The average US adult spends a total of 4 hours and 23 minutes on their phones as of April 2021. As of 2021, there are over 2 million applications on iOS App Store, while the Google Play Store has over 3 million. The critical consideration while building an cross-programming framework is to understand the target demographic and understand how best to add value. It all starts with a business plan for your mobile application.
Source: Statista
The Value Addition
The possibilities are endless, with various domains to cater to, such as gaming, finance, entertainment, education, or geography.
No matter how different, a unique app idea is not going to be enough in today’s digital landscape. With fierce competition, increasing demand for cross-programming framework, the app market is getting harder to break into, especially considering time, effort, and money.
Going into the development stage unprepared is not recommended. Extensive market research is necessary to create a unique strategy that is tailored for your app. It is soon time to pitch. This requires nuanced and holistic awareness of the following:
- The key functionality
- Why would people want to use your app?
- The value add of the app against the website
- The business goals
- The target demographic
- The needs and expectations of your target demographic
The Process
When you can bring the core functionality of the app to two sentences, that is when you know, you know. The next step is figuring out how to create the flutter app. The process might seem like a relatively straightforward decision. Still, it requires understanding the main features needed, whether or not it will be graphic heavy, and most importantly, which platform you will launch it on. This requires thinking about the UI, cross-programming framework, coding language, and engine. To create a successful and profitable application, a developer should think like a user.
All of this needs to be factored into creating and launching an Flutter MVP within a deadline for the pitch.
Flutter – Cross-programming Framework
Flutter has been making waves in the app community since its launch in 2018, but more so recently with the increasing demand for cross-programming app framework. A team of over 300 engineers from BMW is currently working on the My BMW app using Flutter app development. This application is being used to serve about 5 million customers across five continents.
There is great curiosity about Flutter as evidenced by Google trends, with Flutter being more searched than React Native. Additionally, several corporate giants are making the switch to Flutter.
Source: Google Trends
Developed by Google, Flutter is based on the Dart programming language. As a cross-programming framework, Flutter allows developers to deploy the same mobile application on both Android and iOS. Flutter is the primary way to code an application for Fuchsia, a new OS developed by Google.
Features of Flutter – Cross-programming Framework
Let’s go into the specifics of Flutter cross-programming framework and why we think it is an excellent choice for building apps.
1. Single Codebase
Usually, when thinking about creating a mobile app, the question arises of which platform it needs to launch. When developing an Flutter MVP, focusing on a single codebase instead of coding for two separate platforms is a huge relief.
Flutter’s most significant advantage is its single codebase. This means developers only need to code once for the app to be launched across two disparate platforms. This stands out against React Native and Xamarin.
This is the primary reason developers are shifting to Flutter app development to amp up the application development process.
2. Coding and Testing
With a single codebase, the development process is already streamlined and efficient. This accelerates the development process while being able to use multiple APIs and plugins.
The time taken for quality checking for features and functionality is reduced by nearly 50% as only a single codebase needs to be checked.
3. The Hot Reload Feature
Usually, when developing an app, making changes to the codebase requires rerunning the code for it to be reflected in the app. Flutter changes this through the hot reload feature. This allows developers to see the effect of the change in code within (mili)seconds.
There is more to innovate through trial and error. This makes bug fixes, updates swift and easy. This boosts productivity and performance while keeping anxiety at bay.
It allows developers to monitor all the changes made in near real-time. This means developers can view the progress as they code.
4. Best suited for MVP
With the increasing number of start-ups, Flutter is highly sought after for Flutter MVP development. As mentioned above, Flutter requires developers to code once for an app to work across multiple platforms.
This means the cost of development is much less. Additionally, the time taken is also comparatively reduced by half. Besides, Flutter is compatible with Firebase. This means it is not necessary to build different backends for Flutter MVP, making the apps faster to market.
5. Utilisation of widgets
Widgets are crucial for all app interfaces. Flutter is built on widgets, classified into two main types: Stateless and Stateful. Whether fonts, navigation, headers, or more, you can be sure there is a widget for that.
These allow Flutter to be as customized as you need it to be. The user experience [UX] is seamless and far superior to other cross-programming framework.
6. The Support
While all of these are great features, for a developer to grow proficient, they need the support of other coders and version control support.
Flutter has a great online community across multiple platforms such as Stack Overflow, GitHub, etc. The official Flutter website has great tutorials for developers across all levels. Additionally, there are periodic updates, several blogs, and videos that make learning about flutter exciting and easy.
Migrating to Flutter Cross-programming App Framework
Shifting from one coding platform to another is tough, and most developers need to learn a new language. This is the case with Flutter, as well. The simplest way to go about this is by hiring a team that offers migration and app development. The other way around this is to learn Flutter.
- Learn the Dart language. There are several tutorials online for various classes, constructors, functions. It is essential to know the maps in Dart well. If you have been used to JavaScript, the experience is different.
- It is imperative to understand how the Flutter UI is built and structured. These will likely be familiar if you are a native developer. Start off by acquainting yourself with building UI with objects rather than JSX. This will provide the base you require to become proficient.
- State management. There are plenty of resources, examples, and Flutter documentation regarding this. There is a slight learning curve, but the documentation and examples will make this easier and provide a comprehensive understanding of how to get the most out of Flutter.
Josh Software
The team at Josh Software believes Flutter is going to revolutionize the way mobile apps are built. Understanding Flutter provides an understanding of how you want your app built and what the purpose is. The widgets allow you to customize it, and the UI is seamless, built on the same cross-programming framework as Android and iOS.
Take the plunge. We promise it is rewarding and accelerates app development. As leaders in Flutter cross platform app development, we are here to help you through your app development journey through cross-programming framework . Whether it is ideation, design, development, customization, or migration, Josh Software takes care of it all.
Please feel free to reach out to us in case of any questions.
