11 amazing tools we used to build Yondapp

When developing an app, there are a whole raft of tools available for making the process as smooth and efficient as possible.

From project management and productivity through to UI design and technical implementation, the choices of software applications to help you get the job done is truly staggering. Below is a list of useful tools that our team of five is using to produce Yondapp, a map-free social navigation mobile app.

Trello

Trello is a collaborative project management tool that allows you to organise your project into a board that consists of a series of task cards in lists known as swim lanes. These lists denote different status values (To do, In progress, Under review, Done, etc). As you complete your tasks, you’re able to drag the cards across swim lanes to denote a transition in the status of that task. It’s a great tool as it gives a very visual representation of the status of your project at any time. It also has an API, which means it integrates well into other software applications. Trello is web-based and also has native apps.

Slack

Slack is a cloud-based instant messaging application but with a massive number of features that makes project collaboration super simple. You can create different channels for your project, send direct messages, receive notifications, share files and much more. Slack also comes with a host of pre-built integrations meaning it’s very easy to connect other project apps that you’re using with Slack. It has proved to be a great tool for us while developing Yondapp especially as the team are all working remotely. We’ve shared documents, solved numerous app issues and insulted each other using various emojis and witty put-downs! Slack comes as a web app, desktop app and has native apps as well so you’re always tuned in to your projects.

Google Drive / Docs + Sheets

Google Drive is an invaluable cloud-based storage mechanism that makes the sharing of files very simple. Docs allows you to collaborate with team members in real time on web-based Word or Excel type files. Being able to create and arrange a project folder structure is very useful — never misplace a project asset again.

Skype

We’ve also made use of Skype video for virtual meetings when the team has been spread across the four corners of the earth. Sometimes, it just feels right to see the people you’re talking to to ensure nothing gets lost in translation.

Powwownow

Powwownow is a great way of conducting conference calls whenever we feel like we need to catch up on the phone. Our team all work remotely. We’ve got team mates who spend time variously in Bali, Spain, Boston, Limerick, Birmingham and London. The ability to arrange conference calls using Powwownow means we don’t have any crazy conference call charges to pay.

Evernote

Evernote is a great note-taking application. Whenever the Yondapp team catches up in person, the project manager (i.e. me) will record all meeting minutes using Evernote. It’s also a great app to have on hand if you ever need to capture a light-bulb moment, idea or feature for your app.

Sketch

The rise of Sketch as a light-weight, nimble alternative to Photoshop has been well-documented (here’s a great comparison article). Our UI designer has embraced Sketch as his app design tool of choice and we’ve used it for producing the user flows and interface design for Yondapp. Sketch comes with a load of plugins as well — we used Craft for rapid dummy content population.

Marvel

Our UI designer used Marvel to create an interactive wireframe prototype and mock-ups for the app. Users you’ve shared the mock-ups with can install the prototype as if it is an app and can visualise how the final product will look and feel and how it’ll work. Users can also provide consolidated feedback on each of the screens which is a great feature.

Xcode

Xcode is an integrated development environment (IDE) or source code editor containing a suite of software development tools developed by Apple for developing iOS apps. We’re developing Yondapp for iOS first and our developer is absolutely reliant on Xcode to get the job done.

AWS Mobile Services

AWS provides a range of commonly performed back-end services to help you develop mobile apps. With AWS, you can quickly and easily add mobile features to your app, including authentication, data storage, content delivery, backend logic, analytics dashboards and push notifications — all from a single, integrated console. We’re using AWS for Yondapp since Facebook is closing down Parse in January 2017.

Github

Our app developer uses Github as a source control repository so if any other developers need to start working on the Yondapp project, they’re able to collaborate with versions of the code that are always in sync. We will probably also use Github as a mechanism for capturing and logging bugs and app feedback.