Fitness app development has exploded. According to Allied Market Research, the global fitness apps market was valued at 13.78 billion dollars in 2020 and is projected to reach $120.37 by 2030. Adaptable brands are racing to offer the best service.

6 Steps to Create a Fitness App

The process for creating a fitness app is similar to that of any other mobile app. Here's a quick overview of the development process.

Planning

Planning is crucial before you begin the technical development. The work that you do in this stage will determine the success of your app.

Market analysis is part of the planning process to determine what apps already exist and what your team could create that would meet consumers' unique needs. Fitness apps are currently a very competitive market. You will need to have a unique concept to be successful. If your idea doesn't stand out, you will need to come up with a solution that is better than other similar apps.

The planning phase also includes:

• Assembling software development teams.
• The structure of the team.
• Define the goals and success metrics for your app.
• How to choose a technology stack.

UI/UX Design

The UI/UX stage focuses on creating a seamless, intuitive user experience. It is important to create an app that's so simple to use, that users won't get confused or frustrated. Your users will move to another fitness app if the app is difficult to use. This step is usually accompanied by the creation of wireframes or mockups for the final design.

Prototype

A prototype for your fitness app allows you to identify problems and opportunities early in the development process. The way this process is carried out will be determined by the tools that you use for app development. If you want to develop immersive AR/VR experiences for your app -- more on that later -- your team could prototype/previsualize within your game engine.

Development

This space is dominated by embedded, mobile, and traditional IT stacks. Your team will create the back end of the app, an API to communicate with the back end, and a front end that users will interact with. Agile methodologies are recommended for faster development of mobile applications.

Quality Assurance

This stage may take a long time to complete. In the quality assurance stage, software is used to test for bugs and other issues, such as performance, security, user-friendliness, etc.

Deployment and Support

The final product will be released on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store so that users can download it. To launch the app, your team will require a developer's account. The app will be reviewed before being released in the store. You will monitor it to see if there are any crash reports or other issues reported by users so that you can continue providing maintenance. You should also use in-app features to encourage users to rate your application.

Tools for Health and Fitness Apps Development

The tools you need to develop a fitness application will vary depending on your app. Here are some tools that your team might use.

Low-Code/No-Code App Development Tools

You can create an app for fitness using a variety of non-developer programs. These include Appypie and BuildFire. Most no-code tools have a drag-and-drop interface.

These tools are easy to use. They may or may offer you the flexibility to create what you desire. The tool will limit you, not your development team. Even if you think a no-code program will allow you to build a fitness application exactly as you imagine it, you may change your mind as time passes. It may make sense to begin with a team of developers and tools that will grow with you if you have the budget.

Mobile App Testing

Good mobile app testing software will be essential in the quality assurance phase of fitness app development. Automating certain processes with software will accelerate development.

Game Engine

A virtual or augmented-reality component in your app could be an excellent investment for companies that are looking to expand. Think about the hugely popular virtual reality exercise game Supernatural or some of the augmented reality mirrors on the market. These innovations are the future of home workouts. A game engine will help you create immersive workouts like the leaders of today's fitness tech.

No longer are game engines just for developers of video games. From automotive to retail, and fitness, of course, industries are using game engines to create incredible things for their clients and their businesses. More resources and tools are available for non-developers as more industries use game engines.

Version Control

Version control is a must-have tool if your team chooses the route of a custom build. Version control will help you track and store all changes made to your code, and it will improve team collaboration. Version control is available in many forms. Teams using a game engine should use robust tools such as Artoon Solutions.

Accelerate Health and Fitness App Development with Artoon Solutions

Artoon Solutions is an enterprise version control tool by Perforce that's a great foundational tool when developing fitness apps.

• You can always access older versions of your digital assets because it tracks all changes to the data.
• You can restrict the access of certain users to individual files.
• This gives your team the ability to work together on a project without interfering with each other.
• Even when dealing with large files, it is lightning-fast, allowing your team to move more quickly.
• Perforce Federated Architecture allows you to set up servers wherever you need them, reducing WAN waiting times.

Artoon Solutions will be essential if you decide to create virtual reality fitness solutions. The game engine used to create an immersive VR experience will require a large number of digital assets such as audio files, videos, binary files, and more. It is easy to lose track of files without a version control system. This can slow down the development process.