It need not be mentioned that in this day and age, our mobile phones, or tablets as well as our various other gadgets whether it is our laptops, iPods, iPads have become an integral part of our daily life, which we are unable to get through the day without them. Becoming an app developer will certainly come easily to you if you are a creative and hardworking individual who knows how to handle software well. Here is a comprehensive list of how to go about become an app developer.
Top Tips to Become an App Developer:
1. Start with the basics without overreaching:
Prior to embarking on anything ambitious the first thing you have to keep in mind while becoming an app developer is that you must be prepared to start from the bottom and head to the top. If your skill and your knowledge fall short in anyway, then you cannot expect to achieve success in this field. This is because every day numerous app developers are bringing new and improved apps into the market with better features, if your app lacks in anything people will opt for some other alternative.
2. Have some self knowledge about your own skills:
In order to become an app developer, you must have self awareness as to where your strength as well as your weaknesses lie. You must keep in mind and ask yourself the important question, ‘am I a creative person or am I an analytical person’. Based on what kind of person you really are, you can think about different kinds of apps which you would like to put out there in the market for various people to use. There is no point opting to make a mediocre app.
3. Education to become an app developer:
How can you become an app developer without the right knowledge and expertise in the field? There are a number of top colleges that do offer degrees in computer software as well as software development and such courses do cover in detail the topic of mobile application development. So, research and choose the right course accordingly.
4. You will need to develop a number of skills:
If you already do have a degree that is directly or indirectly related to programming, then you have been introduced to the basics and your next step would simply be to focus on enhancing your skills. To be a successful app developer you need to ensure that you have good computer skills in general and good designing skills, after all a mobile user interface is quite unique as opposed to the non mobile interface; in addition to these two primary skills you need a keen eye for business as well as programming.
5. Think of what idea you would like to base your app upon:
When becoming an app designer there are a number of challenges which you will certainly face, however one of the biggest challenges you will come across is having to think about what you will base your app on. Needless to say, you need to be creative in order to come up with a novel as well as unique ideas which you think people will want to use and take the trouble of downloading. If it’s a stale idea, you cannot expect it to do well.
6. You will require a dedicated team to work with:
If you want to be an successful app developer then you cannot expect to be working all on your own. If you are a beginner you should start off by working with people who you know well like friends, classmates or family just so that you know that you will not be taken for a ride. In the business world there are a number of cheats who are always on the lookout for easy prey. If you feel that someone’s intentions are not right you ought to steer clear of him or her.
7. Have a clear as well as concise plan of action:
People in the twenty-first technological age are inseparable from their mobile phones and each one of us has a number of apps downloaded on our phone which we cannot do without. To become a mobile app developer, you ought to ensure that you have a distinct plan of action when it comes to executing your app idea. At all times you should try your level best to be organized and prepared so that you are able to work in a methodical professional and consistent manner.
8. Maintain a log book for marking daily progress:
In any experimenting lab, all the observations as well as inferences are neatly and concisely noted down, so as to remember what worked and what idea did not. You ought to go about developing your app in the same manner as well. When you make a log book make a note of what are the different methods you tried out and also record all the progress which you as well as your team have managed to make in a given span.
9. Develop symbiotic relationships or even strike a deal with other app developers:
Needless to say that in the app business there is a great deal of competition, statistics point to the fact that in a matter of merely six years, the revenue for the app market has gone up by over a whopping eight hundred percent. Though healthy competition with other contemporaries is a good and necessary thing to keep you on your feet, yet you should not rule out the idea of collaborating with other app developers, if you think that it would be a beneficial and lucrative deal.
10. Search for the most lucrative place to release your app:
One of the most important things to become an app developer, is to know where and when you ought to release your app. Time and place is a key factor determining whether or not you will be successful in your endeavor. You can gather information by reading up online; you could attend seminars or workshops which are hosted. For example you might want to attend the Forum Nokia Developers Conference to share your ideas or hearing the ideas of others.
11. Do release your first app no matter how small or insignificant:
Chances are that you might not achieve all that you are looking to achieve just when you reveal your first app, yet there is some truth in the common saying ‘Failure is the stepping stone to success’ and in any event you must release your first app, no matter how small it is. You never know what might come of this release, results may either be good or bad, yet all the time it will most definitely be a milestone and a learning experience for you.
12. Be prepared for negative feedback or constructive criticism as well:
Once you release your first app you ought to mentally prepare yourself for feedback which will come your way. This feedback may be negative yet you must listen to it as well as improve on the things being said. It is only this criticism which will help you improve and achieve greater things in the future. However at the same time, there will always be jealous individuals who will try their best to put you down, you must not doubt your ability because of them.
13. Work consistently to make it better and provide regular updates:
To become an app developer, once you have successfully made your app, you cannot assume that is the end of it. You must tirelessly work at it to improve it even more so that more and more people want to make use of it. Offering updates to the app users at regular intervals is very important. The better you make your app the more popular it is going to become and the more money you will be able to earn off it.
14. Mobile apps ought to be very compatible:
A thing which many do not realize is that developing a mobile app is no easy task at all. The user behavior, the speed and the screen size all are important aspects of app development which ought to be looked into. You as an app developer must ensure that your app is compatible with mobile phones, PDA’s as well as other mobile devices, otherwise you are limiting your own options instead of broadening them.
15. Keeping in mind the needs of the users:
Last, but certainly not the least, as an app developer, though you might want to attain success and monetary gain, yet your primary focus should always be the users. You must have your eyes and ears open at all times and be receptive towards what it is that people are looking for and where there interests lie. A great way to learn about what the populous wants is by distributing questionnaires to friends or neighbors or even having online questionnaires where people can give their views.
So these are some of the simple ways on how to become an app developer with no trouble at all. At the end of the day, if you work hard and constantly try to improve your app based on the various outputs which individuals give you then you will bear rich dividends. Success is something that never comes easily to anyone, therefore even if you might fail once, twice or many times, you should never give up or accept defeat. It is consistent dedication that pays off in the long run.
