Mobile App Architecture: Why It’s Important to Understand It?

Mobile applications are an integral part of our lives. They help solve everyday problems, provide access to services, and make interaction with technologies as convenient as possible. However, few people think about how a mobile application is structured from the inside and why architecture plays a key role in its success. The right approach to architecture not only increases the stability and performance of the application but also significantly simplifies its scaling and updating. In this article, we will analyze why understanding the architecture of a mobile application is important for developers, business owners, and end users. And if you want to create an application with a well-thought-out architecture, pay attention to professional solutions from Implex.

What is Mobile Application Architecture?

Mobile application architecture is a set of methods, patterns, and practices that help create a structured mobile application. Here, we can draw an analogy with the architecture of a house. When drawing up a drawing, the architect decides how best to arrange the rooms inside, how conveniently to place the doors, and what kind of facade the building will have as a whole. Similarly, the developer, depending on the task, decides what type of architecture to choose, how to create each element, and build a connection between them.

Each application includes a client (frontend) and a server (backend) part. The client part is the interface with which the user interacts. That is everything that he sees on the smartphone screen. When the user wants to perform some action, for example, register or post a message, or view a list of transactions, the program sends a request to the server. Technical processes occur in the server part. The architecture of the mobile application is responsible for how these two parts function and communicate with each other. To optimize the app’s visibility on app stores, an ASO agency can help ensure better interaction between users and the app.

To understand how the structure of a typical mobile application works, you need to understand what it consists of. In technical terms, it includes components and layers.

Components are specific elements, i.e. the building blocks of architecture. They can be structural, such as databases, and elements for constructing logical actions. There are also user interface components: notifications, icons, menus, pointers, and navigation elements.

A layer is a collection of similar components or code. Each layer contributes to different parts of the overall system. For example, some layers are used to create business processes and logic, while others are used to work with the database.

Basic Levels of Mobile Application Architecture

Many people mistakenly think that application architecture concerns only the backend of the program and is related to its functions. But this is not true. Architecture is a complex concept that includes user experience, data storage, and other components. Let’s look at the main components of mobile application architecture.

UI/UX

UI is the user interface, the visual that the user sees. It includes all design elements: buttons, text, icons, colors, pop-ups, etc.

UX is the user experience, the impression a person gets from interacting with the interface. Simple and clear navigation and well-thought-out logic are important in UX.

These two concepts are inseparable. If you focus on the visuals and do not pay attention to the user experience, the program will be beautiful, but completely inconvenient. Correct UI/UX is an important part of the architecture.

Business Level

This contains all internal work processes and all the business logic of the product. They include data security, payment gateway systems, and workflow processing.

Data Layer

This layer is responsible for storing and retrieving information. Everything related to data is concentrated here: elements of access to information, its verification, and data utilities. Usually, program data is stored on the server. This layer allows you to access the server and request information from it.

In addition to these layers, there are other parts of the architecture, such as security, access rights, etc.

Why Is Good Architecture an Important Condition For a Quality Application?

A well-designed product will appeal to users and will be convenient for its owner. Such an application will be easy to test, change, and add new functions to it. Here are the advantages that an application with good architecture will have:

1. Reliability. The program performs all its functions and meets the user’s needs, works smoothly under heavy load, in the background when calling a smartphone, etc.
2. Flexibility. If you want to change one element in the application, this will not affect the others. Developers will be able to quickly make changes to the code and easily update the program.
3. Scalability. New functions can be easily added to the application in a short time.
4. Testing. All program capabilities can be tested using different methods, and then bugs can be eliminated.
5. Reusable. You will be able to reuse the application structure if you need it in other projects.
6. Code clarity. A team of developers can work on the project. The code should be easy to understand for any programmer, even one who is not immersed in the specifics of the project.

What happens if you make mistakes when designing the architecture? For example, if bugs appear in some modules after publishing the product, it is unlikely that you will be able to fix them without refactoring the entire application. Refactoring is a reworking of the code, which should make it simpler and more understandable.

In some cases, you need to change something in the application, up to and including transforming the direction of the entire project. This happens when the market changes and new trends appear. To please the changing tastes of consumers, you need to constantly update the project, remove functions, and add new ones. This process can be delayed if the architecture is poor and rigid.

To Conclude!

Understanding the architecture of a mobile application is not just a technical task, but the basis for successful development and long-term stability of the product. The choice of architectural approach determines user convenience, data security, and the ability to adapt the application to changing market needs. For those who want to create a high-quality application, it is important to entrust the development to professionals.