What Is Mobile App Architecture?

The digital world has evolved significantly since the early days of mobile apps. In 2008, when Apple launched The App Store, it only had 500 apps. Fast forward to today, and there are more than seven million apps across Android and iOS platforms.

Today, mobile apps are no longer novelties but necessities. They have become a source of education and entertainment, and they help make day-to-day tasks such as booking services easier.

However, not all apps become a necessary part of their target audience’s lives. Apart from the fierce competition, there’s also a high uninstall rate to contend with. Many of the reasons for app uninstallations have to do with the effects of poor mobile app architecture or none at all.

Below, we’ll discuss mobile app architecture, its layers and its importance to the success of an app.

Defining Mobile Architecture

Mobile architecture is a collective term for all the processes, patterns, rules and techniques used to develop a mobile application. Meanwhile, mobile app architecture design is the process of defining the structure and components of a mobile application.

To simplify it further: Mobile app architecture is like a machine. It needs all its parts and pieces to fit and work together to function correctly.

Mobile app architecture design is designing the machine, planning and carefully considering its components and processes as well as how they interact. The goal is to ensure that the end product is efficient, functional and easy to use as well as achieves its purpose.

Many aspects influence mobile app development architecture. Some examples are:

• Target audience – Who the app is for
• Type of device – The devices the app will be used on
• Bandwidth scenarios – Whether users will access the app using Wi-Fi or cellular data
• User experience/user interface (UX/UI) – Elements that make the app engaging, functional and easy to use
• Security – How the app will be protected against hackers and other cybersecurity threats
• Scalability – The ability of the app to handle an increase in the number of users without affecting functionality
• Extensibility – How easy it would be to add more features to the app in the future without having to make significant changes or rewriting the app

Layers of Mobile App Development Architecture

An app has multiple layers that work together to bring together its processes. Most commonly, mobile design architecture comprises three: Presentation, business logic and data.

The Data Layer

The data layer comprises data, data access components and server communications. Here, data is created, used, stored and changed on the app. It can also be used to cache data, improving the app’s performance.

The Business Layer

This layer is responsible for the business logic of the app or the programming responsible for business components and their relevant data flow. The business layer processes user input, stores and retrieves data. It also performs other tasks supporting the app’s functionality. The business layer is typically built using a programming language, such as Java or Swift.

The Presentation Layer

This is the layer that the user sees when they’re using the app. This visual layer incorporates the code relevant to the user interface (UI) and user experience (UI). It includes UI elements such as themes, colors, buttons and fonts.

Why It’s Important to Have a Solid Mobile App Architecture

Developing an app without adhering to an architecture typically results in a longer and costlier development process. What’s more, the resulting app will likely be:

• Difficult to maintain
• Challenging to scale
• Hard to test
• Prone to bugs and crashes

On the other hand, having a clearly defined architecture helps make development smoother, future maintenance easier and testing more efficient. It also offers the following benefits:

• Reliability and Stability: Solid app architecture helps ensure an app’s stability and reliability. By separating the part of the app into smaller components that can be assessed and tested independently, it becomes easier to pinpoint and address problems.
• Flexibility:  The modular nature of mobile app architecture means adding new features is faster and less expensive, making it less challenging to scale as there is no need to modify the entire app’s code.
• Security: Utilizing good mobile architecture can help improve an app’s security by allowing developers to isolate sensitive data and code. It’s also easier to update it with patches and bug fixes.
• Efficiency: A good architecture can reduce the amount of data that needs to be transferred between the app and the server. It can also improve an app’s performance by reducing the amount of processing that needs to be done on the device.

Build A Successful App With JackRabbit Mobile

For apps to be successful, they need to be functional, easy to use and engaging. In turn, for an app to achieve these attributes, it must be designed well and developed with an excellent mobile app architecture.

Jackrabbit Mobile is dedicated to transforming clients’ ideas into functional, engaging mobile applications that help them meet their business goals. Our team of experts delivers value to our partners through our mobile strategy expertise, user-centered design and lean methodology.

Build your next app with Jackrabbit Mobile. Contact us today to learn more.