With a mobile app for almost every business, the need for mobile applications will grow tremendously across this decade. Hence, if you’ve chosen mobile app development as your career stream, you deserve an applause!

However, how do you become one? As a company providing mobile app development services in Durban, FABTARY believes mobile app development is a specialized job. It demands a set of essential skills to confidently embrace the numerous opportunities available out there.

If you want to know what those skills are, consider reading until the end. It will help you prepare better for your journey as a mobile app developer.

What is Mobile App Development?

Simply stated, mobile app development involves creating software applications that run on a mobile device. Based on the company’s business, these apps can serve various purposes like booking an air ticket, wiring funds, shopping online, booking a doctor’s appointment, or even ordering food from a restaurant.

Mobile apps have gained more popularity across the last decade in particular due to the various evolutions they underwent. They’ve become friendlier, more user-centric and convenient. It is the convenience aspect and the ability to perform quick actions and transactions that continue to contribute to the popularity and value of mobile applications.

Mobile apps are crucial for every business that has it. Besides, since the world relies on them, they have to be efficient, scalable, robust and experience-driven. With millions of apps floating around, it usually doesn’t take a second or two for users to uninstall an app and go for another one after a bad experience. Mobile app developers who contribute to the app’s overall utility and value, therefore have a crucial role to play. Accordingly, they should have a skill set that qualifies them for mobile app development projects.

As an aspiring mobile app developer, we know you are eager to know about the skills you will need to become a successful one. So, let’s look at them.

10 Essential Skills to Qualify as a Mobile App Developer

As a career, mobile app development is as challenging as rewarding. Hence, companies will expect you to have a mix of hard and soft skills. Let’s look at both.

1.       Programming Languages

Learning programming languages is fundamental to your career as a mobile app developer. Accordingly, you should learn at least one programming language like Kotlin, Swift or Java. When it comes to Android app development, Java is the primary choice. It is one of the industry’s favorites and has a broad community.

You should also learn Swift, a language Apple developed for macOS, iOS, tvOS and watchOS. The language works with Apple’s Cocoa and Cocoa Touch Frameworks. It is popular for its readability, simplicity, and expressive syntax.

As for Kotlin, it is famous for Android app development. It is more secure, concise, and expressive than Java. Additionally, it is a cross-platform programming language you can use to develop iOS, Android, desktop, and web apps.

2.      Mobile App Architecture and Design Patterns

While proficiency in programming languages matters, mobile app developers should also understand structuring a mobile app and using common design patterns for mobile app development. It includes learning how to use a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture and common design patterns like observer patterns, factory patterns, and Singleton patterns. Learning these aspects will help you develop a scalable, straightforward, and maintainable app.

3.      UI/UX Design

Much of a mobile app’s success today depends on the user experience (UX) it delivers. UX combines various aspects and helps enhance user engagement, improve the company’s brand image, augment revenue, and achieve a strategic advantage. The user interface (UI) also plays a critical role in driving the user experience of an app. Thus, you should develop an understanding of various screen sizes and resolutions to optimize the mobile app for different devices.

It involves developing familiarity with design principles and best practices like color theory, typography, layout design, and accessibility. Additionally, you should develop a comprehension of Human-computer interaction (HCI) that plays a critical role in factors like ease of use and user-friendliness.

4.     Development Frameworks

As a mobile app developer, you should also learn to use specific tools and frameworks like Xcode and Android Studio. The latter is the official integrated development environment (IDE) for Android app development. It provides various features like testing, debugging, version control, and code editing. Additionally, the IDE offers a built-in Android emulator to test the apps on multiple devices. On the other hand, Xcode is an iOS app development IDE that offers a set of tools. Some features include an integrated debugger, visual editor, and test app simulator.

5.     Backend Computing

Backend operations form an integral part of all mobile app development projects. Besides, as companies expect mobile app developers to create logical and computational concepts for application software, you should learn backend computing. A few features that form backend computing include hardware interaction, database management, frameworks, and languages, local development environments, and services to collaborate.

6.      Cross-Platform Application Development

Mobile applications that run efficiently on different platforms stay in perpetual demand, given the various commercial and strategic benefits they offer. That automatically drives the need for mobile app developers with cross-platform application development capabilities. You should select a mobile app development course that trains you on cross-platform app development.

7.      Cloud Computing

The use of the cloud in mobile applications is on a continuous rise. The reasons are obvious. Cloud storage solutions offer developers scalable, secure, and cost-effective ways to manage data within mobile applications. Accordingly, you should learn about leading cloud computing platforms like Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure.

8.     Problem-Solving

The above were some of the essential technical skills to develop. Now, let’s speak about some soft skills. Problem-solving is the first one!

Remember, today, the world needs people who speak about solutions and not about problems. As a mobile app developer, companies will look up to you as someone with the skills to develop an outstanding app benefiting their business.

Problems will be an integral part of the app development process and beyond. Here, your skills and problem-solving approach will help you make a standout. So, never look at problems as a roadblock. Instead, consider them a challenge and an opportunity to prove your capabilities and make the effort to resolve them.

9.      Excellent Communication

This applies to every profession in the world. Mobile app development isn’t an exception to it. As a mobile app developer, your routine will include interacting with fellow team members, clients, external vendors, the management team, and others. Ensuring swift and transparent communication can help the project progress seamlessly. Your communication skills can contribute significantly to it.

10.   Team Playing and Time Management

Usually, companies hire multiple mobile app developers to work on a particular project and expedite its pace. Hence, it is less likely that you will be alone working on a project unless it is too small to accommodate a team’s expense. Nevertheless, it is necessary to develop team-playing abilities and skills so that you blend into the team and contribute as a team player.

Another critical skill is time management. Mobile app development is always bound by timelines, which, at times, are critical from the competitive perspective. Hence, you cannot take forever to complete a particular app development project. You should manage your time and corresponding tasks to complete them on time and with the desired quality levels. Nevertheless, time management is something you also learn with experience and trial and error. However, ensure you work towards it so that you maintain your competitive value.

While Signing Off!

That was about the essential skills you should develop as a mobile app developer. Besides the above, you should stay abreast and acquire skills related to all the latest developments in your sphere of work. It will help you be a competent developer who knows what the world needs and is geared to deliver them!

FABTARY, a company for mobile app development services in Durban hopes that the above contributes to your endeavor to become a distinguished mobile app developer. For more on career opportunities as a mobile app developer in FABTARY, email [email protected].