Apps are the latest rage everywhere. Be it for advertisements, brand image or plain revenue, developers & companies alike are getting on the app / game development bandwagon. No doubt the avenue is hottest currently. In fact it continues to attract traction exponentially. Mashable was kind enough to come up with a nice & extensive infographic that details the birth, evolution & progress of app development.

Apps are bound to be one of the highest money spinners in the mobile technology. In the year 2008 about 2.1 Billion was total number of times apps were downloaded. Ever since then, this number has grown by leaps & bounds from 8.2 Billion in 2010, to 31 Billion last year. At such a growth rate the number could easily surpass 66 Billion in the next 2-3 years. Hence it is the perfect time to consider jumping into this creative field which holds the potential to make big bucks too.

Source: Mashable

As with everything doing worthwhile it all begins with a decent know-how & that means Education. A decent bachelor’s degree in computer science or software development will be an absolute essential asset. Mashable advises to acquire knowledge about additional ‘languages’. Since apps are primarily designed for mobiles which operate under the strict environment of Mobile Operating Systems (OS), it will be really helpful if the aspirant understands the nuances about mobile user interface & its deign architecture.

A base of education may have to be bolstered with adequate certification. However, as there is no current centralized certification standard, one is left with primarily three bifurcations:

• General: Mobile Development Institute offers a general certification course known as MDICD a Certified Developer Certification
• Safe & Secure: If developers wish to enter the high potential security sphere CompTIA & viaForensics will soon introduce CompTIA Secure Mobile App Developer Certification.
• Plain Programming: As Java works on more than 3 Billion devices globally, Sun Microsystems has Sun Certified Application Developer (SCMAD) specifically for the Java 2 platform.

Skills:

As with any business area, it is vital to understand what will sell. Furthermore it is important to realize a void & fill it with your creation. However, in the world of multiple free alternatives there’s no guarantee that a great app designed by will make it to the top.

Here in comes user interface design. While many applications might be doing what yours can do, but how simple & intuitive can you make the app? While some developers go crazy with advertisement based monetization they tend to destroy the otherwise pleasant user experience. Hence while designing an app, considering the ‘language’ of choice like Java, C++ or HTML5 one has to consider how well the application will work on multiple devices like Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS or the upcoming Windows Phone 7. One can even dabble in the lesser popular alternatives like the Bada OS from Samsung or even the once-abandoned MeeGo which Jolla picked up. Finally, what should be striven for is how to make the app rise in popularity & downloads.

To help developers along their quest certain universities like the San Diego State University in the US or the Ramussen College are quite popular. Here in India, the concept of application development is quite nascent, but Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC) has been the frontrunner of exploring these avenues.

Finally, when it all boils down to economics, Intel’s AppUpAM developer program seems to be the best option as it pays up to 70%of the garnered revenue. With a projected revenue crossing 50 Billion by 2016, this can be huge sum.

Are you considering getting into Application / Game development? Do share your views & experiences.