No one expected to see that the Apple App Store would be the second biggest app store in the world when it launched in 2008 with just 500 apps. SInce then the app store has seen 130 billion iOS app downloads and you’ll be surprised to know that it has seen 30 billion downloads in the last year alone.
Yet it can’t be said that all apps available on the app store are successful. As per data since 2019 uninstall rates have increased by 70%. It shows that retention of an average user has been dropping and if you want to make an app truly successful it needs to be exceptional in terms of experience and features. Here are some best practices that you can consider during iOS mobile app development.
01. Identify the right audience
Once you decide to develop an app the next step is to figure out who your target audience will be. In case you are developing an app for your business you already know your audience.
Knowing who your target audience is will help you decide what kind of features your app needs to have. If you know exactly what your users are looking for then you can put focus on features that are necessary and other features go into the backburner. You can either use the existing user data and focus on single groups or use platforms like Statista and Google Adwords to gain an insight into what users are looking for.
You can also take a look at the competitors in your industry to see what users they are targeting and understand how their products are doing in the market. Multiple numbers of surveys can also come in handy to hear what the users are looking for in an app.
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02. Choose an engineering team
Once you develop an app it’s maintenance is also necessary, users will also provide feedback and as per that you’ll have to make changes. Also as the app grows you’ll need to add new features regularly.
Therefore you should consider making an in-house engineering team or you can hire a remote app development team. The latter will save your resources and also give you an opportunity to reach the market faster. In projects that are less significant, you can completely hand them off to mobile development teams. This also helps you keep the costs down.
03. Decide on the software development approach
Once you’ve decided that you want to develop an app for iOS devices then you need to decide whether you want to develop native or cross-platform mobile development. While cross-platform app development may sound a better choice but when using platforms like Xamarin in developing consumer-facing apps they often prove to be inefficient. Moreover, the use of heavy UI or custom features slows down the app’s user experience.
Even if you manage to develop the logic of the app and compromise on performance or UX you won’t benefit significantly from cross-platform app development. You can choose this option when you are working with introductory apps that don’t have any custom features. Long story short: Choose native app development approach.
04. Objective-C vs Swift
The Swift language was first introduced in 2014 by Apple, and the app has received a major update recently in the form of Swift 3. But the language has caused a lot of controversies even among its die-hard fans. While the new update has offered a lot of neat features to engineers yet most of them feel that if you are working on a complex project you should go with Objective-C or at least mix it with Swift for mobile app development. As per a report, only 11% of the top 100 apps in the App store use Swift, while others rely on Objective-C. Nope, don’t take our word for it. Go by what the reports suggest.
05. Decide on iOS version support
As soon as Apple releases a new variant of iOS the older one becomes obsolete. As per a report, the adoption rate for the latest iOS 14 has crossed 90%. The number is great considering that the OS was released only in September last year. The report also mentions that only 5.07% of the users are still on iOS 13.
It is nice to have apps with backward compatibility but it is more essential to focus on the current version so you’re not left behind once the new version is released.
06. Price your app right
Your market research should provide you with an idea of how much your competitors are charging for their apps. Once you have this idea, price your app more affordably than them and you can later increase the price as it gains some popularity.
Today the price of apps are of less significance than their value, this is why many of the top apps on app stores are free for use. This way you more people use your app and you earn a loyal fanbase of users. Whether your app is a food delivery app or a taxi service app you can always generate the revenue needed using advertisements or premium membership subscriptions.
07. Focus on security
Apple claims to have designed the app store with security at its core but it is not 100% possible to protect against any kind of data theft or corruption. It is particularly crucial for apps related to fintech, health care, or enterprise application. To ensure that developers create secure apps Apple has also provided an official Secure Coding Guide. You can include some of the popular security practices like custom encryption, data protection with HTTPS, and SSL certification.
08. Keep adding new features to the app
Hundreds of apps are published on the app store every day so it is hard to keep users coming back to your app only. Therefore always try and add new features to your app so the user base is engaged with your app.
Even if you don’t have any new features to add you can always update its design as per the latest industry trend. One of the common ways to improve your app is to take user feedback seriously and work upon it immediately so the users keep coming back for more.
Conclusion
In conclusion there is always a little room left for improvement, if you pay attention you might find a couple of more elements to work on. Always keep an eye on factors that can help you save resources, time and effort in the long run.
In case you are looking for the best iOS app development company visit platforms like GoodFirms. You can find testimony of clients working with the company and the platform has a Q&A section where you can find answers if you have any queries.
Author Bio: I am Greg Wilson, a Content Writer working with GoodFirms, a research and review platform for service and software companies. I am passionate about blogging, creative writing, social media, and content marketing. I write blog posts for GoodFirms about eCommerce softwares, Cloud computing, IoT development, and many more such categories.
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