App development is a procedure of creating a set of programs to perform tasks required for various industries. With app development, processes can be automated, increasing the efficacy and efficiency of any given industry. Unlike computer applications, mobile applications are designed to take advantage of the features included in the phone. For instance, a step-trapping app would take the benefit of the smartphone’s GPS tracker.

Let’s begin with a basic introduction to different types of APPs. Here is a general breakdown of the various apps and their information:

– Encapsulated apps

Encapsulation is a key feature of software development wherein an encapsulated app functions with a container app. For instance, encapsulation in JAVA would be a process of combining coding and data together into a single unit.

– Hybrid apps

These apps are usually web apps, but they disguise themselves as native apps. They are devised from HTML, JavaScript technologies and run faster than native apps.

– Progressive web apps

It is often a website that resembles and functions as if it was a mobile app, but these are designed with web technologies such as Facebook React.

– Native applications

These applications are designed and developed using Integrated Development Designs and languages for mobile OSes. Therefore, they can be customized accordingly but are expensive.

With this, let us now break some myths that you have often heard about APP development.

Myth 1: Mobile APP development process is long and tedious!

Fact: App development process is a simple procedure if you are well versed with the basics. Without the right training and qualification, you will complicate it further. Here are five easy steps that will help you form a framework for building an app:

Step 1: ponder on the objectives of the application and the requirements it will fulfill. Look for competitive applications present in the market and understand what features they lack compared to your application. Plan on your business model. Look into the legalities and testing criteria.

Step 2: work towards hiring an internal team. If you are developing this application for your organization, you will need contributions from other departments, including IT, marketing, and sales.

Step 3: brainstorm the features and create a prototype even on a whiteboard or a sketch of ideas to develop a roadmap to your product.

Step 4: begin with app development using tools that provide key functions of automation, cloud services, frequent tests, and in-depth working.

Step 5: test your prototype for its functionality, efficacy, and performance before you surf it out for beta testing by users.

Myth 2: Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered App Development is a new technology smarter than humans!

Fact: AL has been in the headlines for a couple of years, but it also needs to be brought into attention that it existed seven decades back (software applications used AI to pay checkers back in the 950s). Though it was a technology that already existed, its practical use in various industries has focused on recent years.

And if you think that AI can overpower humans, remember that it can’t outthink humans, but it just computes faster than humans. To date, not a single experiment proves that AI cannot offer the same reasoning as humans due to the involvement of human expressions.

Also, it is perhaps true that AI can help in automation, thereby reducing the workforce. Still, human power must design, set up, and manage the AI-powered tools to conduct routine operations. Also, humans are required to constantly re-train these programs so that the data is curated to make accurate decisions. Lastly, ethical concepts need to be formulated for AI algorithms which humans again design.

However, with advancements, AI has become equally and now superficially important in mobile app development because without its involvement performing even minute tasks is difficult. Also, a branch of AI called superintelligent AI deals with extraordinary intelligence higher than humans to perform tasks. So even if you consider this branch, then depending on the features, AI can be competitively better than the human brain, but its sole development is in the hands of humans. 

Myth 3: App developers need little experience!

Fact: App developers code and design applications and functions. They need to be excellent with programming languages. They need to be trained and qualified to understand client expectations and produce them in the application.

App developers also have to be fluent with teamwork because they are expected to collaborate with other departments such as IT professionals to list the App specifications.

They need to have a good understanding in terms of analytical details for designing and developing a prototype using high-quality coding to submit applications within the given deadlines.

App developers are also expected to conduct non-functional and functional testing, troubleshoot applications, and evaluate existing applications for updates and upgrades.

To monitor and fulfill all these basic requirements, an App developer needs to be experienced in designing and developing applications. In addition, they should possess exceptional analytical and experimental skills to work with diverse programming systems. 

And hence, even though a fresher may be called with little experience, its openings will aid in training and shaping the trajectories of the skills required to be an app developer.

Myth 4: UX and UI designs are alike!

Fact: UX stands for User experience design while UI stands for User interface design. Although both these terms are used interchangeably because they function closely, they refer to different factors of the product development process.

According to Don Norman, Co-founder of Nielsen Norman Group Design Consultancy, who coined the term ‘user experience’ defines it as a factor that encompasses all aspects of an end-user in terms of the company and the products and services it offers. In simple words, user experience is simply an interaction between the customer and service. User experience design further encompasses the experiences a user feels while using the application. 

On the other hand, user interface design talks about the looks and design of the product. It is a digital term that considers the looks, feel, and interactivity of a product. For example, the screen design on your smartphone or the screen touch on the ATM will determine intake functioning. It takes into consideration the color scheme, icons and buttons, spacing, images, and typography. 

Myth 5: Mobile App marketing is the same as Mobile marketing!

Fact: mobile app marketing trends include marketing campaigns that reach your customers throughout their experience with the App. Right from downloading the App from the play store or AppStore to making inbuilt purchases, it encompasses the functionality and performance of the App.

The application developers strive hard to lead campaigns that promote your application with ease, design, and develop curated data to improve retention and avoid problems associated with the application.

It is a procedure that aims to engage with the app users at every point. For the campaign to be successful, users must be able to discover your application easily. This will be followed by quick download (shouldn’t occupy much space), completion of the onboarding process, and staying occupied with the App.

Here we follow the ACR rule:

From the term itself, awareness means to create awareness about your App and convince users to engage with it. Some strategies include social media promotions, paid advertisements, QR codes, and App review websites.

Conversion- it includes an activity performed by the user-contributed to you in the form of monetary funds. This conversion occurs only if the user downloads the App and makes in-app purchases with increased engagement.

Retention– this process included holding on to your customers utilizing loyalty programs and customer surveys.

On the other hand, mobile marketing is a campaign that happens on the phone and includes features that uplift the performance, functionality efficiency of various tools such as web designs and A/B testing that display mobile ads and are involved in email marketing.

Myth 6: App store optimization is not important for app growth!

Fact: an app store optimization is an important tool that gives visibility to your App. Did you know there are more than 5 million apps on the Apple App Store and Google play? Despite so many different apps, few applications get maximum visibility. Therefore, app store optimization is an important tool to increase loyal customers, increasing downloads and engagement.

It is observed that 70% of app users search for a new app before they download it. And the search ranking position will reflect on the number of downloads. This means, if a particular app is on the top of the list for that keyword, then maximum users have downloaded this App. As a result, highly ranked apps get more downloads. And app store optimization is a marketing strategy that helps an app developer achieve this position.

Apart from helping an application be discovered by users, it also provides the right quality users interested in the same industry. They aid in downloading apps organically in a sustainable manner. One can also cut on their user acquisition cost by not paying for ads and ensuring steady growth.

Myth 7: Custom app development cannot be outsourced!

Fact: there are custom app development companies that tailor to the specific needs of various industries, and perhaps, custom app development can be outsourced. The core functions of these companies include;

Mobile app development- they hold a team involved in developing apps for various industries according to the specified features and functionalities.

UI/UX app designing– it focuses on designing the looks and easy functioning for stunning visuals and intuitive experience.

Strategic consultation– the team focuses on providing routine consultations so that the project’s basic objectives are aligned with the application.

Cloud-based infrastructure– most of these companies offer a cloud-based infrastructure because they build apps on a large scale that cater to millions of users.

When collaborating with a second party, it is important to consider four key points this collaboration holds;

Value for money– the application they built needs to be infrastructured to make easy money with minimal investments.

Punctual timeline– the company needs to be efficient enough to complete the assignment before the deadline.

Negligible tradeoffs– in terms of money, quality and time.

Integrations– to build an infrastructure revolving around customization of apps and their related features.

Myth 8: Mobile application costs less than website application!

Fact: the cost of the App is the first feature developers consider before they launch an app project. The cost will depend on many factors, one of which is whether you are ready to hire a team of specialists or if you plan to work on the project. Because many advanced mobile tech companies are involved in the development, most companies feel that hiring a set of professionals would be a rather smart move that would also save time and needless attempts.

Other factors include app functionality and objective, the supported devices, for instance, if the App is supported on an android or iOS, integrations with third-parties, use of visual objects, use of smartphone features such as NFC technology, GPS navigation, motor co-processor, and other technologies, and lastly, the maintenance plan will also add on to the budget.

So, with all these factors in mind, mobile applications are not cheaper than website applications. One probably assumed them to be less of a price because mobile is a smaller device when compared to a PC.

However, just like software development, a robust mobile app development also includes a team of professionals and technicians, in some cases, involvement of third parties for outsourcing, and hence this procedure can be expensive.

Myth 9: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine learning lie on the same line!

Fact: though the terms are used interchangeably, they do not mean the same. AI is an umbrella term that discusses advanced computer language. It includes several technologies that use programs for various functions, such as artificial voices like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. In addition, AI can be weak or narrow AI, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), or Superintelligent AI.

Narrow AI- programs such as Deep Blue or Google’s DeepMind’s AlphaGo that perform one given task.

Artificial General Intelligence – performs functions similar to the human brain.

Superintelligent AI – superior intelligence than humans in general wisdom, scientific creativity, and social skills.

On the other hand, machine learning is an application of AI. The role of machine learning is the learn the data that it receives. Machine learning tools encompass a curated set of data that excel in programs requiring translations, automated chatbots, facial and speech recognition, and object recognition. Machine learning can occur via supervised learning involving a model trained on data to predict responses to new data further. In unsupervised learning, the prime role is to find hidden patterns and intrinsic groups without the need for output data.

Myth 10: AI has a minimal role in mobile app development!

Fact: AI has been a core factor for the evolution of mobile app development. It has changed the facets by which a smartphone can be used in the 21st century. Without AI, a smartphone will lose the smart term because it is the AI that makes it smart.

AI is the backbone that enables voice search and commands, using virtual assistants like Alexa to switch off the music. One can gather real-time data by interacting with other devices by blending into Internet-of-Things. The advanced cameras make it possible to click pictures of great pixel and quality without professional cameras. Translation of languages occurs in real-time and the capture of micro-expressions that aid in understanding subtle body language changes, voice expressions, and data processing. With the advancement of applications, security demands have also increased. Due to cybercrime, the need for verification processes has solidified.

These advanced features are perhaps possible due to AI and machine learning advancement, which can be incorporated easily into any device. And the myth that AI has a minimal role in mobile app development is very wrong.

The bottom line!

Smartphones have been a vital part of our lives. However, without mobile applications, these smartphones would not be efficient enough. If you are new to this process, then it is obvious that you may have wrong notions about the concept of app development or have some myths. And if you are planning to form a career in this field, then some of the myths can demotivate you.

Therefore, through this article, we wished to clear some doubts regarding mobile app development and provide facts true to the research and the market. Avoiding these myths will help you increase your performance, communicate better and provide your clients the deals they expect.

A piece of advice is to understand these notable myths, know their root cause and not sit with them. For guidance, collaborate with professionals in the field to give the best possible advice. Consultation from an experienced resource person is important because they have relevant information on the field.