Introduction
Mobile app designer and mobile app developer- do these job titles sound similar to you? If yes, this article is for you! Of course, both these professionals pour their hearts and souls into making a unique and user-friendly mobile app, but there are several differences in their roles and responsibilities. Let’s understand these points from the perspective of an emerging mobile app development company in Melbourne.
The buzzing world of mobile app development involves enthusiastic professionals with different talents. Here we will focus on app designers and developers so that you can make informed decisions while hiring them for your next app development project. As the word suggests, an app designer designs the UI (User Interface) and UX (User Experience) of the mobile app, and an app developer builds the UI and UX.
Let’s dive deeper into the difference between an app designer and a developer. We will start from scratch to better understand their contribution to building a popular mobile application.
Who is an App Designer?
There is no exaggeration in mentioning that mobile app designers are the ant’s pants. It is because they define and ‘visualise’ how an end user will navigate the app and how will its interface be. These days, we have hundreds of thousands of mobile applications in app stores, and it is imperative to build a well-designed and appealing app to stand ahead of the curve. Here, the app designer’s skills can make a difference!
Mobile app designers are known for their expertise in crafting elegant UI and UX designs that are simple yet effective and seamless. What’s more, an app designer has to consider the positions of buttons, fonts, and colours of the app in line with the market trends and the client’s business model. Be it navigation controls or modal views, nothing is left out from the designer’s eye!
App designers work on tools like Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, and InVision to come up with interactive and compelling app designs. They also need to consider the target audience and OS on which the app will be published. For example, if they design for Android apps, they should keep the minimalist design strategy in mind, which is not the case for iOS applications. Finally, designers must ensure that their designs fit any size of the mobile app.
What are the skills of App Designers?
When you hire mobile app designers, you may find communication and collaboration skills with other soft skills. They have a passion for mobile apps like that of developers as well. But, some skills set them apart from developers. These skills are-
- Solid understanding of UI and UX trends and principles
- Deep insights into mobile design standards accepted for Android app development and iOS app development
- Ability to identify any issues related to usability and user experience in advance
- Demonstrable expertise in graphic design and typography
After looking at the top skills of a mobile app designer, let’s go through their routine tasks.
What are the tasks of App Designers?
Here are the top tasks of mobile app designers during the development process.
- Understanding the objectives of the client and expectations of end users
- Developing ideas and prototypes based on an app development roadmap
- Brainstorming design strategies to ensure that the app can act as a solution for the target audience
- Creating wireframes comprising screens, navigation, and the like
- Crafting application mockups for giving instructions to app developers
- Testing designs and prototypes before initiating the development
Who is a Mobile App Developer?
A mobile app developer is a ‘Bonzer’ who converts user-friendly designs into stunning applications! An app developer takes clues from wireframes that are designed by designers and build a feature-rich application. We can classify app developers into three broad categories based on their domain expertise.
Front-end developers
These developers can write the code for UI with the help of app designs. As per two prevalent options native app development and cross-platform app development, front-end developers work on different app frameworks including Kotlin, Swift, Flutter, and React.
Back-end developers
Unlike front-end developers, back-end developers focus on the functionality of mobile apps. They are responsible for building the admin portal for mobile apps so that clients can update or modify it as and when necessary. Also, they can create APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to integrate with third-party systems like payment gateways and CRM systems.
Full-stack developers
Well, they are all-rounders! Full-stack developers can do everything a front-end developer and a back-end developer can do. Mobile app development platforms like Swift and Kotlin are full-stack and helpful in developing an entire application at once.
What are the necessary skills for App Developers?
Mobile app developers should have skills as per the types mentioned above. For example, front-end developers should have insights in frameworks and technologies like Swift, Kotlin, React, and Ionic. Back-end developers should know programming languages including Python, Node.js, TypeScript, .NET, PHP, and Ruby along with Java. Apart from these languages, they should have an understanding of databases and cloud platforms like AWS.
Fullstack developers are like a jack of all trades because they can handle the entire app development project single-handedly. On one hand, they can utilise frameworks like Swift and Kotlin for front-end application development and on the other hand, they can build APIs, and integrate applications with databases and cloud platforms. Simply put, full-stack developers have a wide range of skills across different frameworks and technologies that enable them to build enterprise applications.
What are the tasks of App Developers?
A mobile app developer performs the following tasks as a part of the development process.
- Understanding UI and UX design principles to build an app in line with the design
- Using programming languages and frameworks as per the requirements of app development projects
- Integrating the API into the application to get the desired functionality
- Write the code for front-end design patterns
- Resolving performance issues to make applications ready for QA testing
- Minimising vulnerabilities in the front-end codebase
- Performing UI testing to ensure flawless functionality of the application
App Designer vs. App Developer- Key Points of Different to Consider
Let’s understand the points of difference between app designers and app developers in simple terms.
Mobile app designers can bring the app’s scope and ideas about its appearance, navigation, and user-friendliness. The key esponsibilities of app designers include thinking of designs that can solve the end user’s queries and designing wireframes to meet the client’s objectives effectively. App designers never write the code, but they can think of and indicate navigation paths and primary interactions for app developers.
App developers, on the other hand, take care of the app’s functionality and ensure that they follow the design ideas while making applications. App developers write the code as per the wireframes and strive to add all the features smartly to accomplish the app’s core objectives. Along with this, mobile app developers work to develop secure, swift, and easy-to-use applications. They also put the effort into making enterprise apps appealing with clear navigation for making them user-friendly.
Mobile App Developer vs. Designer- Who is Better?
Now that you have an idea about the scope and responsibilities of app designers and developers, you may answer the question- which is better- a mobile app designer or a developer? But, the answer to this question can be vague because both are equally important to ensure the success of your upcoming mobile app.
If the designer does not combine imagination and creativity, you will not get an appealing interface for your business app. But, even if you have a unique and user-friendly design, flaws in programming can make your app obsolete soon. In other words, both these professionals contribute to making an app popular in different ways, and if you want to come up with an awesome app, you need both these professionals with good working experience.
Here are the key considerations to help you make an informed decision for your upcoming mobile app project.
- You need a designer and developer to make your enterprise application successful
- You can hire a full-stack developer if you are in search of a person who can handle the entire development process for your app like a ‘one-man army’
- It is better to hire an app development team comprising dedicated developers, designers, and QA engineers to make the most of advancing technologies or want to build an app capable of evolving over the period
We hope these tips will help you make the right decision for app development.
Concluding Remarks
A feature-rich mobile application is a robust and reliable representative of your business. It not only simplifies core processes and brings automation to your enterprise but also attracts more customers to your business. Therefore, it is necessary to hire the right team consisting of experienced developers, designers, and a QA.
Do you want to know more about hiring options or our mobile app development services? Get connected to a leading mobile app development company in Australia and India. Simply send us an email at info@devsinindia.com, and we will get back to you soon.
