I'm looking to create a mobile app for myself, with the hope of possibly sharing it with others if it turns out well. There are so many tutorials available, and I'm really struggling to figure out which one to follow. I could use some help selecting an IDE for designing the user interface and handling backend tasks. I have a good grasp of SQL and SAS, but I'm not sure how useful they will be for app development.
To give you a bit more context: I want to focus on Android for now, but I might create a web or desktop version in the future. I've got some experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, so I hope that helps. I'm thinking of using a mobile app builder to kick things off, so any recommendations would be appreciated!
As a data analyst working from home, I've got about 10-15 hours a week to dedicate to this project. Realistically, how long do you think it would take to build a decent app with that kind of schedule? Thanks for your advice!
2 Answers
To kick things off, what type of app are you looking to create? Android apps are typically developed using Kotlin, while iOS apps use Swift. If you want to create something for both platforms, you might consider cross-platform options like React Native (JavaScript), Flutter (Dart), or .NET MAUI (C#). They allow you to write your code once and have it work on both iOS and Android, though the experience can vary depending on your needs. Also, progressive web apps (PWAs) could be a great entry point since you’re already familiar with web technologies, which will be helpful for your journey!
In my opinion, starting with a progressive web app (PWA) is your best bet. I'm also going through a similar learning phase and have begun with Kotlin and Jetpack Compose, but honestly, using your existing frontend skills might get you up and running faster. With PWAs, your code can run on iOS, Android, and the web without rewriting it. Just keep in mind that if you want high performance or need deep hardware access, learning Kotlin could be necessary later on.
I'll try out PWAs as well. Have you managed to deploy any projects yet?
Good points about the cross-platform tools! It's definitely a trade-off, but it could save you a lot of time in the long run.