During the past decade, the mobile app marketplaces saw a boost in users and revenue like no other industry. Many great minds predicted devices like smartphones over a century ago, and smartphones truly have an indispensable place in our day-to-day lives now.
The number of smartphone users has been steadily growing, as has been the number of smartphone applications for virtually every conceivable purpose. Every smartphone user can enjoy various applications for leisure and entertainment, health and wellness, news and education, finance, organization, and productivity.
With the wide range of mobile apps for different uses nowadays, smartphone users may feel overwhelmed when presented with an abundant choice. The choice is not an issue when we talk about everyday app use, as some users even enjoy exploring the different options. However, when it comes to enterprise-level applications, many opt for an all-encompassing, stable choice of software.
Mobile apps for enterprise use involve a vastly different development process than common apps. General practices are slightly different to enable a secure and dependable experience specially tailored for enterprise purposes.
If you have been contemplating enterprise mobile app development, you must consider several crucial guidelines to make the most of the development process. Here are the best tips for enterprise-level mobile application development that will help you stand out from the competition.
Why Enterprise Mobile Applications Are Different
If you want to make an app, you will discover there are many ways to go about it, but different apps require different development practices.
However, while we can enjoy the myriad of applications on our phones, apps intended for enterprise-level use must meet rigorous development standards to ensure safety and reliability at all times. When developing apps for enterprise purposes, dev teams must be careful by implementing strict guidelines in the development and maintenance processes.
User Experience
Design trends frequently change to provide a new look and feel to freshen up an already familiar interface. Web developers often optimize their web apps for a mobile experience on different screen resolutions.
However, responsive mockup cannot do much for application functionality when porting a web app because its intended use is not primarily for mobile. The lack of processing power, different operating systems, and screen sizes mean developers need to make an extra effort to provide a seamless enterprise app user experience.
Privacy and Security
Cross-platform applications have to conform to the standard of the respective OS as well as its current version. We see new software versions for iPhones and Androids released all the time, and mobile app developers must constantly follow and adapt to the changes.
Security updates are the most significant part of new version releases, and the cross-platform compatibility must not leave room for hacker attacks, data leaks, and other exploitations. Enterprise-level applications should include heavy encryption to ensure complete protection against a wide variety of privacy or security violations.
AI and Smart Features
The functionality that makes mobile devices smart is trying to involve minimal effort for maximal results. What we refer to as “smart” features, like voice search, save users a lot of valuable time – and in enterprise terms, it translates to saving lots of money.
Developing mobile apps involving engaging and interactive functionality components can make a more intuitive enterprise app and present a less steep learning curve for new users.
Real-Time Connectivity
Including adequate security guidelines, apps can implement tailored uses for features like GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Interconnected enterprise apps can enable an undisrupted information and communication flow across different applications. Push notification and other real-time responsiveness features can help ensure all procedures are continually running smoothly.
Never Neglect the QA Lifecycle
Quality assurance is a mandatory process to certify that an application does what it is supposed to and eliminate the possibility of any pitfalls. The software development and testing teams work together to ensure satisfying all requirements and the application continues to run smoothly.
All software, including mobile apps, should run smoothly under all circumstances and be free of bugs before its release. It costs much less to fix a bug in the testing stages, so planning, designing, and executing tests is crucial, but devs also have to re-run them again and follow up with regression and release tests.
Conclusion
If you have decided to venture into the world of mobile app development, timing is on your side. The mobile app marketplace enjoys the advantages of increasing profits each following year, and experts do not expect this trend to stop anytime soon. Make sure you keep in mind these tips and follow best practices, and you will be able to provide high-end enterprise mobile application functionality in no time.
