With the end of support for Xamarin and Xamarin.Forms scheduled for May 1, 2024, technical managers of mobile applications will be obliged to migrate rapidly to the .NET MAUI framework to limit the risks and impacts on their mobile applications. The main danger is being unable to push new versions to the various stores. This would lead to user displeasure and technological backwardness in an increasingly competitive market.
Nevertheless, throwing two strikes with one pitch by using migration to modernize your mobile applications to satisfy your users and set yourself apart is possible. Here are a few tips to help you find the right solution for your needs.
Rethinking the development of your mobile application
So many approaches and projects can be undertaken to modernize or even entirely rethink your mobile application. It’s worth noting, however, that taking advantage of the resources mobilized for this task is advantageous during a compulsory phase such as migration. By entrusting the mandate to a team like Nmédia’s, you can begin redesigning or integrating new functionalities, which are sometimes long‑awaited by users.
The first step is to analyze and diagnose what already exists in your mobile application. Needs may differ according to the state and context in which the application was previously developed. It’s a good idea for some apps to review the basics to correct errors or poor development choices. This retrospective work thus requires a technical diagnosis, with the revision or addition of tests to the application and its code, whether for an isolated part (unit test) or its entirety, such as architecture tests, code coverage tests or interface tests.
Another approach to modernizing an application is to update its branding and visual interfaces. This involves creating or updating the design system. As the DNA of an application, this set of mock‑ups lays a clear foundation for your application. It serves as a guide for future improvements. Each new page created for the application can draw inspiration from the design system to match the colours used, the typography, the button animations, and so on. Sometimes, all these little visual bits make up the dynamism and appreciation of the application as a whole. This is a point to be addressed
A new stage in the life of your application
As the life of an application progresses, certain functionalities sometimes need to be improved. These features may come from user requests to make the application more straightforward, or they may take advantage of new device features not available in early versions, such as biometrics, widgets and so on. With new technologies like .NET MAUI and our expertise, our team can easily think through and implement these features in your application. It’s time to clean up the team’s backlog of projects and ideas. And who knows, this could be the opportunity to integrate the killer feature missing from your application’s success.
While it’s a good idea to focus on modernizing your application for users, you should consider additions that can make life easier for your application teams. Another potential addition that our team of specialists can implement is automated deployment. By hosting your source code on Azure DevOps services, it is possible to increase collaboration between your team members by sharing and making work available to them. We can also set up automated pipelines to deploy builds of an application to specific teams (such as the Quality Assurance team) or make them available on the stores, with accurate tracking of versions and fixes deployed.
Nmédia has the experience and tools you need to modernize your applications. Not only do we have expertise in mobile application development, but also in other related fields such as design, copywriting, marketing, and more! By working with our team, you can be sure of success, whether simply migrating your applications to new mobile technologies like .NET MAUI, or even more. Please take a look at our service offering for more information.