So You Want to Develop an App?

“All things are created twice; first mentally; then physically.  The key to creativity is to begin with the end in mind, with a vision and a blue print of the desired result.”
—Stephen Covey

So you want to develop an app?

Ok.

Will you develop on Windows, Mac, or Linux?

Will you code it in C, C++, Java, Python, Ruby, or another language?

What framework or library will you use?

Will you make your app run on the latest mobile devices?

Have all of your choices made?

Good.

You might be too late.

There are so many considerations to make when deciding to make a project. It is a task in itself to get everything ready and decided. There are numerous programming languages and many frameworks/libraries for each. You must also take into consideration that a lot of people are ditching laptops for phones and tablets. Will your app work well on those platforms?

Worrying too much about these factors can be a downfall. Debating between C++ and Java can waste precious development hours. Trying one framework only to scrap it hours later is costly too. There’s a good chance that if you dwell on something for too long, it will come to the front above everything else.

How do you solve this problem? Develop your app before you develop it.

Wait, what?

Developing the app first by planning things out can save lots of hours. The first thing to figure out is what problem is the app trying to solve? Take the time and build from that question. You might find that another app solves the problem already. You might realize along the way that there is a better solution than your initial one.

Rushing into code happens more often than not. I know many that have thought of a problem or app idea and started coding within five minutes of thinking about it. They rush to their machines only to churn out some flakey code that is often scraped or abandoned. We all know we have been guilty of this a time or two.

If proper planning is done, the other parts will fall into place. With proper planning, you’ll realize what would be a good language and framework to use as you step through the problem solving part. In the long run, you’ll be saving yourself valuable time.

Questions to ask yourself before writing any code should include:

      1. What problem am I trying to solve?
      2. Who has this problem and why? (Users)
      3. What steps do I need to take to solve this problem?
      4. Has anybody already tried to solve this problem? Results?
      5. What features, tasks, and graphics do I want the app to have?

Once all of those have been answered, the coding part will become a lot clearer. You owe it to yourself to make the job easier for you. Planning things out in advance will give you an advantage over anyone who rushes into coding their projects. It is also a lot harder to back out of a project when you set yourself up with a clear path towards the goal.

Happy Coding!