For every app you download, use, browse or see in your app store of choice, the work that goes into getting it there in the first place is quite staggering. Depending on the functionality and intended usage, every app has many phases to get it to the state and stage where it is ready to release. Naturally, the amount of work that goes into each app differs, but one thing remains constant, and that is the fact that every team includes the person who conceived the idea for the app in the first place, the developer who will do the technical back end, and the designer who will drive the way the app looks.
As our title suggests, from concept to release there is a collaborative approach as there is across the world of high tech, be it software of hardware. At the very start of this team-based approach is the initial project plan, the detailed requirements map, the early prototype design, the overall development, and an often-rigorous period of testing for Q and A. Whether it is a banking app or a social media app, a fitness tracking app or one for playing BTC roulette games on your smartphone, tablet or smartwatch, this process is likely to be necessarily replicated time and time again.
Teamwork Trials: Collaboration Can Make Or Break Any Software or App
So why is this collaboration so important? It’s a good question and one that can offer some insightful answers. We have all heard someone say that it is good that we are all on the same page, pulling for the same goals, and aiming for the best results. As most companies will tell you, one of the major reasons that an app comes together to become a success and popular with users is the collaborative process, part of which is the in-depth and often exhausting rounds of app testing before release.
There will always be bumps in the road, agile changes, and differing opinions during any app development process, but teams that work together to embrace and overcome any issues are likely the best kind of team. It is not understating it to say that without a connected collaboration based on a clear development plan, some apps are destined to either never get beyond the concept stage or, even when released, not prove to be successful.
As any app creator will tell you, they have a vision for how that app should look as well as how it should perform in terms of functionality. Right from the first meeting with any development team, knowing that vision and understanding the end goal is something drives, or at least should drive the entire team forward at every stage of the project. Without this, projects can fail, expectations can be wildly different, and the end result can be an app that does not make the creator happy or even satisfy the developers, making teamwork one of the most important elements.
Success Is Shared When Quality Is The Tech Team Priority
There is not an app designer or company with an app to release that is not concerned with quality. Not just the quality of the app when it is first released, but the reliability, evolution, and technical advances that are all part and parcel of what both app owners and users demand and expect. Though on a business level success is determined by how much money an app makes, the success of any app, be it the smartphone, tablet, or desktop version is something that is shared amongst the team that was involved and continues to be involved in the maintenance and ongoing development.
One of the most important reasons that software programmers and app designer developers must collaborate closely is to ensure quality. From initial release to ongoing maintenance, apps are judged by savvy users who will, thanks to such a competitive market for almost every app you could think of, not accept anything other than reliability, consistency, and the latest improvements and updates over time. Overlooking or placing the quality of an app, in both design and user interface is something that is often at the root of an app being less successful.
As we discussed as the general topic of this article, from concept to release, and indeed beyond, software and app developers are two of the main the characters referred to in the old phrase “team work makes the dream work”. As technology advances at an almost exponential pace, user expectations rise and thus, the teams that bring us our apps must also set their sights higher and higher. For this to lead to any form of success, software and app development teams must walk together, work together, develop together and, ultimately, succeed or fail together.