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How to create an app in 2022

Written by Marie Pireddu on Wednesday 1 June 2022

This 7−step guide will help you to create a mobile app for
Android, iOS or a PWA from scratch, in a very simple and
intuitive way.

To create a mobile app, you need an original project, expertise, time and
above all, good reasons. We have found at least 5 reasons that can motivate
you to create an app:

Improve brand visibility and reputation

O"er specific "ad-hoc" features to your customers
Generate interactions tailored to your business needs
Take advantage of the ubiquity of mobile phones
Improve speed and quality of interactions for your users

Whether you want to create an app to complement your website, reach a

new audience for your business or just think you have a great idea for a new
app, in this article we will explore each step to make a phone app from
scratch, throughout the app building process: from your app idea, through
the stores publishing to the maintenance of your app, you will get an easy
guide for beginners who want know how to start an app for the first time.

How to create an app for mobile devices

Best step-by-step tips to create your own app:

1. Get your app idea on paper

2. Build a Native app or a PWA, based on your needs

3. Make your app using the right method for your business

4. Create an app with an app builder (no-code option)

5. Test your app on iOS and Android devices

6. Submit and Publish your app on the stores

7. Improve and update your app continuously

Start an app

1. Get your app idea on paper

According to Statista in 2020, 218 Billion mobile apps were downloaded,

and this number is set to reach 258 billion by 2022. There is clearly a high
demand for mobile apps, which makes this market very competitive. So
then, the app idea, the concept behind your app, becomes crucial when
you decide to create an app for your business.

The first stage of your app building is to understand what your app is
aiming to deliver:
Set the goals for your app: research the market and define your
concept. To do that, it would be helpful to answer these questions:
What is your target audience? Your app should be specifically
designed to add value to your target audience
Which features are most desirable and will help you keep your
users engaged.
Find out if other mobile apps on the market are performing the
same business /concept
Check out your competitors, their review, get inspiration for your
design
Will you monetize your app?
Plan your App Design: create a mockup. App design plays a vital role in
creating an engaging experience for your users. Researches on
websites reading habits and interactions have shown that it takes as
little as 500 milliseconds for a user to decide whether to stay on your
screen or leave. Once that user decides to stay on screen, it takes
about 5 to 10 seconds to decide if he will keep to read the full content.
Main factors that determine this decision are Visual Complexity and
prototypicality : the complexity of the visual design and the
representativeness of a design for a given category of websites. In
other words, if you want to be successful with your app design and
deliver a great user experience for your app, you need to keep your app
design as simple and clear as possible, not overloaded, fluid.
At the same time, you would avoid unusual / uncommon layouts and
opt for a familiar look and feel typical of a given type of mobile apps.
App Design combine both UI (graphic elements such as icons, colors,
background, fonts, logos, illustrations) and UX (navigation, speed
loading, functionalities, number of clicks, responsiveness, waiting and
response times and any interaction options) in order to o"er the best
mobile user experience in all condition and situation.
Sketching wireframes of your app allows you to focus on the essential
parts of your interface, before starting to work with design elements
and styles. Starting from the MVP (Minimum Viable Product), it will make
much easier to identify where to place the key components of the app
and to make them accessible to the user. Using wireframes also allows
you to make changes to the interface sketch a lot faster than if you
were working with a final mockup.
User Interface design (UI): the look and feel of an app plays a crucial
role in the success of an app. Mobile UI is a set of touchscreen
graphical elements that determine how users would interact with your
app. Some of them are navigation menus, icons, shortcuts, but also
feedback features (sounds, lights, texts), colors and fonts. The user
interface should be as simple as possible and remain consistent
throughout the app.
User Experience (UX): this is the point of view of your users. User
Experience is the quality and richness of the user journey overall. This
involves the quality of the user interface as well as other elements, such
as loading time, depth of app structure, content length, duration of
journeys to reach a goal or find content given. It will impact how they
see your brand. Also remember your users are browsing your app on a
small screen (According to Apple’s recommendation, about 44 pixels
square is an appropriate size for a touch.)
3−click rule : to create a successful app, you should design it in such a
way it would require less e"orts to its users in order to understand and
enjoy the app. Conversely, a mobile app that is di#cult for users to
handle reduces their interactions and engagement. Be guided by the
3−click rule (suggests that users should be able to find any information
on a website using no more than three mouse clicks). Don't strictly
follow that rule, just keep the idea of how to design app's navigation.

2. Build a Native app or a PWA, based on your needs

When it comes to mobile app development, there are several approaches

that all have their pros and cons, benefits and constraints.
However, it is worth mentioning the 2 main app development approaches
for our purposes: Native and PWA.

Native app:
A native mobile app is a software application developed to run on
a specific type of device and operating system. Because it was
designed to run on a given platform, a native app has the ability to
use that device's hardware and software resources. Native apps
allow for better performance
There are mainly two types of mobile operating systems: Apple's
iOS and Google's Android.
Native technologies have always been at the forefront of mobile
development. This is due to the fact that this method o"ers
reliable and high performance products that can access a wide
variety of native APIs and features available on smartphones or
tablets. To make an app with native coding means that you will be
creating independent outputs for each specific operating
system, which will help deliver a refined interface for di"erent
devices.
In 10 years Apple's App Store catalogue has grown from 500 to
nearly 2 million apps available today. Another 2.4 million are
distributed through Google Play Store: mobile applications are
now part of our daily lives.
Native apps account for over 80% of all mobile tra#c
Progressive Web App:
A Progressive Web App (PWA) is an app that uses web features to
give users a very similar experience to a native app. Unlike native
apps, PWAs are a hybrid of regular web pages and mobile apps.
The term "progressive" refers to the fact that they introduce new
features and are initially perceived as traditional websites by
users but, progressively, behave more and more like cross-
platform mobile apps
PWA is the perfect combination of web and native technologies.
While they have the look and feel of a native app ( for example
they can be installed on the Home Screen of the user’s device ),
you don’t need to go through the Stores publication process.
PWA doesn’t require download and adapt to mobile, tablets, and
desktop.
Benefit from SEO and are indexed on search engines
Thanks to Service Workers PWAs also works o%ine
67% of web tra#c comes from mobile, PWA ensures a mobile
presence adapted to all devices.

Here are some factors to consider when choosing your technology:

A PWA get 3× times more visitors than a native app, but the availability
of features depends on the browser they’re being used in .

Native apps give full access to geolocation features (such as geofence

and beacon technology), but publishing process implies significant
extra costs and third party compliance.

3. Make your app using the right method for your business

Once you have chosen which type of app best suits your business needs, it is
time to choose how to create your own app.

Mobile app development is the process of developing software suitable to

run on mobile devices, as smartphones or tablets.
Although it allows to design a perfect match between your app idea and
device capabilities, app development requires lots of skills and expertise,
and is highly time consuming. Furthermore, usually it's a quite
expensive service .
On the other hand, an App Builder provides a cost-e"ective option to
make an app without coding.
Further down, we'll explore both solutions and give some tips for choosing
the one that best suits your needs to build an app.

You have 3 main app development methods:

Develop your own app yourself

If you are looking for how to make an app for free, then developing an
app by yourself is definitely the way to go. This first option requires
significant time and skills. Natives mobile applications are specific to
each Operating System (OS), therefore, skills in several programming
languages are required: Objective-C and Swift for iOS apps; Java or
Kotlin for Android apps.
However, if you have required skills, this option will let you achieve the
app you need without any limits. Otherwise, you should start by
learning how to code for apps. A viable option is to use a coding
app which will help you to learn fundamental concepts and gain
confidence in your coding skills.

Hire an Agency or a freelance developer

Development agencies and freelance developers are not lacking on

the web and it should be easy to find one. The determining factor here
will be the cost of such a service.

Indeed, hiring someone to develop your app is by far the most

expensive option. However, if you have the resources, it is a good way
to get the app you have in mind without having to compromise.

Use an App Builder

Similar in concept to websites builders such as WordPress (a Content

Management System allowing you to edit and alter the appearance of
your website without any coding), an app builder is a No-code
development platform, a software tool that allows users to create
a mobile app without coding and distribute it through di"erent App
Stores.
Most app makers provide a visual drag and drop editor in their UI
allowing users to preview their app as they build it, in real time.
This is the ideal option to save time and money while achieving a quality
app.

However, keep in mind that not all projects are suitable for an app
builder and that if you have specific and complex needs, you will have
to go through a customized solution.

4. Create an app with an app builder (No-code option)

Now that all the tough decisions have been made, it's time to get down to
business.

Obviously, the app building process will vary depending on the method you
have chosen to develop your app. For our purposes, we will assume that you
have chosen to opt for a no-code development platform, in
particular GoodBarber.

With more than 10 years experience in building apps with the latest
technologies, GoodBarber app maker gives you the ability to create a
cross-platform app that will work on both iOS and Android devices as well as
a Progressive Web App, all from a single interface.

Design: There’s a lot to decide on this step, the app’s global color
theme , the style of the header, its navigation mode, the icon that will
represent it in the stores and on users home screens, splash screen,
features icons etc.
When selecting your design templates and designing these elements,
it’s always a good idea to keep the look somewhat aligned with any
existing design your brand already has that identifies it, such as logos,
colors, fonts, icons etc.

Your Home page will be the most visited page and the first impression
your users will have of your app. Spend time designing it. It should
showcase your most important features, provide a fluid navigation
towards the di"erent sections of our app thanks to the widgets
o"ered by GoodBarber. Our Preview feature allows you to see
immediately the look and feel of your app.

Content: Time to add everything and anything you want to convey

about your business/project. In some cases, you’ll just enter this
content directly into your app’s backend manually, in other cases you
may already have your content available somewhere and you’ll just
need to integrate that external source to pull it in (such as an RSS feed, a
live stream, or a social media account).
The structure of a GoodBarber app is quite easy to understand. It
consists of sections, each of them having a dedicated purpose:
articles, videos, photos, events, podcasts, maps, forms etc.
Our developers recommend to keep a very simple structure allowing
an easy navigation and optimization of the user experience.

Add-ons: in addition to the classic sections, GoodBarber o"ers a

catalog of Add-ons to add value to your app according to your needs
and businesses.
For example, you’re creating an app for your shopping business: the
Loyalty Card and Couponing Add-ons will let you to keep your clients
engaged and rewards them for their loyalty. With push notifications,
you can communicate regarding new products, upcoming events etc..
If your app is needed to support a local association or it serves for
internal communication between employees of your company, then
the Chat and Community Add-ons will help you inspire a sense of
belonging and allow easy communication between your users.

Custom plugins: when needed, explore the customization options

o"ered by our platform and add the required features or design
options that were not available by default. Personalization is the most
e"ective way to make your app stand out from others of the same
type.

API Access: what is an API? An API or Application Program Interfaces is

a software intermediary, like a bridge, that allows for the transfer of
information from a software to another. Activating the API Access
Add-On or Public API for eCommerce apps you will gain some
advanced functionalities that allow you to recover hidden settings as
well as personalize your app even more.

5. Test your app on iOS and Android devices

After assembling all the pieces of the app creation process (concept,
design, and technology), you’ll reach a version that is nearly ready to be
released. But before sharing your new app with the world, carry out a
series of tests to check if everything is running as you've planned. You’ll
need to test all versions of the app that you’re planning to publish
(native iOS, native Android, PWA, etc.), using di"erent OS and di"erent
browsers as well. Be sure to recruit a couple of beta-testers as well—a
fresh perspective will bring elements or points to your attention you
may have overlooked or may have a biased view on.
Overall app speed
No crashes when performing any action
Performance in poor connectivity
All functionality/interaction responds to the task it’s supposed to
accomplish
Design is visually pleasing and correctly adapted to all screens
Navigation is intuitive and e#cient
No aspects of the app are “hidden”
App name/store description is self explanatory
Oftentimes, an app maker such as GoodBarber provides a test app
you can use to run preliminary checks on your app. The most optimal
way to test your app, however, is through its AdHoc version, which is the
actual file of the app that will be submitted to the stores that you can
download onto and run on your device—it’s the exact replica of what
your users will see and every aspect of the app can be tested using this
method

For native iOS apps, there is a specific tool provided by Apple:

TestFlight. It allowstesting your app before it goes online on the App
Store. This alternative is particularly interesting if My GoodBarber
solutions or the Ad Hoc version do not meet your needs for previews.

6. Submit and Publish your app on the stores

Once your app is ready, it is time to think about publishing it. It’s a good idea
to publish your app on as many platforms as possible as it will allow you to
reach as many users as possible.

Publishing an app can be a complex and slightly overwhelming process,

starting with registering as a developer:

Developers' accounts (mandatory step for both platforms). For Apple

devices you will be subscribing to the Developer Program for the App
Store , costing $99 per membership year. Keep in mind that Apple
requires the owner of the content in the app to match the owner of the
developer account, so if you publish multiple iOS apps for di"erent
projects, each will need to have its own individual developer account.
Becoming a Google Play Developer costs $25 (one-time fee), and you
must also own a Gmail account.

Apple's App Store: The process of submitting an app to the App Store
is slightly complex and requires throughout preparation. Apple has set
high standards and strict guidelines in order to maintain the App Store a
safe ecosystem o"ering its users only high-quality apps.
App Store Review: Apple reviews each app before approving
them for release. Before you submit your app for review, you will
need to provide a collection of information (Icon,
app preview/ screenshots) and metadata (the name of your app,
its category, a detailed description, and additional keywords for
ASO). Don’t underrate the importance of the metadata, especially
the app description.
App Store publication: the review process can take a few days,
Apple will notify you by email when your app is public. In case of
rejection, you will be able to contact the Resolution Center for
more info and try to fix the issues.
GoodBarber has put in place a review to guide you through the
submission process. Our team will carry out a detailed
examination of your app to ensure that it is compliant with the App
Store Guideline. If your app doesn’t meet those requirements, we
will provide you with advice to help you improve your app and
publish it successfully.
Google Play Store: Android o"ers di"erent choices to distribute
mobile applications, however with over 1 billion active users, Google
remains the first platform for Android apps. So, it's definitely a good
idea to submit an Android app to Google Paly Store .
Store listing and mandatory info: after creating your app on
your Google Play Console you will need to register the
information that will be displayed on Google Play. It includes
mandatory information such as title, short description, full
description, graphic assets (pictures, app screenshots),
category, contact details, privacy policy. Choose carefully the
keywords that you will use: the optimization of your app ranking in
the Store depends on it.
APK file and releasing app: once the Store listing completed, it’s
time to upload your apk.file. The Android Package Kit contains all
the elements of your app. Then follow the guide on the Google
Console to deploy and publish your app.
If your app is approved it will be released within a few hours, even
though Google announced recently that they will be taking more
time to review apps submitted by developers who haven’t
published in Google previously. Remember to follow the
established rules because Google may withdraw your app at any
time thereafter if this is not the case.
Progressive Web App:
Luckily, publishing a Progressive Web App is a lot simpler. All you
need to do is take care of the hosting of the app on a web server
and link a web domain to it. With this process being so quick and
easy, you have more time to spend on optimizing your SEO to
ensure your product is easily discovered by the public.
Hosting is included with your GoodBarber subscription. However,
we highly recommend to purchase and setup your own domain
name: this will allow your businesses to build a stronger brand's
footprint, avoiding confusion with the GoodBarber's
hosting domain name.

Don’t launch all features at once, it’s good to hold back. It gives you
room to further develop your app and launch an updated version later
on.

With the GoodBarber Takes Care service, you let our experts do all the
work for you. They will take care of the publication process of your
single app on Google Play and the App Store, so you can focus your
Marketing Strategy.

Build an app

7. Improve and update your app continuously

Keep an eye on feedbacks and your app KPIs using the analytics tools
provided by Google Play and the App Store. Analytics are also available
in your GoodBarber back o#ce.

Another duty that every app owner should do regularly is to always

release new content and features. Whether releasing new content or
upgrading existing features, it's the most e"ective way to keep users
engaged and avoid deleting low-use apps. Make sure your users are
aware about new releases by including them in your marketing
strategy: you can alert them via push notifications or showcase these
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