Mobile App Development Tools: A Comparison of 2022’s Best
Today’s world is dependent on smartphones and mobile devices. Around 6.2 billion people on the planet have access to them or have borrowed one. This information only shows that the app market is growing. It also shows that developers should create suitable applications.
What Is a Mobile App Development Tool?
Developers can create apps with the right mobile app development tools. These apps run on either iOS or Android. To address this need, developers create apps using cross-platform app development tools.
Why Should You Use These?
Mobile apps are more accessible than ever in a diverse market. As a result, it created a new demand. Some apps cater to other customers. There are also apps for productivity, profit, and entertainment.
Mobile app development tools have also become advanced. With the right development tools, apps can attract more users. Apps are also helpful in increasing business profits.
Access to Rapid Mobile Development Tools
Even non-developers have access to creating mobile apps these days. They can use Rapid Mobile App Development (RMAD) tools. These allow them to deploy apps on iOS and Android. Its users can do so even with minimal experience in mobile app development.
Here are a few examples of these tools:
AI (Artificial Intelligence) Tools
Artificial intelligence (AI) powered tools help mobile app developers create apps with AI.
Features:
- Speech recognition
- Facial recognition
- Expert systems
- Machine learning
- Machine vision
IBM Watson
It is an AI-aided business application. The goal here is to create productivity apps with AI.
Features:
- Automated analytics
- Data analytics and interpretation
- Natural language dialogue
- Visual recognition and analysis
- Smart data discovery
- Speech to text
- Use of machine learning (ML) for more efficiency
Outsystems
This tool lets companies develop, manage, and deploy omnichannel applications. It is an all-in-one solution for developers.
Features:
- The app company provides cloud hosting
- Community support
- Free online training
- Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to build apps
- Single runtime environment. App development, testing, and production happen here
TensorFlow
This app uses a free and open-source library. It leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning in development tasks.
Features:
- Written using C++
- A wealth of API libraries
- Substantial documentation and community support
- Usage of TensorFlow Lite for mobile and Internet of Things (IoT) devices
Mobile App Design Tools
These tools allow developers to create complete UI/UX design platforms. Here are some examples of these mobile app development tools.
Adobe XD
A complete UI/UX tool for building websites, brands, and games.
Features:
- Tools for layout and design
- Animation rendering and prototyping
- 3D transform
- Sketch, Photoshop, and Illustrator compatibility
- Responsive Resize
- Fonts from Adobe
Mockplus
This app is simple to use. It is also for prototyping.
Features:
- Drag-and-Drop UI designer
- UI icons and components pre-designed
- Templates and free UI kits
Proto.io
It is an application perfect for beginners. It uses a drag-and-drop design interface.
Features:
- More than 250 UI components are available
- 1,000 customizable templates and more
- 6,000-plus animated icons, sound effects, and stock images
Game Engines
Games on mobile devices today have emerged to be global hits. There are competitions featuring Mobile Legends and PUBG. This billion-dollar industry relies on excellent game engines for this.
AppGameKit
It is an app for beginners. No complicated coding skills are required to use it.
Features:
- Debugger
- Editing tools
- IDE
Buildbox
Another app that doesn’t need complicated coding. It has a drag-and-drop interface.
Features:
- Template library
- Smart Asset library
- Monetization
Solar2D (formerly Corona SDK)
This app is an open-source 2D mobile game builder.
Features:
- Cross-platform compatible
- Wealth of plugins
Unity
Immensely popular, it can create cross-platform games for PCs and mobile devices.
Features:
- Visual scripting and texturing
- Editor tools
- Instant assets
- IDE
Unreal Engine
It can build 3D games. It also supports desktop and other gaming platforms.
Features:
- Animation
- Simulation and effects
- Worldbuilding
- Rendering/lighting/materials
To Wrap It Up
Various mobile app development tools are needed for a diverse range of apps. It’s up to the developers to choose the tool that fits their needs. There are other factors to consider, but it’s important to know what you need.
5 essential concepts for mobile app development
The concept of creating a mobile app has the potential to scale over time because it entails various changes as it evolves. A mobile app development concept could become a remedy to some of the most pressing issues that your potential end-user is encountering.
MVP app creation requires caution because the early stages of planning require an app to decrease before it can grow large. And it's for this reason that your plan to create a killer app should start with a feature set. In this article, Dubai Mobile app Developer will present the 5 essential concepts for mobile app development.
1. App development requires an understanding of the feature set.
A feature set is a high-level summary of all the features you want to include in your programme. This contains all of the "must have" features and data that consumers require to solve their problems. A list of such features might help you compare user expectations to what the app has to offer.
2. Finding and targeting your app audience
You can't move further without first defining your intended audience as mobile apps.
This action also aids in mobile development and the development of new ideas. Search around among groups and segments who truly require a mobile app to solve their problems during the stage when you're building an app idea.
Actually ask how your thoughts for creating a mobile app may help them in their daily lives. If you can't answer this question, you'll most likely have to start over and figure out how and for whom your app concept will function.
An excellent strategy to launch a mobile application is to turn ideas into a product by removing every possible barriers. To make the validation process go faster, start by precisely defining your target audience and then building your own product around them.
3. Picking up the right app platform
Regardless of the app development concept – iOS or Android app development - It's essential to understand the differences between Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store.
If you have a concept for an Android app, go ahead and develop it for Android only because it is easier to produce and distribute. This is due to Google Play having less limitations than Apple's software store. It's important to note that this is a personal choice and that going this path isn't necessarily the most cost-effective option. Everything needs to be handled, from the target market to device availability to simplicity of use and UX. You must return to the target audience that we established before.
When establishing the feature set for the platform, it's critical to consider the platform's target audience.
4. Determining high-target feature set
For the person in charge of overseeing the mobile app development process, receiving a feature request from numerous sources is rather common. It could originate from a group within the company, users, potential users, present customers, the sales staff, or even stakeholders.
Each proposal may not be useful or practicable at first, but examining it from a new angle may bring value.
Consider the risk connected with a specific feature and whether or not it is worthwhile to take it.
Another issue with mixing in the high-value recommendation is becoming overpowered by the surrounding noise. The app's fundamental aim and usefulness should never be compromised. Each item you add to a feature set should add to the overall app concept and help you reach your app's objectives.
5. Driving app marketing through launching features
Whenever it comes to mapping out the app feature set, sharing important app data is critical.
Only then will you be able to properly create a roadmap and move away from the app concept and into the development stage.
Begin by establishing what your customers want and need, and then examine what you can offer.
This allows you to better funnel your feature set so that the mobile app is tailored specifically for your target audience.
The process of developing a feature set does not begin at the finish, but rather from the beginning, with the polishing and completion of the features you have installed on the mobile app. Asking the users for usability testing is an excellent approach to design focused features based on data gathered from first-hand feedback.
Top 10 Mobile App Design & UI Trends 2022
Mobile Applications have become so famous that they are now used for everything. This is the reason why mobile apps are increasing and evolving at a great speed. The evolution is not limited to the technical part only. People want their apps to work the best, but they also want it to look the best.
The app should be attractive to attract and retain users and therefore various changes in the UI and designs are made to make the app look awesome. Looks matter everywhere and mobile apps are no exception to this. In recent years, various changes in the design and UI of apps have taken place, and 2022 will also experience new designs and approaches towards mobile app development.
Now, let’s have a look at the latest Mobile Design and UI Trends.
Top 10 Mobile App Design & UI Trends 2022
1 Dark Mode:
Ever since iOS added the dark mode feature, this feature has become the number 1 trend for the design and UI of apps. All the existing apps added this feature to their apps and rolled out the updates. All the new apps are now coming with this feature in place.
The Dark Interface and design let the user use the app without any eye-strain at night. It changes the way how the app looks, plus it looks ultra-modern. It definitely looks cool and therefore it can attract a lot of users. It also benefits the phone, as less battery is consumed in the dark mode.
2 Password-less Login
Passwords are used for security, but they are a headache to remember, and typing a long and strong password does take time. If you use Paytm or any bank app, you have to type the password to open the app, but why should one type the password again and again when there are other options available.
There are various new ways of password-less authentication and therefore they should be used to free the users from the hassle of remembering each and every password and from entering the password again and again. The application should use:
- Biometric Recognition
- Facial Recognition
- Fingerprint scanning
- Pattern detection
- Log-in Links
3 Voice Interaction
UI is all about interaction and the simplest interaction is possible when the user is given the command by voice. Siri, Alexa, Bixby, etc have contributed to the new way of using the apps and interacting with them, and this is given a boost to the usage of voice interaction.
Now, people prefer voice shopping, voice search, voice controls, and even voice messages. Just press the mic icon on the app and say whatever you want to search. It is the easiest way to interact with the apps and a handsfree way too. Therefore it is becoming a fan favorite and you should definitely include this in your app.
4 Animated illustrations
Image Source: https://dribbble.com/shots/4961480-Welcome-to-Swiggy
People are now using 4G networks and high-speed wifi, this allows the designers to design animated illustrations as the speedy network will allow the app to download and load the animated illustration instantly.
Animated illustrations make it easy for the users to understand how the app works, plus they look attractive. The loading screen can also be changed into an animated screen and therefore the loading screen will longer be a boring screen. The illustration adds a human touch to the application’s UI. Plus they are very strong attention grabber and therefore whatever you add in the illustration, the user will easily understand the same.
5 Liquid Swipe and Bottom-less Design
Image Source: https://www.behance.net/gallery/100917593/Liquid-Swipe-Mobile-UI-Design
Apple was the first phone to have a liquid swipe. If you look at the iPhone 5, 6,7, or 8, you will see that there are no back or menu buttons at the bottom, but there is just the home button. This gave the rise to the liquid swipe. If the user wants to go back, they just have to slide their finger across the screen from right to left, and they will go back.
Similarly, the latest phones are ditching all the buttons and are coming with just the camera-notch. Therefore, at this time, apps are using a UI that uses gestures to navigate.
6 3D Graphics:
Image Source: https://dribbble.com/shots/4773637-3D-flip-menu
3D Graphics are used everywhere, for example in movies, video games, adverts in the streets, etc. They have been in the limelight for a long time but as these graphics are of more space, they were not used in the apps to avoid slow loading and buffering. Now the networks and mobiles, both are advance, and therefore it is high time to introduce 3D graphics in mobile applications.
To provide the best result to your users, you should use 3D graphics to make your app more appealing and attractive. Remember, looks always matter, and 3D graphics look attractive and in bonus, they look realistic too. It’s time to offer a realistic experience to your users.
7 VR
Image Source: https://ichip.ru/novosti/samsung-usovershenstvovala-ochki-virtualnojj-realnosti-gear-vr-52582
VR has seen a great boost in 2021 and this trend will continue in 2022. Using VR, gaming apps can transport users into their virtual world. The same can be used for different products to provide a better shopping experience. Brands are using VR in their apps to provide a proper walk-through of their showrooms to the users from the comfort of their homes.
VR headsets are becoming cheaper day by day and the users using VR are increasing too.
8 AR
Image Source: http://web.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/ist188480/cmul/introduction.html
Have you played or heard about Pokemon Go?
This is what AR is all about. By the way, Pokemon Go was a huge hit and the revenue that it generated for the company was unimaginable. It was a revolution for mobile apps. People were roaming out, all over the world like crazy to catch digital creators. This is the power of adding Augmented Reality to your app.
AR can basically bring anything to the real world. The user has to just point the mobile camera in a certain direction and the digital things will appear in the real world. Using AR can showcase your game characters in the real world, or it can also showcase your products anywhere, just by using the app.
9 Neumorphism
In simple terms, Neumorphism means adding realistic designs to the app. It can better be underwood by the image below:
Image Source: https://medium.com/fireart-studio/dont-miss-it-8-hot-ui-design-trends-expected-in-2020-82a894d6ac5
Neumorphism uses a very detailed design for the app’s UI. Different effects of highlights, shadows, and glows are used to make the interface as realistic as possible. It makes the UI much more interesting and appealing. Realistic designing is the latest trend and as the technology of the mobile devices is increasing, they can handle such interfaces without a sweat.
10 Story Telling
Storytelling has been a trend for years and there is no chance that it will ever stop trending. Although storytelling is often thought in the terms of UX, UI can greatly contribute to the storytelling process.
A story can be told through the use of animation, typography, colors, interaction designs, etc. A designer has to design the UI by keeping in mind the story.
Conclusion
All these trends are set to revolutionize mobile apps. They are targeted towards providing a more attractive and appealing design to the apps. Such a beautiful design will definitely improve the user experience and will attract more and more users to the app.
The above-mentioned trends are set to evolve more in the future and there will be new entries too. Make sure to keep following the latest trends to develop the best mobile apps.
Author Bio
Karan Vora is an online marketer and avid tech-savvy blogger. He is associated with Capermint Technologies, a creative app & game development company based in Canada. He loves to write about web design, app & game development, AR/VR, Artificial Intelligence, UI/UX, digital marketing, and much more. Apart from writing, he loves traveling & gaming. Follow him on Twitter.