Imagine waking up to rhythmic sounds of the birds; the air conditioner lowers to 16 degrees from 18 degrees; your alarm clock tells you your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. The window blinds automatically spread open to let nature’s morning light into your room as you get up. You shower and dress up, but you do not have to go to the garage; your car is already parked in the driveway. People create IoT applications; people use IoT applications—the world’s technology grows from the internet to the Internet of Things, from middlemen transaction processes to Smart Contracts.
How do you develop IoT applications? There is a demand for IoT applications, but launching into the building process without a thorough step-by-step outlook will leave you with an application you cannot use because it is poorly built. Let’s look at the common framework to consider when you develop applications for the Internet of Things.
Software: The software is the first phase of an IoT building process (please note that the building process is the process where developers create the codes for the backend operation). The software is crucial because it links to the hardware through the cloud and the network. The software houses smart contracts that define what the app should do within specific parameters and how the app should react to particular parameters. The software framework also buttresses the UI—User Interface. While the UI defines the interface and is a part of the total User Experience, the software is the backend that ensures seamless app usability and is the remaining part of the User Experience.
Hardware: Hardware includes sensors, chips, and other measuring appliances. The creators of an IoT application must ensure that the software is compatible with the software’s hardware.
Cloud: The cloud is the IoT’s storage and processing unit. Because of the enormous data quantity and computation, IoT applications work with Cloud-based storage for seamless and automated storage and processing systems.
Network: The network links the software, hardware, and cloud. Network links include MQT, wireless, LAN, Bluetooth, WiFi, and HTTP.
4 Stages of Building an IoT App
Design: When you consider the best IoT apps, there is a seamless combination of powerful backend development and an excellent user interface. The UI—User Interface team buttresses the depth of your coding team. Before hiring a design team for developing an app for IoT, you must consider the team’s experience. The design team must work with the development team to fragment the visible fragments of the app. Factors the design team considers include color, font, popups, whitespaces, and more.
Prototype: A prototype is the final product’s simulation. For example, when you want to make an IoT app, you can create a prototype that exhibits the app’s functionality and design, and the app interface. A prototype’s use includes pitching for funding from investors, studying the feasibility of a project, and exploring some of the development nuances. Typically, a prototype allows an entrepreneur to show people his vision without building the app.
Development: The development phase is integral, as it connects the prototyping to the product’s final launch. The development phase also transitions into the testing, maintenance, and support phases. Development hardly ever stops because the IoT industry is continually moving. Trends come and go; people’s tastes come and go; therefore, an app must continually evolve to satisfy the growing wants of customers. An app must satisfy the users’ needs—and these needs may change.
Testing: In the testing phase, the fully developed IoT app is placed through a series of QA tests to ensure that it is secure and fail-proof. Rounds of testing are essential to determine the app’s loopholes before it gets to the market.
Maintenance and Support: The maintenance and support phase is a never-ending phase. An app can crash; hackers can break into an app’s firewall and access personal data; an app may face compatibility issues. The surprises are endless; however, a dedicated team of developers, designers, analysts, and researchers is essential to ensure that the app continually meets user demands and that user information is protected.
Planning
If you want to develop IoT apps, you should consider several issues:
- Do you need an IoT app? If your company can run on an already-built IoT app, you should reconsider building another one. Save yourself the trouble and the money.
- Select the team for each stage of the app development: You can either hire a company that offers full-fledge services on app development or hire companies that can fulfill your demands at each stage of development. Begin by drawing a roadmap.
- Prototype: Never start building without a prototype.
- Determine if you want a native app or a hybrid IoT application.
Building an IoT application is a lot of work—and many things can go wrong. You must work with the right team from the get-go, but most importantly, when you want to create IoT applications, you must ask, ‘Do I need an IoT app?’ It’s a long haul, and your company must resign not to have it— except if you are building the app for mass consumer adoption.