Basically, there are two ways to learn. You can either learn from your experience and mistakes, or you can learn from the experience and mistakes of others. Learning from the former is an expensive way to learn, which would cost you years and much pain. And what is worse is that you will still not learn all that there is to learn. Learning from other people's mistakes helps you to achieve your goal faster, with greater ease, and gives you the ability to achieve more.
Android app development is a lucrative and interesting endeavor, but one that is still fraught with several potholes. Therefore, it is wise to learn from those who have been there and done it, so as to make the journey easier and faster for newbies. Below are 10 android app development tips for beginners;
1. Don't waste time reinventing the wheel:
One of the major pros of the Android platform, which has accounted for its popularity and acceptance, is its open source nature. As a beginner developer, there will always be a tendency to want to do things yourself and in your way. That's a huge mistake. Why stressing to reinvent the wheel? If you can use an already existing solution to solve a problem that you encounter during your android app development, why not use it rather than spending a lot of time searching for an alternative solution. There are Android libraries available to you, learn to make use of it. And direct your energy on the core business logic of your app.
2. Be cautious in your pick of a library:
During android app development you will be advised to make use of the available libraries to make your development easier and faster. There are several of these libraries around but you must take caution when choosing a library.
While searching for a library to use look for those with a higher number of stars. Also, research how active the author of the library is in creating other libraries. If you can, you should read into the code of the library. All of these will ensure that you and other Indian app developers don't end up with a code that is not reliable, filled with bugs and is of low-quality.
3. Read codes written by others:
All that you know today is a product or reflection of what you have read or learned somewhere or someday. In order to be one of the reputable Indian app developers, you must adopt the culture of reading other people's code. This is one sure way to grow and improve oneself. To be a reputable developer, you must learn to read more codes than doing the actual writing. The good thing about the Android platform is that it is open source, giving Indian app developers that opportunity to dig into the code and get an understanding of how the framework was implemented.
4. Ensure good coding standards:
If coding could be compared with writing, then coding standards can be synonymous with your handwriting. As you would be spending ample time reading codes written by other people, they would also be doing the same with yours. Therefore, it is important to maintain proper coding standards when coding. Aim for codes that are short, clean and readable such that anyone reading it won't have trouble understanding what in the world you are doing. Code is poetry, the flow should be story-like.
5. Security:
Your app needs security and it is simply careless to release your app on Play Store without using, at least Pro Guard. Pro Guard comes with the
Android SDK and it is free. So there is no reason whatsoever for you or other Indian app developers not to use it. It performs the function of not just minifying an app but obfuscating it such that it becomes difficult for reverse-engineers to understand or manipulate it. An app released without, at least Pro Guard, makes it quite easy for hackers to manipulate.
6. Use proper architecture:
It is good practice to use proper architecture when developing your code. In the future, you will be grateful that you did this. There are different architectures that you can employ but one of the most dependent is the Model-View-Presenter (MVP). This helps to break your code into different manageable layers which would thereby improve code flexibility and reduce the time spent on maintenance.
7. Dig deep for the designer in you:
If you work as part of a large team or in an
app development company and you are the developer guy then you won't need to worry much about design as the guys in charge of UI/UX will know what to do about that. But if you are an independent app developer then both the Android app development and designing of the app will rest on your shoulders. Therefore, you would need to search deep inside of you to bring out the designer hidden underneath. Your inability to connect with the designer within you will result in developing apps with wonderful functionality but with terrible UI and a heartrending UX.
While designing, you should aim for simplicity and beauty, you should aim more at removing elements from your design rather than adding to it. This will help you create a more lasting impact on your users which will cause them to return more often to your app. The frequency of their visits will improve the chances of conversion and this would mean success for you.
8. Use analytics:
Regardless of how meticulous you may be, you will never make the perfect app on the first try. Don't even think about it. The hidden flaws in your best line of codes will begin to show once real users begin to use your app on different Android devices and different Android versions. Therefore, in order to create a truly wonderful app, you need to depend heavily on analytical tools which help in the analyzing performance and usage of the different parts of the app.
Both crash reporting and app usage tracking are a necessary analytical tool for the development of a reputable app both as an independent developer or in
top software companies. The function of the crash reporting tool is to help track and fix crashes one at a time. App usage tracking, on the other hand, helps you to think like a marketer, bridging the gap between your finished product and what users actually want.
9. Marketing is highly important:
Once again if you are part of a huge team or a mobile app development company, then you won't need to worry about anything beyond android development. But as an independent app developer, you have to pay proper heed to app design and
app marketing. You can have an app with great design and functionality that would still fail if you lack proper marketing. If you are serious about making an impact you need to invest time and money in the proper marketing of your app. But before you begin your effective marketing it is important that your app is in its more stable form with all features ready.
10. Optimize your app:
This is easily overlooked but it plays a vital role regardless. It is good app development practice both for an independent developer and
app development companies to create an optimized app. An optimized app will require less memory and work well in all kind of stressful situations.
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