10 Android App Development Tips for 2019

Let’s summarize first—you have an idea, you have sketched it out on paper, and you have created a wireframe prototype. You may feel like most of the job is done, but in reality the work has just begun!

Whether you are building your first, second or 50th Android app, a few important things should be kept in mind in order to stay on top of your game. Here are 10 essential app development tips that can help you in your next Android app development project.

1. Believe in Your Idea
Believing in your idea and maintaining your level of commitment is your first step to success. Your idea for an app could be revolutionary or relatively simple. Do your research, identify the great things your app has to offer, and never hesitate on your road to success.

2. Understand and Research the Market
Understanding the Android market is a must for developing a workable and successful strategy. Start with the typical Android user: how does he or she normally behave? The number of Android users exceeds all other operating systems in the world. However, Android users don’t pay as much for apps as do iOS (i.e., Apple) users. Android users are more likely to install an app that follows a freemium model, and generally top revenue comes from games. Understand these aspects before developing your app.

3. Know the Latest and Upcoming Trends
It is important to stay on top of all the latest trends because these trends tell us what users normally expect regarding features in an app. As trends change and technology advances, a good app developer must contemplate all options and be familiar with ideas that have the potential to disrupt the market.

4. Know Your Competition
In order to get funding for your app idea, you must be aware of similar apps that are already on the market. Learn from them; familiarize yourself with their unique features or business models. This knowledge will help you put a price on your app as well as identify key features and benefits that your app needs to provide to be competitive.

5. Keep It Simple
You have heard it countless times. Don’t complicate things, keep it simple. This holds true in app development as well. Trying to do too many things at once or putting too many features in your app can make it complicated to be usable. Cut out any unnecessary design elements and features. Make sure that the app is well designed and highly focused. An app must be simple, straightforward, easy-to-use, and as uncluttered as possible.

6. Good Design Goes a Long Way
One thing that’s common in all successful apps is good user interface (UX) design. Each app may be different in its mode of operation, functionality and features, but you can be sure that all successful apps have a good UX design. There are over 2.6 million apps in Google Play, and your app must be built well and be as visually appealing as possible in order to stand out from the pack. The good thing is that Google provides a solid set of guidelines regarding good app design principles.

7. Test New Features and Keep the Best Ones
A good app developer strives to integrate easy solutions into an app. The developer observes how users react to different features and keeps those features that receive positive feedback. Flappy Bird and Instagram are two perfect examples of this. Both represent two innovative ideas that against all odds found their way to success. Over the years, multiple features were added to both apps and, following exhaustive testing, only those features that added positive feedback were kept.

8. Listen to Your End Users
Listening to the preferences and recommendations of your end users earns their trust and loyalty. A platform that welcomes feedback can even grow the user base. Users always appreciate when their opinions are heard. Most importantly, the feedback users offer gives you an opportunity to add value to your app and offer a better product.

9. Test Early and Often
One critical rule of thumb is that an app should never be released without prior testing. Test as often as possible because frequent tests at each phase of the development process identifies bugs, fixes possible crashes, and/or improves the UX design.

10. Get Certified
If you are serious about app development, strive to become one of the best developers out there! Consider getting certified to amp-up your game. Google Associate Android Developer Certification is probably the best; what better recognition than being certified from the company that provides the platform for which your app runs on! Keep learning the latest technology and constantly work on your skills.

Achieving success as an Android developer is not easy, but it is not impossible either. You need to focus on the basics and not get overwhelmed by unnecessary detail. Also, keep in mind that every piece of advice you get and recommendation you hear could be instrumental in getting you to the next most-downloaded app.