Mobile App Development

Our first step is to understand what you need your app to achieve, and where it will be pulling information, so we can ensure the technology is in place to deliver. If we’re designing your app, technical discovery is done within the strategy phase of the project as a whole.

We plan for the features the app will need, as well as the data integrations if it will need to read and write back data. If we’re designing the app, we work closely with our information architects and user interface designers to smooth the way for development. We’re strategic about building apps for both iOS and Android. Depending on your needs and requirements, we may build one app or adjust for each operating system, or develop separately.

We prefer to work in Agile sprints (Scrum methodology) to get to an MVP – a Minimum Viable Product that includes the core features your audience will use and love. This phase is led by a technical Project Manager, who works in collaboration with the Account Director dedicated to your keeping your project running smoothly and on budget.

While development is going on, QA is already beginning. This is when we do our best to break the beautiful app we just built, so we can eradicate bugs and make sure it works as intended. With that task accomplished, it’s time to launch.

Like any digital product, an app should be a site of constant testing, iteration, and improvement, drawing upon user feedback. So testing and optimizing the experience for your customers should be an ongoing process. Apps are inherently less discoverable than experiences on the open web, and need to be marketed to ensure they find their users. Planning for app marketing should begin early, and as a full-service agency, we can also work with you on that.

We start with you: stakeholder interviews help us understand your plans for the app and the problems you want to solve. We conduct extensive audience research, identifying user needs and pain points.
In addition, our team combs the app landscape, identifying trends, best practices, and notable successes. We examine how other apps are solving your users’ problems, and how yours can differentiate itself from the pack.

Supported by a foundation of client and audience insights, our UX team builds out personas and user journeys – research-based tools that break down who will be using your app and how. Clear task flows help define exactly what features are required to support users across their user journeys.
An app map charts out the experience, screen by screen, through the use of wireframes. These help you visualize the layout and understand key user interactions.

User testing is an essential proving point for our team. Representatives of key user groups go hands-on with prototypes and beta versions from an early stage, and we note their behavior and collect their feedback throughout. We leverage this information to hone the experience and optimize the product.

We begin visual design with an exploratory phase – we share inspiration and get a sense for what moves you and what doesn’t. Then, our design team goes to work crafting an on-brand visual identity for your app.
In designing the interface, we plan for the difference between user expectations on iOS and Android, while ensuring the overall experience remains consistent. We believe that beauty and functionality should never be at odds. We know when to add design flourishes – and when to get out of the user’s way.

Once we get approval on UX and UI mockups, your app enters development – another area of expertise of ours, and the final phase before launch.
Finally, your app is in the store – but the work isn’t finished. After assisting with launch, our team is ready to support your app with marketing across major channels and dedicated technical support.