How to Build Your First iOS App: A Step-by-Step Guide

Embarking on your app development journey may seem daunting, but fear not, for there are plenty of skilled mobile application development companies to help you create a sensational iOS app. In this blog post, we’ll outline the entire process, from the essential software needed to where you should begin and what the result may look like! Let’s start by looking at the latest statistics for iOS apps. 

Stats that spurs your interest

According to Statista, gaming apps reign supreme as the most popular category in the Apple App Store, comprising 12.68 percent of all iOS apps. Business apps come in second, accounting for 10.35 percent of active apps, while education apps are a close third, constituting over 9.8%. With 2.1 billion active iOS devices worldwide as of September 2019, the numbers speak for themselves – the demand for iOS apps is only set to rise as Apple releases new models and updates. The App Store already boasts over 2 million apps, with more being added daily. Although many apps are free, plenty of paid apps are available. So, if you’re toying with developing an iOS app, there’s no time like the present. Follow our step-by-step guide below, and you can be on your way to developing a prosperous app.

Developing Your First iOS App: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: App Idea Generation 

The first step towards creating your iOS app is to develop a unique idea. You can opt for either a simple game or a complex productivity tool. However, before jumping to conclusions, research the market and your potential users to validate your idea.

Step 2: Defining Your App’s Scope 

After validating your idea, define your app’s scope. It’s important to start small and focus on adding features as needed. Decide what features and functionality you want to include in your app and set realistic goals that align with your app’s vision.

Step 3: Choose Your Development Platform 

When developing iOS apps, you have two main options: native development using Objective-C or Swift or cross-platform development using technologies such as Flutter or React Native. As a beginner, it’s best to choose a cross-platform solution that can deploy your app to multiple platforms with less effort.

Step 4: Design Your App’s User Interface 

The next step is to design your app’s user interface. This involves creating screens or “views” for each feature and designing how users will interact with them. If you’re not a designer, many online resources are available to help you get started.

Step 5: Create Your Backend 

If your app needs any backend services like a database or API, it’s time to start building them. You can use a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solution like Heroku or AWS Elastic Beanstalk or run your server.

Step 6: Test Your App Thoroughly 

It’s crucial to test your app thoroughly before launching it. This includes functional testing to ensure all features work as intended and performance testing to ensure your app can handle real-world usage scenarios.

Step 7: Launch Your App and Get it Out There 

Once your app is ready, it’s time to launch it and put it out there! Typically, this involves submitting your app to an app store like the App Store or Google Play, but other platforms allow you to launch your app without an app store.

Post-Launch Tips and Best Practices 

Congratulations on building your app, but the development process doesn’t end with deployment. There are still plenty of things to do after you’ve launched your app. Plan for the post-launch steps, and be mindful of not blowing your entire budget during development.

Marketing of App

Are you launching a new mobile app? Remember, your app is a business and deserves to be promoted like one. No matter how amazing your app is, it’s pointless if it goes unnoticed. So, it’s crucial to market your app appropriately and attract potential users.

Start by driving visitors to your website and turning them into app installs. But don’t limit yourself to just one marketing platform. Make your presence felt on multiple marketing channels, including social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If your target audience is younger, promote your app on Snapchat and TikTok.

To showcase your app’s features, create video promotions and app demonstrations and upload them to YouTube. You can repurpose these videos on other platforms too. Using both inbound and outbound marketing strategies will help you reach a broader audience.

Optimizing app store visibility is also critical. Focus on app store optimization (ASO) to ensure your app’s high visibility in the app stores. Start your marketing campaigns early, build momentum, and get people excited before the app is available to download. Create an app landing page with a “coming soon” headline to build anticipation.

Remember, your marketing efforts shouldn’t stop even after the launch. Continuously update and improve your marketing strategies to reach more potential users. So, don’t wait until launch day to start promoting your app. Start marketing your app right away and make it a huge success!

Measure the Success of Your App 

Launching your app is just the beginning; keeping track of its progress is essential for its continued success. But how do you determine whether your app is thriving or floundering? This is where KPIs, or key performance indicators, come into play. Measuring your app’s performance means more than just monitoring its speed and uptime. Focusing on KPIs that reflect how users interact with your app is vital. Are people downloading your app, and how many? Are users uninstalling it or sticking around? How frequently are people engaging with your app, and for how long? These are the questions you should ask to evaluate your app’s success. By monitoring and analyzing your app’s KPIs, you’ll better understand its strengths and weaknesses. For example, if your analytics show that users frequently use a feature that you hadn’t considered essential, you can make that feature more prominent. You can’t run a successful business without factual data to support your theories. KPIs can provide the information you need to adjust your app’s strategy and make decisions that will lead to its growth and success.

Feedback is important

Get feedback from your users if you want to succeed in the app business. Even if you researched before launching the app, it’s all based on your intuition. You need real customers to tell you what they think about your app. Don’t be shy; most customers like giving their opinion. And those who don’t want to will simply ignore you. But those who participate will give you genuine feedback that you can use to improve your app. Of course, you need to filter out feedback based on fear of change or cost. But you can ask questions in a way that encourages honesty. This feedback is critical to help you prioritize what features to work on next. You may have some ideas in mind that are important, but if your users don’t agree, save your money. Focus on what they are asking to retain them in your software and prevent them from churning. Your customers will feel more invested in your app’s success and be more likely to stay loyal.

Improving Your Mobile App is Key to Success 

No matter your mobile app’s popularity, there’s always room for improvement. Regular updates are essential to keep your users engaged and interested. After all, they’re the ones using your app and providing feedback. When you’re making updates, following the same rigorous development process you did when building the app from scratch is crucial. Quality assurance should always be a top priority before releasing any updates to the public. But that’s not all. You must also perform regression testing to ensure that new features or updates don’t cause any problems in other parts of the app. What worked before may not work anymore after changes have been made. Small changes can have big impacts, so don’t skip the QA process. It’s the only way to prevent new points of failure from arising in the app. Remember, releasing new versions of your app is crucial to keeping users engaged and satisfied. They’re giving you valuable feedback and expect you to act on it. Neglecting to improve your app can lead to people abandoning it altogether. So stay on top of updates and keep your users happy!

Maintaining and Supporting Your App 

To keep your app functioning properly, ongoing maintenance is necessary. Your development team should be retained to ensure compatibility with the latest mobile device operating systems and to comply with changing regulations such as GDPR or CCPA. This requires planning and budgeting for ongoing maintenance. Customer support is also crucial as your app scales up. Hiring a sales team may be necessary to manage customer inquiries and messages at scale. 

Making Money With Your App 

There are various ways to generate revenue from your app. You can use it to increase revenue for your business through mobile commerce sales, customer loyalty, and referral programs. Alternatively, you can charge a one-time fee for app downloads or offer in-app purchases for coins or content upgrades. A subscription model can also generate recurring revenue. Finally, selling advertising space on your app is a profitable strategy similar to website ads.

Conclusion 

Whether you have expertise in the tech industry or just starting out, developing mobile apps is challenging. You need to stay updated with new technologies and tools, and it’s important to educate yourself about the app development process to ensure success. If you have any additional questions or need help building an app, contact our team of experts. We’re here to help!