Best software to design an app.
Discussion
Morning All,
Have come up with an idea for an App, and was wondering what the best/simplest free software would be to have a go at it myself, its going to be relatively simple to start with, will need to be able to upload images and voice recordings, and then will want to link it to some kind of storage in the future, that will allow you to share the information with other people.
Thanks Muchly/
Have come up with an idea for an App, and was wondering what the best/simplest free software would be to have a go at it myself, its going to be relatively simple to start with, will need to be able to upload images and voice recordings, and then will want to link it to some kind of storage in the future, that will allow you to share the information with other people.
Thanks Muchly/
threadlock said:
"Have a go at it" in terms of coding? Or do you think software exists that builds apps for you without coding knowledge?
(Not trying to sound like a smart-arse - genuinely curious, because software might exist and I'd like to know about it if so!)
I have a little bit of HTML coding experience, but wondering if there was anything out there where you would use more like templates for the main bits, and then tweek them to your needs as best as possible.(Not trying to sound like a smart-arse - genuinely curious, because software might exist and I'd like to know about it if so!)
Writing Apps is not trivial and there is no magic wand which will simply create the app for all devices...
The language / platform you use will largely be determined by the device type you want your app to run on (is the app for Android or iOS or both?)
Cross Platform: C# (via Xamarin) or Dart (Flutter)
Android: Java, Kotlin,
iOS: Swift (legacy apps were written in Objective C but Apple are now pushing SwiftUI)
If you go the cross platform route some of your code may need to be specific to the device type.
Next you need to work out:
how the app will function -
UI design and layout
where it stores data (on the device / in the cloud - this will depend on whether or not you are targeting Apple or Android)
any security concerns (do you require logins/user accounts)
getting the app onto the Apply AppStore/Google Play Store etc.
There are also numerous other steps I have missed....
The language / platform you use will largely be determined by the device type you want your app to run on (is the app for Android or iOS or both?)
Cross Platform: C# (via Xamarin) or Dart (Flutter)
Android: Java, Kotlin,
iOS: Swift (legacy apps were written in Objective C but Apple are now pushing SwiftUI)
If you go the cross platform route some of your code may need to be specific to the device type.
Next you need to work out:
how the app will function -
UI design and layout
where it stores data (on the device / in the cloud - this will depend on whether or not you are targeting Apple or Android)
any security concerns (do you require logins/user accounts)
getting the app onto the Apply AppStore/Google Play Store etc.
There are also numerous other steps I have missed....
jesusbuiltmycar said:
Writing Apps is not trivial and there is no magic wand which will simply create the app for all devices...
The language / platform you use will largely be determined by the device type you want your app to run on (is the app for Android or iOS or both?)
Cross Platform: C# (via Xamarin) or Dart (Flutter)
Android: Java, Kotlin,
iOS: Swift (legacy apps were written in Objective C but Apple are now pushing SwiftUI)
If you go the cross platform route some of your code may need to be specific to the device type.
Next you need to work out:
how the app will function -
UI design and layout
where it stores data (on the device / in the cloud - this will depend on whether or not you are targeting Apple or Android)
any security concerns (do you require logins/user accounts)
getting the app onto the Apply AppStore/Google Play Store etc.
There are also numerous other steps I have missed....
Thanks for the response, so your basically saying, I need to find someone who can design an app The language / platform you use will largely be determined by the device type you want your app to run on (is the app for Android or iOS or both?)
Cross Platform: C# (via Xamarin) or Dart (Flutter)
Android: Java, Kotlin,
iOS: Swift (legacy apps were written in Objective C but Apple are now pushing SwiftUI)
If you go the cross platform route some of your code may need to be specific to the device type.
Next you need to work out:
how the app will function -
UI design and layout
where it stores data (on the device / in the cloud - this will depend on whether or not you are targeting Apple or Android)
any security concerns (do you require logins/user accounts)
getting the app onto the Apply AppStore/Google Play Store etc.
There are also numerous other steps I have missed....
I will have a look around, dont want to be spending a fortune on it, as I wouldnt be charging much for it, it will be more to help families with Autistic children.
Thanks very much.
I've seen some apps created with Volt MX - they offer a free trial so perhaps something to look at to build a prototype, not sure how long the free trial lasts and I suspect that the cost of the licensed product is pretty
very extremely hefty.
No involvement with the company, no development experience with the product - just heard and seen good things.
No involvement with the company, no development experience with the product - just heard and seen good things.
By app do you mean something that can be installed on Apple and Android phones? If so, and allowing 3 person-months for each, you’re looking at paying £50K to £100K for each hardware target, for a proper job. It sounds as though you need cloud storage on the back end? Depending on how much gets uploaded, that’s open-ended but not cheap unless your great idea quickly sinks without trace
As noted, there are other ways to deploy functionality to mobile devices include React Native, Progressive Web Apps, fluid web design, Flutter/Cordova/Xamarin frameworks etc. But if you’re not expert in any of those, finding a design tool is the least of your problems
I would start by worrying about the commercial model behind your venture - how is this going to fund itself?
As noted, there are other ways to deploy functionality to mobile devices include React Native, Progressive Web Apps, fluid web design, Flutter/Cordova/Xamarin frameworks etc. But if you’re not expert in any of those, finding a design tool is the least of your problems
I would start by worrying about the commercial model behind your venture - how is this going to fund itself?
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This ^^^. I can understand why people want to leap to the technical implementation, but I’d argue that a wireframe/sketch package and some flowcharting software could be more useful at this stage.
The coding side of app development is pretty simple to buy in but where apps win/lose (marketing aside) is on the user experience and product journey. Sure there are technical considerations associated with these but you will almost certainly end up with a better product by sitting down and drawing it out properly before getting anyone to undertake any sort of coding - that way you make more informed decisions and can better take scalability into account from the outset.
What you probably don’t want to do is end up with a messy code base that you really should refactor but are too emotionally attached to (it does happen) and/or don’t have the bandwidth to address. If you start with something that isn’t well thought through, insufficiently flexible (for both tech and product), and lacking a modular design then that’s where lots of people land.
Remember too that to trial a concept you probably don’t need the full app (or in some cases any app!) so don’t get lured in to spending too much up front.
There are a few people already developing apps in the autism support space. Actual product aside, the big gotchas are going to be if you find yourself competing with a more established name in the market and/or don’t have the right credentials to back up what the app does. Depending on your background, think about whether partnering with someone/an organisation might be helpful in this regard.
^^ Agree
Don't overlook research and testing with your audience either.
You may think you know what they want and how they'll use your app, but you'll want feedback to inform what and how you design.
Wires and/or a basic prototype will allow you to cheaply test out approaches and ideas.
Don't overlook research and testing with your audience either.
You may think you know what they want and how they'll use your app, but you'll want feedback to inform what and how you design.
Wires and/or a basic prototype will allow you to cheaply test out approaches and ideas.
I think the OP was envisaging a DIY project rather than sink £100k+ into a business venture.
As I'm sure you're aware by now, professional app development is not easy or cheap. As you said you have some HTML background, you can possibly explore HTML 5 as an option for the DIY route. This was pushed as a cross platform solution years ago but it has limitations and most professionals don't bother with it these days.
As I'm sure you're aware by now, professional app development is not easy or cheap. As you said you have some HTML background, you can possibly explore HTML 5 as an option for the DIY route. This was pushed as a cross platform solution years ago but it has limitations and most professionals don't bother with it these days.
The first thing to do is to prototype it out on paper or cards. You’ll definitely end up changing how it works many times, so getting this done on paper first is cheap and quick. Then move it to a digital wireframe. I’d use figma. It’s free and runs in-browser.
https://www.figma.com/wireframe-tool/
If you want to go ahead and make the app, figma will help you communicate exactly what you want to the software engineer you are going to need to hire
https://www.figma.com/wireframe-tool/
If you want to go ahead and make the app, figma will help you communicate exactly what you want to the software engineer you are going to need to hire
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