8 Mobile App Development Myths: Busted

You have most probably encountered many mobile app development myths because of its growth in popularity. However, if you have already decided to start a mobile app development initiative, this article will help you bust all the myths. Most of the time, companies start mobile app development as separate initiatives. However, it is better to include mobile apps as a part of your company growth strategy and treat it holistically. A centralized approach would make your mobile app development more accessible. Especially when you cooperate with mobile app outsourcing companies, you had better not be driven by individual functions or product lines. At the start of your journey, you should have heard at least some of these myths. So let us discuss their gist and set grounds.

Mobile App Development Myth 1. The more features, the better

When sitting down to formulate your app features and extract requirements for the development team, business owners tend to stuff it with the features. Developing a mobile application with too many features will result in an unresponsive and unrealistic app. A huge number of features not only confuses the user but also leads to memory hogs. It is better to consult with a user experience specialist or let your product owner do proper research. Don’t rush, and you will avoid feature stuffing. To avoid any consequences of having too many features, brainstorm first. Jot down all the features that come to your mind. Then, you can work with a savvy product owner who will prioritize the features based on your target audience’s needs.

Mobile App Development Myth 2. Porting shouldn't be hard

Porting is not hard to perform by a professional team, but it is a long process to follow. Well, nobody expects to have an app with a click of a button. So it is not as simple as pressing a button to ‘make an iOS app work on Android.’

To replicate the same app on a different platform needs an initial boost. Mobile app development languages and libraries are not interchangeable. You should adapt the app feature to the platforms accordingly. Moreover, some design principles vary platform-wise.

Therefore, especially when developing native mobile apps, it is crucial to consider how a specific feature will convert on the device. When developing native mobile apps, you need to consider all the ‘‘native’’ features available for Android and iOS.

Porting or converting an appealing and functional app to another platform should be given enough time and consideration. In case you are going to outsource your project to a mobile app development company, provide them with time to make adjustments and deliver results.

Mobile App Development Myth 3: If it is agile development, I can request changes at any stage

If you have read this and tried to practice, please reconsider your attitude. Agile development is an adaptive process; however, it also has its limitations. Many stakeholders try to change an approved list of features or requirements. It is good to discuss all management nuances with your team before starting the app development.

Believe me, changing on the go is not favorable firstly for your own good. Incorporating a new feature halfway through development will interfere with the architecture and other features. It is a matter of communication and prioritization, and you should do your best to keep your project manager informed about your priorities.

Often, a small change may cause many problems if you add some features along with the development process. For example, if your development team is working in sprints, the project manager may accept alterations in requirements only once the sprint is over. And in case you need a change in the UX flow, that will cause all the rest of the features to alter. Hence, it is more realistic to incorporate the change into the next round of sprints.

Yes, agile stays flexible in all its senses, but it shouldn’t ruin its processes. It will benefit your project if you keep the flow stable. If you have considerable changes in mind, communicate those to your project manager anyways. They will know better whether it is going to interfere with their processes or not. There is also an option to keep the changes for the next release after you have tested out the existing requirements on live.

Mobile App Development Myth 4: Bug-free software exists

If you start treating a piece of software as a living organism, you will get our point. It is next to impossible not to have bugs in any mobile app. Nobody has ever written an entirely bug-free code. Users will point out your bugs, and it is okay. Accept them and start addressing the issues over time. Best practices in software development have set up scales to identify the severity of a bug. You need to deal with the bugs on the go and continue to improve your application.

Mobile App Development Myth 5: I should always start with iOS

It depends. Your product marketing team or the product owner should have researched to find out your priorities. For example, is your app solving a problem that exists only on iOS? Then go for it. Is the problem more painful more for Android users? You got the answer.

Consider the market trends and study your target audience from all angles. But, of course, it strictly depends on your target segment, their age, and mobile preferences. Prioritizing a platform will benefit your budget first but be careful. Always starting with iOS is not a universal truth. Your research may even prompt you to start with Android.

Mobile App Development Myth 6: The app is done after the first release

The time after the first release is critical to gather feedback. Those initial feedback can provide you with ideas for future updates. In addition, you have chances to improve the user-friendliness of the product. So, the development process is done at most, but your team has a lot to do and improve. You can create a roadmap of your product’s growth with time and plan out your activities.

Mobile App Development Myth 7: More developers equal faster results

This statement is a generalization, and in reality, it all depends on the project. For example, allocating more resources to one project may not be significant because of the project specifications. But, on the other hand, more resources will turn out to be a time saver for the second project. So, don’t take this statement as a rule of life. Instead, consider treating each project uniquely.

For example, at Cypress, we discuss all the priorities with the client and the product owner, then analyze our timelines thoroughly. Then, in case any additional resource helps, we opt for it.

Mobile App Development Myth 8 High-quality app is enough

Do we even need to bust this myth? Mobile app product owners and companies usually tend to assume that a high-quality app will find its way to users. But the reality is, if you are hesitant about marketing and promoting your app, it will take you more time to grow organically.

You should never ignore the process of marketing a new app. It is as crucial to success as quality development, and design is. There are a bunch of ways to advertise today that take little to no budget to execute. You just need to do your research and find the most appropriate promotion channel. Then, starting from App store optimization to influencer marketing, pick one and start testing for results. At the end of the day, you have no excuse to launch without a well-crafted marketing strategy at hand.

In Sum:

The myths are busted now, and you can have a more clear vision of the project. Mobile app development is the new normal, and in the mobile-first world, you will need an app for your business sooner or later. Starting up your mobile app development journey, you should approach your projects with realistic expectations and have a great development team. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have a great app idea. We will help you realize it and make a fully functioning mobile app.