The serene creation of a mobile application is quite achievable thanks to a professional approach. The key to the success of certain essential mobile applications, such as Uber, Messenger or Yuka, lies in their clear ergonomics, their user-friendly features and their well-defined concept.

To benefit from the valuable lessons of the latest UX and UI Design methods, it is essential to ask the right questions.

Where to start ? What is the process to follow to get started? Fortunately, depending on your availability, your budget and your team, you have multiple solutions at your disposal.
If you are interested in creating a mobile application, IDNET is here to guide you step by step through this process.

6 steps to create your mobile application

You have been given permission from your management, or you want to direct your business in a new strategic direction. This is the right time to start creating your mobile application.

By following these methodical steps, you can save time in the realization of your project and collaborate effectively with a UI designer. Do not hesitate to actively solicit your team and adapt this methodology to your own work practices, in order to ensure the optimal fluidity of the process.

Let's get ready to explore the mechanics and secrets of making a successful mobile app.

1. Be clear in your ideas

If you are considering creating a mobile application, you have a very specific idea in mind. It is important to understand that this application should not simply be a duplicate of your website, but rather an extension that allows you to deepen the customer experience. A successful app concept doesn't have to be groundbreaking, but it should be clear and well-defined before you jump into it.

Take the time to bring a sheet of paper and a pencil, and list precisely what is the idea behind your application, what are its main objectives and who it is aimed at. Feel free to do this in collaboration with your team, through a creative workshop, for example.

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

  • What needs of our users or customers are we trying to satisfy?
  • How could an application meet these needs?
  • What business goal are we trying to achieve?
  • How could an app help us achieve this goal?
  • What results do we expect?
    • < /ul>

    Provide honest answers to these questions, and don't hesitate to review your idea and adjust your concept to ensure that it effectively meets the needs of your customers, your business objectives and the expected results. The answers you get will serve as the basis for your application and will form the guidelines for the creative brief that you will provide to a developer and a UI Designer.

2. Establish key features

Before starting the interface design process, it is essential to define the main functionalities of your future application. Start by making a list of the elements you want to incorporate.
Ask yourself questions such as:

  • What features do you envision when conceptualizing your app?< /li>
  • Is a booking function or access to your webshop necessary?


Think in terms of functions rather than visuals: messaging system, contact form, product catalog, for example.

Once you've compiled your list, divide the features you want into two separate columns: "essential" and "optional". Then focus on the column of essential features: these will constitute your MVP (Minimum Viable Product), that is to say the minimum viable version of your application to be designed and tested.

Other items listed in the optional features column may be added later, through updates. Rome wasn't built in a day, and Uber, Airbnb or Facebook as we know them today weren't born all at once either.

For example, Uber started by creating a mobile application focused on a single functionality: booking vehicles via mobile.

From there, they gradually developed and enriched their offer by adding features such as geolocation, driver ratings and online payments, brick by brick.

3. Find inspiration

When you've identified the features you need, it's time to draw inspiration from around you. At this point, you have two options: you may have already spotted an app that appeals to you and want to adopt its main elements, or you have collected different interesting elements over time.
Either way, studying what your competitors are already doing is a great starting point for building your mobile app. What target audience are they aimed at? What are their mistakes to avoid? What are their strengths to consider?

However, do not limit yourself to this and do not hesitate to look beyond your industry and its conventions. If you observe a well-designed product overview page, keep it in mind for the next steps.

If you believe that the chat tool will be widely used by your customers, learn from the best practices adopted by the most innovative startups and companies in sectors where after-sales service is of crucial importance. Thus, you will be able to benefit from their feedback as well as that of their customers.

A concrete example is N26, the new online bank that disrupts the codes of traditional banking. Despite the absence of a bank advisor dedicated to monitoring customer accounts, N26 is experiencing strong demand thanks to a key feature: a powerful livechat that inspires confidence in their customers.

4. Development and testing of wireframes

It's time to pick up a pen or a mouse. This step takes place gradually 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 application, the first step is to focus more on the contents and their layout than on the graphic aspect. Represent the complete journey of a user.

  • What stages does it go through?
    • < li>What questions does he ask himself?



During this stage of creating a mobile application, the focus is on the user journey and the content, rather than the graphic aspect. Take a functional rather than a visual approach. You are, in essence, testing the list established in step 1. At this stage, you can perform feats with tools such as PowerPoint or Keynote. UX/UI designers often use software such as Sketch, Invision or the Adobe suite to create the screens, establish the navigation of the application (i.e. the way the screens are connected to each other) and even animate some designs.

For example, the Yuka application, which allows you to scan food products and obtain clear information on their impact on health, has profoundly influenced consumer habits since its launch around two years ago in France. Its success is partly explained by its simple, clear and attractive design.

Like Yuka, test your first version with a group of users. Their feedback will be valuable for iterating gradually and making the necessary adjustments. Use tools like MarvelApp to animate your screens and make testers feel like they click.

Thanks to the first feedback from your target audience, you can make changes to key content before even addressing the graphic elements.

5. Transition from wireframes to final screens

If you are lucky enough to work with a web agency, a graphic designer or, even better, a UI Designer, now is the time to entrust them with the creation of your mobile application. By using your wireframes and feedback from your users, you can provide him with real specifications.

An inspiring example is Slack, a business-to-business chat app, which has developed its design expertise and shares its methods around the world via its blog. Originally designed as a chat app for online gamers, this version was tested and tweaked based on extensive user feedback to create the Slack tool we know today.

Since then, their teams continue to continuously test new features and designs, which delight their users.

Before entrusting the screens to the developers, do not hesitate to have them tested one last time in real situations. This is the time to make the final adjustments before moving on to the technical work.

If you prefer to do things yourself, that's not a problem: take care of the details and, if you use online templates, make sure to respect the associated rights to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Many online tools are available to start you serenely in this process.

6. Get started!

Your mobile application is ready, launched and tested? Now is the time to integrate it into the App Store or Google Play Store. Before posting, be sure to check the following:

  • Perform a final series of tests to reassure yourself.
    • Write (and have validated) the title and description of your application.
  • Update your website and add links to your application on your blog.
  • Do not hesitate to propose your application on specialized sites such as Product Hunt.
  • Send an email announcing the launch to your customers and invite some of them to become beta testers.
  • Plan a social media campaign and a newsletter to generate excitement around your new product.


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