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Do you wish to advance your mobile application? By implementing a well-planned mobile app redesign, you may improve user experience (UX) and increase engagement. 

Users expect mobile apps to have a high degree of functionality and usability because they have become a crucial part of our everyday lives. An app’s poor design can cause annoyance, unfavorable ratings, and ultimately user churn. A well-made app, on the other hand, can improve the user experience and foster loyalty. 

We’ll lead you through the process of a successful mobile app redesign in this tutorial. We tried to cover as many topics as possible, including user research, analysis, and testing, as well as design implementation. You can design a mobile app that is visually appealing, user-friendly and caters to the demands of your target market using the insights and techniques you learn in this guide. This can boost user interaction, boost retention rates, and eventually result in commercial success.

What’s an App Redesign?

Redesigning a mobile application involves making it look and feel better in order to make it more appealing and user-friendly. In other words, it entails assessing the app’s present design and determining areas that should be improved in light of user feedback. A redesigned software should offer a simple and intuitive user interface to entice repeat usage. To increase the performance, engagement, and retention of their software, product managers frequently start a makeover.

The redesign process might result in more functionality and a user-friendly design by bringing new ideas to the table based on user behavior analysis and unbiased feedback. Two equally significant steps are involved in the process of redesigning an app: 

• UI design 

User interface (UI) design is mostly concerned with the app’s visual elements. Layout, typography, color scheme, and other visual components fall under this category. The aim of a UI designer is to produce an interface that is aesthetically pleasing, user-friendly, and intuitive. 

• UX design 

When we talk about an app’s total user experience (UX), we mean it. In order to satisfy user needs, a UX designer attempts to create an intuitive, simple-to-use interface. To do this, UX designers carry out user research to comprehend the wants and objectives of the user. They build wireframes and prototypes to test and iterate on their design concepts after analyzing user behavior to determine how the app is utilized.

Benefits of Redesigning Your App

The process of redesigning an app is time-consuming and expensive. It will, however, earn back its cost and effort. Following an application redesign, product owners may benefit from the following:

• Creating a knowledgeable impression. Trend-following products appear to be enjoyable to use on a regular basis, which makes users admire the designers who created them;
• Becoming more visible on the market. Mobile apps that are updated regularly form a very compatible offer;
• Receiving higher conversion rates. Redesign affects not just the rates, but also other user experience (UX) changes, such as recommending the app to a broader audience, natural promotion, and loyalty;
• Increasing brand recognition. A mobile app’s brand awareness can help set it apart from competing products in stores and establish its credibility with users;
• Boosting the likelihood of additional investments. Your product makes a statement for you in front of investors. The regular release of new features and upgrades by a program is a strong argument;
• Becoming proud of your product. Any app makeover starts with swapping out old patterns and concepts for fresh ones. The software, which was released in a manner consistent with the newest design trends, will undoubtedly make you feel proud of the higher quality of services you now provide. And let’s not remember that a feeling of belonging to a bigger mission is what drives motivation.

6 Reasons for an App Redesign (With Solutions)

For a product to succeed, its functionality, intuitiveness, and stability are unquestionably crucial. However, when a user launches your app, the first thing they notice is how the design. The major part of first impressions is influenced by design. And in many circumstances, poor design can easily push a user away from your product. Now that you are aware of the design’s potential, let’s discuss some scenarios in which you might want to think about rebuilding your application:

Outdated Aesthetics

Modernization is a normal stage in the development of any brand because it enables a business to perform at a higher standard. In the context of rapidly evolving trends and user preferences, upgrades are unavoidable. Even the most effective UI will eventually seem old-fashioned despite originally appearing elegant and cutting-edge.

You don’t have to create an interface from scratch or adhere to every new UX/UI design trend, but it makes sense to update the product from time to time to keep up with the market standards. Apply modern design components and color schemes so that the app is both aesthetically pleasing and simple to use.

Negative Customer Reviews

What problems do users of your mobile app bring up? You need to update the design of your apps if you have low app ratings, poor customer evaluations, or reviews from clients who have issues. Even negative feedback brings about benefits. Having any user comments and real-life experience makes it simpler to identify the parts of your app needing fixing and improvement. 

Find the parts of the software that are frustrating consumers, such as the cluttered UI or the confusing navigation. To make it more logical and user-friendly, streamline the design and user experience. To fully understand the “why“ behind how users interact with your app, use session replays and analytic tools. They will help you obtain insights into unique user behavior patterns and identify chances for UX enhancement with the use of touch heatmaps, funnel analytics, crash logs, and event analytics.

Complex Interface

Applications frequently grow overly complex with time, especially when new features are added and the interface gets cluttered. It is particularly relatable for SaaS apps because they are often highly sophisticated and fulfill many different roles.

When Uber added new service options, it seemed that the screen was too small to show all the options at once, leading users to select the incorrect item. The answer to this problem was to ask them where they were going in the first place (include a “Where to?“ area) and only after that to display the price, the route, and other pop-ups. 

Rebranding

Sometimes, it makes no sense to hang onto an outdated perception because the design may not be the only thing that has to be updated; a new look and an effective marketing strategy might give a brand-new vitality. It piques the curiosity of current clients and aids in attracting new ones.

Despite being a popular platform, Airbnb’s brand over time didn’t align with its new product goal. In order for consumers to grasp its essential beliefs and guiding principles, Airbnb chose to develop its distinct brand identity in 2014. They updated the typeface, the logo and even added a new color they named Rausch during the overhaul. As a result, they positioned their product as being clear, approachable, and engaging to their customers with the help of design.

Platform Updates

Keeping your app updated is crucial as mobile platforms and technology develop. A redesign will help ensure that your app is compatible with the newest gadgets and cutting-edge frameworks for developing mobile apps. The solution will be to keep up with the most recent developments in mobile technology and make sure the app is optimized for these platforms. Enhance compatibility and app performance, this may entail altering the design or user experience.

Your Conversion Rate Is Not What It Could Be

Do you follow your drop-off rate? Visitors can easily become irritated by a poor UX design. Whether a visitor becomes a devoted customer depends on the experience they have with the app. The majority of people link poor design to poor service. The halo effect refers to this phenomenon. New trends in user experience develop over time, making even the most fashionable designs appear old. 

When the Redesign Is Not a Solution

Redesigning your application’s UI/UX might be useful if you, as the product owner, know what issues you want to address and what user behavior you want to modify. If you’d like to simply “add amazing animations to make it pop“ and “make the application cool“ rather than turning it into a work of art or transform the design into something truly exceptional, it is preferable to take extra time to investigate and consider exactly what you want to accomplish.

Don’t redesign merely for the sake of redesigning. It is unquestionably not worthwhile to change the appearance and feel of a program if it does not provide the end user with anything novel or beneficial. The redesign is also not a solution if:

• the cost of redesigning your app is higher than the revenue generated from that investment;
• most of the functionality will be changed in the near future anyway;
• there is no configured analytics for key metrics (adjust and collect indicators for 2-3 months and only then proceed to redesign in case there is a need).

And finally, redesign is not a designer’s job, despite how strange that statement may sound. Instead, it is far from just their job. A comprehensive team of experts, including a designer, marketer, business analyst, etc., is needed to rebuild an application or create an interface from scratch completely. Changing some parts of the app’s aesthetics or color design alone probably won’t help you for this reason.

Top 3 Factors to Consider Before Redesigning Your App

It’s important to remember that designing a mobile app for your company has the potential to revolutionize the way you do business completely. A well-executed redesign can raise engagement, enhance user experience, and even generate revenue. 

Prior to starting a mobile app redesign, it’s crucial to examine user behavior and feedback, identify problem areas and opportunities for growth, and develop a comprehensive plan that takes these issues into account. Here are some considerations to make:

• What objectives does the redesign have? Do you want to update the app’s appearance and feel, boost revenue, or improve user engagement?
• Who are your intended customers? What are their wants, actions, and objectives? Are there any issues with the present app that need to be fixed?
• What are the existing app’s advantages and disadvantages? What functions well, and what requires development? What kind of user feedback have you received?

Following our discussion of some important factors, let’s delve further into the main approaches you may choose to conduct redesign. 

Revolutionary vs. Evolutionary Redesign

Regardless of the choice of strategy, you need to address user behavior. Apps can be redesigned using either comprehensive changes or incremental interface improvements. Each of these strategies shows its efficacy in various scenarios:

• A revolutionary redesign involves rewriting an application from scratch. This strategy is frequently applied when an application’s original design is out-of-date or does not adequately address user needs;
• Evolutionary redesign involves a number of little adjustments that improve the usability of the program. Instead of creating a whole new interface, it involves making minor changes to an existing one. With this strategy, you can gradually roll out incremental updates without overwhelming people.

Your redesign goals will determine which of these two solutions you choose. The greatest alternative for you may be revolutionary if you’re seeking for a new beginning and want to develop something completely original for your audience. However, evolution may be more successful if you wish to keep things the same while still making improvements along the way.

The 4-Component Process for a Successful App Redesign

When we engage in this kind of cooperation, the redesign process is essentially split into the UX audit and the redesign process itself. Between them is the data analysis that interlinks two parts. Each of those stages is then broken down into smaller levels. They are depicted in the diagram above. After that, go testing and iterating changes logical before launching any kind of app update.

The first and perhaps most crucial pre-stage for you as a product owner would be to establish the purpose for a redesign, even though we just indicated that there are two key steps in the redesign process when improving the UI/UX of the application.

Set the objective. We’ve already spoken about one scenario in which you could want to make changes to the product. However, keep in mind the following elements in order to define the purpose correctly: 

• Do you have any definite knowledge of UI or UX issues to be fixed? Remember that “I don’t like the look of my product“ is not a sufficient response. 
• Have you looked at the attrition rate? You may better understand the moment of truth in CJMs — crucial moments when users either become frustrated and quit interacting with your application or choose your brand — by creating a user journey map.
• Are you aware of what consumers think of your product? Keep an eye on the reviews that users leave for it, solicit feedback, and speak with your users.

Always gather proof to back up each of your decisions throughout this phase. Once you’ve established the objective, keep it in mind and proceed to further auditing.

Step 1: UX Audit

Any application’s primary goal is to address a concern of its intended user base. An app must be functional, with a consistent and intuitive layout and appealing design, in order to rapidly and efficiently achieve this goal. Gather all the data you need to uncover the flaws in your current design by conducting a UX audit.

In plain English, a UX audit helps us to:

• Determine UX issues based on human factors principles, comprehend how users interact with various product aspects, and determine which features of rival goods they find most beneficial;
• Identify the target audience’s preferences, needs, and behavior patterns;
• Set the essential needs that your target market has for your product;
• Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of your product and gather suggestions for enhancing the design.

The audit’s findings are typically delivered in the form of a report that includes a thorough explanation of the issues within the app. It could be a customer journey map, an empathy map, or report visualizing approaches/methods that suit best the type of audit or query context, as well as results that need to be visualized to serve the base for further discussions. A pre-made manual for enhancing the user experience is the UX audit following, which requires the next steps:

Carry out market analysis 

Market research is the first step in any app design process, including comprehensive makeovers. Your mobile app needs to offer a unique value since you are undoubtedly aiming for the top places of the store charts. Market research helps in focusing and discovering what products or services rivals are offering and how to outperform them.

Heuristic analysis

Ignoring the current interface is quite a big mistake. Instead, analyze the present app design while paying close attention to the user experience. A heuristic analysis is used to pinpoint a product’s typical usability problems so that they may be fixed, hence enhancing user pleasure and experience and enhancing the likelihood of a digital product’s overall success.

In a broad sense, heuristic analysis, which focuses on usability, is an evaluation technique where one or more specialists assess a digital product’s design against a set of predetermined design principles (often referred to as heuristics) and pinpoint any instances in which the product deviates from those principles. Check out our Instagram to see how we conducted the heuristic design analysis of the Sahseh app.

Analyze consumer comments  

Evaluation of user feedback is the third foundational element of app redesign research. This involves compiling reviews across social media, the App Store, and Google Play. Additionally, business owners frequently conduct customer surveys.

Determining design concepts

Practically nothing has changed with the strategy. Wireframing. Prototyping. Make sure the redesign concept accurately captures the new identity if your organization undergoes rebranding.

Step 2: Data Gathering and Analysis

Businesses naturally involve data analysts in redesigning to understand consumer behavior better and produce user-friendly and effective digital experiences. 

Let’s dispel a frequent misunderstanding before we examine how data analysts and UX/UI designers collaborate: data analysts can play a role at the beginning of a product life cycle. You may be wondering how a data analyst may be beneficial before there is a product for which to collect data, but data analysts are also charged with making sure that organizations are in accordance with the legislation regarding the collection of data. 

Creating a user experience that is both legal and data-rich can benefit from the assistance of data analysts. They can also be beneficial by providing information gleaned from comparable goods or experiences. In the end, every position on a development team can be helpful at any stage of the product life cycle.

User Research

To produce something that users would love, designers must first comprehend precisely what people want from their products. Data analysts can close the user-designer gap by researching what features users value and why. It’s crucial that designers understand what users like, dislike, and wish they could have.

Product Design

With knowledge of the users’ priorities, designers can develop, iterate, and enhance products while giving priority to the most pressing problems already in existence. Designers can build user-centric designs that are optimized for usability, engagement, and general satisfaction by using a data-driven approach.

Usability Testing

This process, which takes place after a product or feature is delivered, is comparable to user research. The main goal of usability testing is to gather information on user interactions and behaviors so that it is possible to evaluate a design’s effectiveness and efficiency. Usability testing is one of the numerous methods that designers employ, similar to the scientific approach, to be able to adapt products to satisfy the unique needs of their consumers. 

Step 3: Redesign Itself

After successfully passing all the previous stages, you may proceed to the redesign process itself to organize all the insights into the efficient design solution. Typography, colors, icons, illustrations, element style, and the relationships between them are all included in this. In other cases, it could also include completely redesigning entire screens or even sections of the product, which might mean removing some elements, renaming, or rewriting entire pages, among other things.

Visualizations for all product screens

When redesigning a product, a designer will:

• Build a dynamic prototype of the application to thoroughly assess the appearance of the application and the logic of interaction between elements;
• Test the prototype to find flaws and areas for improvement before the application is finally sent to developers;
• Create a wireframe that presents all the most crucial interface elements and describes how they should interact with one another.

UI Kit

A UI Kit is a collection of all the UI elements that make up the user interface of your product. UI Kit implementation helps to visualize the user’s interaction with the interface.

The use of UI Kits can streamline, unify, and integrate large projects. It is the primary design document of the project, utilized by designers and developers at every step of work on a project, and it enables you to rapidly and effectively produce each subsequent app component based on the sample of the preceding ones.

Step 4: Final Testing and Iterating Changes

The final stage is to extensively test the app before making it available to the public once you’ve made the necessary alterations in light of the findings of the usability testing. Product owners distribute the software to a few users in order to get feedback and spot any problems that still need to be fixed.

It’s crucial to include software developers in this phase’s testing and launch procedures. They can collaborate with the design team to make sure the app is created in accordance with high-fidelity prototypes and satisfies all necessary criteria. This entails performing technical tests to make sure the software is compatible with various hardware and coding frameworks and optimizing it for performance, security, and dependability. 

The effort doesn’t end once the app has launched. Through ongoing testing and user input, it’s critical to keep track of and enhance its performance. Make sure that the software satisfies user needs and offers a satisfying user experience by thoroughly testing and continuously enhancing it. Users may become more engaged and devoted as a result, which will ultimately help the app succeed.

Top Mistakes of App Redesign Process

Here we have created a list of the most important mistakes to avoid during the app redesign process based on our expertise:

No Budget for Development

The ability to more easily adapt design thinking to financial restrictions is made possible by learning the typical expenses associated with creating particular concepts. Budgets shouldn’t be seen as a source of aggravation but rather as a beneficial design restriction.

Slowly, Then Suddenly

Your team needs a lot of time to complete the task successfully. Setting a strict deadline may lead to unneeded pressure and subpar performance. Being realistic and persistent is crucial, even if your website relaunch date is just used for internal planning. Your team needs a lot of time to complete the task successfully. Setting a strict deadline may lead to unneeded pressure and subpar performance.

“I Just Need a Talented Designer“

A collaborative effort creates a remarkable product. Although developers may be the first role that comes to mind, the product team and the finished product can greatly benefit from graphic designers, UX designers, and UX researchers. Important customer insights regarding the intended users can be obtained through UX research. Usability testing is also important to remember. Prototyping and design workshops can enhance team collaboration and foster an agile atmosphere. They are excellent for settling issues as well.

Not Organizing Design Assets Into a Design System

A design system is a set of guidelines for managing design at scale by minimizing duplication and establishing a common visual language and simple style across many pages and channels. Great UX places a strong emphasis on simplicity. Many make the mistaken assumption that people desire all-inclusive, feature-rich apps that can perform any task. However, having too many options can cause indecision. 

Don’t Break What Already Works

Don’t assume that everything needs to be entirely rebuilt right away. Most of the time, you simply need to modify the application’s components that get in the way of reaching the desired results. Users want to feel safe and at ease while navigating, free from the fear of unintentionally performing undesirable actions.

Release for a Limited Audience

An excellent strategy is to personalize the app by limiting the features that are shown to a user to those that are relevant, hence limiting the options. However, don’t assume you know your TA well (that is without assumption basis and subjective experience and expertise, instead define findings/reasons/data to transform them into important actions), conduct research, and you may discover new findings about the people interested in your app you would never guess blindfolded.

Choosing the Wrong Strategy

A strategy’s lack of or improper construction raises questions about the outcome. Laying a foundation is similar to planning. Spend some time creating a detailed plan. An app needs to be designed with your business plan in mind in order to be profitable. Choosing the wrong redesign strategy that does not correlate with the available resources (for instance, revolutionary when you have many features) will make your redesign go wrong from the very beginning.

How Much Does It Cost to Redesign a Mobile App?

In addition to the technology stack you choose, which is one of the most important factors in determining the price of redesigning a mobile app, there are other elements that you must take into account. The numerous variables involved in an app’s complexity, which naturally affect the redesign, involve:

• the complexity of the UI kit (the kit size, the complexity of construction and interactivity of elements, animations);
• the chosen strategy;
• the skill level of the designer;
• the uniqueness of the mobile application (competitor research or best cases).

Another element is the redesign strategy, whether you choose an evolutionary or revolutionary approach. Selecting the composition of your development and design team also matters. Will you be working with an internal team, independent contractors, a consulting firm, a larger team, or a combination of these? A mobile app’s redesign price is influenced by who works on it and how they work, in addition to the app itself. Even the project participants’ locations must be taken into account.

Additionally, when giving you a cost estimate, software development, design, or mobile consulting companies may choose between two methods: time and material or fixed price. You must also take into consideration this option. The time and material method rarely produces a precise cost; instead, it is based on hourly wages and the length of time needed to rebuild your mobile app. On the other hand, a fixed price proposal will provide you with a cost estimate for the entire project based on the specified scope.

Final Tips for Conducting Redesign

The user experience should be fluid, and they shouldn’t have to struggle to figure out how the product functions. Know your target audience before you begin designing a mobile application. Developing lean personas and customer journey maps and doing user research can help you understand the target market when product redesign. The ideal experience can be made for your audience the better you understand them. Now here are more tips:

• Before you start designing, you need to form a true vision and desire for your final product. This will help the designer with the relevant options and accordingly optimize costs;
• Establish clear objectives and KPIs, conduct user research to obtain audience insights, and keep an eye on the market to ensure a seamless and professional redesign;
• Before launching a major overhaul, do some preparation. Consider the budget and timeframes, consult with stakeholders on the plans, and choose someone to bear the brunt of the process management on your behalf;
• Carry out analysis of client reviews, coding, testing, and release. Following the rollout, collect user feedback to determine whether you are heading in the correct direction;
• DON’T hard reset your current design. Many businesses view a makeover as a complete restart. If you intend to radically redesign its appearance, rearrange its structure, or add new screens. You can apply a lot of the lessons you learn from your consumers’ actions and interactions with your current app’s language as you design a new one.

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Devlight, a leading mobile app development company with a remarkable track record, has been recognized as one of the top iOS development companies in 2023 by Techreviewer.co, a globally trusted and influential source for IT company evaluations and reviews. This recognition puts Devlight in the prestigious list of the top 100 companies from around the globe.

The ranking by Techreviewer.co underscores the continuing excellence of Devlight in providing top-tier iOS app development services. The inclusion in the list is testament to Devlight’s focus on cutting-edge technology, innovative solutions, and their unwavering commitment to deliver high-quality applications that enhance the user experience.

Devlight, headquartered in Kiev, Ukraine, with its top-of-the-line expertise and extensive experience, has been delivering the best-in-class iOS applications to clients across various industries, from tech startups to large enterprises. The team’s technical prowess in iOS development, combined with a customer-centric approach, has propelled the company to new heights, securing its place in Techreviewer’s top 100.

Techreviewer.co is a well-established online analytical hub that carries out studies and compiles lists of the top software development companies in various categories, based on market research and analysis. The recognition of Devlight as a top iOS development company not only showcases the company’s significant capabilities in the field, but it also provides a benchmark for potential customers seeking to source the best in the business. “We are thrilled and humbled to be recognized as one of the top iOS development companies in 2023,” said the spokesperson of Devlight. “Our inclusion in this prestigious list reflects our consistent dedication towards quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction. This is a significant milestone for us, but we see it as just the beginning. We are committed to continuing our efforts in delivering superior iOS applications, further solidifying our position in the global IT industry.”

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Mobile eCommerce has reached $3.56 billion in 2022, according to Statista. Chances are you consider entering the eCommerce app development sector. The solution is creating an eCommerce app.

Despite the difficulties affecting the retail industry, we have observed that more and more people are turning to their mobile devices to meet their needs, and apps are becoming important to the buying process. To maintain our competitive edge and brand distinctiveness, business owners should continuously improve the user experience on their apps. This will help them stand out from the competition, stay relevant in the worldwide market, and achieve long-term success.

In this article, we’ll outline several processes for creating an eCommerce app similar to the market giants, discuss e-commerce trends, estimate the cost of developing a mobile-commerce app, and list the features your eCommerce app has to have.

E-Commerce App Development Market Overview 

The worldwide e-commerce market’s size, estimated at USD 9.09 trillion in 2019, is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 14.7% from 2020 to 2027. The global population of smartphone users is growing as internet usage becomes more widespread. Among the many eCommerce possibilities available to the client base that uses the internet more frequently are financial services, e-tailing, travel and leisure, digital content, and travel.

Unsurprisingly, the number of internet shoppers is rapidly increasing. Online shoppers increased from 1.32 billion in 2014 to 1.52 billion in 2016 and 2.14 billion in 2021. This trend will continue as more customers use the internet for shopping. Despite accounting for a sizable portion of retail expenditure (27% in 2021), the mobile commerce app development sphere is expanding more slowly than traditional retail sales (32%).

This mismatch may be caused by the fact that many eCommerce businesses have started investing in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to tailor their content recommendations and suggest comparable products based on historical customer purchasing patterns. As a result, brands that successfully apply AI tactics have higher levels of social media engagement, which helps them draw in new clients and retain existing ones.

Consequently, consumer technical awareness would have a favorable effect on market expansion. In addition, the need for speedier surfing has increased connectivity, which has sped up the development of 4G and 5G technology. So now, let’s talk about other mobile commerce app development trends. 

eCommerce App Development Trends in 2023

New technologies that are introduced into the e-commerce industry have the potential to change the market in less than a year completely. Most e-commerce enterprises regularly follow the digital industry to adopt new solutions on their platforms. This enables companies to remain relevant and offer the finest consumer experiences, enhancing and personalizing them.

Follow (or even get ahead of) the latest e-commerce app development tech trends to ensure you keep up with client expectations and can compete in the market if your main goal is to develop an app offering a fantastic experience. Let’s examine the prevalent tendencies in this market more closely:

• Voice search is increasingly common. In the US, smart speakers are already installed in around 28% of homes, and by 2025, that number is expected to reach 75%. Voice assistants like Alexa or Siri embrace speech recognition, natural language processing, and speech synthesis to engage with users depending on the predefined scenario, in contrast to chatbots that are solely focused on text communication. This trend is primarily seen in voice-activated shopping apps that process complex queries to improve search outcomes and dialog. As a result, customers may browse and purchase goods using only their voices.
• AI-assisted upselling and cross-selling — according to Amazon, cross-selling accounts for 35% of their overall revenue.
• By adding the AR capability to their app at the most appropriate time, IKEA has amassed 8.5 million downloads. Augmented reality is used to visualize purchased goods.
• Due to the widespread in-store restrictions, the omnichannel approach has become another key component of retail practices. Thus, 60 to 70 percent of US shoppers across all categories conduct in-store and online research before making purchases. Therefore, it makes sense that in 2022, the development of mobile commerce apps will be smoothly included in a unified customer experience that combines offline and online channels to engage customers. 
• The prevalence of subscription-based services offers suppliers 65% conversion rates during the global pandemic.
• The majority of B2C organizations rely on big data to evaluate user activity, boost conversion rates, and provide actionable consumer insights. Personalized suggestions, dynamic pricing, demand forecasts, and trend projections are all supported by big data and its analytics. When used together, these strategies provide retailers control over the supply chain and enable them to maximize sales.
• A well-proven marketing strategy called geofencing is anticipated to generate more than $3 billion by 2026. It allows retailers to send in-app notifications based on a customer’s position, powered by radio frequency identification (RFID) or the Global Positioning System (GPS). This technique, also referred to as geo-targeted advertising, encourages more specific marketing messages and increases regional spending.
• Another trend that is expanding quickly is real-time shopping. This trend is anticipated to be worth $35 billion by 2024. Livestream shopping originated in China and is now a widespread phenomenon combining video, influential people, and E-commerce. Since users may remark on and respond to streams in real time, the phenomenon is also predicated on increased engagement.

The State of M-commerce as Predicted of 2023-2026

According to Statista, retail m-commerce sales in the United States are expected to amount to 710 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.

Consumers Spent Nearly 110 Billion Hours in Shopping Apps in 2022

Source: data.ai State of Mobile 2023

Creating an effective mobile user experience should be a priority for E-commerce brands. Here’s why you should take mobile commerce seriously:

60% Of E-commerce Purchases Happened on a Mobile Device

This stat alone should prompt you to look at your site’s mobile experience. Shoppers used a mobile device to make more than half of the online E-commerce transactions which happened in 2022. That’s a 1.2% increase from last year. Brands should ensure their mobile websites are on point to take advantage of this.

Source: Data Report, January 2023

Insider Intelligence Predicts M-commerce Sales to Hit $534.18 Billion, or 40.4% Of E-commerce Sales, in 2024

The m-commerce revolution is being driven primarily by smartphones and tablets. Seven years ago, conversion rates dropped due to customer annoyance from having to complete an order on a smaller screen, and m-commerce was roughly evenly split between tablets and smartphones. Nowadays, smartphones make up 87.2% of all sales made through mobile commerce; m-commerce trends are essentially smartphone trends. The main distinction is that overall, m-commerce is still growing more slowly than smartphone commerce.

Despite a two-year rebound, tablet commerce will lose share and absolute order value this year. By 2026, tablet m-commerce revenues are projected to drop from $61.08 in 2022 to $54.01 billion. This decrease is probably the result of fewer people using tablets overall and better mobile buying experiences.

29% Of Internet Users Make an E-commerce Transaction on Their Phones at Least Once a Week

In 2023, 29.3% of mobile users shop on their devices at least once a week. This is only expected to grow in the coming years. In some countries, that percentage is actually much higher. Here are the top 10 countries by mobile e-commerce purchases:

• South Korea – 44.3%
• Chile – 37.7.%
• Malaysia – 37.7%
• Taiwan – 37.7%
• Philippines – 37.5%
• Mexico – 37.0%
• Indonesia – 36.8%
• Turkey – 36.8%
• Singapore – 35.3%
• Vietnam – 34.4%

The USA’s mobile E-commerce purchase ratio is on 32.2%, while the UK’s comes in at 29.3%.

Source: Data Report, January 2023

E-commerce App Development: Why Your E-commerce Business Needs an App?

The benefits of e-commerce are difficult to sum up in just two words, but the key one to highlight is providing the finest service to each client individually. The following reasons are to accomplish this objective:

Consumers Choose Apps Over Mobile Browsers

There are currently about 15 billion cell phones in use worldwide. The majority of people turn to their mobile devices to swiftly and conveniently make online purchases anytime they want. Websites cannot offer many entertaining elements, such as scanning QR codes with a camera, using GPS to find nearby businesses, or taking payments over the telephone, which can be done directly by applications. E-commerce app development for your company is no longer a luxury but rather a requirement.

Image source: Compuware

Apps for Mobile E-commerce Increase Consumer Retention

Client loyalty matters. Making mobile applications could aid in increasing your clientele. How? The first step is continuous presence. Your app and logo should be seen whenever users use their phones. 

Reduced Response Time

Measuring response time enables the identification of the application’s slow-moving and optimization-required parts. The app reacts more quickly and offers a better user experience making users more inclined to stick with your business and refer others to it. Mobile users choose m-commerce apps because they load way faster and do not cause user journey obstacles common for websites.

Enhanced UX

E-commerce UX refers to the user’s experience while making a purchase on a website. Every touchpoint influences how a user views your brand, website, and goods or services. Users begin to create an opinion about how simple, practical, and effective your e-commerce experience is as soon as they land on your mobile application. 

Thus, this implies that they start doing so right away. UX is essential to e-commerce as it guarantees that customers can quickly explore your app, find what they need, buy it, and move on. They’ll also buy more frequently if you make it simple for them to do so. Because of this, you need to ensure that your business provides the finest UX possible and implements enhanced UX best practices.

Increased Conversion Rates

Due to clients having access to your application from any device at any time, the business will see a significant rise in conversion. Additionally, smartphone features like push notifications, one-click purchases, and easy payment maximize every potential for a sale.

Applications that store data locally and use frameworks that are much faster than JavaScript on the part of websites allow for operation one and a half times faster than that on mobile sites. The best e-commerce applications also allow for offline basket adding and product viewing, which makes them handier than e-commerce websites and more tempting to customers.

User Behavior Changes After Covid-19

The e-commerce boom was considerably hastened by COVID-19, which greatly impacted how individuals make purchases. As a result, the total amount spent on e-commerce in May 2020 was $82.5 billion, up 77% from the same month in 2019. If we were to use the conventional year-over-year gains, it would have taken 4 to 6 years to reach that figure.

Additionally, there are other reasons to start mobile commerce app development besides only having a decent adaptive web view, such as:

• access to a user quickly;
• the ability to contact users through push notifications;
• improved alternatives for monitoring user behavior;
• effective data collection;
• prototype new features and test hypotheses.

Lower Mobile Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate

The user experience is what is causing this significant difference between the cart abandonment rate for mobile apps and sites. The online purchasing experience on apps is typically more user-friendly for customers. Challenges on the websites include trouble seeing text and figuring out where to click, which are a barrier to checkout.

Having said that, if a large portion of your store’s online traffic comes from mobile devices, you might want to take additional measures to improve your customers’ mobile website experiences in order to increase revenue and benefit from a lower cart abandonment rate. Offering discounts, being open and honest about your fees, and reclaiming abandoned carts are all examples of great tactics.

Higher Average Order Value

Because it represents the typical amount each client spends, average order value (AOV) is a crucial number for any e-commerce company. A greater average order value shows that a company is generating more revenue through cross-selling or pushing more expensive products. Mobile apps offer a better environment for high AOV because of their seamless UX and all other aspects deciding customer loyalty.

Detailed Analytics

The performance measurements are useful in identifying and resolving issues in real-time. E-commerce application development analytics focuses on the most important issues to the business. Analytics for e-commerce are useful for assessing user behavior, performance trends, and ROI. Marketers use analytics to highlight campaigns’ return on investment (ROI) and help them decide how to boost sales, save costs, and enhance their company’s operations.

Tips to Build an E-Commerce App That Your Users Will Definitely Love

An outstanding user experience and assistance in achieving your business objectives are key components of a successful mobile app. The chosen features contribute to your app’s performance the most, so functionality should be of great focus:

MVP Level Features of an E-commerce App

When searching online, people don’t need more filters; they need better results. Therefore, the essential features are determined by the product itself. If you are constructing Shazam, you only need one button to test the concept. If you’re building the next Amazon, you only need features that offer your clients the most value.

• Simple registration 

Creating a simple sign-up and sign-in process is the first step in creating an e-commerce app. The process often starts with logging in using your email address, username, or phone number. A multifactor authentication system, such as fingerprint scanning, may also be helpful.

• Profile management

The second essential component of e-commerce software is profile management, which allows users to view prior purchases, the status of forthcoming orders, stored addresses, and payment information.

• Search and filter

An e-commerce app aims to make filtering things as simple as possible, whether searching for a specific item or looking through the newest products. The items offered in your store should be easy to find, displayed properly, and interactive (complemented by “add to favorites,” “add to cart,” and “buy now” buttons).

• Product details

The product description is examined in this e-commerce mobile app development section. This information includes the product name, specifications, price, cost of delivery, ratings, reviews, and estimated delivery date.

• Add to cart 

Every mobile commerce app must have a shopping cart so users can quickly add products, modify quantities, and place an order. Users can utilize the function to save things they like and purchase them later. The best way to use this facility is to make it omnichannel-friendly, which basically means that no matter what device your users use to access your e-commerce app, the cart details should duplicate without any issues.

• Purchase the Product

This is the point at which browsers convert to customers. Having a simple checkout sequence with remembered payment options, autofill form fields, and transparency on the timescales for product delivery is one method to make sure it goes smoothly.

• Track the order

Order monitoring comes next on the list of features. After the customer purchases the item, the app should provide tracking information with information on how the purchase is moving and an estimated delivery date.

• Push notifications

Push notification is one of the most important features for notifying users about important updates in e-commerce software. A simple reminder can be used to let a client know that the product has been dispatched, there are new sales up, or new product launches going on.

• Customer service

Customers occasionally require assistance navigating an online retailer when making a purchase error, initiating a return, or exchanging an item. However, the process becomes significantly simplified when there is some e-commerce customer care within the mobile app.

• Admin panel 

The admin panel is a component of e-commerce app development that simplifies the management of processes like orders, clients, and stores for the app administrator. In addition to a filtering mechanism, it eases the promotion and award arrangement process. 

Advanced Features E-commerce Mobile App 

You can incorporate phone functionality into your app to make navigation easier and boost user engagement. Additional e-commerce app development features include engaging your clients’ devices or those that are secondary to the main user experience, e.g., more entertaining than necessary.

• GPS

It enables a program to obtain the user’s current location. By adding a feature that geotags the customer’s address, you can do away with the need to input shipping information manually or allow the user to find the nearest offline stores and departments in case your business has one.

• Visual Search

This feature enables customers to use a smartphone camera to shop. They post pictures from any website, mobile photo bank, or social network profile and the inbuilt visual search will find products that are comparable in terms of color, shape, and size on your e-commerce app. As Gen Z and millennials prefer visual search capabilities to construct retail apps, this is an increasing trend in the internet world. 

• Social Media Integration

This feature of e-commerce applications makes it simple for customers to recommend the item they are thinking about purchasing to their friends or acquaintances on social media platforms.

• Voice Search

Encourage the clients to express their search terms verbally, which will speed up the search process. This feature should be added at any stage of the e-commerce app development, for example, during product scaling.

• Several Payment Methods

A simple and seamless checkout procedure is made possible by having a variety of payment alternatives. The option to pay with a credit card, through a service like PayPal, or possibly with a purchase now, pay later company gives clients some further options.

• In-App One-Click Purchases

According to Barilliance, 85.6% of the time, items added to the app’s shopping basket are never bought. A one-click transaction is incredibly helpful for preventing cart abandonment. The first company to incorporate this function into its app was Amazon. Besides, putting this technology into practice is not too difficult. It enables customers to make immediate purchases from product pages without first adding items to carts and then proceeding to checkout.

• Livestream Shopping

The live broadcast function is one post-pandemic feature that has changed the way internet purchasing is done. Social media giants like Instagram and YouTube were the first to popularize live streaming. Typically, during a live stream, brands present their goods from a variety of profiles and pin a link to them on the screen.

• Buy-Now-Pay-Later

As an alternative payment option, consumers are increasingly expecting a buy-now-pay-later feature service like Afterpay. Users can apply this option to make a purchase and pay for it over time in a number of installments. In fact, it is anticipated that BNPL transactions will rise by nearly $450 billion through 2026. Consumers and shoppers are reportedly more likely to use BNPL than credit cards when making large installment payments.

• Great User Experience

Because there are so many clear-cut, user-friendly apps available, users won’t hesitate to uninstall an app if it doesn’t meet their needs. You can only imagine how crucial UI/UX is for your app’s user retention. Make a unique and superior user experience your main advantage. Your app should be worthwhile for anyone to invest their time and money in.

E-Commerce App Development Best Practices

Mobile e-commerce best practices are key to increasing user retention, and websites and apps that ignore them risk being left behind and losing out on billions of dollars. Adhering to these mobile e-commerce UX design best practices will make your e-commerce development experience more professional and easier:

Create a Sales Funnel

When creating a sales funnel for an e-commerce app, you are essentially guiding a user through the app to the last stage, which is a purchase. The typical actions a user would do are listed below:

• Discovering a product;
• Providing details on the goods;
• Evaluating the item in comparison to similar ones;
• Possibly providing a promotion or discount code;
• Activating the “Save for later” option in their purchasing cart;
• Checking-out;
• Payment;
• Receiving a message of congratulations and shipping information.

Painless Onboarding

The onboarding process for e-commerce apps can make or break a user’s expectations. Be sure to hold the attention of consumers, but avoid terrifying them with excessive commitment! Maintain a clean, straightforward design. 

Quick Checkout

A seamless customer experience starts with the checkout process. Users should have the freedom to navigate as they like, but the experience should be as straightforward and uncluttered as possible. Users are more likely to leave your checkout process if it is too lengthy and complicated. 

Keep the User Interface Smooth

On a small screen of a mobile phone, things might quickly appear cluttered by having too many user interface components. Users must maintain attention on certain CTAs, such as “Add to Cart,” on each screen. The number of items on each screen should be minimal to keep the interface simple and focused solely on the most important buttons.

Consider the Visual Hierarchy

The term “visual hierarchy” also applies to a content arrangement. On the mobile app interface, a certain hierarchy appears when the elements, headings, buttons, etc. are arranged in accordance with their level of importance.

For e-commerce apps, a visual hierarchy is employed to emphasize the key components on each screen. For instance, you may highlight the image of an item and enlarge the CTA button relative to other elements on the display.

The names and descriptions of products should be structured to make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for, whether it’s a product description, additional information, or shipping details.

Substantial Branding Components

Brand recognition is important in e-commerce apps. To effectively communicate a brand identity, colors, fonts, images, and language should all tie together in a unified way. Your e-commerce app should have each of these components shown on all screens to give it a unique appearance and feel.

Social Media Integration

For e-commerce apps, social media integration is a requirement! And this is something more than just one-tap user login made possible by this. If businesses appear on users’ Pinterest, Instagram, or TikTok feeds, it helps to keep them top of mind. They will get the chance to learn about sales, promotions, and new products at this time. Additionally, it’s an opportunity to develop user-generated content, which can greatly expand the brand’s visibility!

Put a Progress Bar There

Daniel Engber made the observation that a progress bar transforms the experience of waiting into this fascinating tale that you’re watching unfold in front of you in his TED talk titled How the progress bar keeps you sane.

An e-commerce app may benefit greatly from this functionality. Users want to know where they are in the purchasing process and how much is still required of them before they finish. A progress bar makes it simple to understand these specifics.

Maintain Consistency

For an e-commerce app to be consistent, identical elements must appear, operate, and feel the same. Because of this, users won’t have to figure out how to use or navigate your app each time, making it more predictable (in a positive way, of course).

The three key levels of visual consistency are as follows.

• Consistent buttons, fonts, and color schemes provide visual coherence.
• Functional consistency: On each screen, interactive features (such as buttons or navigation elements) should function consistently.
• External harmony: Whether it’s a website, social media feed, or advertisements, try to keep the mobile app experience consistent with any other external assets or products.

Add a Wishlist Feature

A wishlist is a fantastic feature, but a shopping cart is a need! The major goal is to enable customers to save products they intend to buy in the future. This is a low-pressure alternative because most consumers dislike being pressured into making hasty purchasing decisions.

Allow people to add items to their wishlists so they can buy them later if they find something they want but are hesitant to buy. It’s nice because wishlist items might give you information about your customers’ preferences so you can send them reminders or exclusive offers.

Reviews and Ratings

Reviews significantly increase credibility and customer loyalty. Create a section where customers may comment on and rate the goods they’ve previously purchased. This part can be structured simply using stars, a review headline, and a description. Along with assisting new customers, existing customers are made to feel valued, which increases the likelihood that they will continue to support the business.

Things To Consider for A Successful E-commerce App Development

There are always limitations in developing an app that requires specific consideration. E-commerce app development is no different. Thus, Devlight recommends keeping the following in mind:

Data Protection

As consumers sign in to your mobile e-commerce app, the first thing they do is provide you with personal information, such as their home address, credit card number, phone number, etc. You can’t let your audience down. Take precautions to prevent unwanted access to their data:

• Employ a personal cloud. Ensure your provider offers a personal cloud regime and establish access controls if you store user data in the cloud. For instance, some services are only accessible to those with premium subscriptions.
• Set a strong security system. Then, even in an emergency, you should be immediately aware of the danger and have time to take action to reduce the harmful effects.

Scalability

Proper mobile commerce app development aims to make your business scalable to accommodate a constantly increasing user base. Of course, you can skip the app’s scalability prospects. However, the reality is that you must design the architecture to predict the growth of your app at different stages of its development.

Will your application be able to support 1,000 users at once? What about ten or a hundred thousand? Will it function well and not crash immediately? You must thoroughly test the mobile application before releasing it by responding to these inquiries. You should take great care in this in case you plan to scale the app one day.

Stability

Other factors dramatically reducing your app’s performance include instability and frequent crashes. Users would want to use something other than an unreliable and unbalanced app. To get performance stability for your app, you should conduct QA tests, create many product versions, obtain customer input, and publish updated fixes.

How to Build а Successful E-commerce Mobile App in 8 Steps?

Providing a good mobile experience is not only beneficial. If you wish to conduct business online, it is crucial. Retailers must prioritize and maximize shopping applications or risk losing money. But how can you develop a successful mobile e-commerce app that attracts more customers, sales, and one-time buyers? Discover the precise actions Devlight took in our collaboration with e-commerce firms by continuing to read.

Step 1. Create the E-commerce Project Requirements and Plan

You should first write a plan and the specifications for your product before you can begin developing a relevant e-commerce mobile application. To keep the entire process detailed and coordinated, you must follow a certain procedure. Accomplish the project more quickly and effectively by adhering to the plan.

In order for your design and development team to know exactly what they need to work on, the requirements for your product also need to be thoroughly documented. The following items are typically included in the project requirements:

• A detailed project overview;
• Main goals and needs;
• Target market and audience analysis;
• Functional specifications and the intended feature set;
• Design features;
• Details that aren’t functional;
• Prohibitions and recommendations;
• Questions.

Step 2. Select Your Development Partner

After you have finished all the stages involved in gathering and creating the necessary data, you now need to choose a reputable eCommerce app development firm that can offer you a qualified team to assist you in developing the best application for your project. Here are a few ways to find such a company:

• Browse sites like LinkedIn;
• Compare teams using rating websites like Clutch.co;
• Consult with friends and coworkers to receive their recommendations on whom to choose;
• Choose Devlight for a Productive Team Collaboration Experience!

Step 3. Carry out Product Discovery 

If you want to understand the target market for which the product is being developed, carrying out the discovery phase of the product development process is a must. Customer feedback is gathered in this stage, and the product’s end-user pain areas are researched. Product discovery typically consists of

• discussing expectations and wants concerning timeframes for current company processes or a potential startup concept;
• analysis of the target audience; 
• examining your market’s competitors (direct and indirect);
• providing pain point solutions;
• determining the work’s scope;
• defining priorities and timelines based on the complexity of the project and market trends;
• role allocation in a diagram.

Step 4. UX/UI Design

Because the visual data will drive your sales, quality UI/UX design is essential. If you want to realize your app’s all aesthetic potential, these design principles work well:

• Simplicity. By UI/UX design simplicity, we refer to content optimization for mobile devices and a structural model that enables the simplest possible purchasing experience. It must be done following the visual hierarchy’s rules so that a significant object catches the user’s attention immediately.
• Convenience. The most user-friendly user interface, which won’t divert attention but will stimulate purchases, is what you need to offer to optimize sales. 
• Attention to sales. This rule applies to e-commerce app development, heavily emphasizing internal product sales rather than brand building and communication. These apps are a substitute for actual stores, and their design is centered on underhanded ways to encourage users to make purchases.

Step 5. Get Down to Software Development

Core, back-end, and front-end developers should work with UX/UI designers to create engaging services and interfaces. The Project Manager must correctly coordinate this concurrent process. The excellent quality of the code is ensured by compiling the documentation, building and running a foundation of automated tests, and using code-coverage techniques.

Step 6. Hold Product’s QA (Pre-release Stage)

The life cycle of product development has always included critical software product testing. Product testing is crucial for both finding and fixing bugs in the product as well as ensuring that the development process is organized and effective.

The only method to identify flaws and faults ahead and ensure that a successful and trustworthy product is introduced to the market is to carry out software product testing effectively. The QA role includes the next responsibilities:

• Guarantiing the software product’s predictability and dependability;
• Addressing any product bugs by updating packages to fix flaws and errors in the system;
• Technically, testing and documentation standards are enforced by quality analysis in the product development environment. This aids in system-level testing as well as other testing requirements for any software product, including functional testing and environmental testing.

Step 7. Release Your E-commerce App Into the Market 

Designers should confirm that the visual adheres to the style standard again. Errors that have been fixed or appeared due to these fixes are checked in the previously tested code. In addition, you may now share a list of each sprint’s code changes with the QA team. If an application passes the testing, it is prepared to be published on the market.

Step 8. Ensure Product Post-Launch and Scale the App

E-commerce app development continues even after the app is released in stores. You’ll be able to continue working on your business by regularly monitoring the many trendy mobile app business ideas. Libraries that record information about the user’s actions at the time of the crash, the device on which it occurred, and other information will help track down app bugs. Sending a crash notification can be integrated into the application’s design or added later.

A mobile application must adhere to current software standards, receive fast updates, and include bug patches. In addition, support monitoring is done to determine future e-commerce app development scaling. To fix the errors, iterate changes using analytics and customer feedback. Later on, this will aid in increasing app revenue and retention while fostering brand loyalty and recognition. The process of creating a mobile app is very dynamic. Therefore, constant work is required to stay afloat.

The Technical Stack Needed for an E-commerce App Development:

The mobile world’s digital arena has been split between iOS and Android. To construct an e-commerce app rapidly, you should be aware of the variations in development since each has advantages and downsides of its own. We have noted the principal ones:

• Programming Languages

The code terms represent the key distinction between iOS and Android. Use Java or Kotlin to create an Android app for online shopping. Choose Swift if you want to design iPhone apps for online shopping. These collections of programming languages have a vibrant development community and rich ecosystem. Depending on your e-commerce app development goals, you may create an e-commerce app utilizing any of the few remaining mobile languages and the wide range of server-side languages used for m-commerce apps. 

• Development Complexity and Speed 

The gap in speed and complexity of development between iOS and Android is due to the proliferation of smartphones. In addition, Android has a huge range of supported devices, whereas iOS is happy with the iPhone/iPad/iPod trio. Thus, developing an Android app for e-commerce will take longer.

• Deploying Method

Android apps can be published on Google Play far more quickly and easily than their Apple counterparts, in contrast to how quickly they can be developed. The verification tenets of both platforms account for this. While the AppStore review team exhaustively checks for flaws, which typically take a week to fix, Google Play runs apps automatically for a few hours. 

Besides, Apple’s policy is much stricter and this is also one of the reasons why it takes longer to deploy an application on iOS — there are simply more requirements. Luckily, iOS has more in-app purchases revenue than Google Play, surpassing it by as much as 80%.

The Team Needed to Develop an E-commerce App

A full-stack development team is necessary for an e-commerce app development from scratch. Depending on the project’s type, budget, and other elements, its size and cast may change. The project needs the proper people with the right expertise to succeed:

• Project Manager

The development process is coordinated by a project manager, who keeps it on course. The best practices for developing e-commerce software are widely known to an e-commerce project manager.

• Technical Lead

A professional software engineer with in-depth knowledge of industry-specific technology is called a tech lead. Instead of being managers, tech leads are mentors. These experts don’t focus on something other than coding as their main task.

• IT Business Analyst

Typically, a specialist with extensive experience in the e-commerce industry shapes the project’s vision. These professionals help to establish the fundamental KPIs and establish major product benchmarks. The business analyst should check the technical task from the client to see if it is possible to implement it at all, and not just assign the task to the developers. In other words, he not only translates the requirements into a language understandable for developers but also writes a clear TOR. BA keeps in touch with stakeholders throughout the development process and ensures their feedback is considered.

• Account Managers

This person oversees effective communication between the client and the team developing the outsourced e-commerce software. Such an expert frequently updates internal and external stakeholders on the project’s status.

• Developers

To quickly produce a high-quality product, the developers you hire should be well-versed in e-commerce systems. Experienced programmers know the best practices for designing all crucial components of an online store, including different product pages, user accounts, shopping cart systems, and more.

• Designer of UI/UX

Your storefront in e-commerce is your mobile app’s design. The top e-commerce UI/UX designers know the ins and outs of e-commerce app development. They can create an interface that is easy to use, has strong branding, and supports the offer rather than obscures it.

• QA Engineers

Although contemporary e-commerce frameworks include automatic tests for some fundamental features, they don’t account for all the subtleties. QA experts create software testing scripts to expedite the quality assurance process.

E-commerce Mobile App Development Cost

Everything depends on the app’s work scope and the chosen software services provider. It comes down to who you are investing in and how much you are investing in the end. The budget is, without a doubt, the primary concern for developing the app. Here are some reminders for you to keep in mind as you move forward with app development in order to spare you from this budgetary predicament:

• You can choose to launch your e-Commerce app with the minimum viable product (MVP), a mixed bag of MVP and advanced features, or a fully functional mobile e-commerce app with advanced features.
• iOS or Android? Because iOS is more expensive than other operating systems, choose which device will serve as your main business tool. You can always grow your company later.
• The low-budget, high-maintenance third-party APIs or the low-maintenance, pricey backend development?
• Hybrid app development offers a better time to market, but native app development offers better sustainability. You’re in the business game for the long haul, so choose wisely!

The approximate cost can be determined by multiplying the number of person-hours needed to implement all essential features of the app by the fees charged by your preferred supplier. So, a fundamental e-commerce app would include:

• Implementing a user profile, which requires 35–45 person-hours;
• 30-45 person-hours are needed to complete the main screen;
• Product screens – implementing thorough sections with a slider would take 30 to 40 hours;
• A shopping cart’s implementation could take 80–110 hours, depending on the extra features.

Devlight wants to remind you once again: all the prices and hours estimates are approximate. You must consider the functionality and labor hours required to implement the app’s functionality when calculating the cost of developing a mobile e-commerce app. There is a direct interdependence between the product cost and the number of features (product complexity), release dates (speed to market), team composition (backend development, analytics), and selected technology (cross or native). The essential features you will find in mobile e-commerce apps are

• Registration;
• Profile management;
• Search and filter;
• Product details;
• Add to cart;
• Payment;
• Order tracking;
• Push notifications;
• Customer support;
• Admin panel.

This list is good for MVP and full e-commerce app development – they almost do not differ in basic function sets. Including features like social network integration, push alerts, wishlists, and similar goods can help you create an e-commerce application that not only functions well and completes the intended goal but also lives up to the high standards set by the sector. Here are the approximate rates for app development in Ukraine in terms of hiring rate breakdowns:

Since our full-cycle development strategy is adaptable and can be set up following each customer’s specific needs, Devlight’s team will support you regardless of whether you want to start from scratch with a mobile e-commerce app, establish a website, or continue developing at any point. Finally, we cannot provide you with a specific development price without knowing the details. In case of any questions, contact us, and we will help evaluate your application cost individually, taking into account all the parameters above.

Main Pacesetters of the E-commerce App Development

Here are a few e-commerce apps that are nothing short of outstanding, from personalization to enhancing user experience:

Sephora

A sizable cosmetics retailer, Sephora offers both online and offline sales. The business’s mobile app is visually appealing, slick, and clear — aspects highly vital for the e-commerce app development success. The app includes easy loyalty program connection, tailored product suggestions, list saving, in-store stock checking, and product scanning for search and review. In addition, users may view an augmented reality representation of makeup on their faces using the Virtual Artist function. 

H&M

H&M is a clothing brand that gives you access to the newest trends at a low cost. Their smartphone app allows you to explore and purchase individual clothing items and complete ensembles. Discounts, notifications, intuitive product navigation, and an in-app store finder are all available on the H&M app. The ability to scan an item in-store and buy it right away online is a nice feature for omnichannel customers.

Home Depot

The Home Depot app combines cutting-edge technology with practical tools and is a great example of a successful e-commerce application development. Users may browse through products on the app or scan the product barcode if they’re in-store to learn more about it. A toolbox with a unit measurement converter and even a DIY measuring trick, depending on the user’s shoe size, are also included in the app.

ASOS

A large selection of apparel is available inside the ASOS virtual shop. Customers can access over 850 distinct brands with more than 85,000 products. The app has the Apple Pay feature integrated, sale alerts, wearable product videos, and 360-degree product views. Customers benefit from free shipping and returns, tailored outfit suggestions, and a simple buying process. In addition, the convenient Style Match function allows you to quickly browse for clothing or upload a photo to get clothing advice. 

Devlight Experience (Case Studies)

ELDO.UA

About the client

ELDORADO is a Ukrainian retail group of online/offline household appliances and electronics stores. It was founded in 1999. The network has more than 120 stores in 57 cities of Ukraine. ELDORADO has a wide range of more than 60,000 models of modern electronics of the top world brands.

The key goal

To develop the #1 e-commerce application and to satisfy all user needs with necessary features

Project scope (iOS and Android apps)

– New features development

– Promotion of the app to the TOP App stores Ranks

– Sales increase through apps

– Enlargement in cross-selling (accessorises, services, etc)

– UI/UX app constant improvement

– Boosting user’s personalization

App’s state before us

ELDO’s app needed a full reboot because of the number of critical issues we had to solve using the next approaches:

– Fix all critical errors and crashes in the shortest possible time

– Reconstruct all the application architecture

– Reorganise the code base for further development

– Solve the critical user experience problems

– Return and increase user loyalty and number to the application

– Enlarge the communication interactions with users in the app

– Boost the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

– Setting up correct analytics from the app

Our solution

• Code Review phase+project documentation audit. Code and documentation review is necessary for a complete understanding of their structure, quality, and technology.
• UI/IX Audit phase. UI/UX analysis of the current application for the planning stage of the development scope and redesign
• Acceptance QA Testing phase. Current bugs documentation.  Forming the description report on the testing results. Photos and videos are also provided.
• Code refactoring phase. Updating and correcting the project code step by step
• UI design + product phase. Visual component design and detailing. Finalization of product and functional requirements collection.
• Development phase. Features development and bug fixing according to the approved documentation, design, and selected implementation methods.

Novus

About the client

NOVUS is a Ukrainian chain of supermarkets founded in 2008. In July 2020, the Novus chain had 80 stores in Kyiv, Kyiv region, Rivne, Cherkasy, Ternopil, and Mykolaiv. From April 2022, online sales and delivery of products were successfully launched. 

The key goal

Develop easy and powerful e-commerce application to satisfy clients needs and solve their pains.

Project scope (iOS and Android apps)

Create the first MVP version of the product and then spice it up with the E-commerce part by using the following steps:

Full and rich project Discovery to define main functionality and key features

Detailed Design phase to create application appearance

Materials preparation to enhance the app with unique and self illustrations and descriptions

Base application Development

Further Discovery phases and Designing for next application versions

Continuous application support and improvement

App’s state before us

Before our cooperation, NOVUS had one more Discovery experience with another company. But the results of that Discovery did not meet the expectations. The results were not enough to start a development or even to estimate preliminary works in the project.

So with that artifacts, NOVUS reached Devlight and asked for our expertise. Here is where our cooperation began.

Our solution

Based on our own experience and the improvements we bring into each project, we’ve prepared and presented a solid plan for NOVUS so we could proceed with the project implementation:

• Initiation phase. The starting point for all from-scratch projects is to gather general information and base features planned. Here we prepare the project’s Backlog describing key User Epics and User Stories, defining our clients and their needs.
• Requirements phase. Deep business analysis session to gather all the needed requirements and understand the overall project scope. Based on the Backlog, the detailed PRD is created. Our Business Analyst proceeds with subject area research, as well as with investigation of current client’s solutions. After collecting information, they describe Acceptance Criteria for each Epic and Story. So-called Q&A sessions with our clients are held so we can dig deeper and understand better the main functionality and what they expect from the product.
• Design phase. Requirements visualization as UI/UX Design based on the existing brand book. With the completed PRD, we can now proceed and create rich visuals of our product. Similar to the Requirements phase, our designer specialist does their own research to investigate similar solutions and understands main patterns. Then they develop a full UI/UX Design of the product relying on the existing client’s brand book.
• Development phase. The Development itself. Creating dream applications based on gathered Requirements and Visuals. Having a precise description of the work that needs to be done, we can now continue with the project development phase.
• Iterative process. Repeat the plan above for each version to achieve the best results in the next releases. Now, if we want to proceed with further versions, we can just stick to the plan and iterate through the steps to enrich our existing product with new features.

Choose a Reliable Business Partner — Work with Devlight

We are prepared to help you if you consider updating your online store to take advantage of the most recent developments or creating a brand-new business solution from scratch. Our experts in software development have a lot of practice integrating the newest digital technologies into e-commerce software and are passionate about constructing it.

What makes Devlight one of Ukraine’s most experienced app development companies?

• Our mobile app engineering company, which has been operating since 2016, creates excellent apps for well-known brands in the market. We presently collaborate with the Forbes top 100 companies to establish digital category leaders;
• We have cases of working with e-commerce app development giants; our portfolio of 100+ projects includes collaboration with Nova Poshta, Eldo, and Epicentr; 
• We know how to work with large volumes of data and scale products. We serve more than 450,000 active user sessions every month;
• Our team launches digital leaders — our application for new mail is #1 in the Business category in the Ukrainian app store and Google Play;
• Devlight has its own Mobile App Development School; we launched a project where we taught people how to code on Android. 

Finally, Devlight has more than 6 years of experience developing mobile apps, 35 million installs, and more than 100 completed projects. We do sound like a great option for your next development company, don’t we?

The application is an effective digital tool that will promote client loyalty, boost revenue, and make your company more competitive. We raised in-app purchases for one of our retail clients by 313% on iOS and 244.5% on Android. We can ensure the quality and durability of our products with the basis of a professional development strategy. Feel intrigued? Contact us to set up a time to discuss the ideal option for your company.

The post The Ultimate Guide to a Successful eCommerce App Development appeared first on Devlight.

It takes a while for an app to reach the market. Enhancing an app’s appearance, functionality, and marketability entails numerous detours and obstacles. One method to get around these problems is to create a prototype for a mobile app, which serves as a testing ground for conceptual presumptions. 

Good prototype design uses prototyping tools to participate in the process. It draws on Design Thinking and UX principles to address structural issues and make improvements before developing the MVP app. A good mobile app prototype can also assist in reducing the risks associated with low investment, subpar design, misaligned user needs, and unavoidable market failure. Let’s learn how to create one.

What Is a Mobile App Prototype?

A prototype is a functioning version of the upcoming mobile application. Making it clear what the app’s functionality, appearance, and other features will be like, a prototype helps us generate app design and assists in expressing a product’s overall feel and look while also providing a preview of how it can operate.

Types of Mobile App Prototypes

Depending on the needs of stakeholders and the goals of the prototyping, UI/UX designers employ a variety of prototyping techniques. App prototype often progresses from the basic to the most complex stages, perfecting the final appearance of the product:

Low-Fidelity Prototypes

Goal – Visually represent an app idea

The simplest mobile app prototypes are those made using means accessible for everyone. How to create a prototype for a mobile app with low fidelity? Usually, these are hand-drawn sketches presented on paper or in a digital setting. Each doodle will represent a different screen of the mobile application. By looking through such sketches, you may get a sense of how the app is intended to operate. 

Medium-Fidelity Prototypes

Goal – Confirm the app’s concept and basic structure

You could think of these prototypes as the stage between low-fidelity and high-fidelity. They are made using specialized prototyping tools, such as those listed in the following sections. However, a whiteboard or piece of paper can also be appropriate. Prototypes with a medium level of realism frequently include storyboards, use cases, interactive design solutions, and more. 

High-Fidelity Prototypes

Goal – Negotiate the final design

Using high-fidelity prototypes is the easiest approach to obtaining practical design experience without touching code. These are created only with specialized software because this is the time when buttons and features should be implemented. A high-fidelity prototype is a test version of the final software you plan to develop. 

Why Do You Need to Create a High-Fidelity Prototype for a Mobile App?

Consider application prototypes as your idea’s first draft. It is designed to gather early feedback prior to moving on to the next development stage, as it only displays the app’s most fundamental functions. Here are a few reasons why creating a mobile app prototype before hopping into developing a finished product is a good idea:

Functional Validation

With a high-fidelity prototype, you can simulate the core functionalities of your mobile app, including navigation, interactive elements, data input, and output. By testing these functionalities, you can identify technical feasibility, usability challenges, and potential performance issues early in the design process. This allows you to make informed decisions and necessary adjustments before moving to development. 

Reducing the Designer Cost

How to create a prototype for a mobile app to save time and effort spent on design? Validating assumptions and exploring new solutions are key, especially when you’re working with multiple designers or design solutions. Although not everyone incorporates prototyping into their design process, it can be incredibly helpful in a variety of circumstances. 

Even if the prototype requires multiple iterations, the final product’s cost will be substantially lower than that of just one unanticipated change round in development. This gives you space to make mistakes, implement additional change rounds, or totally reset the project while still delivering it on schedule and within budget.

Easy Design Concept Sharing

Not only is prototyping a fantastic testing tool, but it’s also a useful project roadmap. It provides a tool for visually expressing your app’s design, flow, and functionality. Less ambiguity exists in features and components, which considerably eliminates bugs and misunderstandings. People are also involved with a prototype. Everyone on the development team is welcome to offer suggestions, including vendors and clients. Diverse points of view help your app become considerably more well-rounded.

Handling a “Ready-To-Code” Design for the Development Team

By showcasing a mobile app prototype to the development team, you can effectively communicate your vision and specific requirements, allowing them to grasp the desired functionality and user experience better. This hands-on demonstration will enable the team to assess the complexity of the project, identify potential challenges, and provide a more precise estimation of the time and resources required for development. Additionally, the prototype serves as a valuable tool for gathering valuable feedback from the team, fostering collaboration, and aligning everyone toward a common goal.

Gathering Feedback From Test Users

It’s beneficial to prototype your ideas and share them with your target market because it’s crucial to gain early user feedback while building new app products. A prototype can speed up the design process and help you work through new or amended concepts. 

How to create a prototype for a mobile app that will speak to the target audience? You should first determine your app’s target market and audience, study their demographics, and create user personas. We have discussed these steps and more in our previous articles. 

How to Create a Prototype for a Mobile App in 7 Steps

Making a prototype is very similar to making the actual app. It begins with a clear objective and the elements you want to incorporate:

Step 1: Understand the Problem, User Needs, and Market Challenges

Making sure you have a problem worth tackling is one of the first steps in developing a high-quality app. This step may sound very simple. It is. However, you’d be astonished at how many individuals approach the idea of developing something simply because it looks “cool.” 

Building an app just because it’s cool is not a successful path. Create an app because you want to be able to contact your friends more quickly. Create an app because you believe that the dating industry is flawed. Create an app because you want to address an issue you see around you that also speaks to other people. Then, study the market to find your direct competitors or ensure the niche is free.

Step 2: Identify Key Functionality Requirements

Your prototype for a mobile app should concentrate on the features that are crucial, ground-breaking, and extremely important to your users. You’ll devote the most time to the prototype’s simulation or development of these elements. Remember that a prototype’s goal is to create a testable mockup of your app quickly and ergonomically. Thus, identifying must-have features is vital. It will take longer to implement features if you have a large number of them. You also risk spending time on features that won’t be included in the final product at all. 

Step 3: Create Sketches of the Primary Screens

It’s now time to draw out your app idea on paper or in a digital environment. The primary screens of your app should be included in the sketch, also known as a low-fidelity wireframe, with the first layout showcasing the user interface components you want to implement. Then, add arrows to show how users will move across screens.

For instance, if you’re developing an e-commerce app, doodle out a basic layout for the product screen. The product picture and buttons, including the “Checkout” button, can be represented with drawn placeholders. Then create an arrow to the checkout screen from that button to demonstrate what occurs when a user taps it.

Step 4: Turn Your Sketches Into Wireframes

A prototype for a mobile app helps you test the designs without writing any code, present your ideas to other project participants, demonstrate various components of your app, get feedback on each screen or its overall flow, and simulate how users will interact with what you’re designing.

Figma and InVision Studio are the two main mobile app wireframing tools that most designers utilize so as to make things straightforward. They both provide a variety of features and are simple to use, including the ability to build interactive wireframes, mockups, and high-fidelity prototypes:

• Figma’s flow function is great for designing interactive prototypes based on your existing designs. Even if you have no experience with coding, creating interactive prototypes gets easy and intuitive with Figma.
• The InVision Studio tool removes obstacles from the creative process. Before spending time developing or coding, it enables designers to quickly and easily present their designs to stakeholders, including developers, to gather their reactions and iterate changes. Implement wireframes with basic app design features via InVision.

Wireframes act as a transitional stage between your first prototype and pen-and-paper sketches. By eliminating unnecessary aspects like colors or copy, they assist you in planning the layout and user interaction patterns. The suggested user path should be obvious without the use of color, shading, or elaborate menus.

Step 5: Turn Wireframes Into a Prototype

You’ll use a variety of tools in this stage to convert the paper wireframe you created into something digital and functional. How to create a prototype for a mobile app? Set the app screens first using your wireframe sketch as a guide. The user interface can be improved further by including UI components like buttons and text inputs. You can also experiment with colors as an option. 

Fortunately, the majority of prototype tools contain a comprehensive library of standard iOS and Android UI elements for you to create an app prototype that looks professional straightaway. When you’re satisfied with your app’s appearance, you can add animations and pre-planned interactions to bring it to life. 

Step 6: Test and Iterate, Share and Gather Feedback

It’s time to start using the prototype now that it’s ready. To ensure you receive the most varied input, encourage as many individuals as you can to try it out.  Your coworkers will be the quickest and most straightforward users to take part in the testing process.

Include everyone — don’t limit it to the development team members. Inform the HR, accounting, and marketing personnel about your prototype for a mobile app. Additionally, you can find testers among your friends and relatives. However, your app’s end users are by far the most important group to test it with. Your aim at this point is to gather as much feedback as you can from whoever tests your prototype.

Step 7: Translate Prototype Into Final Designs

Once you have finalized the wireframes and received feedback on the app’s structure and functionality, it’s time to transform the wireframes into polished, high-fidelity designs. Start by translating the wireframes into visual designs that reflect the branding and aesthetics of your app. Consider the color scheme, typography, icons, and overall visual style. Ensure that the designs align with your app’s objectives and target audience.

Once your final designs are complete, document design specifications that outline details such as colors, typography, spacing, and interactions. These specifications will serve as a reference for developers during the implementation phase.

By translating wireframes into final designs, you can bring your app’s user interface to life, ensuring that it aligns with your vision and provides an intuitive and visually appealing experience for your users.

Tools for Creating a Mobile App Prototype

Tools we use to create a prototype for a mobile app accelerate and facilitate the design process overall. Inexpensive or even free, they serve as powerful means for creating wireframes and mockups. After you decide you want to use something more than paper or a whiteboard, consider the next mobile app prototyping tools:

MockPlus

This all-in-one prototype tool enables non-professionals and designers to work with interactive prototyping to transform a concept into a mockup of a product swiftly. Simplify your design and test ideas on any platform without coding. Mpckplus makes your design life considerably longer and the development process more comfortable. Work together in real time with your colleagues, go over designs together, hold online brainstorming sessions, and build a seamless design-development handoff. 

Balsamiq 

Balsamiq claims to provide a useful wireframing platform that will banish ugly user interfaces from the globe. If you want to carry out a modern wireframing stage for your mobile app, web app, or website, use Balsamiq. Additionally, quickly follow your ideas to iterate designs without disrupting, thanks to the pre-installation of various components with a handwriting style. 

Moqups

This tool helps you illustrate your concept in one location and generate diagrams, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes inside a simple-to-maintain interface. Keeping all the stakeholders in one location may progress the project from using the prototype for a mobile app with low fidelity to high fidelity and receive final certification in a few simple steps. 

InVision Studio

InVision is a digital design-to-development platform used to create excellent mobile prototypes and high-quality apps. The durable and simple nature of the digital whiteboard makes InVision Studio ideal for teamwork and idea validation. 

The InVision toolkit also includes InVision DSM, a design system manager, a library where you can store and manage all of your brand and UX components, and InVision Cloud, where you can connect, save, and share your whole product design workflow. 

Sketch

Your idea will be transformed into a pleasant design and prototype via Sketch. It is an all-in-one tool for making animated timelines, UI elements from wireframes, and mockups from screenshots. Users may add animations, switch between design screens, and work on working prototypes in Sketch with just a few clicks. It also supports all screen sizes (artboards). The usage of Sketch’s Vector shapes helps you avoid tedious hand-editing by simply adapting to changing styles, sizes, and layouts.

Figma

Figma allows the team working on a project can easily access and collaborate using the cloud-based prototyping environment. Although it shares many capabilities with Sketch, Figma has an advantage due to the way it streamlines the creation process and offers tools for keeping track of everything.

It allows in-app commenting in both the design and prototyping modes, while teams can follow remarks in Slack or Email. 

Useful Tips for Mobile App Prototyping

Running prototypes is essential for app development because it enables you to test your app’s functionality and flow with actual users. You can use this information to improve your app. However, there are countless ways to do it incorrectly and just a handful of ways to do it correctly, just like with anything else. These are a few of the best practices:

Start With Low-Fidelity Prototypes

Low-fidelity prototyping is a quick, easy technique to transform a basic concept or idea into a somewhat more realistic depiction of your finished product. A low-fidelity prototype’s sole purpose is to sketch out the workflow and assess the value and usability of the suggested functionality. Lo-fi prototypes can be created on paper or digitally. Examples comprise:

• Prototypes on paper;
• Interactive prototypes.

Low-fidelity prototypes have several advantages, but their main characteristics are speed, simplicity, and affordability. Since the prototypes are obviously not finished products, making adjustments and testing new iterations is simple. Additionally, they promote design thinking.

Focus on Core Functionalities

You shouldn’t include every feature in your prototype, similar to the level of detail. The features to include in the prototype should be prioritized. 

Depending on whatever exact components of your app you want to test, these may look like whatever you decide. How to create a prototype for a mobile app and test core functionality? Focus on your value proposition, which is the main or standout benefit customers can obtain from your app if you’re having trouble deciding which features to include. Determine the elements enabling that.

Keep It Simple

Keep in mind that prototypes test the functionality of your app. They are available to rapidly test your app with users, gather feedback, and make improvements. Because of the need for quick iterations, your prototype needs to be as light as feasible. Instead of creating a flawless version, the objective should be to create one that can be tested quickly. 

You need to maintain only the information that is necessary to accomplish this. Avoid using fonts, patterns, colors, and other visual elements that don’t improve the operation of your program.

Use Real Content Whenever Possible

How to create a prototype for a mobile app that will feel intuitive? You should avoid using placeholders in your prototype in particular. Real information here is crucial since it helps users understand the function and goal of your app’s interface. A user shouldn’t face trouble navigating the prototype. Adding real-life materials should help, not puzzle, so choose simple examples and straightforward info. 

Don’t mistake using real data for actual one, though. Here, the idea of using things that are “good enough” also holds true. To put it another way, attempt to write the copy as it will appear in the finished application, but don’t worry about making it perfect or unique, this is the job of an editor involved at the final stages. 

Pay Attention to Navigation and Flow

User flows are essential processes, even during the wireframing phase. It enables you to identify trouble spots and cut out potential friction-causing stages before you start designing your prototype. Additionally, you’ll have a good idea of how many displays you require, assisting you in avoiding needless prototype effort. You may save a ton of time and money by identifying and resolving design issues early by using user flow diagrams.

Add Interactive Elements

Reusable UI elements from a design system known as interactive components (or interactive elements) are game-changers for designers who often deal with UI kits and must develop interactions for each project. Most design tools don’t have the capability or fidelity engineers achieve with a few lines of code to handle basic interactions. Reproducing code functionality with interactive components is simpler, creating immersive, lifelike prototypes for usability testing and stakeholders.

Gather Feedback Early and Often 

The design thinking method and all other human-centered design processes depend heavily on gathering feedback. However, you must be deliberate while seeking feedback if you want to get the most out of it. Here are some recommendations to keep in mind while you collect customer feedback:

• Use many feedback-gathering channels;
• Use the correct target audience to test your prototypes;
• Ask the right questions;
• When presenting your opinions, be objective;
• While you test, adjust;
• Allow your audience to offer suggestions.

Iterate Based on Feedback

In the end, prototyping is all about allowing your users to voice their ideas about your solution. And if you’re not introducing these into your app, your prototype’s potential is not being fully realized. Keep the whole procedure as simple as possible. The goal is to swiftly make changes in response to the feedback so you may test your prototype for a mobile app again. This feedback cycle continues until the final prototype is acceptable to you and your end users.

High-Fidelity Prototype for a Mobile App: Example

At Delight, we love making the digital world better. A client approached us with the desire to create an app that taps into the psychology of human behavior to provide people with the ultimate motivation to shed those extra pounds.

FitBet leverages the concept of financial motivation to encourage reaching weight loss goals. With FitBet, you’ll not only experience significant improvements in your health and well-being but also have the opportunity to earn money as you shed those unwanted pounds.

Here’s how it works: Once you download the FitBet app and set your weight loss goals, you’ll be able to join challenges with like-minded individuals who share similar aspirations. Each challenge will have a specific duration and target weight loss goal. To participate, you’ll place a predetermined amount of money into a virtual “pot” that serves as your financial commitment.

Throughout the challenge, FitBet will track your progress using cutting-edge health monitoring technology integrated into your smartphone or wearable device. Whether monitoring your steps, counting calories, or tracking your workouts, FitBet keeps a close eye on your efforts, ensuring accuracy and fairness.

At the end of the challenge, those who successfully achieve their weight loss goals will receive a share of the pot, while individuals who don’t meet their targets will forfeit their financial commitment. Here is our prototype for a mobile app example created with best practices in mind.

Bottom Line

A commonly used app testing technique called prototyping enables you to adjust the essential features of your app and evaluate its performance in a real-life setting before investing in actual development. The many approaches, resources, and advantages of prototyping focus on a single goal — saving time and effort. Because even if the prototype requires multiple iterations, the final product’s cost will be substantially lower than that of just one unanticipated change round in development. 

The post How to Create a Prototype for a Mobile App appeared first on Devlight.

BPMN can be applied to mobile app development by representing the different stages, activities, decisions, and interactions involved in the app’s workflow. It helps stakeholders understand the flow of information, tasks, and events within the app and can be used to identify potential bottlenecks, inefficiencies, or areas for improvement.

By utilizing BPMN for mobile app development, teams can visualize and communicate complex processes, ensuring a clear understanding of the app’s functionality and aiding collaboration among developers, designers, and business analysts. It facilitates the documentation and analysis of the mobile app’s business logic, user interactions, data flows, and integrations with other systems.

What Is a Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) For a Mobile App?

BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) is a business process modeling language that is an intermediate link between the formalization/visualization and the implementation of a business process. With the help of modeling, we can describe any business processes which can be executed in various systems management.

BPMN is a fantastic tool for modeling business processes. In comparison to flowcharts, it provides greater insight and is easier to understand. It is also more appropriate in terms of process design and analysis. BPMN enables a company to clearly and consistently record and document business processes, ensuring all stakeholders participate. 

We can say that BPMN is part of two main components:

• BPM (Business Process Modeling) is the environment where you directly participate in the modeling. Alone or in a team. 
• BPMS (Business Process Modeling System) is a tool for executing the models you create. 

Why Is It Important to Design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) For a Mobile App?

Imagine you are driving along the road, and each city has branded road signs in its unique style. It will be difficult to navigate in such a situation, so all road signs are uniform and the same in every city throughout the country. It is the same with the BPMN for a mobile app scheme: it allows the team to understand each other and prevent disputes and conflicts because everyone is guided by clear and uniform road signs.

Everyone, including business analysts who design and enhance business processes, technical developers who implement process changes, business managers who keep track of changes, and even non-technical people like stakeholders who want to know what the future process will look like, can understand BPMN symbols because they are so straightforward. BPMN is a useful tool for communication because it offers a standard, straightforward visual language for describing business processes, preventing misunderstandings between the various stakeholders.

Levels of Modeling of BPMN for a Mobile App

How to design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) in different approaches? Depending on the purpose of building BPMN diagrams, there are 3 levels of modeling:

Descriptive Modeling

Descriptive modeling is applied to show the successful path of a business process, for example, to agree on it with a business user. The simplest elements of notation are used here, and the diagram itself is deliberately simplified as much as possible.

Analytical Modeling

Analytical modeling fully shows all options for executing a business process, including logical branches and alternatives. How to design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) in an analytical approach? Such a diagram is usually created for advanced users and business analysts using an extended notation alphabet, including its basic simplest and more complex elements.

Executable Modeling

An executable BPMN simulation is intended to be run in a BPMS engine to create a web application. The whole variety of the alphabet of this notation can be used here, including the addition of special parameters and scripts created by developers.

Basic Elements of BPMN

BPMN uses diagrams with a variety of graphic components to explain the processes. When presented with such a clear visual representation, users can easily comprehend a process’ logic. BPMN was primarily created to produce and read simple and complicated business process diagrams.

For this reason, the BPMN standard organizes the graphic elements into categories; as a result, users who deal with business process diagrams may quickly identify the elements. BPMN elements can be categorized into several different groups. They each stand for a different element of the business process:

Pool 

Defines process boundaries and describes one process on a diagram. A pool also refers to a system or a role. All objects are placed in the lanes of one or more pools, which are frequently found in BPMN diagrams.

Lanes

These are the doers. Lanes are contained in a pool, and several tracks can be within one pool. The lanes indicate the members of the processes in the pool.

Event

Events are symbols that act as triggers, starting a process at a certain starting, intermediate, or endpoint.  An event is an important state in a business process; it affects the further development of business processes.

Here are some common event symbols: 

• Message: A message is sent or received like an email or SMS. 
• Link: A process branches off into different duties as part of a wider ecosystem.
• Error: A problem has arisen and is interfering with workflow. 
• Timer: Timer symbols can indicate the start of a timer (customers have 30 days to cancel a free trial, or they will be charged a monthly price) or a certain day of the week (the system creates a list of recent free trial receivers on Mondays). 

Activity

Another symbol you need to understand to learn how to design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) is activity. Activities represent a specific task a person or system carries out as rounded rectangles. Process designers can build a variety of activities, such as those that happen only once, repeatedly, or if a certain set of circumstances are met. For example:

• Task: The specific action that needs to be taken. Because they are so specialized, they cannot be broken down into other tasks. 
• User action: if a user clicks the Submit button, this is a user action.
• Transaction: Involves the making of a payment. 
• Sub-process: A group of supplementary tasks that are categorized together. 
• Call: A typical procedure applied to different processing areas. 

Gateway

Decision points are represented by diamond-shaped symbols called gateways in a BPMN for a mobile app. They may act as obstacles, deciding which way a process will go next. Gateway symbols include, for instance: 

• If a stranger knocks on your clubhouse door and you don’t hear the proper secret code, do you let them in or turn them away? That is an exclusive gateway.
• Event-based: A specific choice needs to be made at this fork in the path. For instance, the system would not generate a list of new users if no new users had joined on the day the list was generated. 
• Parallel gateways do not wait for a specific circumstance. They could occur simultaneously.

Flow

The individual elements that make up the entire workflow are called flow objects. The events, activities, and gateways are the three basic flow objects in a Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for a mobile app.

Data

Data symbols only indicate that specific information or data is needed for the current job. They do not always affect how the operation proceeds.

There are much more elements of notation, but the basic ones will suffice for a start.

How to Design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) For a User Story

Regardless of the type of diagram you are creating, it is critical to know who it is for and how it will be used. This will enable you to provide enough information to be thorough and useful without exhausting your audience with unnecessary information. 

Squeezing multiple processes into a single BPMN diagram is a common error. For instance, you might be required to record the steps involved in adding a post to a brand’s Instagram account. The process for sharing the same content on Facebook is pretty identical. Should you combine the two or keep to demonstrating how an Instagram post is shared?

You should decide now (to avoid having to redo the work later) based on your audience and how this diagram will be used. Finally, we use BPMN to illustrate User Stories when developing mobile applications. Read how to write User Stories in the previous article.

Step 1. Identify the User Story

So, how to design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN)? Determine the User Story you want to model first. User Stories are frequently brief, straightforward explanations of a feature or functionality that a user wants to obtain.

Step 2. Break Down the User Story Into Tasks

After you have determined the US, deconstruct it into a sequence of actions that must be carried out in order to accomplish its objective. A logical order should be used to arrange these tasks.

Step 3. Define the Start and End Events

Identify the process’s start event, which signifies the start of the process, and its end event, which signifies the process’ conclusion. Describe the “happy” path that results in the production of an effective result (product). Add missteps, they will make your Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for a mobile app more detailed and logical.

You will need a start and end icon in each pool if the diagram you’re producing contains more than one to indicate more precisely when the process is started. The title of these event icons can be as general as “start” or as particular as “request received.”

Step 4. Add the Tasks to the Process Diagram

Then add the tasks you chose in Step 2 to the process diagram. For each activity, use the proper BPMN symbols. The actions that are carried out during a process are also called activities. Ask yourself what people do to get from start to finish and put each of those actions to their appropriate lane, in order from left to right. It might be useful to begin drawing arrows between these steps using an online diagramming or BPMN tool.

Step 5. Sequence the Tasks

Put the tasks in the right order so they can be done to accomplish the User Story’s objective. The tasks are connected via BPMN sequence flows.

If the process contains any decision points, include them in the diagram using BPMN’s exclusive or inclusive gateways.

Step 6. Add Decision Points

You must include a gateway anywhere the process splits or has the potential to take several pathways. There should never be more than one arrow originating from a single activity when adding gates.

Events like a message being sent or a specific amount of time passing are also part of the process. Look for areas of your BPMN for a mobile app where these events should be put to define the process better when you examine the activities you’ve added. For instance, there is an event when the invoice is sent between phases like an employee submitting an invoice and management approving that invoice. 

Step 7. Review and Optimize the Process

When you have finished drawing the BPMN diagram for the User Story, check it to make sure it appropriately depicts the workflow. Find strategies to streamline the procedure by getting rid of processes that aren’t necessary and increasing effectiveness.

You may have started adding arrows when you added activities, gateways, and events. Make sure the entire process is finished by adding any last connectors and concluding with an end event icon.

Step 8. Review the BPMN Diagram With the Team

To make sure that everyone understands the process and that it satisfies their needs, share the BPMN diagram with stakeholders. As a last step, review your Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for a mobile app by making sure that everything is well-aligned, the swimlanes are the proper size, and the information flow is simple to understand. By accessing the object properties, you can add colors and particular forms.

Maintaining consistent simplicity and detailed language is reached by making your BPMN for a mobile app as concise and straightforward as possible. Put the user first, think about the exclusions and other options. Think about applying subprocesses, use evocative headings, and check the whole procedure a few times.

You might need to adjust your plan based on your team’s suggestions. To make things clearer, provide artifacts like groups or annotations. You may ensure that your diagram has enough clarity to be useful by having someone else review your work.

Pro Tips and Best Practices for Designing BPMN

Devlight has some tips on how to design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN):

• Understand the user story. Before designing a BPMN diagram for a user story, ensure you clearly understand the user story itself. Discuss the requirements with stakeholders and ensure you have a complete picture of the process flow.
• Document any assumptions or dependencies related to the user story in the BPMN diagram. This helps in capturing the context and clarifies the scope of the process being modeled.
• Always start the procedure by defining its beginning and conclusion to understand its scope clearly.
• Before using BPMN to create a more effective solution, you can first map the existing business process to identify any inefficiencies.
• Take into account potential exceptions or alternative paths in the BPMN diagram. This includes modeling error handling, exceptional conditions, and escalations. Anticipating and addressing exceptions in the design phase can lead to more robust processes.
• Use subprocesses for complex activities. If a particular activity within the process is complex and involves multiple steps, consider using subprocesses to break it down into more manageable components. This improves readability and makes the diagram easier to understand.
• The order of the layout should be horizontal. Show associations and data flows vertically.
• Depending on the level of detail required for each stakeholder’s function, you can design separate versions of the diagram for them.

Business Process Management Platforms

Modern BPMN tools have many advantages, including higher accuracy, increased agility, increased productivity, reduced development times, high reliability, and cost savings. 

Any tool you choose to create a BPMN for a mobile app quickly turns into a crucial, foundational part of a business’s digital architecture. Here are some of the most popular platforms we recommend using to create your BPMN diagram:

Appian

Appian, one of the first suppliers of business modeling services in this market, is widely regarded as a pioneer. Its products are constantly evolving and provide a wide range of features thanks to its low-code, cloud-based application generation platform. 

Appian provides extensive, user-friendly, integrated hyper-automation instruments. You may design, construct, test, and deploy your Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for a mobile app using the flexible functionality and intuitive design features of Appian Designer. Using low-code capabilities, Appian Portals connects your external end users without the requirement for authentication, enabling you to create safe websites linked to your apps easily.

Bizagi

Bizagi offers low-code automated application systems generation and advanced process redesign through its three products, Bizagi Modeler, Bizagi Studio, and Bizagi Automation. These items come together to make up the Bizagi iBPMS platform. Additionally flexible, Bizagi provides a cloud alternative that enables project teams to tailor user interfaces for various consumer segments and geographical regions.

Blueworks Live by IBM

The Blueworks Live iBPMS platform is a cloud-based set of products for workflow automation and ongoing development. These tools feature performance tracking and low-code creation for business process mapping. How to design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) via Blueworks Live? The platform uses simulation, RPA, AI, and machine learning across several IBM technologies to expand support for all BPM operations, from process modeling through application production and beyond. 

One of our analysts has also shared his experience: “I am currently using a BPMN drawing tool called Cawemo. What I like about it:

1. Accessible online
2. The ease of sharing experiences
3. Ability to add comments
4. Easy Drawing
5. Convenient settings and editing of elements
6. Nothing extra, just BPMN

Disadvantages, in my opinion:

1. The commenting feature. It is present but not convenient to work with because there is no interface for this.

I have also been using the Bizagi stationary software. It comes in handy quite well since it helps to automate business processes. However, there is no online version, so it gets hard to share the results of your work with the team.”

BPMN for User Stories: Example

Now that you know how to design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), we would like to share our example. Consider this example from Devlight’s team so you don’t start with a blank document.

Login to the application

The user has the ability to enter the application without authorization and access the functions of an unauthorized user. To log in without authorization, the user must confirm that he is at least 18 years old.

The user can log in to the application by entering a Ukrainian phone number and confirming it with OTP. If an active loyalty program card is attached to the user’s phone number, the user will log in to the existing account. If a card is not assigned to the user’s phone number, then an account will be created for the user, and a new loyalty program participant’s card will be assigned to it. If a blocked card is assigned to the user’s phone number, a new loyalty card will be assigned to the user’s phone number and the user will receive a message that his previous card has been blocked.

If the user is authorized to the application for the first time, the user will be credited with bonuses. The number of bonuses depends on how the user logged into the application: by direct or referral link.

Referral program

An authorized user has the opportunity to take advantage of the referral program: invite new users to the application and receive bonuses.

The user sends a link to the application in the App Store or Google Play to contacts.

If the recipient of the referral link logs into the application for the first time after clicking on the referral link, he will be credited with referral program bonuses. Bonuses for authorization in the mobile application and bonuses for the referral program do not add up.

The sender of the referral link will receive bonuses on the condition that the recipient of the link installed the application based on the referral link, logged into the system for the first time and made a purchase online by scanning the loyalty card within 30 days from the moment of the first authorization in the application.

There is no limit on the maximum number of bonuses that can be received under the referral program.

Bottom Line

Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for a mobile app is a standardized set of diagramming conventions used to describe business processes. It uses symbols and standardized elements to visualize workflow objects and their interconnections. There are several ways you may choose to explain a business process. A graphical diagram, which uses images to convey the various steps in a process, is typically the most helpful. There are other possibilities for pictorial diagrams. However, the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) standard is the one that is most advised.  

The gap between business intention and implementation is closed by BPMN’s provision of sufficient accuracy and clarity in the sequence of business processes. In comparison to words, diagrams are frequently easier to understand. Working collaboratively to create an efficient process that produces high-quality outputs is made simpler by BPMN.

The post How to Design Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) For a Mobile App appeared first on Devlight.

A leading mobile app development company – Devlight is dedicated to creating world-class mobile apps for world businesses. The CEO, Ihor Polych, pioneered the venture making it one of the most sought-after mobile app development companies in Ukraine.

GoodFirms – the world’s leading review and rating firm – exclusively interviewed Ihor Polych, the CEO of Devlight, to learn more about its incredible services.

Inception Story

Ihor Polych is the CEO of Devlight, a mobile app development company. Established in 2016, with the goal of making a positive impact on the world through technology. Its team size has grown to over 75 talented professionals.

The Ukraine-based company specializes in mobile app development, focusing on creating unique experiences for users. In just four years, it has become a leader in the Ukrainian market, with over 100 successful projects and more than 35 million app downloads.

Moreover, the CEO of Devlight, Ihor Polych, discussed his roles and responsibilities as the CEO. He said, “My role involves overseeing the company’s strategic direction, ensuring exceptional service delivery, and fostering a culture of excellence within our organization.”

In-House Business Model

Devlight follows an in-house business model by hiring highly skilled professionals.

The company’s aspirations are connected to work and providing tools and practices for their clients and partners to fully develop their potential.

How Devlight Stands Out?

The CEO thinks that the company differentiates itself from the competition with its client-centered approach and vast experience in developing large-scale mobile projects. Companies focus on quality user experience and selecting the right solutions.

“We know our clients well and work closely with them to deliver the best possible product. Our commitment to professionalism and company culture helps us sustain our competitive advantage in the long run,” said Ihor Polych, the CEO of Devlight.

Industries Served & Clients Ratio

Devlight caters to diverse industry sectors such as retail, e-commerce, fintech, healthcare, logistics, and loyalty programs.

The CEO said, “Our clients range from large banks to national and global industry leaders. Over 70% of Devlight’s clients are repetitive, which reflects the company’s commitment to providing high-quality development services and building long-lasting relationships with their clients.”

Services Provided To Clients

Devlight is approached by clients for a variety of services that they excel in. Their most sought-after services are:

• End-to-end mobile application development
• Software Project Discovery
• UI/UX design
• Project Transferring

These services are backed by their deep domain expertise and positive client experiences, making Devlight a trusted choice for businesses seeking complex and innovative tech solutions.

Client Satisfaction & Client Retention Ratio

The team at Devlight constantly interviews its clients at different stages of production to ensure they meet their client’s needs and requirements.

The CEO said, “More than 70% of our new customers come to us through our previous or current clients’ referrals, which is a testament to the quality of our work and customer satisfaction.”

Support Offered To Clients

Devlight offers a robust support system for its clients’ queries and issues. The CEO pointed out the key features of their support system, such as:

With this support system, the company ensures prompt assistance, effective communication, and a systematic approach to address its client needs throughout the project and beyond.

Monthly Billing Structure

Devlight’s payment structure is typically based on a monthly billing system. It provides detailed reports and invoices at the beginning of each month based on the time spent on the project. This allows for transparency and clarity in the billing process. 

On the minimum budget, the CEO said, “We don’t have a fixed minimum budget requirement for projects. Instead, we analyze the functionality and requirements of each project and offer different implementation options.”

In 2022, Devlight’s minimum project size had a price range starting from $25,000 and going up to $1 million.

The Future of Devlight 

While concluding the interview, the CEO, Ihor Polych, shared his understanding of how he sees the growth of Devlight in the next ten years.

“Our goal is to become the top mobile development company in the world, with a full product development cycle and offices in key locations such as the USA and UK,” Ihor said.

“We hope to continue to expand our team and reach 400 employees and to have achieved 100 million app downloads across all of our projects,” he concluded.

The detailed interview is available on GoodFirms.

About GoodFirms

Washington, D.C.-based GoodFirms is an innovative B2B Research and Reviews Company that extensively combs the market to find business services agencies amongst many other technology firms that offer the best services to their customers. GoodFirms’ extensive research process ranks the companies, boosts their online reputation, and helps service seekers pick the right technology partner that meets their business needs.

Author Bio: Ryan Allen is a content writer @ GoodFirms – a full-fledged research and review platform offering an excellent platform to all software and mobile app development to excel in their respective fields. He has a Master’s degree in Journalism and is an avid non-fiction reader.

The post Transforming User Experience: Devlight Sets the Standard appeared first on Devlight.

Making an app that accurately reflects the original vision is one of the most difficult aspects of the process. Creating user stories for a mobile app is one way to deal with this issue, particularly when dealing with complex project needs where you have to transform concepts into actual functionality. 

User stories make this process simpler. Our comprehensive guide covers every aspect of user stories, including their function, significance, usage examples, and specific templates of USs for mobile apps. 

What Is a User Story for a Mobile App?

A user story reflects the desire of your app users to achieve their goals via using your product. User stories are succinct, straightforward statements of a goal from the end user’s viewpoint. They do not outline a particular product feature or corporate goal. Any user stories for a mobile app example should express the user’s identity, motivations, and objectives in straightforward terms. 

Using too many details while writing user stories will be a mistake. One sentence written using informal language will be fine. Just incorporate the subsequent pattern:

• Function: “As a [user persona]”
• “I want to [complete an action]” is a feature.
• Benefit: “So that I can [get something of value]”

This is what you might get if you put this user story template together:

“As a project manager, I want to maintain my organization so I can keep my complete team on schedule.”

What Are the Elements of a User Story?

Creating user stories for a mobile app requires combining the necessary components, just like writing any other kind of story does. The most fundamental components that you can include in your user story are as follows:

• A brief description of the demand that satisfies the user’s business goal;
• Acceptance standards, or the activities or engagements required within the app to achieve the intended outcome from the user;
• Prototype and design references.

You can add whatever components seem rational to you, but keep in mind that the team will be able to grasp and execute the story better if it is kept simple.

Attributes of a Good User Story (INVEST)

Do you wonder already how to create user stories for a mobile app? The term INVEST is the greatest way to sum up the essential elements of a successful user story. Bill Wake, a specialist in agile project development and extreme programming, is credited with creating this abbreviation. Since then, INVEST has evolved into the de facto method for defining user story success. Let’s examine each component in more detail below:

Independent

Every US must be considered a separate element of the overall project.  This means that teams should be able to work on each story independently of one another, without any kind of co-dependency. There shouldn’t be any repetition or confusion among the stories. Thus, there should be no overlap. Any interdependent user stories can typically be eliminated if they are less important.

Negotiable

How to create user stories for a mobile app? Collaboration between customers, designers, programmers, and stakeholders will be necessary. Initially, there is a discussion. In an ideal scenario, everyone would understand the plot, but that is rarely the case. The priority, project needs, and scope should all be easily modifiable in stories. 

Valuable

Possibly the most significant component of a user story is its value. Eliminate the story if it doesn’t benefit the user. Every story must be crafted with the idea of adding value in mind.  

Estimable

Another critical component of user stories is the estimation of priority.  Each US needs to be sized properly so as to indicate the priority level. The highest level of priority in the development schedule might not necessarily be given to high-value features with a protracted development process. In some circumstances, achieving early victories and finishing other stories is preferable. 

Small

Every user story needs to be viewed as a discrete unit of work inside the overall project. The project management technique you’re employing will determine the precise size of the story. A story may occasionally be finished in a single sprint. They might take longer at other times. Stories shouldn’t require more than three to four days of work in accordance with agile approaches.

Testable

All user stories for a mobile app should be tested for the product after they are finished. This approach guarantees the satisfaction of acceptance criteria, which change depending on the project. 

Why Is It Important to Create User Stories for a Mobile App?

For agile software development, user stories have become essential. Teams would spend weeks crafting extremely thorough requirements and specifications for a software project before introducing agile user stories. However, there is a difference between the language used by programmers and developers and that of the general public. As a result, there would frequently be miscommunication among project stakeholders.

Without an agile user narrative, we would have the next user stories for a mobile app example in terms of requirements:

• The app has to [do this];
• Here’s what this software will accomplish: … ;
• The feature will finish [another task].

But this kind of guidance is useless. Long paragraphs of style information are the result, which many project participants won’t read or comprehend. Even the coders would pass past these since they preferred to get right to developing code. User stories altered everything. They have been long recognized as the smallest building block of an agile framework, simple to incorporate into various phases of one sprint after another.

A great user story for a mobile app example offers a number of key advantages, including:

• Putting the user first – A project team will stay task-oriented if they employ a checklist or to-do list. However, adhering to user stories keeps everyone focused on finding solutions for app users’ problems.
• Boosting cooperation — User stories assist in defining your ultimate objectives. This makes it much simpler for groups to decide together on the best course of action, guaranteeing that the end user’s demands will be met in the best way possible.
• Fostering creativity — User stories empower everyone to use their creativity instead of defining the project with dull tasks or objectives. This encourages analytical thinking and user-centered problem-solving.
• Gaining momentum – The team experiences a sense of pride each time a new user story is completed. As a result of these incremental successes, the entire project gains momentum, and the finished product doesn’t seem like an impossible task.

User stories are an incredible tool for application development, but they can be utilized for any kind of product or project management activity. How to create user stories for a mobile app with all requirements in mind? Let’s find out.

How to Create User Stories for a Mobile App

It’s time to start writing user stories for your app now that you know what makes a good one. To begin, simply adhere to the guidelines listed below:

Step 1. Identify User Personas

Identifying the different user types that will stick to your mobile application is the first step in writing user stories. When a person is connected to an app, a user persona represents what they do. 

How to create user stories for a mobile app? For illustration, let’s take a look at the well-known Instagram app. Someone may use Instagram to further their trend knowledge or as a form of self-expression. However, that same individual might also use the app for entertainment. Each of these circumstances would have a separate set of personas in the user journey. 

Step 2. Establish Goals for User Types

Create a list of various user personas. You must specify the end-user goals in your user stories for each persona. Consider the rationale behind their use of the mobile app. What benefit will they receive from using the app? 

Let’s continue using the Instagram user story as our example. The search for posts on a given topic could be the objective of the educational user. After scrolling through some hashtags, an entertainment user could want to find another piece of closely linked information. Combine these goals — they will set the foundation for your software features. 

Step 3. Define the “What” and “Why”

The “what” and “why” should be addressed via mapping user stories for a mobile app. This is often done by adhering to the following rules:

• What benefit will a feature offer the end user?
• Why would a user of this particular type wish to have the feature?

You should probably reconsider the user story and its function within your mobile app if you cannot respond to the what and why. 

Step 4. Define the Acceptance Criteria & Edge Cases

The acceptance criteria were briefly discussed before in relation to the “testable” component of the INVEST acronym for user narrative key elements.  What exactly are the requirements for acceptance? Each user story for a mobile app example should be rational in order to make sense, just like any other story. Consider the what and why before responding with “how.”

The acceptance criteria outline the precise method through which you will provide value. You shouldn’t go into the specifics of application development in your response because that will come later. Instead, use your imagination to act out the story’s events.

You may state, for instance, that a user can click a button to share a location with their friends instantly. Or perhaps they must make a particular gesture to verify their order before completing the checkout process. 

Step 5. Collect All Requirements for Each User Story

Each user story should have a clear definition of what needs to be done, how it will be done, and what the expected outcome is. 

Be sure to write down all the requirements for the implementation of the user story. These can be prototypes, design references, and necessary APIs. This can help reduce misunderstandings between developers, designers, and stakeholders and ensures that everyone is working towards a common goal.

Step 6. Run Through Your Story With the Team

Once it has been completed, there are numerous ways to validate your user story. However, two methods are the most efficient and helpful for checking your approach. Here is how to create user stories for a mobile app that will be effective when applied:

• Apply the INVEST criteria to it. Verify again to ensure you’ve covered all the fundamental requirements and if the user story satisfies them.
• Talk about it with your team. The Project Lead may give the team the specifics during a planning or brainstorming session, much like just storytelling. The staff should then address any issues or provide clarification if necessary. This makes it easier for everyone to comprehend the plot and align their viewpoints with those of the app’s creators.

The credibility of your user story will be increased by listening to other viewpoints and getting team feedback. This will also promote effective communication and collaboration with all parties involved.

Pro Tips and Best Practices for Writing User Stories

User stories are the foundation of a great mobile app. They assist you in putting your end users in the spotlight, clearly define the team’s goals, and decompose work into manageable pieces. Here are some key points to keep in mind before you begin:

Focus On User Needs

You can never go wrong if you keep your users in mind. But to truly comprehend their needs, put yourself in their position and adopt their perspective as a user.

Keep It Simple and Concise

A user stories for a mobile app example isn’t only an extra requirement but also a useful agile tool. By putting USs into practice, your team will be able to work quickly and efficiently when developing apps without adding any extra burden.

Prioritize User Stories

No matter how good an idea the team comes up with, you should reconsider your approach if it doesn’t help your users. Always consider how it will impact your user experience. 

Refine User Stories Over Time

Now that you know how to create user stories for a mobile app, keep in mind that being in contact with stakeholders and having a solid grasp of business requirements doesn’t mean having technical competence. In order to effectively manage the backlog, it is crucial to consider the viewpoints and suggestions of the development team members as they interact with the project manager. Always strive for simplicity, and ask questions if you don’t grasp something. Revise and refine, and make your USs work!

User Stories for a Mobile App: Template

Creating user stories helps ensure that the app meets the needs and expectations of its users. They provide a clear understanding of what the app will do, why it is valuable, and how it will provide a positive user experience. User stories also help prioritize development efforts, identify potential issues and edge cases, and ensure that the app provides real value to its users. Here is the template we usually apply.

User Stories for a Mobile App Example

Here we offer a few real-life examples of USs that work. Choose any user stories for a mobile app example to apply it as your model or source of inspiration.

Name: Splash screen
User Story: As a User, I want to see a screen saver with the store’s logo while waiting for the application to download so that I understand that the system is functioning correctly and the application will be loaded later.
Аcceptance criteria:
1. When loading the application, a screen saver with the store logo is displayed to the user.

2. Animation:

a) Enlargement of the logo until it occupies the entire screen.

b) Transition to the next screen according to the flow.

3. On the splash screen, dictionaries with cities, shops, hotlines, and social networks are uploaded to the local database.

a) List of cities – once a day.

b) List of stores – once a day.

c) Hotline number – once a week.

d) List of social networks – once a week.

e) Links to the website – once a week.

Name: Static onboarding
User Story: As a User, I want to be able to familiarize myself with the features of the application in order to understand what benefits are available by using the application.
Аcceptance criteria:
1. Static onboarding is displayed to the user 1 time – when the application is first opened after downloading it from the market. If the user viewed all or part of the onboarding or missed the onboarding, such onboarding should not be displayed to the user again.

2. Static onboarding is displayed after the splash screen.

3. Static onboarding consists of 3 screens. Each screen displays the following information:

a) Image.

b) Name.

c) Text.

4. Information from static onboarding pages is stored locally.

5. A progress bar is displayed to the user to understand which of the onboarding screens is currently displayed to the user.

6. By tapping on the “X” on the first and second onboarding screens, the user can skip viewing the static onboarding and proceed to the authorization process (phone number entry screen).

7. By tapping on “Next” on the first and second onboarding screens, the user goes to the next onboarding screen.

8. After tapping on “Continue” on the third onboarding screen, the user goes to the application authorization process (phone number entry screen).

Name: Authorization (Registration and Login)
User Story: As a User, I want to be able to log in as an authorized or unauthorized user in order to use the features of the application available to me.
Аcceptance criteria: 

1. The user can enter the system as an unauthorized user.

a) After tapping on the “x” element, a pop-up appears with the text: “You must be 18 years old to access the application” and the “Continue” button.

b) If the user taps on the “Continue” button, the transition to step 11 occurs.

c) If the user taps outside the pop-up or on “X”, the user remains on the phone number entry screen.

d) If the user missed the authorization, the next time he enters the application, he must go to the main screen.

2. The user can log in to the system by phone number.

a) The system pre-fills the phone number input field with the characters +380. The user cannot delete prefilled characters.

b) The user can log into the system only with a Ukrainian phone number. The system considers phone numbers starting with: 039 | 050 | 063 | 066 | 067 | 068 | 073 | 091 | 092 | 093 | 094 | 095 | 096 | 097 | 098 | 099.

c) If the user entered an incorrect phone number, the field changes to an error state, and an error message is displayed under the field.

d) When you go to the phone number entry screen, the numeric keypad automatically appears.

– The user can enter up to 9 digits in the field.

– The user cannot enter letters or other symbols in the field.

3. The user can go to study the rules of the loyalty program (pdf) and the privacy policy (pdf) without leaving the application.

4. The “Continue” button is displayed on the number entry screen.

a) The “Continue” button is disabled by default.

b) The “Continue” button becomes active if the user enters 9 digits of the phone number.

c) After tapping on the “Continue” button to the mobile number from the input field (SMS), the system will send a 4-digit OTP, and the transition to the OTP input screen will take place.

5. The system displays the phone number to which the OTP was sent.

a) By tapping on the phone number, the user goes to step 2 and can change the previously entered phone number. The phone number input field displays the phone number previously entered by the user.

– If you go to the OTP page without changing the phone number, the OTP is not redirected.

– When you next go to the OTP page with a change of phone number, the system sends the OTP to the new phone number and displays it on the OTP input screen.

6. User can confirm the phone number through OTP.

a) When you go to the OTP input screen, a numeric keypad appears.

– The user can enter up to 4 digits in the field.

– The user cannot enter letters or other symbols in the field.

b) On Android, the system prefills the OTP input field with the code received in the SMS message.

c) On iOS, the system displays a bottom sheet with the OTP code received in the SMS message, and when you tap on this message, the OTP input field is pre-filled.

7. On the OTP input screen, a countdown timer and a button “Send the code again” are displayed.

a) During the countdown, the “Send the code again” button is disabled.

b) When the counter time expires, the “Send the code again” button is enabled.

c) After tapping the “Send code again” button, a 4-digit OTP will be re-sent to the user’s mobile number (SMS).

8. The “Continue” button is displayed on the OTP input screen.

a) The “Continue” button is disabled by default.

b) The “Continue” button becomes active if 4 digits are entered in the OTP input field.

c) After tapping the “Continue” button, the system checks the entered code:

– If the code is entered incorrectly, the field with OTP is cleared, changes to error state and an error message is displayed under the field. The user can correct the code and press the “Continue” button again.

– If the code is entered correctly, then proceed to step 9.

9. The system checks whether there is an account in the database with the following phone number and user card status:

a) If there is an account in the database with the entered phone number, the status of the card is active, then the system receives its data, authorizes the user, and proceeds to step 10.

b) If there is an account in the database with the entered phone number, but the status of the card is blocked, then the system attaches a new card to the user, authorizes him in the application, and moves to step 10. After authorization, a message is displayed to the user that the old card has been blocked, and a new card and hotline phone number were created for him to get details.

c) If there is no account with the entered phone number, the system registers the user, attaches a new card to him, and authorizes the user in the application. Moving on to step 10.

10. The user sees a loader with a message that authorization to the application was successful. Go to step 11.

11. The user gets to the Main screen or to the previous screen from which the user went to authorization.

a) Authorized users who first logged in to the application via a direct link are shown a bottom sheet with a personalized (if there is a username in the system) greeting and bonuses for authorization are accrued.

b) Authorized users who first logged into the application using a referral link are shown a bottom sheet with a personalized (if there is a user name in the system) greeting and referral bonuses are accrued for authorization.

c) The bottom sheet is not displayed to users who have previously authorized the application.

d) The bottom sheet is not displayed to unauthorized users.

e) All users who have logged into the application for the first time will be prompted for geolocation permission.

12. If the user entered the phone number, went to the OTP step, and returned to the phone number entry screen, the screen should display the previously entered phone number.

a) When you go to the OTP page without changing the phone number, the code is not redirected.

b) When you next go to the OTP page with a change of phone number, the system sends the code to the new phone number and displays it on the OTP input screen.

13. If the user taps outside the keyboard, it collapses. When you tap on the input field, the keyboard appears.

14. The system allows logging in under one account from several electronic devices. There is no limit on the number of devices.

15. If the endpoints do not respond or respond with an error (500 or unknown to us), then we display a message to the user about problems in operation and a request to try the action again.

General error states:
1. If the user does not have Internet when clicking “Continue” on the phone input screen or on the OTP input screen:

a) The user is shown a snack bar with the message: “An error has occurred. Check your internet connection.”.

b) The user’s Internet connection is checked. When the connection is restored, the screen is automatically updated.

2. If a server error occurs when pressing “Continue” on the phone input screen or on the OTP input screen: a snack bar is displayed to the user with the message: “An error occurred. Please try again.”.

A great user story for a mobile app example user story makes it easier for everyone to comprehend the objective of a certain app endeavor by providing a plain language description, like the ones above. 

Summary: How to Create User Stories for a Mobile App

User stories explain the benefits offered to a user who wants to use your software to carry out an action. How to create one? Identify the user personas first. Then assign objectives to each persona. Written user stories should address the “what” and “why” of each persona. The acceptance criteria can then be defined using those queries.
The INVEST acronym should be kept in mind while you write any user stories for a mobile app example. You may get started by following the instructions in this guide and using our examples as inspiration.

The post How to Create User Stories for a Mobile App appeared first on Devlight.