Mobile application development continues to evolve and surprise the world with its innovation every day.
As digitization has taken over the avenues of education, entertainment, and commerce, it has directly led to a huge surge in the need for mobile apps. They are an essential part of our daily lives. They help us communicate, meditate, and stay updated about work, school, and the world at large.
Now, with the pandemic pushing more services online, app development has undergone a surge, leading to revenues that have crossed the mark of $581 billion in 2020 alone. With the economic principle of demand for apps currently exceeding the supply, it is only natural for the developer community to look for easier ways to create apps.
That's where Flutter comes in! In this article, we'll explore Flutter and look at what makes it a great platform for mobile app development.
But before we continue, let’s take a few moments to understand what Flutter is and where it came from.
What Is Flutter?
Essentially, Flutter is a portable UI toolkit that builds natively compiled apps that can be deployed to the web, mobile, and even desktop computers.
One of the best features of Flutter is its use of the Skia engine for cross-platform graphics rendering. This simple framework enables high-quality graphics that are convenient to manage and innovate over the long term.
The platform uses a single codebase in the Dart language for programming and incorporates Cupertino widgets to offer an organic interface to the end user.
Flutter was developed to rival Facebook’s React Native, and since then, it has come to be known as a sophisticated framework that simplifies mobile app development.
Based on the principle of ambient computing, the apps built via Flutter are available everywhere, without any limitations on devices. The Hamilton musical app, Alibaba, Square, and Reflectly are just some of the successful apps built with Flutter.
What Is Flutter App Development?
Flutter app development lets you create an app for any platform—including Android, iOS, and the desktop—with a single codebase. Flutter apps are designed to work naturally on any platform with Flutter’s UI framework.
In a nutshell, you write the code once, and then Flutter will replicate the platform-specific experience on every type of device you choose to use!
It helps save time and effort for the entrepreneur and the developer too. Not having to rewrite the app for each platform is a huge timesaver and eliminates much of the monotony of mobile app development.
Comparing React Native vs. Flutter
React Native and Flutter were both developed to increase the efficiency of mobile app development. Both platforms are compared incessantly in an attempt to decipher which one is best.
The truth is that the answer to this question differs according to the circumstances. But both of these platforms are very similar in terms of affordability and code reusability, and they're both hugely popular with the development community.
Flutter's standout features are a faultless UI and unbeatable rendering speed and performance. Add the native-level performance to the fact that development is simplified due to the write-once, cross-platform codebase, and it's clear why Flutter is a popular choice.
What Are the Stages of Developing an App With Flutter?
Here's a quick blueprint for developing an app on Flutter.
1. Come Up With an Idea
When you have an idea about developing an app for, let’s say, connecting people working remotely, you can’t just go to a developer and ask them to make an app without a solid concept.
While it would be easy to replicate Bumble or Tinder's ideas and make a dating app, you need to take the time to understand the target audience, their interests, and needs.
This will allow you to find an MVP first—a minimum viable product. Building on that, you can take measured steps towards your goals.
2. Design a Wireframe
This is the stage where you understand the functionality of each element involved in the app. What is the experience and the interface? How would the users connect with one another? Wireframing will help you sort out these concerns.
You can start by building low-fidelity mockups and then gradually refine them to develop the ideal user experience that adds value to the customer's life.
3. Code and Develop the App
Once you have the mockups and concept ready, you can start the iteration procedure. Developers often opt for the agile approach to complete each milestone efficiently. The back-end, API, and mobile app front-end are each coded with attention to detail.
If you want to get started developing Flutter apps, check out our Flutter From Scratch series.
If you want to speed up app development, consider using a Flutter mobile app template. Flutter templates significantly reduce the development time of a mobile application. In many cases, they give you a completely coded app, ready to upload to the App Store and Play Store—all you need to do is customize the branding!
4. Testing
Flutter has made app testing a lot easier. The app can follow a beta release for testing amongst different groups. This is the stage for analysis of the performance and compatibility with target operating systems.
5. Deployment
Now your app is prepared for deployment. Your back-end will require web server deployment into a scalable production environment, and the app can be deployed on the Apple App Store and Google’s Play Store.
Developing an app on Flutter is a straightforward process that does not require any additional hassles for either the developer or the business.
Why Choose Flutter?
Flutter is a brilliant app-development resource for startups. The quick market response and convenient pricing offered by the platform have been mentioned quite a few times in this article, but the truth is that they deserve to be mentioned yet again!
For a long time, native apps were the only way you could offer your potential customers the ideal digital experience. Since startups often lack resources, they have to choose whether to make apps for Android or iOS.
Since a native app that was compatible with both the platforms required two different codebases, each written individually, it meant doubling the costs of app development. This meant that a new business would lose a lot of its target audience because their app was incompatible with the other native platform.
That's why Flutter is a great solution for the hassles of cross-platform mobile development.
It lets you deliver high-quality code with fewer rounds of trial and error. The libraries and plugins available to the developer ensure up-to-date features and a modern coding experience.
As apps become more inclusive every day, Flutter enables large-scale accessibility. It breaks down the OS limitations and helps startups reach the highest market share.
Final Thoughts
The Flutter app development ecosystem seems to have many opportunities for growth in the years to come. The momentum of the last two years suggests a promising future trajectory.
Flutter is a platform that can potentially change app development for the better. With its emphasis on user experience and interface, Flutter has helped developers and businesses identify past flaws that led to high rates of abandonment.
It's safe to say that Flutter offers a canvas for meaningful customer experiences. When experience is all that a customer seeks, consider switching to Flutter to develop an app for your business.
