Developing an iPhone app seems pretty easy when it's a brilliant idea in your head, but reality hits when you find yourself sitting in front of your computer, unsure of where to begin. So to help you out, here's a quick beginner's guide to iPhone app development.
Web versus Native
First and foremost, you need to figure out what kind of app you want to create. Is it going to be something fast paced, with a lot of cool graphics or are you aiming for something informative or with simple visuals? Once you figure this out, you can decide between using a web app or a native app. A web app is one that runs on the browser and is better for simple applications, while a native app runs on the iPhone itself and is tailored for something a little more fancy. That said, regardless of which type of app you choose to produce, it's always a good idea to make one of both.
Follow the natives
Even if you're only making a web app, it is still better to mimic a native app as much as possible. The reason for this is because from the perspective of a user, native apps are easier to use simply because that is what they already know. When you first use your iPhone, you learn the ways of apps already installed in your iPhone before downloading more.
Apart from that, it is advantageous to use the elements of a native app, such as its font, buttons, lists, etc purely from a good design point of view. A lot of effort has been applied by many iPhone contractors to come up with these elements, which saves you the time of figuring out feasible design if you were to create new ones for your web app.
Time savers - Frameworks, Tools and Libraries
If you've decided to use a native app as a guide, then instead of starting from scratch, save time by using frameworks, tools and libraries readily available on the world wide web.
If you're a Mac user, you can use the Dashcode which has a library for buttons and the like, code snippets,
"How-to" guides, etc.
For a fast and small file size web app, try using iUI, which uses super easy html coding for web apps.
If you're looking for a fancier web app with things like collapsible lists, then try iWebkit, which not only explains all of its features for a beginner, but also works well with other javascript codes.
After reading this article, you should be able to get a hang of starting to work on your app. However, the reality is that iPhone app development is a complex affair. A web app might be moderately easy to create, but if you have a really good idea for something exciting, chances are it is going to take a bit more skill. So I would suggest getting some help with the bits that you can't handle yourself. Hire a mobile phone apps development professional like Mobile Developers.
Perception System is the leading provider of iPhone application development services. We have mastered this domain and have extensive experience in developing custom mobile applications for iPhone (including iPad) and other mobile platforms like Android and Blackberry. Our highly experienced team brings together deep product design experience, technology expertise and a passion for building world-class mobile experiences.
Web versus Native
First and foremost, you need to figure out what kind of app you want to create. Is it going to be something fast paced, with a lot of cool graphics or are you aiming for something informative or with simple visuals? Once you figure this out, you can decide between using a web app or a native app. A web app is one that runs on the browser and is better for simple applications, while a native app runs on the iPhone itself and is tailored for something a little more fancy. That said, regardless of which type of app you choose to produce, it's always a good idea to make one of both.
Follow the natives
Even if you're only making a web app, it is still better to mimic a native app as much as possible. The reason for this is because from the perspective of a user, native apps are easier to use simply because that is what they already know. When you first use your iPhone, you learn the ways of apps already installed in your iPhone before downloading more.
Apart from that, it is advantageous to use the elements of a native app, such as its font, buttons, lists, etc purely from a good design point of view. A lot of effort has been applied by many iPhone contractors to come up with these elements, which saves you the time of figuring out feasible design if you were to create new ones for your web app.
Time savers - Frameworks, Tools and Libraries
If you've decided to use a native app as a guide, then instead of starting from scratch, save time by using frameworks, tools and libraries readily available on the world wide web.
If you're a Mac user, you can use the Dashcode which has a library for buttons and the like, code snippets,
"How-to" guides, etc.
For a fast and small file size web app, try using iUI, which uses super easy html coding for web apps.
If you're looking for a fancier web app with things like collapsible lists, then try iWebkit, which not only explains all of its features for a beginner, but also works well with other javascript codes.
After reading this article, you should be able to get a hang of starting to work on your app. However, the reality is that iPhone app development is a complex affair. A web app might be moderately easy to create, but if you have a really good idea for something exciting, chances are it is going to take a bit more skill. So I would suggest getting some help with the bits that you can't handle yourself. Hire a mobile phone apps development professional like Mobile Developers.
Perception System is the leading provider of iPhone application development services. We have mastered this domain and have extensive experience in developing custom mobile applications for iPhone (including iPad) and other mobile platforms like Android and Blackberry. Our highly experienced team brings together deep product design experience, technology expertise and a passion for building world-class mobile experiences.
