The demand for mobile app development has gone up in the last few years, especially because the smartphone era has taken the world by storm and become the epicenter of all forms of communication, official and personal.

There are different aspects to mobile app development and as an organization employing mobile app developers, it has become more important to possess skills that are universally relevant. Mobile app development involves a set of procedures and software building capabilities that most mobile app developers should possess. Some can say that it is similar to web application development but with the number of smartphone devices coming into the market, a good mobile app developer will know how to tailor the product according to the device, which makes the job easier but also much more challenging.

Let us discuss some of the skills a mobile app developer must absolutely have:

• UI/UX Design:

This is perhaps one of the most important skills that he should possess. It is not enough to just have a functional mobile app, but a lot of the success of the application is attributed to how good the design of the application is and how usable it is. This is important because it is the bridge between the application and how the user experiences it. There are some components to UI/UX:

• Correct placement of the components, i.e., where the user can spot them
• Uniformity in color sequencing
• Speedy loading and operation of the application 
• Cross-Platform Development:

It is no longer enough to be an expert on only one platform, as a mobile app developer should have sufficient expertise in multiple platforms. If you were to consider the availability, it is Android, IOS, and Windows. A good mobile app developer should not just be well-versed with one platform but should be able to create apps on all these platforms, catering to any kind of mobile device.

• Backend expertise:

It is increasingly becoming important to have more than basic computing knowledge, especially when you are working for an organization. Organizations are looking for more than just the usual skills required for mobile app development and are looking for skills in the discipline of computing. Some of the skills are in the space of security, database management, memory allocation and implementing it and any kind of hardware interaction that you might need to create.

• Modern Programming:

What is being seen as one of the pre-requisites for mobile app development is what is being called as modern language programming skills. When we talk about programming, we can start with the basic knowledge of programming languages like Java. A mobile app developer should also be trained in web development languages such as HTML5 and CSS. One also needs to be familiar with mobile application programming interfaces(API’s), the major ones being IOS, Android and Windows Phones.

• Business Acumen:

This is something that is not considered synonymous with mobile app developers. This is troubling because a mobile app developer should have the right amount of business acumen and capabilities apart from just design skills. A mobile app developer should be fully aware of his/her competition and should not be oblivious to how the competition is reacting to a mobile app. Only when you know what your competitor is doing, will you know how to increase your application’s visibility. Just like every other technical expertise, marketing and business capabilities should be given equal importance.