app building for designers / 7 min read

Design apps without limits

By Marion / August 25, 2021

Make your services and workflow simpler (and faster). Changing the way apps are built and simplifying the app design process.

When researching for this blog about the future of apps, I came across this article in The Guardian by Matt Strain about “1983 to today: a history of mobile apps” where Matt explores not just the past and when apps were created first, he also examines a timeline on the future of apps. 

He refers to Steve Jobs in 1983 predicting a ‘new digital distribution system’ where Jobs saw apps and app stores coming. Jobs also envisioned that the volume of content is going to lead us towards managing our apps in a different way. The concept of ‘cards’ came up, where you’re shown completely personalised ‘experiences’ to communicate stories quickly (this has already been adopted on Twitter, Pinterest and Spotify, just to name a few).

What else is predicted?

Mobile will ‘move out’ of the pocket and will become a wearable item (see article ‘Wearables could replace the smartphone sooner than you think’) - and there also the idea of multiscreen displays organising our lives. Deloitte’s ‘Future of Screen’ describes four possible scenarios here.

Most of this future development will need to be handles by designers and this will keep them on their toes!

To assist designers in this multiscreen and wearable future, there are two things which will be an absolute necessity: designers will need to work ‘quick’ and, as Jobs, said: ‘Make things insanely simple. Simplicity is the most powerful force in business’. (Read more about it on our previous blog ‘Design with cognitive load in mind’.)

So, are we making things ‘insanely’ simple in the app design process?

I think so. In the past, you needed a developer/programmer to create an app and it would take months (or even a year) to make it.

But now, Reptile has built a software platform where native iOS, Android apps and Web apps are all in one system. And you can create an app in hours, that’s insanely simple, right?

‘Can you build a functional mobile app without knowing how to code?’ I can hear you asking.

Yes, absolutely.

With this new platform Reptile you can. And you can make a prototype and test in a real app before launching too. Design, prototype, test and launch – all in one system - OnReptile.com

The app design process is simpler and the prototype quicker, you just need some basic HTML and CSS skills. It can be created in either desktop or mobile mode, share it with colleagues and clients, and then get a quote to build your real app. And no development skills are needed, promise.

Only four steps

The process is compressed into four steps and each of those steps will give you several options for customisation.

Step 1:  Choose your theme – we provide multiple themes and predefined templates so that the design can be stylish, elegant, technical, professional, ambitious? Or something else? This intuitive builder will give you a choice of many themes and creates the basic structure.

Step 2: Add your logo and social media links, choose your fonts, colours, photos and more.

Step 3: Upload your content and customise it, be it text, html or words from a pdf and customise it the way you want it. Choose from over 100 modules what you want the content to be: a box, a colour, a link, a picture, lists, forms, navigation menus, buttons, etc. Just drag & drop the module you want, design it the way you want it to be.  You can also create dynamic actions like push notifications, create logins for authentication and more.

And, you have already a database you can also connect it to your app.

Step 4:  See the prototype, test and launch your app. If you want to amend / change anything, just simply return to the platform, make the change and you can see it instantly.

Reptile also supports the integration of Firebase (analytics platform created by Google for the development of mobile and desktop applications).

Every step is explained either through a video tutorial or you can call / email us and we’ll support you, of course. Reptile is an extremely designer-friendly brand supported by people and not by bots.

Reptile is an excellent tool for designing apps and one of the best things about it is the designer community behind it. This community provides a continuous flow of resources (plugins, icons, more templates) that makes the workflow even faster and simpler.

Affordable bespoke apps

We have spent ten years constantly developing and refining our app-building platform. The latest version, Reptile, enables us to build a custom app five-times cheaper than the equivalent app built through a development agency.

We have built a set of robust modules to cover everything a typical enterprise app needs.  Power your business with an affordable bespoke app.

What is different about us

Our new modular app platform is the most efficient way yet to build and support apps. Imagine the business app of your dreams and we assemble it quickly from our existing component library.  

Automated builds ensure consistency of code with maintenance, upgrades and support included for a fixed fee. 

From our expert mobile UX designers to the technical team who can integrate the app into your network, we provide a dedicated team to support you all the way.

Case studies

We are continuously looking for ways to improve things using technology. As such, we’ve built many apps that we’re proud of, and if you are interested, here is a link to a few of our recent achievements we’d like to share with you.

Design beautiful apps with us – call us on (+44) 207 183 3690 or send us an email info@reptile.app