Developers are falling behind on building apps

Evolution in software and app development

“The only constant in life is change.” – Heraclitus, 535 BC – 475 BC

Throughout the IT revolution of the past 20+ years, a world has emerged, where technology is constantly evolving, new devices are being conceived and developed and the way we do things – perpetually improved. For companies to survive in this extremely competitive marketplace, innovation is not an option, but a must. In order to instill and implement a culture of innovation, new software projects must be undertaken and new source code for web platforms and applications – constantly developed.

Challenges for developers

While creative agencies, product and marketing departments are busy conceiving new business ideas, applications that are already on the market also need updating and upgrading, which can amount to an as extensive and effort-intensive process as launching new apps. On top of their packed daily schedules and ongoing responsibilities, developers are also expected to keep their tools sharp and continuously improve their skills to stay relevant and up-to-par with market demands.

Continuous education

Keeping up-to-date on their skills requires developers to continuously learn new code, tools, techniques, and design trends and principles. Working with fellow, more experienced developers and attending trainings is one way for teams to collect new ideas and gain new skills but it is time-consuming and expensive to take them out of their work to attend training courses and seminars.

This is where software and mobile application outsourcing comes into play and can be a desirable alternative to building and maintaining complex products in-house.

Mobile app development trends that need mastering

Mobile-first

In addition to the further growth in application development, we are seeing progress in web applications and platforms, which are also adopting the trend of small-screen user experience and following the mobile-first methodology of design and development.

Hybrid and web-based apps

Whether to stay native or save time and money by choosing a hybrid/web-based app is an important decision that cannot be easily changed down the road.  There is also an overwhelming number of new application development frameworks that can save developers time once they become acquainted with them. For example, coding professionals need to be aware of app frameworks, such as Swift, Android Studio, Titanium, Appcelerator, Angular JS, HTML5/Javascript/CSS 3, Ionic, Xamarin, or Unity for games. Learning all these tools is very time-consuming and rather unrealistic for an individual developer to master.

Design

The move away from skeuomorphic design and towards flat design that took place a few years ago, required a complete overhaul of existing design principles, toolkits and code. More recently, the introduction of Material Design for Android and Google products and iOS 10 design language for Apple mobile devices, is seeing the now established flat design trend being revisited, in favour of re-introducing more creative flair and incorporating richer design features into the minimalistic strengths of flat. These are all trends that UX designers and developers need to be proficient at.

User experience

User experience is another field, which is constantly evolving and requires designers and developers to stay on top of the latest market research. It is also an important component of every mobile application and is best handled by an experienced UX designer. Yet, often companies don’t have the knowledge and resources to involve design professionals and leave the all-important work of UX to their developers, who have to add yet another skill to ever-growing toolbox.

Agile / Scrum

Developers are expected to keep up with existing projects and always work faster, while learning new techniques. Certain new tools, like the Emmet plugin, can increase productivity during coding. In addition to the strong motivation required to keep development projects on track, there is a need for stellar project management, in order to avoid bottlenecks and delays. Using agile and scrum methodologies when working in teams, or even individually, is paramount to completing projects on time and within budget, but those resources aren’t always available to in-house teams.

Mobile app builders to the rescue

The process of app development can be overwhelming but it needn’t be and you don’t need to do it all alone or in-house. Maintaining a top-notch full-time development team that conforms to agile or scrum principles can be expensive and isn’t always the most cost-effective solution, even for large enterprises, which can afford it. Small and mid-sized businesses are rarely at an advantage, trying to tackle complex app projects on their own.

App-building experts like PegusApps employ specialised developers, whose primary job is to stay up-to-date on the latest tools and trends in app development, with the goal of building top-notch client solutions, using the most recent technology.

Get in touch with us for a consultation regarding outsourcing your app-building or app-maintenance efforts – it can make a difference in your budget and result in significant time and resource savings.

Copywriter: Ina danova