The smooth creation of a mobile application is entirely achievable with a professional approach. The success of essential mobile apps such as Uber, Messenger, or Yuka lies in their clear ergonomics, user-friendly features, and well-defined concept. To benefit from the valuable insights of the latest UX and UI design methods, it’s crucial to ask the right questions. Where to start? What process should you follow to get started? Fortunately, depending on your availability, budget, and team, you have multiple solutions at your disposal. If you're interested in creating a mobile application, IDNET is here to guide you step by step through the process.

Your management has given you the green light, or you’re looking to steer your business toward a new strategic direction. Now is the perfect time to embark on the creation of your mobile application. By following these structured steps, you can save time on your project and collaborate effectively with a User Interface (UI) designer. Don’t hesitate to actively involve your team and adapt this methodology to your own workflows to ensure an optimal and seamless process. Let’s dive into the mechanics and secrets behind building a successful mobile application.

If you’re considering creating a mobile app, it’s because you have a clear idea in mind. It’s important to understand that this app shouldn’t simply be a duplication of your website, but rather an extension that allows you to enhance the customer experience. A successful app concept doesn’t necessarily need to be revolutionary, but it must be clear and well-defined before you start developing it. Take the time to grab a piece of paper and a pen, and precisely list the idea behind your app, its main objectives, and who it’s aimed at. Don’t hesitate to do this in collaboration with your team, perhaps through a creative workshop. Start by asking yourself the following questions:

Provide clear answers to these questions, and don’t hesitate to review your idea and adjust your concept to ensure it effectively meets your clients’ needs, your business objectives, and the expected outcomes. The answers you obtain will serve as the foundation for your app and will form the guidelines for the creative brief you will provide to a developer and a User Interface (UI) designer.

Before starting the interface design process, it is essential to define the main features of your future application. Begin by creating a list of the elements you want to integrate.

Think in terms of functions rather than visuals: messaging system, contact form, product catalog, for example. Once you’ve made your list, divide the desired features into two distinct columns: "essential" and "optional." Then, focus on the essential features column: these will form your MVP (Minimum Viable Product), which is the minimum viable version of your app to design and test. The other elements listed in the optional features column can be added later, through updates. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and Uber, Airbnb, or Facebook as we know them today didn’t emerge all at once either. For example, Uber started by creating a mobile app focused on just one feature: booking vehicles via mobile. From there, they gradually developed and expanded their offering by adding features like geolocation, driver ratings, and online payments, building it piece by piece.

Once you’ve identified the necessary features, it’s time to draw inspiration from your surroundings. At this stage, you have two options: you may have already spotted an app that appeals to you and want to adopt its key elements, or you may have collected various interesting ideas over time. In both cases, studying what your competitors are already doing is a great starting point for creating your mobile app. Who is their target audience? What mistakes should you avoid? What strengths should you take into account? However, don’t limit yourself to this—feel free to look beyond your industry and its conventions. If you come across a well-designed product showcase page, keep it in mind for future steps. If you believe that the chat tool will be widely used by your clients, draw inspiration from best practices adopted by startups and the most innovative companies in sectors where after-sales service is crucial. By doing so, you can benefit from their experiences as well as feedback from their clients. A concrete example is N26, the new online bank that is disrupting traditional banking. Despite lacking a dedicated bank advisor for account management, N26 has high demand thanks to a key feature: a reliable live chat that builds trust with their clients.

It’s time to grab a pen or a mouse. This step is gradual and allows you to test your screens directly with your target audience. Start by sketching the wireframes of your screens by hand or using software. When creating a mobile app, the first step is to focus more on the content and layout rather than the graphic design. Map out the entire user journey.

During this stage of mobile app creation, the focus is on the user journey and content, rather than on the graphic design. Take a functional approach rather than a visual one. Essentially, you are testing the list you created in step 1. At this stage, you can accomplish a lot with tools like PowerPoint or Keynote. UX/UI designers often use software such as Sketch, InVision, or Adobe Suite to create screens, establish app navigation (i.e., how screens are connected to one another), and even animate certain designs. For example, the Yuka app, which allows users to scan food products and get clear information about their health impact, has significantly influenced consumption habits since its launch about two years ago in France. Its success can partly be attributed to its simple, clear, and appealing design. Like Yuka, test your first version with a group of users. Their feedback will be invaluable for iterative improvements and necessary adjustments. Use tools like MarvelApp to animate your screens and give testers the feeling of clicking through the app. With initial feedback from your target audience, you can make changes to key content before even addressing graphic elements.

If you're fortunate enough to work with a web agency, graphic designer, or even better, a UI Designer, now is the time to entrust them with the creation of your mobile app. Using your wireframes and the feedback from your users, you can provide them with a comprehensive project brief. An inspiring example is Slack, an inter-company chat application, which has developed its design expertise and shares its methods worldwide through its blog. Originally created as a chat app for online gamers, this version was tested and adjusted based on user feedback to create the Slack tool we know today. Since then, their teams continue to constantly test new features and designs, which keep their users happy. Before handing the screens over to developers, don’t hesitate to test them one last time in real-life situations. This is the moment to make final adjustments before moving on to the technical work. If you prefer to handle it yourself, that’s perfectly fine: be sure to pay attention to the details, and if you're using online templates, make sure to respect the associated rights to avoid any surprises. Many online tools are available to help you get started smoothly with this process.

Your mobile app is ready, launched, and tested? It's now time to integrate it into the App Store or Google Play Store. Before publishing it, make sure to check the following:

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