Well, choosing the right platform between Android and iOS for your first mobile app is a daunting task. In this highly competitive marketplace developing an app might be the right solution for your business problem.

Before you get started with the development process, it is crucial to decide your technical requirements. It would be best if you decided on which platform you want to develop your business app beforehand.

At present Android and iOS applications own more than 96% of the global mobile market share. Thus an ideal move toward mobile app development is to craft and launch the application for both platforms.

Though developing an app for both the platforms is quite tough for a startup business – constraints like budget, time, and resources can stop you from developing for both operating systems at once. As an alternative, you may want to launch your business app on one platform first and then set up a second one on a later date.

However, your aim may be to start your business on both platforms sooner or later, but it is dicey and costly to build an app for both iOS and Android at the same time. Even most of the mobile app developers choose to develop an app for one platform to kick start their business on one platform and launch an app for another platform later – once the initial version of the app is recognised and successful.

Before choosing a platform for your app, here we would like to show some stats and facts that help you analyse the marketplace.

According to recent reports, the number of smartphone users is estimated to cross the 5 billion by this year. Android has a massive market share of 74.13%, whereas Apple devices of iOS have 24.79% market share.

There are several things you need to keep in mind to decide whether to launch your app on Android or iOS first. There are various advantages and disadvantages of both platforms. The following points will help you make the right decision.

Let’s discuss each point one by one-

1. Target Audience

At present, the differences between iOS and Android users are quite clear. To choose between these operating systems, you need to think about what end goal your app aims to attain and which operating system audience is significant to your business form. Android has the maximum global market share and gets more app downloads than the iOS operating system.

The android app store has gained about 75.7 billion first-time app installs globally in 2018. On the other hand, the Apple Store has got approximately 29.6 billion app installs in 2018. Android has more popularity in developing countries, at the same time iOS users are typically younger with higher incomes.

2. Revenue model

Your Revenue model strategy plays an essential role in determining which operating system to choose for your first app development project. Each platform has its own set of benefits that lends itself well to conflicting monetisation strategies. From a revenue point of view, it is quite clear that iOS apps make more money than Android.

Even the iOS system has fewer users and generates fewer app downloads, but still brings much more revenues. At the end of last year, it was estimated that Apple’s App Store generated much more revenue than the Android app installs. Even though iOS’s noteworthy lead in profits, the Google Play Store still did see a boost of 27% in consumer’s every year.

3. Project completion time

It is one of the main points that you need to consider while selecting a mobile app platform. The operating system plays a massive fraction in determining what platform is best to develop for first. If you are planning to develop your business application for the android platform then it will generally take more time to release in the marketplace due to device disintegration.

Building a business app that is compatible with multiple Android devices generally takes more time, because there are thousands of android devices and that too with different specifications and screen size. On the contrary, developing an app for iOS takes less time compared to Android as there are fewer iOS devices than Android devices.

However, when it comes to approval of your app; the App Store takes a long time to approve your product with the strict system and quality expectations in place. On the contrary, Android apps get approved in just a day or two.

4. Cost

The cost of mobile app development depends on the scope and intricacy of the project; the larger the size of the app is, the more it is going to cost. If you are planning to cover a large number of devices and operating system versions, then the app development requires more time and resources, and thus need higher costs. When comparing Android and iOS app development on the basis of cost, the charges will be almost similar.

5. Making the decision

The last step is to make a decision that suits your business needs. In the end, your decision to build for iOS or Android is something that is important for your business. In case your target audience is North American then you can go with iOS first. If you’re aiming for a broader, global marketplace and plan to generate revenue through advertising, then Android is the better option.

There are several things that you need to take into consideration like where your target audience lives, the features they want, the devices they use, development timeline, and financial plan to conclude whether you should build an Android or iOS app for your business.

If you need to build an ecommerce app, then choose iOS. On the other hand, if your main target audience is global or emerging markets, then especially Android is your best bet.

No matter which platform you choose, once you focus on the proper target audience for your business, then users will surely use your app. When this happens, it’s a sign that it’s time to build another version of your app for the other platform.

Conclusion

In nutshell, we can say that Android and iOS both present great potential for any business app. While each OS has its own set of pros and cons, both are highly special platforms when it comes to mobile app development. Thus, always select a platform that takes your company to the next level of success.

Author bio:

Anshul Sharma is the CEO of Fluper, a leading Android app development company. He is a versatile tech writer and loves writing about the latest technology trends, entrepreneurship and startups.

Use of mobile phones is continuously increasing. With the increasing demand, the need for mobile apps is growing as well. Mobile apps should be both useful and intuitive. An app should have a user-friendly design. How many times have you downloaded an app and got disappointed by its usability? Lost count, right?

The usability of a mobile app depends on some principles. These principles enhance user experience and lead the way to success for your app.

We will be discussing some of these mobile app UX principles here:

1. Decluttering

Clutter is one of the worst enemies of good design. An app shouldn’t overload users with too much information.

Clutter is terrible on the desktop, but it’s far worse on mobile. Anything that is not necessary should be cut off. Using too many buttons, images and texts make the app look complicated.

To avoid cluttering:

• Keep the design simple with minimum elements on the interface.
• Keep content minimum. Show only what the user needs to know.
• Use one primary action per screen. Every screen should focus on only one real action that has value for the user. This makes it easy for the users to understand how the app works.

2. Easy navigation

Users should be able to navigate an app with ease. It is a top priority. You may add a bunch of cool and compelling features. But they won’t matter if the users can’t find them. If it takes too much time to discover how to use your app, there is a chance you are going to lose users. Users should be able to explore the app intuitively and complete all primary tasks without asking for an explanation.

The followings steps may be followed to make the navigation simpler:

• Use standard navigation patterns. Such as the tab bar for iOS and the navigation drawer for android.
• Use correct visual metaphors so that the navigation doesn’t need any explanation and leads the way to the right destination.
• Navigation should be kept consistent throughout the app.
• The user should know the location he/she is in rather than getting lost.
• Create a “back” button that works properly in each and every screen.

3. Minimize User Input

Typing on a mobile screen isn’t one of the most comfortable things to do. It is slow and error-prone. If you build a mobile app that requires too many inputs from the users to operate, they will find it irksome. So, it is recommended to minimise the typing from the users. Here are some ways to do so:

• Forms should be kept short. Only relevant and necessary information should be asked from the users.
• Use smart features like autocomplete. Filling out problematic fields like addresses can be done by using geo-location and personalised data.
• Dynamically validate field values. It is frustrating to go back and correct mistakes after submitting data. It is better to check filled values immediately after entry so that they may be corrected right way.
• Customize the keyboard according to the type of query. For example, displaying a numeric keyboard while asking for a phone number is much more convenient.

4. Easily Identifiable Interface Elements

To ensure a great user experience, clear visibility of interface elements is a must. Concentrate on the colour and contrast for that. Use a consistent colour palette.

Some useful tips:

• Small text should have a contrast ratio of at least 4:5:1 against the background.
• Large text should have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 against the background.
• For icons and other critical elements use a contrast ratio that is easy on the eyes.

5. Tap Targets and Hand Position

Tap targets need to be of convenient size. Generally, bigger ones are easy to hit than the smaller ones, and they also reduce the possibility of tapping the wrong one instead.

Tap targets of 7-10mm can be accurately hit with a finger. The edges of the target should be clearly visible.

Hand position is a fact you cannot ignore. Usually, people rely on their thumb to do things. It is important to place menu, frequently used controls and common actions in areas where they are comfortably reached and stretching is not needed. On the other hand, negative buttons like “delete” should be placed in hard to reach areas so that they don’t get pressed accidentally.

Conclusion

Mobile app UX design is actually a continuous process. The above ones are some important tips to get started with. They will provide a foundation but refinements must be made based on your app performance and user experience.