before we head on to revealing the cost to develop TikTok app.

How Does TikTok Like Apps Make Money?

While there are a number of ways video creation apps like TikTok can form their monetization model like Subscription and Influencer Promotion, etc. The models that TikTok uses to generate their Million worth revenue streams include –

A. In-App purchase

TikTok gives the users the option to buy stickers and emoticons to react to live videos that get streamed on the platform.

The in-app purchases themselves have got the brand around 275 percent in users spending and approximately 3.75x year-over-year revenue, bringing the revenue count to over $3.5 million globally.

B. Advertisement

In-app Advertisement also proves to be a great monetization method for the TikTok app and others in the same category.

In order to place their advertisement on the platform which is visited by millions and millions of users on a daily basis, brands tend to shell out a huge amount of money.

If you too are fretting over your app’s Monetization model, what we would recommend is either going for either of the ones that TikTok follows or start a subscription-based model, wherein you lock a few features in the app in return of some amount or you can charge the influencers for getting a placement in the platform.

With this, we have seen all – the state of TikTok like apps, the demand they are able to garner from the world, the other major players in the industry, the set of features and technology stack that makes TikTok like apps what they are, and lastly the monetization model that they carry.

It is now time to get on to the most crucial part of it – How much would TikTok like App Cost?

Well, here’s the answer to it.

What is the Cost of TikTok Like App Development?

The TikTok app cost lies in the valuation of a number of factors – features, allocation of resources, and the technologies to use.

Assuming that you are going with the exact set of features that we mentioned above, the TikTok app cost when you look at the MVP of the TikTok like the app will come somewhere around $80,000 to $100,000.

While this is the absolute base amount, it will increase as you add more features in the application like Artificial Intelligence, High-End Animations or Blockchain for handling the in-app purchase segment of your application.

With this, you have seen all that is required to get started with the entertainment revolution and what is left now is getting started, which has just one step in between – Getting in touch with our social networking app development experts who will hand-hold through the process.

Our Experience with TikTok Like App Development

Our team recently worked on to create a musical video app like musically that was based on the idea of TikTok, which took around 6 months to finish the whole ideation to the development process and is set to hit the app markets very soon.

While there were some challenges associated with the creation of app like TikTok in line with AI integration that we faced initially, the learning and application curve was fairly low and we were able to overcome them in very little time.

Keeping the technical complexities aside, there were some business model issues that our clients were facing in terms of finding the right demographics, the promotion plan to follow to take the limelight away from TikTok, and the revenue model selection – Solutions to which lied with our Business Analysis Team, who would love to pass them on to you.

From a Startup’s Perspective: Mobile Web vs. Mobile App

Posted on 22/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

Mobile apps have to be built from scratch whereas mobile web are an adaptation of the website version. There is no denying that both the ways of mobility is great but there are some extraordinary factors that differentiate one from another.

If we stop and look around we will notice that the world is turning into a giant mobile strategy stopping at nothing. Every business, every corporation and every institution has come to use mobile in some way or the other for its functioning.

Earlier, the debates used to be between offline and online media but now the case is different. These debates have turned into one online media vs the other online media. For mobiles, there are two strong terms: mobile apps and mobile web. This app vs website discussion has not settled yet and the question of ‘Is it better to use an app or the website?’ always looms.

Many say that it’s better to have a mobile web than a mobile app but then there are advantages of the mole app over a website that proves them wrong. And, the same can be said of mobile websites.

In the end, the most important factor that decides is it better to use an or the website is the purpose. The aim with which the development is done is how the decision should be made.

With statistics hinting at the fact that by 2019 mobile users will grow to 5.07 billion, both website and mobile app seem to be a great option as both are mobile-driven. In a case like that, the only thing that will help make the choice is an understanding of both the elements.

How Are Mobile Apps Different From Mobile Websites?

It is often misunderstood that the mobile website and mobile app is the same. Since both are used on one media, i.e. mobile or smartphone, it does not mean both are same. There are differences between a mobile web and a mobile app which helps in deciding which option would be better for any web and mobile app development company. Developers must know which option to choose for which project to achieve the desired result.

Coming back to the difference between a mobile website and mobile app, let us look at the following points.

A mobile website does not need any separate downloading from the app store. It is simply the mobile view of the website version which is accessible from any mobile device. Whereas mobile apps need to be downloaded from the app store and are developed by mobile app development companies.
Mobile app vs mobile website has another difference of user convenience. In a mobile website, the original website content is composed within the screen of the device whereas mobile apps are built to provide a far better version of the website.
The chances of regular visits are higher on mobile apps than on mobile websites. As mobile apps are stored in the smart devices it can be reopened and used whenever one wishes to. However, mobile websites are used to announce events or programmes to a larger audience.
Because of difference in websites vs app development process, the updating process becomes different on app vs website. Websites update automatically whereas app users have to download and install an update of the app. Sometimes users delay the update of the apps which is not possible on mobile websites.
The data storage location differs in a mobile app vs mobile website. All the data stored in the mobile app is stored on the mobile device itself. And in the case of websites, the data is stored on the website servers.
The app vs website security is another major concern for users as well as developers. It is seen that mobile apps are more secure than mobile websites and are protected by various security tools. Mobile app development vs web development involves a different approach to security which in the end affects the overall mobile security.

Pros and Cons of Mobile Apps vs Mobile Websites from a Startup Viewpoint

The app vs website debate has some valid points and each has its own pros and cons which we will discuss in this section. The benefits of a mobile website vs an app are enough to determine which must be chosen.

Pros of Mobile Websites

Compatibility Mobile websites give more compatibility to users. The reason being mobile websites improve the user experience across multiple devices. Whereas mobile apps have to be built separately for different devices which affects the overall user experience.
Reach Websites have more reach than mobile apps because of its multi-device support feature. Reaching a large audience does not require much effort in case of mobile websites. When it comes to reaching the potential audience, mobile websites take the win.
Maintainance and support Mobile websites don’t need the regular download-install-update process which mobile apps follow. It is easy to implement the update without users having to download it separately. Once all the updates are active, it is visible on all devices.

Cons of Mobile Website

Convenience Mobile websites don’t match the convenience level of mobile apps. Mobile websites cannot use features that a smart device offers. Features such as camera, GPS, calling, etc. may not work with most of the mobile websites which add to the inefficiency to convenience.
User experience Fitting one giant website page within a small device screen seems to be impossible. And even if it is made possible, it will affect the UI of the website. Mobile apps provide a far better user experience by allowing personalization and interaction.
Offline accessibility Websites cannot be accessed offline and do need a network connection. This is not a problem until a user is unable to find the network and needs to access the website. Mobile apps have the option to be used offline without any problems.

Pros of Mobile Apps

Convenience Mobile apps have been ruling the world for a decade now and focus on user experience. By providing fast loading time, high-end performance and ease of use, apps have become a part of human life. Apps are revolutionizing the entertainment world, the healthcare sector, the political sector, etc.
Personalization Personalization is one of the best advantages of a mobile app over the website. Mobile applications are built in such a manner that users can make changes in the way they want to use the app. Apps allow setting preferences, saving useful information and even sharing media on social networks. All these features enhance the overall user experience.
Offline and online Mobile apps can be used offline without any issues. Since the apps are not an adaptation but rather a completely new product developed by app developers, it can work offline. This means that mobile apps can be used in places where there are no networks and gives apps an upper hand in the app vs website security. AI technology is also being implemented in mobile apps for a better future.

Cons of Mobile Apps

Maintenance and support Regular update and bug fixes are required in the mobile app or a mobile website. In the case of mobile apps, a new update has to be downloaded and installed which is the extra task for users. In mobile websites, updates are automatically implemented without requiring any action from users.
Compatibility As we know mobile apps are built from scratch which makes the whole mobile app development a huge process. But even after the efforts, some devices may not support the mobile app due to a different version or different platform.

Mobile App vs Website: Stats That Speak in Support of Both

The mobile app vs mobile website statistics shows that the app industry may be worth $190 billion by the year 2020.
In the above pie chart, it is seen that maximum users like to use a mobile website or application at different times as per the need.
The USA mobile users spend most of their time on mobile apps than on mobile websites on a daily basis. This app vs website usage shows the preference for mobile apps among US citizens in the app vs website debate.
These stats show some famous social media networks that have become mobile-first. Ever since these turned into apps, the engagement has risen two times more than it used to be.
Another mobile app vs mobile website statistics shows that website’s reach a larger audience as compared to mobile apps. However, mobile apps have 2X more usage time than mobile websites.

When To Use Which: Mobile Apps Vs Mobile Websites

The battle of mobile app vs mobile website has another interesting aspect: when to use which? This question can have many answers based on what you are trying to achieve. For a startup, gaining customers is more important so a website will be the way to go. However, this cannot be said for a startup looking for more engagement.

Here are some pointers that will help you find the best choice based on your need.

Want To Reach More Users?

When it comes to reaching more users then websites are always the better choice. Analysing the Google search traffic data, around 21% of the total traffic comes from mobile devices whereas the rest comes from a desktop. It was also seen that iOS apps have more reach than Android apps in 21% of mobile users traffic. So, for reaching a larger audience whether you are a business or a startup, websites would be the right choice.

Have App Visits that are More than 5 times A Day?

If your app has the ability to get multiple user visits in a day then you should definitely go for a mobile app. To maintain regular visits, the app must be fast and high performing. If you want users to ditch the website then make sure the apps have more to give.

Need to Use Device Features?

Features like GPS, Camera or Calling cannot be used in a web app. A dedicated mobile app will give a totally different experience when it comes to using such features. However, you can access these features on a web app with the help of HTML5, NodeJS, Geolocation API, etc. But then again the question lies about the user experience. To be honest, both the options are good for using features like these if the user experience does not matter much.

Need Fast Operational Speed?

Mobile apps are no doubt faster than web apps because of local storage of data. Unlike web apps, mobile apps don’t need to transfer data to the server or download data from the server which makes the app a faster experience. So when speed is the concern, mobile apps are the favourite choice.

Want to Work in an Offline Mode?

Sometimes network is not available in certain places and that’s when offline mode comes into the picture. The mobile app, hands down, wins in this argument. A mobile app can be built in such a way that it can be used offline or be able to download data for offline usage.

Can You Spend $10K+ on Your Project?

If the answer to this question is no then you might want to go for web apps. Mobile app development costs can range between $10K- $100K for Android and iOS which is a lot, especially for a startup. Also, the prices differ depending on the demography, type of app and other factors. It may cost you $10K for a simple app but a cheap app is not worth it. So, if you can’t spend a ton of money then a web app is your wisest choice.

Will You Update Your Offering Very Often?

If so, then go for web apps first and later you can go for a hybrid app. A hybrid app makes launching updates easier since the users will not have to go and update the app. Apps like Twitter, Instagram, Gmail, etc are all well performing hybrid apps. The benefits of going for hybrid apps are there is no waiting time, one platform needed to build more features and real-time updates.

For a Startup, Is it better to Use a Mobile App or Website?

When it comes to deciding one between mobile app vs website, there are some things to consider first.

Mobile web app vs mobile website has always been debatable especially for those who have wanted one developed for their business. We clearly saw the advantages of the mobile app over the website and found more pros than cons. So for a fair play, we can say that mobile apps are a better choice between the two.

If a startup wishes to reach a larger audience in a short time and less cost then mobile websites are the better choice. To gather a large audience and reach a wider population, websites are great.

However, if you want more engagement then mobile apps are the choice. As the stats for apps vs website usage show, mobile apps have increased the engagement among the users. If you are going for native app development then you get benefits like app security, better UI, high performing app, more engagement, etc.

The solution is not the choice between mobile app development vs web development. It is rather choosing the one that will be most effective for your business model. The right solution must be able to fulfill all the needs and execute the business strategies that have been pre-planned.

In addition to mobile apps and websites, businesses also have an option to go for PWA development. PWA stands for Progressive Web Apps which load just like web pages but have more features to offer. With PWAs, you can work offline, enable push notifications, and use any other feature that a mobile app offers. It is basically a web page that appears as a native application to the users. It is also claimed that PWAs are the future of the app development world.

If you wish to build a mobile app or a mobile website, contact us at Anteelo. We have a team of mobile app developers ready to turn your app ideas into reality.

The Impact of Google Material Design on Mobile App Design

Posted on 21/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

In the next eight minutes, you are going to read about how Material Design came into the inception to impact the mobile app design companies around the globe. You will read of the guiding principles that the Google Material Design standard is based upon, How different Material design is from Flat design. And lastly, how to incorporate Material Design into your mobile app. Let’s get on with the Design Journey called Material Design. UI and UX are the two mobile app elements that decide the present and future of not just the app but also of the mobile app design company that designed and developed it.

All the proven tips to enhance the mobile app UI gets concentrated on one element – Mobile App Design.

The way how your app is designed is what impacts the emotion of experience the users are facing when operating inside your Android app.

The demands of a modern day app user – apps that look the same way as their real-life elements feel – while seemingly easy to understand, can pose a challenge when converted into a design.

Now when it comes to the creation and inclusion of interactive design elements that give the feeling of the material world, Google with its Material Design, gave the Mobile app developers the much-needed aid.

The designing world that was earlier ruled by the minimalistic flatness was now replaced by the elements of minimalistic interactive materials with the introduction of Material Designs.

Before we delve in further into the Google Material Design UI and its tips and tricks, let us quickly look back at how it started.

A Lookback at the Google Material Design

Google had the reputation of being broken when it came to understanding the importance of Design. And today it is impossible to think of a good design (even on iOS) that doesn’t come from Google.

So how did this transformation happen?

This transformation resulted from the efforts that Larry Page took when he took the office to make everything look good and connected.

A directive that led to the creation of a design standard that is now followed and loved by the world – Google Material Design.

Material Design (codename: Quantum Paper) was the biggest part of the Android L release announcement in Google I/O 2014.

The design standard that made an appearance 4 years back, now allowed mobile app designers to infuse their own colour palette in the app, offer screen transition, bring in new system widgets, and animation.

Google, which was earlier lying behind Apple when it came to designing intuitive and experimental Android apps, now came steps ahead with the Material Design launch.

Material Design showed how technicality and the laws of physics can be added into the designing elements to develop a mobile app UI that offers a resonating enjoyable user experience.

Material design is what Flat design could never get to be, which brings us to our next section – Material Design vs Flat Design.

Difference in Material and Flat Design

The entire difference between Material Design and Flat Design lies in their core.

When we do a comparison between a flat design app vs material design app, the one striking difference that a user will find is the presence of shadows and multi-dimension in one and aesthetic flatness, lack of skeuomorphisms in another.

While both Android Material Design and Flat Designs are minimal, when it comes to implementing them in an Android app design, the decision between them both is usually taken on the basis of the need of the user.

While, Material design UI is preferred more for the development of complex, robust, and interactive mobile apps; Flat design UI is preferred by mobile app design companies for simplistic need and when there is a time crunch from the development side of the app.

Now that we have seen the difference between Google Material Design and Apple Flat Design, let us dig further into the Material Design.

Here are The Principles of Google Material Design

Material Design Apps are guided by the three principles shown in the image above. The principles that are sweared upon by all the leading Android App Design Company around the world.

Material is the Metaphor

The imaginative principle is based upon the study of material and how they look different in the varied amount of light, how they look when piled up one above another.

The principle is backed by attributes like edges, shadows, dimensions, etc.

Bold, Intentional, Graphic

Intentional white space in design, usage of bold and yet in-sync set of colours, and graphics that fit from screen to screen, while serving their direct purpose is what defines the second most pointer in the Google material design principles.

Motion Offers Meaning

Animation in Material Design is one that does not interfere with the other design elements, nor does it look forced. They emerge as the result of the user’s primary actions and follow their cues.

While these are the three main guiding principles of Material Design, there are other two principles as well which defines the globally accepted designing standard – Flexible Foundation and Cross Platform.

Flexible Foundation

Material Design comes with the advantage of the custom codebase that allows mobile app UI designers to add their branding elements into the design.

Cross-Platform

Material Design help maintain a similar UI across the different platforms, which help use shared components across all – Android, Flutter, iOS, and Web.

So here were the 5 guiding principles of Material Design for Android Apps. To speed up your approach to understanding these principles, let’s look into what all Google Material Design apps are prevailing in the market.

Best Apps That Revamped their Design with Material Design Guidelines

1. Google Calendar

Google Calendar is the foremost application that has received really impressive changes over the years with the implementation of Google Material Design guidelines. The application has ample useful touches such as graphics and maps that are introduced to the events automatically and a simple auto-suggest system that brings ease to add a new appointment.

2. Gmail

Thanks to Material Design, emails in the Google Gmail are categorized in a card-style interface. Also, a completely new slide-out menu is added to the interface along with a floating button for creating a new message, reminder or perform any other action.

3. Lyft

Lyft is another app that employs the power of Material Design. The app showcase a bunch of controls and a map displaying the required information by following Google material design principles without making the UI annoying.

4. BuzzFeed

Another mobile application that has made its mark among Google Material Design apps is BuzzFeed.

The application was earlier popular for its highly engaging entertaining content. But now, it is also known for setting a standard of how a Google material design web application should appear.

5. Google Maps

Last but not least, Google Maps is another application that is showing a major difference that embraces Material design. As per the recent news, Google Maps new design includes round and colored icons in the search section and a white background, which was earlier available in black and light grey color, respectively.

The application currently does not support dark mode, which brings an adverse impact on battery usage. But, it is expected that Google will add a dark mode in the app when it introduces dark mode feature in Android Q, the upcoming Android OS version.

And now, since you now know the different apps revamped (or revamping) using Google Material Design and the associated guidelines, it is time to look into how you can apply them in your mobile app UI design.

How to Master Google Material Design in Your Android App?

Assuming that you would have read the official material design resources released by Google as your Bible, let us get you started with applying those guidelines in your Mobile app.

Below are the tips that would help you build a Google Material Design mobile app and emerge as the designing star of your Mobile app design company.

1. Use Shadows to Show Hierarchy

Edges, surface, and realistic shadows count as the main tool of Material Design UI. Use shadows to show the hierarchy of the design elements to show which element comes on what.

2. Bold Colours

Intentional, Graphic, and Bold is the mantra of implementing Google new material design when it comes to mobile UI/UX development. Usage of bold colours make thing interactive and fun for the users, while making the app enjoyable to use.

3. Usage of Primary and Accent Colour

Google Material docs ask mobile app designers to use three shades of the primary colour and one of the accent colour.

The primary set of colours would be used for fonts, boxes, and backgrounds etc, while the accent colour can be filled in to show the main element of your mobile app screen.

4. Extract Colours from the Images

Google constantly encourages us mobile app designers to extract the colour from the images and use them as your colour palette when you are developing an image based design.

5. Incorporate Motion

Google goes big on the use of motion in an app UI design. It makes us understand how things move in the app and how the users should interact with the app.

6. Make Everything Float

If there is one visible Material Design App USP, it is the floating design elements. Your app’s button or the CTA bar should appear as if they are floating on the screen and not lying there flat on the screen.

7. Choice of Icon

Icons, when chosen rightly, enhances the usability and the design of the app. Now, Material Design gives you the choice of a number of icons falling into two main criterias – Product Icons and System Icons.

8. Make the App Typographically Right

If you are just starting with the idea of developing a an Android Material Design App, what we recommend is that you should stick with Roboto and Noto typography styles.

9. Incorporate Responsiveness in your design

One of the main guiding principle that Material thrives on is consistency. And the same should be visible in your mobile app design.

Every one of your design elements should work the same across all the devices the user interacts with.

While these 9 inclusions would help you with your current apps, the designing standards is all set to get redefined again with new Material Design Version being prepared inside the Google creative lab workshop.

Here’s what next in line for Material Design –

What Next for Android Material Design?

After changing the designing world standard with the Google Material design guidelines, Google has yet again brought in a change in its structure with Material Design 2.0.

The second generation of Material Design, which would be made live for the world in a few days, will bid adieu to the rectangular interface and move on with the rounded edges mobile user interface design.

With its new material design app guidelines, Google is planning on giving a facelift to all its crucial products such as Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps, etc.

The goal of Material Design 2.0 – The Material Design Successor – is to increase efficiency, readability, and eliminate clutter – thus providing the cleanest implementation of a UI, till date.

So here it was, the guide to Android Material Design for the not just the Android App Designers but also for android app development company which has just stepped into the world of Android app designs.

Now whether you are a designer or a business looking to rule the million Android hearts, to prepare your app to join the list of the best Google material design apps, consult our team of Mobile UI/UX Designer, today.

Understanding the Internet of Things’ influence on Healthcare

Posted on 20/10/202011/06/2021 by Tushar

Internet of Things in healthcare has more benefits than one can imagine.

The application of IoT in healthcare can improve the way things work in the medical world. From improved machine control to virtual medical assistance, IoT use cases in healthcare is the future. It can save the lives of patients with a fast diagnosis of diseases as well as finding an apt cure for it.

The application of the technology has become so far-fetched that there is hardly a question on What is IoT or how it works.

Like every new piece of technology, it has both advantages and disadvantages associated with it. IoT in healthcare has its own challenges and limitations which can impede the usage of the technology. But going by the joint advancement efforts of skilled IoT app development company and healthcare application development company, it can be ensured that we are reaching a time when the solution will remain safe.

Where Does IoT Fit in Healthcare?

A lot of times it happens that patients don’t get medical attention on time which can harm their health severely. The delay is caused due to many reasons- unavailable rooms in the hospital, traffic on the road, unavailability of extra doctors, delay in the identification of diseases, etc.

Most of the time, people have no idea that they are suffering from an illness. To identify any signs, a visit to the doctor is required. If heart rate checkups, blood pressure level, sugar level, etc. are regularly monitored then patients can be alarmed about any upcoming threats to their health.

Also, sometimes going to the doctor for something as simple as a stomach ache and paying a heavy fee is just not worth it. These could be easily solved if there was a way to connect doctors and patients virtually.

Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is a network of connected devices that collect data in real-time. IoMT is one of the key applications of IoT in healthcare and has the potential to solve medical issues. According to the IoT trends 2021, the IoT in healthcare market size was $22.5 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach $72.02 billion in the year 2021. It will provide personalized care and individual data-driven medical solutions.

Not only will IoMT be able to prevent any upcoming diseases but also will be able to cure the ones that have already been caused. The technology has been made as wearables so that patients can be monitored easily without visiting the doctor.

The Internet of Medical Things has divided segments for each medical issue being faced by the healthcare industry. The on-body segment focuses on customer health wearables and other medical-grade wearables. Some products used in this segment are Fitbit, Samsung medical, etc.

The in-home segment aims at an individual’s personal health tracker solutions. This segment includes personal emergency response systems (PERS), telehealth virtual visits, and remote patient monitoring (RPM).

The community segment consists of five components: Kiosks that dispense products and provide services, mobility services to patients’ vehicles, emergency response intelligence, point-of-care devices that act like medical camps, and logistics that keep a record of all the medical equipment and goods.

Another segment is the in-clinic segment. This segment includes IoMT devices that can be used inside a clinic to provide services. The medical solutions of the in-clinic segment also provide point-of-care devices.

The last segment of IoMT is the in-hospital segment which includes various solutions for several areas of management. Asset management monitors, personnel management, patient flow management, inventory management, and environment and energy monitoring are some of the devices in this segment.

If we look at the role of IoT in healthcare sector at a stakeholder level, we can see the technology making an industry-wide impact.

For patients

Wearable devices like glucometer, heart rate cuffs, fitness bands, etc. give patients access to personalized attention. The constant tracking ability that these devices offer can have a major impact on people who live alone as it can send alerts to their family members.

For physicians

Through the mode of wearable and home monitoring devices embedded with IoT technology, physicians are able to track patients’ health a lot more effectively. The data gathered from the IoT devices can help doctors identify the best treatment and monitoring process for patients.

For hospitals

In hospitals, IoT devices embedded with sensors can be used for tracking the real-time location of medical enablers and equipment such as defibrillators, wheelchairs, oxygen pumps, nebulizers, and other similar monitoring devices. In addition to equipment, it also enables the analysis of the deployment of the medical staff at multiple locations.

These devices can also help with asset management such as environmental monitoring and pharmacy inventory control, for example, refrigerator temperature and humidity control.

Through its multi-stakeholder involvement, IoT solves a number of pain points that are prevalent in a healthcare ecosystem.

Inefficient patient care
Medical process mistakes
Supply chain management
Medical research
Rural healthcare management

What are The Benefits of IoT in Healthcare?

IoT in healthcare is helping the way hospitals attend to the patients. While the rapid population growth is not helping to control the increased illness, old age, and other health issues, the introduction of IoT in healthcare may do it. IoT can also reduce the cost of medical treatment to a great low. The following are a few of the most noteworthy advantages of the Internet of Things:

Simultaneous reporting and monitoring

IoT in the healthcare industry has enabled doctors to monitor the real-time conditions of a patient which can prevent any emergency situations like heart failure, diabetes, asthma attack, cardiac arrest, etc. The impact of IoT in healthcare has made it easy for doctors to attend to multiple patients in a matter of minutes.

The medical reports of patients including blood sugar levels, ECG reports, X-rays, etc. are stored in the cloud and can be accessed with a mobile device whenever needed.

End-to-end connectivity and affordability

The Internet of things in healthcare applications can allow a better connection and use of the latest technology to enhance connectivity and data sharing. With technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other features, tracking and identifying illness becomes easy and less time-consuming.

This also reduces the overall time and cost of treatment. With technology, the cost of treatment will reduce by a huge sum, allowing patients to be treated easily.

Data analysis and data assortment

The use of IoT in healthcare involves storing massive data about the patient’s medical history. The IoT device also has to send data to other devices without any issues occurring in the process. Manually analyzing such huge data is impossible but devices can do it.

IoT devices can gather, analyze, track, send and receive data with the help of a cloud base. The cloud base is required as the size of data is huge and cannot be saved on the server. What can help make this adoption further and make it more efficient in terms of data storage and transfer is the Blockchain of Things.

Real-time tracking and alerts

Imagine how many lives can be saved with emergency alerts sent by patients. The Internet of Medical Things has made this possible. With the help of a device, a patient’s medical information is recorded in real-time and can be sent to the doctor. In the case of any threat, the doctor will be informed immediately and can provide assistance accordingly.

Check-up on the go

With the help of IoT healthcare devices, patients can easily contact doctors on their mobile devices and get immediate assistance. With the latest IoT devices, doctors can identify any ailments on the go all the while saving travel costs and time. IoT in healthcare will also be able to dispense medicines from machines as per their prescription. This will be done by connecting the patient’s device with the medicine dispensing machine.

Internet of Things (IoT) Use Cases in Healthcare

The Internet of things healthcare is being used for some great work in the healthcare industry. From monitoring the patients to virtually assisting them, applications of the Internet of Things are immensely vast and diverse. Here are some of the use cases of IoT technology in healthcare:

Remote patient monitoring

It is one of the most common use cases of the technology in healthcare that an IoT mobile app development company works around. The applications are built to collect health vitals like blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, etc from the patients that are not physically present in the healthcare facility. The algorithms can then help analyze the vitals and recommend treatment or simply create an alert.

Reducing wait time

Often a patient’s condition gets worse while waiting for things to be arranged or rooms to clear out in a hospital. With IoT in the healthcare industry, the waiting time can be reduced by more than 50%. When it comes to occupancy, IoT can track all the rooms and find the empty ones for the incoming patients who need immediate assistance.

Keep track of hardware maintenance

Every hospital has devices, machines, and equipment that are used to sustain human lives. Availability of these tools is necessary in order to save as many lives as possible. With IoT technology, hospitals can not only track the types of equipment but also be informed when a piece of equipment is about to fail. This helps the hospital in getting new devices before it’s too late.

Tracking employees and patients

A hospital has huge buildings and it becomes impossible to track where each and every employee or doctor is at a particular moment. It is the same for all the patients as well. With IoT technology, tracking the patients and the staff is easy.

This technology is also being used to track the assets of the hospital for security reasons. It is a highly efficient technology to track objects or people without any additional cost or efforts.

Drug management

Medicines are now being monitored by IoT devices to ensure the proper dosage and tracking of the effects of the medicine. It can also remind patients to take their medicine on time and in the right amount. If there is an overdose or underdose of medicine then the patient will be alerted.

Identification of chronic diseases

The Internet of things healthcare technology identifies any chronic illness a patient is suffering from. How that works is: a patient enters his symptoms and the device matches it with the already existing information to identify the disease.

Wearable devices like Fitbit are great trackers of heart rate, sugar levels, and blood pressure levels. Healthcare app development solutions for wearables and mobile apps have made people more health-conscious and aware of their medical conditions.

A few examples of the Internet of Things applications in healthcare

Healthcare IoT devices are specimens of technical brilliance. These come in handy with loads of benefits of IoT like minimizing the waiting time for emergency rooms, patient, staff, and inventory tracking, discipline in drug management, and checking that critical hardware is available at all times.

Hearables

The hearing aid has been around for ages thanks to the genius of Miller Reese Hutchison. With time, these devices underwent massive changes and are the ones currently powered by IoT have transformed the manner of interaction for people with hearing loss. These hearables are synced with smartphones via Bluetooth. Sounds can be filtered, equalized, and tailored to create real-world sound.

Moodables

Stress can often cause declining mental health and there are times when patients with mental disorders or neurovascular problems need to uplift their moods. They are wearables mounted on the head that pass low-intensity currents to the brain. These electrical impulses help to alleviate the pain and lighten up the mind.

Smart pills

Smart pills are edible IoT pills that are used to monitor our body functioning and alert if any anomaly arises. They have micro-sensors that are ingestible and dissolve in the stomach. The body too is attached to a device that accumulates the data transmitted via the sensors. One can easily access the data through their smartphones. This is one of the IoT advantages which proves how powerful the technology is.

Healthcare charting

Patient charting by doctors requires a lot of time and effort. It’s a fascinating thing to know how IoT is implemented and through voice commands, doctors can summon a patient’s vital clinical information like medical history, demographics, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, progress notes, immunization plans and schemes, allergies, tests (X-Ray, cardiology, radiology, urine, blood, etc.) and the results. Augmedix is one such device that does that.

Computer vision technology

A major development of IoT in healthcare projects is the drones which have proven to replicate visual perceptions ergo influencing decision making. These drones are powered by AI and have been known visually impaired people to alert about obstacles and avoid them.

Challenges Faced in Internet of Things (IoT) Based Healthcare System

Even though IoT is being helpful in the healthcare industry, it has its limitations and challenges. Let us look at the adoption challenges of IoT in healthcare:

Privacy and security

Though the IoT benefits in healthcare are many yet we cannot ignore the challenges it is facing. The biggest threat to healthcare in IoT is data privacy and security. The massive data that is being transferred and stored on a regular basis can be hacked and used against the patient and the doctor.

Hackers can create fake IDs to buy drugs and medicines only to misuse them further. A solution to this pestering issue, however, lies in following the compliance set up by the government for healthcare application development USA.

Multiple devices and protocol integration

Everyone owns a different device and this difference in devices is causing problems with the performance of the technology. The internet of medical things has yet to find a solution regarding the compatibility of different devices with the Internet of Things network. The connectivity of different devices slows down the entire process of data transfer, analysis, and retrieval.

Overloading and inaccuracy

Storing patient data means storing an impossible amount of data. Even with the internet of healthy things, the huge amount of data is becoming difficult to manage by the doctors. If this continues then the decision-making will be affected putting many lives in danger all at once. The more devices being connected to the network, the more will be the inflow of data.

Cost of the technology

It must be a surprise to see Internet of Things cost in the challenges section. But the truth is IoT can reduce the treatment cost for a common man but hasn’t been able to do it yet. The Internet of things and healthcare have yet to make things cost-effective and it will take time. It has created the medical tourism situation where people travel to developing countries to get the treatment at a much cheaper cost. The cost of IoT app development is also higher than the usual cost of mobile app development.

The Future Scope of Internet of Things in Healthcare

IoT has a lot of potentials and it’s not only in healthcare. Many IoT healthcare companies are working on new ways to use this technology to help our medical world. According to the IoT healthcare market trends, the industry is expected to grow to $8.9 trillion in the year 2020.

Even though IoT has challenges and limitations, it will not stop the technology from growing. The need for IoT in healthcare is huge and it can help the industry immensely. It can reach every patient from all over the world and connect doctors with patients. There is no denying that IoT has already made a huge impact and is only set to grow further.

It is a matter of time when the medical industry will be run mostly by IoT technology and will be treating patients in less time and low cost of treatment. Google and Apple are companies trying to make IoT and healthcare success and soon we shall see iOS and Android devices interacting with our medicines.

We at Anteelo have IoT app developers in New York and India that are ready to help you with your app idea. We have a proven track record for making IoT real-time applications. Contact us today!