An app project from start to launch: how the work progresses

Many app ideas stay in the drawer because it's unclear how a project actually runs. Where do you start, how long does each stage take, and what is expected of you as the client? Here is the outline an app project typically follows.

1. Discovery

First we work out what we're solving. Who are the users, what is their problem, and how does the app solve it? Discovery ends with a shared understanding of what belongs in the first version – and what doesn't.

2. Design

In design, the idea turns into screens. From wireframes we move on to the visual identity and a clickable prototype you can try on your own phone before a single line of code has been written.

3. Development

Development moves in short cycles. At the end of each one there is something to try, so the direction gets sharper along the way rather than only at the end.

What do we need from the client?

• A contact person who can make decisions
• Time to test unfinished versions
• Content, such as text, images and product information

4. Testing and launch

Before launch the app is tested on real devices with real users. App Store and Google Play reviews take their own time, so it's worth allowing for them in the schedule.

5. Further development

Launch is the starting gun, not the finish line.

Once the app is in users' hands, real feedback starts to build up. Analytics and user feedback decide what gets built next. Read more about how the price is made up in what does a mobile app cost.

Do you have an idea you'd like to take further? Tell us about it.