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? Mobile March Madness: The Mobile App Development Team Starting Lineup

It’s just about that time of year again! Yes, the NCAA Basketball Tournament, aka March Madness, is upon us. The team that goes the furthest in the tournament usually has a stellar starting lineup of players that work together to win game after game – and eventually that coveted championship trophy. This is not unlike the team required to bring your mobile app idea to life. Today we’re breaking down the key players involved with creating a mobile app.

Your starting lineup:

Project Manager

If those involved in developing your mobile app project were an actual basketball team, the project manager would be the point guard. He or she has to have a clear vision of the project at all times and be focused on the big picture goals, while at the same time being intimately familiar with the smaller details of the project. A liaison between the internal development team and the client, the project manager toes the line between all parties to make sure the project stays on time, on budget and within scope.

Key strengths: organization, client communication, detail-oriented

Strategist

Continuing with our team comparisons, next we have the strategist who could be fairly compared to the shooting guard. The strategist is the visionary of the project and can sometimes be the same person as the project manager. If the project manager is more logistically focused though, the strategist is strategically focused. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the client’s goals are met through the decisions made during the wireframing, design and development portions of the project. This person must be good at balancing the business needs of the client with the technical considerations of the development team.

Key strengths: strong development background knowledge, business/marketing strategy knowledge, decision-making skills

Designer/UX

Designers or UX specialists often determine the difference between a good app and a great app. A pillar of the development team, the designer is similar to the power forward on a basketball team. He or she creates wireframes and/or visual designs, as well as decides on the screenflow and user interface (UI). The designer often has a basic technical understanding and works well with the team’s developers to ensure the final product is just as visually appealing as it is technically functional.

Key strengths: creative, deep understanding of UX/UI, basic technical background knowledge

Software Engineers

On a basketball team, the small forward is a versatile player. Adept at handling the ball inside and outside, the small forward excels at offense and defense. Such is the software engineer on a mobile app development team. This role is responsible for bringing together the vision of the strategist, the creative direction from the designer and the technical requirements of the client into a working, functional app. Engineers develop the backend or server side portion of the app, and then the iOS and Android products. They fix bugs given to them following quality assurance (read more on that below) and deploy the app to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store when it’s time to launch.

Key strengths: technically minded, problem solvers, strong technical understanding

Quality Assurance

Just as the center spends the majority of his or her time close to the basket, the quality assurance position is also narrowly focused on doing one job really well. His or her goal is to test, test, test and then test some more. The quality assurance person finds bugs, checks for security holes, confirms the use cases are met, scrolls, taps, and swipes to his or her heart’s content. In short: he or she tries to break the app. The goal is to ensure the product is ready to ship to the client for testing and approval during the beta and release stages of the project.

Key strengths: detail-oriented, problem solvers, able to provide constructive criticism

So there you have it. Your starting lineup as you take on the task of bringing your mobile app idea to life! Sound like a team you’d like playing for you? We’d love to chat!

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Why Testing Matters for Your Next Mobile App

We’re in the thick of testing on a large project right now. It’s a (delicious!) new release that we can’t wait to share more about later this summer. While it goes without saying that any release, big or small, should be thoroughly tested, you can often find yourselves in crunchtime near the end of a project. That crunchtime can lead to the choice between meeting a looming deadline and thorough quality assurance. Today we’re sharing all about testing and why it’s so important for your mobile app’s success.

Testing 101

When we talk about testing your mobile app, we aren’t just talking about making sure all the buttons work. Thorough testing goes well beyond that!

At Oak City Labs, we begin testing as early as possible in the development process. We’re an agile shop, so we place a lot of value on getting a (semi-)working version of the app in front of our clients for review as soon as possible while development is still in progress. As soon as we have a working, somewhat functional mobile app ready, testing begins.

Our testing process is just that: a process – a very detailed and thorough process. Armed with our trusty QA Checklist, we thoroughly test the mobile app inside and out. We try to break it in as many ways as possible (better now than when in production!). We work through each and every screen in the app comparing it with the designs, testing it against our use cases, proofreading copy and looking at scrolling and swiping behavior. We check how the app integrates with other apps, we test push notifications, observe screen orientation and more.

I said before that we test each mobile app inside and out. More than just a common phrase, we really do test inside our mobile apps. On the “inside,” we evaluate performance by testing battery usage, install/uninstall process, loading, network connection and the list goes on!

We also place priority on testing the app from the perspective of a first time user. As we near release, it’s all but certain that we’ve been using and testing the app for months. It’s important to take a step back and evaluate the app with fresh eyes to make the user experience for those who interact with it for the first time is optimal.

Why It Matters

You may be saying, “Wow, that seems a lot of work! Is it really worth it?” The answer is YES! Statistics tell us that about 25% of users use an app once and then never use it again. Add in crashes or a mediocre performance experience and you are sure to see that percentage rise.

Trying to break into a crowded market? There’s no easier way to differentiate yourself – in a bad way – than with an app riddled with bugs and performance issues. We’ve shared before about the importance of reviews for your mobile app and negative reviews left by customers frustrated by an untested app aren’t a great way to start.

Testing matters. At Oak City Labs we place high value on thorough and complete testing before a mobile app’s release. If you are looking to create a mobile app – one that is sure to be thoroughly tested – we’d love to hear from you!

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