“The rich and interactive experiences we have come to expect on mobile apps have created new standards and expectations for all digital media including the web. The result is websites are evolving to become more app-like in their rich functionality.” -Raj Aggarwal, CEO of Localytics
With the digital world taking over, there has been a significant upward trend of the creation of new software and mobile friendly apps. In order to build a better mobile app, design and planning at the development stage become quintessential to success. The definition of a better mobile app would be one that functions superlatively across all platforms, operating systems, and devices, and such apps have a higher chance of engaging customers. Several companies and entrepreneurs today are adding their ‘unique’ apps to the already crowded marketplace, but only the better ones survive. The fact is that creating an impactful mobile app is no mean task, and it would make sense to invest in careful research and planning and the use of visual guides/aids such as flowcharts. Flowcharts will help your team of designers, engineers, programmers, and developers to develop a better mobile app that would not only find you great investors, but would be hugely popular with your target audience.
Why Flowcharts as a tool for a better mobile app?
Flowchart diagrams are a significant and highly visual tool for mapping the interactions specific to the users of the system. These diagrams clearly define the path a user already takes or could take to complete a specific task within the app, for example the purchasing of a product. With the help of flowcharts, a business can efficiently plan the journey of a customer across the app, and find ways to elevate and consistently improve the experiences the customer may have going forward. Through the visualization possible through flowcharts, it becomes easier for a business to know which features they should prioritize and which ones can be downplayed. This detailed and visual tool makes it simpler for developers and designers to understand the process flow and grasp the long and short term user experience goals for the mobile app.
It is not hard to work with flowcharts, and those working on software development projects should be able to use these diagrams to create a better mobile app and other types of software. These diagrams are a great tool to plan the process flow of the application – which is actually the first and most critical stage. The look of the app is important, but before that using a flowchart those involved in trying to build a better mobile app must be able to identify how the user would interact with the app and whether they are able to seamlessly navigate between the various elements/sections.
The fact is that those who undertake the task of building a mobile app must have a roadmap to ensure that every task of the app is achievable, and that all features are accounted for – which is easy to portray visually through flowcharts. It also becomes easier to map out possible outcomes and unforeseen glitches, making it simpler and faster to rectify before any real damage. There are a number of errors possible – even at the simplest page, the login screen. With so much riding on a mobile app, businesses cannot afford to be nonchalant and through the visual guide – flowcharts, it becomes simpler to anticipate errors and account for unwanted possibilities such as maybe unstable data connectivity. A flowchart also captures details of what exactly transpires between one action of the user to the next.
With clear and visually available data through flowcharts, businesses are able to create a better mobile app – one that would function effortlessly and provide clear instructions to the writer of the code. It is critical however, to constantly update the flowchart with any changes made during the process of development. An up to date flowchart will serve the intended purpose of creating a better mobile app, while also doubling up as a concise document for those testing the application, and to ensure that each portion of the application has undergone the required testing.
Creating a flowchart is not difficult since there are a number of software and methodologies to create them. It is important for users of these diagrams to ensure that every action/step within the diagram is clearly labeled and or color coded if required.
Flowcharts help the creators of mobile apps to:
- Define the specifications
Putting down the exact specifications of the app, and defining a business plan to include these specifications can be easily done through a flowchart.
- Objective of the App
To build a better mobile app, it is necessary for a business to know what purpose the app would serve. This in turn would help them decide which features would need to be added, how the app should be designed and developed, and on which platform it could be released first. By putting these objectives together, a business would also be able to answer questions such as would the app make the lives of the users simpler and solve some problems for them. In addition, it would be easy through the visual guide of a flowchart to identify the best target audience and the most appropriate way to market the app. The answers to these questions will accelerate the process of app building and taking it to the market ahead of the competition.
One of the top concerns for anyone trying to build a better mobile app is figuring out and understanding the target audience. This is vital to assess at the development stage of the app. The target audience should have information such as age, location, job responsibilities, gender, and other data that would enhance the quality of the information on the prospective audience. This data will help to assess what their requirements would be along with their responsibilities, needs, expectations, and challenges. Additionally, what kinds of devices, operating devices, functionalities preferred, types of apps used more often, and more, is the kind of information too that businesses must capture and reproduce on to flowchart diagrams. This would help the business to understand which of the app features should be highlighted in order to be more attractive to the target audience.
Putting together and creating a mobile app is certainly not the job of a single person or even one set of people. It requires concerted effort on the part of several stakeholders. The tough part is accommodating the opinions and feedback of all those part of the project – using a flowchart it becomes a lot easier to clearly indicate what would work best for the app and the business, rather than individual likes and preferences. The stakeholders involved should however be involved with preparing the various steps of the flowchart and together brainstorm to ensure that every detail is covered and highlighted on the diagram. The fact is that visualization enhances communication and hence using a visual guide such as a flowchart can prove immensely useful. It is always a good idea to simplify complexities, communicate clearly, plan meticulously and work as a team – flowcharts help to ensure all this and more. Making a top class and each time better mobile app would not seem like a distant dream.
