Writing good code is easy. However, most applications fail due to bad decisions made at the start by the team. Common mistakes are:
- Wrong platform.
- Too many features included at launch.
- Poor performance, which only becomes apparent at a later stage.
This guide turns these lessons into a 5-Gate Framework. These are the 5 gates that your app will have to pass through. This will give you some tips on how to develop mobile applications with no surprises from start to finish, whether you’re developing an application on your own or within a small team.
Gate 1: Validate the Problem Before Writing Code
The main thing you could go wrong here is creating something nobody wants. Ask yourself:
Who is your user?
What makes your app unique?
What success metrics will you track? Choose one thing to track such as signups or weekly active users.
Build a basic prototype using Figma and test with 5 real users. Can they work out what your app does within 30 seconds? If not, keep it simple!
Gate 2: Choose the Right Tech Stack
Choosing a platform will impact your costs, development speed and future maintenance. Here’s a rough guide:
| Development Type | Best Used For | Drawbacks |
| Native (Swift / Kotlin) | Performance-heavy apps, games, advanced device features | Higher cost, two separate codebases |
| Cross-Platform (Flutter / React Native) | Startups, MVPs, business apps | Occasional native workarounds |
| Progressive Web App (PWA) | Content-focused apps, simple tools, low budgets | Limited device access, weak store presence |
As a general rule if your app is going to make heavy use of the camera, sensors and smooth animations then using a native approach will be best. However, if you want to get to market quickly then a cross platform approach will generally be better.
Gate 3: Design for Thumbs, Not Screens
- Users will be using their phone rather than a desktop. They will be easily distracted, likely using their phone with one hand, with maybe slow connectivity.
- Place main actions on the bottom half of the screen (thumb zone)
- Use tap areas that are 44×44 points minimum (Apple guidelines) or 48×48 dp (Google Material guidelines).
- Onboarding should be limited to 3 screens. Start by showing them the value, then ask for permissions where necessary.
- Ensure you have dark mode and accessibility features (such as dynamic text size) built into the app from the beginning. It can be difficult to add these features later.
Gate 4: Build Performance and Security In, Not On
The cheapest way to solve performance and security issues is to solve them from the beginning.
Performance
- Optimize images by compressing and lazy loading them.
- Local cache to help your app work well with poor connections.
- Turn off any background services that are not necessary to save battery.
- Use old and mid range devices to test.
Security
- Never store tokens in plain text, always store them using the secure methods on the platform (Keychain or Keystore).
- Use HTTPS for all network calls.
- Only request the required permissions.
- OWASP Mobile Application Security guidelines.
Tip: Teams often will only test on one flagship device, this can cause issues where crashes aren’t found as they don’t affect a large number of users. Always have at least one low end android device to test on.
Gate 5: Launch Small, Then Iterate
Make sure that this initial version does one thing well. Then use real data to make improvements to it.
Before publishing to stores make sure:
- Crash reporting is turned on (Firebase Crashlytics or Sentry)
- Analytics are set up to track your one success metric
- Store listing has clear screenshots and a brief, honest description
- There is some way for users to give feedback
- You have read the most recent App Store and Google Play review guidelines so you don’t waste valuable time getting rejected.
Once launched, look at the crash data and user feedback weekly. It also builds trust by regularly making small changes to the app which will help your store ranking.
Quick-Reference: The 5-Gate Checklist
You can print it out or share with your team:
- Gate 1: We know who the target audience is and what problem we are solving. Prototype was tested with 5 users.
- Gate 2: Technology stack was chosen based on features and budget.
- Gate 3: Design is thumb friendly, quick on board and accessible.
- Gate 4: The app performed well on lower end devices and has basic security in place.
- Gate 5: Analytics, Crash Reporting and Feedback are in place.
Final Takeaway
Great applications are the result of great decisions. By using the 5 gates to help you decide whether your ideas or features are worth developing, you can ensure that any issues are resolved before continuing. If you follow these mobile application development tips then you will spend less time re-working and more time providing what the user needs.
