Agile has become a more widely adopted workflow for technology teams in recent years. This framework emphasizes the value of individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change as a basis of success. This sounds appealing to designers, but there can be friction in knowing how to participate, especially when most agile teams talk more about stories, ceremonies, and velocity than the four core ideas from the Agile Manifesto.
As designers, we are focused on creating human centered experiences that help people connect, solve problems, have fun, or get things done. However, it is rare for us to dive deeply into a technology as part of our process. How much do designers need to know about the technologies powering their designs? Does focusing on mobile help us build better experiences?
Nearly two-thirds of Americans carry and use a smartphone daily. That number is only expected to grow in the coming years. When considering statistics like this, creating a native mobile app for Android or iOS can be a tempting — and smart — proposition for many businesses, not to mention an exciting project for your team!
Though every product and business is different, there is a core set of best practices applicable to nearly all apps that will start your mobile product off on the right foot.