Mobile app architecture — reshape the app development process

Unsurprisingly, around 80–90 percent of mobile apps launched in both IOS and Android platforms witness their failure in a short period. Most software development companies left wondering about the dominated success of making an app but forgot the crucial elements in the process, which is the mobile app architecture design process.

What is mobile app architecture?

Mobile app architecture is the combination of structural layers, including techniques, models, and patterns based on industry and behavior from which the skeleton of a project or program is constructed. To be clear, all the action of UI/UX, platform selection, targeting market, data movement, software development is a part of Mobile app architecture patterns. In addition, selecting the correct type of mobile app is a crucial part, influencing the implementation of architectural app design. Three main types of app precisely define mobile app architecture:

• Native mobile app architecture — which builds for a specific mobile platform
• Hybrid mobile app architecture — can be built for any mobile platform
• Mobile web app architecture — commonly based on web technology accessing through the browser

Why the architectural design of a mobile app is necessary for app development?

Mobile apps have become an element that transforms the business and offers opportunities to reach more potential users. However, a large number of users abandon the apps in a single-use because of inappropriate app architecture. It is why user retention relies heavily on careful attention to these architectures and designs by the software development companies.

1. Proper architectural design is needed to better user access

Better User Interface (UI) — An architectural design of an app that gives users more convenience to interacts also avoids catastrophic errors. Users tend to judge a system by its interface rather than its functionalities at first, which is why good architectural design is a vital role of keeping users.

Efficient mobile app development — Since mobile app architecture is part of app development, carefully architecture will lead to efficient app development and enhanced users’ experiences.

Better Performance — Mobile app architecture tends to be the root of the app development process, which affects app performance in several aspects in a pessimistic or optimistic way depending on the level of completion. As part of app development, careful execution at the beginning leads to a low number of bugs and lags when using the app. Battery exhaustion is considered as a significant factor across app performance. Data for a server to perform CPU-intensive through good architectural app design will ensure the amount needed to avoid draining the battery.

Easy Data Access — A large number of mobile platforms suffer the incapability of connecting with the database, which leads to lower performance of the app. Therefore, designing architectural data for a mobile app is required to be functional in all platforms that can reduce the current mobile platform issues and users capable of accessing app or data sources, related to multiple platforms.

2. The role of mobile app architecture important for business

App architecture Support Communication — As mobile app architecture is the skeleton of a project or a system. A clear view and understanding of the entire system open opportunities for the decision-making process between stakeholders.

High quality at lower cost — A well-built app architecture can support the evolving needs of mobile apps optimally avoid redesign, additional requirement, and damage to the entire structure of the app, which brings cost increase in problem-solving.

Greater Business — The better architectural app design, the better efficient app development, which induces the increase of users that open many opportunities to the business.

Mobile app architecture examples in leading industry

Mobile app architecture in Tourism

Take Airbnb, a successful travel portal software, as an example of using mobile app architecture. They are now successfully applying their branding across the board through professional design language used on their app, which makes their users easy to use and create a sense of familiarity. Also, they offer multiple well-organized functions that make a better experience for users.

Mobile app architecture in Food Delivery

The Food ordering app is a significant factor that helps UberEATS become a leader in the Food and beverage software industry. UberEATS was created with familiar feelings to the original Uber, which interest users continue to be a part of Uber’s Ecosystem. Furthermore, the ordering steps, UI, and real-time tracker are creative and naturally designed that not only adults but also children and elders can also handle.

Processing efficient architectural design for mobile application methodology

Mobile-specific app architectures are typically designed in three fundamental layers: Presentation layer, Business layer, Data access layer. Following is some architectural design methods for these layers:

PRESENTATION LAYER

The primary focus of this layer is how you, as a mobile app developer, determine the correct client type for the infrastructure plan. Also, appropriate data format and great data validation techniques are considered as invalid data input protection.

BUSINESS LAYER

Include logging, caching, security, validation, and exception management that an app developer should separate all these tasks into several categories for complexity reduction.

DATA ACCESS LAYER

The right data access technology is required to perform a secure and highly functional layer. This layer contains data access functionalities and handles all CRUD (Create, Read, Update, and Delete) operations that are directly affected by app performance.

Furthermore, there are some principles for the dedicated development team when creating mobile app architecture:

• SOLID — 5 principles intend to make software design easier to maintain and flexible
• KISS — this principle states that code and system should be simple as a result. Accordingly, errors and bugs could be reduced
• DRY- Repetition is limited in software patterns to avoid redundancy

Software quality assurance is the next crucial step that affects the final result and performance of a mobile app. Below is a well-built app software checklist that the development team should follow:

• Efficiency: The software system should be capable of performing all the functions and tasks in all conditions. Also, the app can handle all the load with an effective and reliable performance.
• Flexibility: the app development should be easy to change detail, information without harming other related elements.
• Extensibility: Available in increasing functions as many as preferred
• Scalability: presenting the ability to develop and update the app without being obstructed.
• Testability: The system needs to be easy to test, which in time, the number of errors or problems should decrease and better reliability.
• Understandability: Understandable code for developers which allow all people in the project can keep up with the progress