Enterprise Mobile Development Checklist

Platform Strategy

Required

Platform Selection
Implementation Questions:
- Have you analyzed market share data to determine which platforms and OS versions to support?
- What is your minimum supported iOS version and does it align with Apple's compatibility requirements?
- What is your minimum supported Android API level and how does it impact feature availability?
- Have you considered platform-specific hardware requirements (RAM, storage, sensors)?
- How will you handle platform-specific features that aren't available on all target versions?
- What is your strategy for deprecating support for older OS versions?
Key Considerations:
- Balance market coverage with development complexity when choosing minimum OS versions
- Consider enterprise requirements which may need longer support for older OS versions
- Plan for platform-specific capabilities like iOS extensions or Android widgets
- Factor in app store requirements and review processes for each platform
Red Flags:
- Supporting OS versions with less than 1% market share without business justification
- No clear deprecation strategy for older OS versions leading to maintenance burden
- Ignoring platform-specific security requirements or capabilities
- Not considering the impact of new OS releases on your minimum version strategy
Development Approach
Implementation Questions:
- Have you evaluated the performance requirements for your app's core features?
- What is the team's expertise level with native vs cross-platform technologies?
- How critical is time-to-market versus long-term maintainability for your project?
- Do you need access to platform-specific APIs or hardware features frequently?
- What is your strategy for handling platform-specific UI/UX differences?
- How will you manage code sharing while maintaining platform-specific optimizations?
Key Considerations:
- Native development offers best performance but requires platform-specific expertise
- Cross-platform frameworks like React Native or Flutter reduce development time
- Consider the long-term maintenance costs of each approach
- Evaluate the community support and ecosystem maturity of chosen technologies
Red Flags:
- Choosing cross-platform without considering performance-critical features
- Not having native development skills when platform-specific features are essential
- Assuming 100% code sharing is possible with cross-platform solutions
- Not planning for platform-specific testing and optimization strategies
Design Guidelines
Implementation Questions:
- Have you studied the latest Material Design 3 and iOS Human Interface Guidelines?
- How will you handle navigation patterns that differ between platforms?
- What is your strategy for platform-specific UI components and animations?
- How will you ensure consistent brand identity while respecting platform conventions?
- Have you planned for platform-specific interaction patterns (gestures, haptics)?
- How will you adapt your design for different screen sizes and orientations?
Key Considerations:
- Users expect apps to feel native to their platform, not identical across platforms
- Platform-specific navigation patterns improve user experience and adoption
- Consider accessibility guidelines specific to each platform
- Plan for platform-specific features like iOS Control Center widgets or Android shortcuts
Red Flags:
- Using identical UI across platforms without considering platform conventions
- Not following platform-specific accessibility guidelines and requirements
- Ignoring platform-specific navigation patterns (iOS tab bars vs Android navigation)
- Not testing designs with platform-specific UI components and system themes
Store Guidelines
Implementation Questions:
- Have you reviewed the latest App Store Review Guidelines and Google Play Policy?
- What content rating is appropriate for your app and have you prepared the questionnaire?
- How will you handle in-app purchases and subscription compliance requirements?
- Have you prepared all required metadata, screenshots, and privacy policy documentation?
- What is your strategy for handling app store rejections and resubmissions?
- How will you manage app store optimization (ASO) and keyword selection?
Key Considerations:
- App store policies change frequently and require ongoing compliance monitoring
- Different regions may have additional requirements for app store submission
- Plan for longer review times during peak submission periods
- Consider app store-specific features like App Store Connect or Google Play Console
Red Flags:
- Not reading or understanding current app store policies before development begins
- Using prohibited content, SDKs, or APIs that will cause automatic rejection
- Not having a clear privacy policy or terms of service when required
- Ignoring platform-specific monetization policies for in-app purchases

Suggested

Feature Parity
Implementation Questions:
- Which core features must be identical across platforms versus platform-optimized?
- How will you handle features that are only available on one platform?
- What is your strategy for managing different release cycles across platforms?
- How will you communicate platform-specific limitations to users?
- What metrics will you use to measure feature adoption across platforms?
- How will you prioritize platform-specific enhancements while maintaining parity?
Key Considerations:
- Feature parity doesn't mean identical implementation - focus on equivalent user value
- Platform-specific optimizations can improve user experience more than strict parity
- Consider the development and maintenance overhead of maintaining perfect parity
- Plan for graceful degradation when platform capabilities differ
Red Flags:
- Forcing identical features that don't make sense on specific platforms
- Not leveraging platform strengths to provide better user experiences
- Creating artificial limitations to maintain parity at the cost of user experience
- Not having a clear strategy for handling platform-exclusive features
Platform Extensions
Implementation Questions:
- Which platform-specific features would provide the most value to your users?
- How will you handle iOS-specific features like Shortcuts, Siri integration, or Live Activities?
- What Android-specific capabilities will you leverage (widgets, intents, adaptive icons)?
- How will you manage the additional complexity of platform-specific feature development?
- What is your strategy for testing platform-specific integrations?
- How will you communicate platform-exclusive features to users on other platforms?
Key Considerations:
- Platform-specific features can significantly differentiate your app from competitors
- Consider the maintenance burden of platform-specific code paths
- Evaluate user adoption rates of platform features before investing development time
- Plan for graceful handling when features aren't available on all device variants
Red Flags:
- Adding platform features without considering user value or adoption metrics
- Not having fallback strategies when platform features are unavailable
- Creating platform-specific features that break the core user experience
- Not planning for the additional QA and maintenance overhead

Architecture & Code

Required

Architecture Pattern
Implementation Questions:
- Which architecture pattern best fits your app's complexity and team expertise?
- How will you structure your data layer to support offline capabilities?
- What is your strategy for managing state across different screens and user sessions?
- How will you handle dependency injection and service location patterns?
- What is your approach to separating business logic from UI components?
- How will you ensure your architecture supports unit testing and mocking?
Key Considerations:
- Choose architecture patterns that your team can maintain long-term
- Consider how the architecture will scale with feature additions
- Plan for clear separation between platform-specific and shared code
- Evaluate how well the architecture supports testing at different levels
Red Flags:
- Mixing business logic with UI components making testing difficult
- Not having clear boundaries between different layers of the application
- Choosing complex architecture patterns for simple applications
- Not considering how the architecture will handle cross-cutting concerns
Code Organization
Implementation Questions:
- How will you organize code modules to support feature-based development teams?
- What is your strategy for sharing common utilities and components across modules?
- How will you manage dependencies between different modules and layers?
- What naming conventions and folder structures will you use for consistency?
- How will you handle platform-specific code organization in cross-platform projects?
- What is your approach to code sharing between similar features or screens?
Key Considerations:
- Modular organization enables parallel development and easier testing
- Clear separation of concerns improves code maintainability and reduces bugs
- Consider the balance between modularity and simplicity for your team size
- Plan for consistent patterns that new team members can easily follow
Red Flags:
- Creating circular dependencies between modules or layers
- Mixing unrelated functionality in the same modules or classes
- Not having clear ownership or responsibility for different code modules
- Inconsistent code organization patterns across different parts of the app
Dependency Management
Implementation Questions:
- How will you manage third-party library versions and security updates?
- What is your strategy for evaluating and approving new dependencies?
- How will you handle version conflicts between different libraries?
- What is your approach to managing platform-specific dependencies?
- How will you track and audit licenses for all dependencies?
- What is your strategy for minimizing app size impact from dependencies?
Key Considerations:
- Regularly audit dependencies for security vulnerabilities and updates
- Consider the maintenance status and community support of dependencies
- Plan for dependency updates that may require code changes
- Evaluate the impact of each dependency on app size and performance
Red Flags:
- Using outdated dependencies with known security vulnerabilities
- Not having a process for evaluating the necessity and quality of dependencies
- Allowing unlimited or poorly managed transitive dependencies
- Not considering license compatibility with your app's distribution model
Error Handling
Implementation Questions:
- How will you categorize and prioritize different types of errors and exceptions?
- What error reporting and crash analytics tools will you integrate?
- How will you handle network errors and provide appropriate user feedback?
- What is your strategy for logging errors without compromising user privacy?
- How will you handle errors in critical user flows like authentication or payments?
- What is your approach to error recovery and graceful degradation?
Key Considerations:
- Implement both automatic crash reporting and user-facing error messages
- Consider the user experience impact of different error handling strategies
- Plan for errors that occur in offline or poor network conditions
- Ensure error reporting complies with privacy regulations and user consent
Red Flags:
- Showing technical error messages directly to users without context
- Not implementing crash reporting or having poor error visibility
- Logging sensitive user data in error reports or crash logs
- Not providing users with clear recovery actions when errors occur

Suggested

Code Generation
Implementation Questions:
- Which repetitive code patterns in your project would benefit from generation?
- What code generation tools are available for your chosen platform and architecture?
- How will you ensure generated code follows your project's coding standards?
- What is your strategy for customizing generated code without losing regeneration capability?
- How will you handle version control and merging of generated code?
- What is your plan for maintaining and updating code generation templates?
Key Considerations:
- Code generation can significantly reduce development time for repetitive patterns
- Consider the learning curve and setup complexity for your team
- Evaluate the long-term maintenance of code generation tools and templates
- Plan for scenarios where manual code changes are needed alongside generated code
Red Flags:
- Using code generation for simple patterns where templates would be overkill
- Not having version control strategy for code generation templates
- Generating code that doesn't follow project standards or best practices
- Creating complex code generation that's harder to maintain than manual code
Static Analysis
Implementation Questions:
- Which static analysis tools are most appropriate for your technology stack?
- How will you configure linting rules to match your team's coding standards?
- What is your strategy for integrating static analysis into the development workflow?
- How will you handle legacy code that doesn't pass current static analysis rules?
- What metrics will you track to measure code quality improvements?
- How will you ensure static analysis doesn't slow down the development process?
Key Considerations:
- Integrate static analysis early in development to catch issues before code review
- Configure rules to be strict enough to catch issues but not overly pedantic
- Consider platform-specific analysis tools that understand mobile development patterns
- Plan for gradual adoption if introducing static analysis to existing projects
Red Flags:
- Implementing static analysis without team buy-in or training
- Using overly strict rules that create more noise than value
- Not integrating static analysis into CI/CD pipeline for consistent enforcement
- Ignoring static analysis results or not acting on identified issues

Performance

Required

Resource Optimization
Implementation Questions:
- What are your target metrics for app size, memory usage, and battery consumption?
- How will you implement app bundle optimization and dynamic feature delivery?
- What is your strategy for optimizing image and asset sizes across different screen densities?
- How will you profile and optimize memory leaks and excessive memory usage?
- What background processing optimizations will you implement?
- How will you measure and monitor resource usage in production?
Key Considerations:
- Users expect apps to be lightweight and not impact device performance
- Consider platform-specific optimization techniques (iOS memory warnings, Android background limits)
- Plan for different device capabilities and resource constraints
- Balance feature richness with resource efficiency
Red Flags:
- App size exceeding 100MB without justification or dynamic delivery strategy
- Memory leaks or excessive memory usage causing device slowdowns
- Background processing that significantly impacts battery life
- Not testing performance on lower-end devices that represent your user base
Network Efficiency
Implementation Questions:
- What caching strategies will you implement for different types of data?
- How will you handle network requests in poor connectivity conditions?
- What is your approach to request batching and deduplication?
- How will you implement cache invalidation and data freshness policies?
- What retry mechanisms will you use for failed network requests?
- How will you optimize payload sizes and implement compression?
Key Considerations:
- Mobile networks can be unreliable, so implement robust retry and caching strategies
- Consider data usage costs for users on limited data plans
- Plan for different network types (WiFi, cellular, low bandwidth)
- Implement progressive loading and lazy loading where appropriate
Red Flags:
- Not implementing any caching strategy, causing unnecessary network requests
- Downloading large amounts of data without user consent or progress indication
- Not handling network failures gracefully or providing offline functionality
- Making synchronous network requests on the main thread
UI Performance
Implementation Questions:
- How will you maintain 60fps performance for animations and scrolling?
- What is your strategy for optimizing list rendering with large datasets?
- How will you handle image loading and rendering without blocking the UI?
- What techniques will you use to optimize layout calculations and rendering?
- How will you implement smooth transitions between screens and states?
- What is your approach to testing UI performance across different devices?
Key Considerations:
- Smooth UI performance is critical for user experience and app store ratings
- Consider platform-specific optimization techniques (iOS Core Animation, Android view recycling)
- Plan for graceful performance degradation on older or lower-end devices
- Implement proper loading states and skeleton screens for better perceived performance
Red Flags:
- Janky scrolling or animations that drop below 60fps on supported devices
- Blocking the main thread with heavy computations or network requests
- Not implementing proper list view recycling for large datasets
- Loading large images without optimization or progressive loading
Performance Monitoring
Implementation Questions:
- Which performance metrics are most critical for your app's success?
- How will you track app launch time, screen transition time, and network request duration?
- What is your strategy for monitoring memory usage and detecting memory leaks?
- How will you implement custom performance tracking for business-critical features?
- What tools will you use for real-time performance monitoring in production?
- How will you correlate performance issues with user experience metrics?
Key Considerations:
- Performance monitoring should provide actionable insights for optimization
- Consider the privacy implications of performance data collection
- Plan for automated alerts when performance metrics exceed acceptable thresholds
- Balance monitoring depth with the overhead of data collection
Red Flags:
- Not monitoring performance in production environments
- Collecting performance data without having clear optimization goals
- Performance monitoring that significantly impacts app performance itself
- Not correlating performance issues with user satisfaction or business metrics

Suggested

Performance Testing
Implementation Questions:
- What performance benchmarks and thresholds will you establish for your tests?
- How will you automate testing of app launch time and critical user flows?
- What is your strategy for performance testing across different device configurations?
- How will you integrate performance tests into your CI/CD pipeline?
- What tools will you use for measuring CPU, memory, and battery usage during tests?
- How will you handle performance test results and regression detection?
Key Considerations:
- Performance tests should catch regressions before they reach users
- Consider testing on representative hardware configurations for your user base
- Plan for performance tests that can run reliably in automated environments
- Balance test comprehensiveness with execution time and resource requirements
Red Flags:
- Performance tests that are too flaky or environment-dependent to be useful
- Not having clear performance acceptance criteria that can be automatically verified
- Running performance tests only on high-end devices or emulators
- Not integrating performance testing into the regular development workflow
Profiling Tools
Implementation Questions:
- Which profiling tools are most appropriate for your development platform?
- How will you use profiling to identify memory leaks and excessive allocations?
- What is your strategy for profiling network requests and database operations?
- How will you profile UI rendering performance and identify bottlenecks?
- What is your approach to profiling on different device types and OS versions?
- How will you establish baseline performance metrics before optimization efforts?
Key Considerations:
- Regular profiling helps identify performance issues before they become user problems
- Consider both development-time and production profiling strategies
- Plan for profiling different usage scenarios and user flows
- Use profiling data to make data-driven optimization decisions
Red Flags:
- Only profiling during development and not monitoring production performance
- Not having a systematic approach to performance profiling and optimization
- Optimizing based on assumptions rather than actual profiling data
- Not profiling on representative devices that match your user base

Security

Required

Data Encryption
Implementation Questions:
- What sensitive data requires encryption and what classification system will you use?
- How will you implement AES encryption for local data storage?
- What is your strategy for secure key management and key rotation?
- How will you ensure all network communications use TLS 1.2 or higher?
- What is your approach to handling encryption keys in memory and preventing key leakage?
- How will you handle encryption performance impact on user experience?
Key Considerations:
- Use platform-provided secure storage mechanisms (iOS Keychain, Android Keystore)
- Consider the performance impact of encryption on app startup and data access
- Plan for key management that doesn't rely solely on user passwords
- Ensure encryption implementation follows industry standards and best practices
Red Flags:
- Storing sensitive data in plaintext anywhere in the app or device
- Using custom or weak encryption algorithms instead of proven standards
- Hardcoding encryption keys in the application code or configuration
- Not encrypting network traffic for sensitive operations
Authentication
Implementation Questions:
- What authentication methods will you support (password, biometric, OAuth, SSO)?
- How will you implement secure token storage and automatic token refresh?
- What is your strategy for multi-factor authentication and account recovery?
- How will you handle authentication state management across app restarts and updates?
- What is your approach to session management and automatic logout policies?
- How will you protect against common authentication attacks (brute force, credential stuffing)?
Key Considerations:
- Leverage platform-provided authentication mechanisms when possible
- Implement proper session timeout and background authentication policies
- Consider user experience balance between security and convenience
- Plan for compliance with authentication standards (FIDO2, OAuth 2.1)
Red Flags:
- Storing passwords or authentication tokens in plaintext
- Not implementing proper session timeout or logout functionality
- Using weak or deprecated authentication protocols
- Not providing secure account recovery mechanisms
Certificate Pinning
Implementation Questions:
- Which endpoints and domains require certificate pinning for your security model?
- How will you implement certificate pinning without breaking app functionality during certificate rotation?
- What is your strategy for handling certificate pinning failures and user communication?
- How will you manage certificate updates and app version compatibility?
- What is your approach to testing certificate pinning in different network environments?
- How will you balance security with the operational overhead of certificate management?
Key Considerations:
- Certificate pinning significantly improves security but requires careful operational planning
- Plan for certificate rotation scenarios and emergency certificate updates
- Consider the impact on users in networks with corporate proxies or security tools
- Implement proper fallback mechanisms and user communication for pinning failures
Red Flags:
- Implementing certificate pinning without proper operational procedures
- Not having a plan for certificate rotation or emergency certificate updates
- Certificate pinning that breaks app functionality in legitimate network environments
- Not testing certificate pinning thoroughly across different network configurations
Code Protection
Implementation Questions:
- What level of code obfuscation is appropriate for your app's security requirements?
- How will you implement runtime application self-protection (RASP) mechanisms?
- What is your strategy for detecting and responding to app tampering or debugging?
- How will you protect critical business logic and API keys from reverse engineering?
- What is your approach to root/jailbreak detection and response?
- How will you balance security measures with app performance and user experience?
Key Considerations:
- Code obfuscation should be proportionate to the value of the protected assets
- Consider the impact of obfuscation on debugging and crash analysis
- Plan for legitimate security research and bug reporting while protecting against malicious reverse engineering
- Implement multiple layers of protection rather than relying on single techniques
Red Flags:
- Storing critical secrets in client-side code regardless of obfuscation
- Implementing security measures that significantly degrade app performance
- Not considering the legitimate security research and accessibility implications
- Over-engineering protection for low-value applications

Suggested

Mobile App Security Testing (MAST)
Implementation Questions:
- Which static and dynamic analysis security testing tools will you integrate into CI/CD?
- How will you automate dependency vulnerability scanning and updates?
- What is your strategy for regular penetration testing and security assessments?
- How will you handle and prioritize security findings from automated scans?
- What is your approach to testing for OWASP Mobile Top 10 vulnerabilities?
- How will you ensure security testing doesn't significantly slow down development cycles?
Key Considerations:
- Integrate security testing early in development to catch issues before production
- Balance automated security testing with manual penetration testing
- Plan for regular updates to security testing tools and vulnerability databases
- Consider the false positive rate and tuning of security scanning tools
Red Flags:
- Not integrating any security testing into the development process
- Ignoring or not acting on security findings from automated tools
- Only performing security testing at the end of development cycles
- Not having a process for handling and tracking security vulnerabilities
Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP)
Implementation Questions:
- Which runtime threats are most relevant to your application and user base?
- How will you implement hooking and monitoring of critical application functions?
- What is your strategy for detecting and responding to runtime manipulation attempts?
- How will you balance security monitoring with application performance impact?
- What is your approach to collecting and analyzing runtime security events?
- How will you handle false positives in runtime attack detection?
Key Considerations:
- RASP provides real-time protection but requires careful performance optimization
- Consider the trade-offs between protection level and user experience
- Plan for legitimate power users and accessibility tools that may trigger RASP
- Implement graduated response mechanisms rather than binary blocking
Red Flags:
- RASP implementation that significantly degrades app performance
- Not having proper incident response procedures for detected attacks
- Blocking legitimate users or accessibility tools due to overly aggressive RASP
- Not monitoring or analyzing RASP events to improve detection accuracy
Mobile Threat Detection
Implementation Questions:
- What is your policy for app functionality on rooted/jailbroken devices?
- How will you implement reliable root/jailbreak detection across different methods?
- What is your strategy for detecting app tampering, repackaging, or code injection?
- How will you handle threat detection without creating a poor user experience?
- What is your approach to monitoring for malicious network traffic or man-in-the-middle attacks?
- How will you update threat detection capabilities as new attack methods emerge?
Key Considerations:
- Root/jailbreak detection should be balanced with legitimate use cases
- Consider the security value versus user experience impact of different threat detection methods
- Plan for evolving threat landscape and detection evasion techniques
- Implement threat intelligence feeds to stay updated on mobile-specific threats
Red Flags:
- Completely blocking app functionality on rooted devices without security justification
- Not having a clear policy for how to handle detected threats
- Threat detection that generates excessive false positives
- Not keeping threat detection capabilities updated with new attack methods
App Shielding & Obfuscation
Implementation Questions:
- What assets and algorithms in your app require protection from reverse engineering?
- How will you implement anti-debugging and anti-tampering mechanisms?
- What is your strategy for protecting against dynamic analysis and runtime manipulation?
- How will you handle the balance between protection level and development/debugging needs?
- What is your approach to app integrity verification and self-checking?
- How will you monitor and respond to successful bypass attempts of your protections?
Key Considerations:
- App shielding should be layered and not rely on single protection mechanisms
- Consider the legitimate security research and bug bounty implications
- Plan for the ongoing arms race between protection and bypass techniques
- Balance protection complexity with maintainability and debugging capabilities
Red Flags:
- Implementing complex protection for low-value assets
- App shielding that interferes with legitimate debugging and testing
- Not considering the accessibility and security research implications of protection mechanisms
- Over-relying on client-side protection instead of server-side security
Biometric Auth
Implementation Questions:
- Which biometric authentication methods will you support (Face ID, Touch ID, fingerprint)?
- How will you handle devices that don't support biometric authentication?
- What is your fallback strategy when biometric authentication fails?
- How will you handle biometric data privacy and user consent requirements?
- What is your approach to biometric authentication for different security levels within the app?
- How will you test biometric authentication across different devices and configurations?
Key Considerations:
- Biometric authentication significantly improves user experience while maintaining security
- Consider the privacy implications and data handling requirements for biometric data
- Plan for users who prefer not to use biometric authentication
- Implement proper fallback mechanisms for biometric authentication failures
Red Flags:
- Storing or processing biometric data instead of using platform-provided APIs
- Not providing alternative authentication methods for users who can't or won't use biometrics
- Implementing biometric authentication without proper user consent and privacy policies
- Not handling biometric authentication failures gracefully

Offline Capabilities

Required

Data Persistence
Implementation Questions:
- What types of data need to be stored locally and what are their persistence requirements?
- How will you choose between different storage mechanisms (SQLite, Core Data, Room, etc.)?
- What is your strategy for data migration when app updates change the schema?
- How will you handle data encryption for sensitive locally stored information?
- What is your approach to managing storage space and data cleanup?
- How will you ensure data consistency and integrity in local storage?
Key Considerations:
- Choose storage solutions that match your data complexity and performance requirements
- Consider the offline-first approach for better user experience
- Plan for data growth and storage space management over time
- Implement proper data validation and error handling for storage operations
Red Flags:
- Storing large amounts of data without considering device storage limitations
- Not implementing proper data migration strategies for schema changes
- Using inappropriate storage mechanisms for your data type and access patterns
- Not handling storage failures or corruption gracefully
Sync Strategy
Implementation Questions:
- What is your strategy for determining when and what data needs to be synchronized?
- How will you handle incremental sync to minimize data transfer and battery usage?
- What is your approach to handling sync operations in background and foreground states?
- How will you implement sync status indication and user feedback?
- What is your strategy for handling large datasets and pagination during sync?
- How will you ensure data consistency across multiple devices for the same user?
Key Considerations:
- Design sync strategy to work efficiently on mobile networks with limited bandwidth
- Consider user expectations for data freshness versus battery and data usage
- Plan for sync operations that don't block user interaction with the app
- Implement proper conflict resolution mechanisms for concurrent modifications
Red Flags:
- Implementing full data sync instead of incremental sync for large datasets
- Not providing clear sync status and progress indication to users
- Sync operations that block UI interaction or significantly drain battery
- Not handling sync failures gracefully or providing retry mechanisms
Conflict Resolution
Implementation Questions:
- What types of data conflicts are possible in your application domain?
- How will you detect conflicts between local and server data changes?
- What is your strategy for automatic conflict resolution versus user intervention?
- How will you implement last-writer-wins, operational transform, or CRDT approaches?
- What is your approach to preserving user data when conflicts cannot be automatically resolved?
- How will you communicate conflict resolution outcomes to users?
Key Considerations:
- Design conflict resolution to minimize data loss and user frustration
- Consider the complexity of different conflict resolution strategies for your use case
- Plan for conflicts that occur when users work offline for extended periods
- Implement versioning or timestamps to help with conflict detection and resolution
Red Flags:
- Not having any conflict resolution strategy, leading to data loss
- Automatically overwriting user data without detection or notification
- Conflict resolution that is too complex for users to understand
- Not preserving conflicting data when automatic resolution isn't possible
Network Detection
Implementation Questions:
- How will you detect different types of network connectivity (WiFi, cellular, offline)?
- What is your strategy for adapting app behavior based on connection quality and type?
- How will you handle transitions between different network states?
- What is your approach to queuing operations when offline and retrying when online?
- How will you communicate network status and limitations to users?
- What is your strategy for handling metered connections and data usage concerns?
Key Considerations:
- Network conditions on mobile devices can change frequently and unpredictably
- Consider user data plan costs when designing network-dependent features
- Plan for graceful degradation when network quality is poor
- Implement appropriate caching and offline functionality based on network state
Red Flags:
- Not providing offline functionality for core app features
- Not adapting behavior based on network type (cellular vs WiFi)
- Poor user experience when transitioning between online and offline states
- Not providing clear indication of network status and its impact on app functionality

Suggested

Background Sync
Implementation Questions:
- What data and operations are appropriate for background synchronization?
- How will you handle platform-specific background execution limitations?
- What is your strategy for scheduling background sync to minimize battery impact?
- How will you implement background sync without violating platform app store policies?
- What is your approach to handling background sync failures and retries?
- How will you balance background sync frequency with battery and data usage?
Key Considerations:
- Background sync policies are becoming increasingly restrictive on mobile platforms
- Consider user expectations for data freshness versus battery life impact
- Plan for intelligent sync scheduling based on user patterns and device conditions
- Implement proper background task management to avoid system termination
Red Flags:
- Attempting background sync without considering platform limitations and policies
- Background sync that significantly drains battery or uses excessive data
- Not implementing proper background task lifecycle management
- Background sync that interferes with user's device performance
Offline Analytics
Implementation Questions:
- What analytics events are critical to collect when the app is offline?
- How will you store analytics data locally without impacting app performance?
- What is your strategy for batching and uploading offline analytics data?
- How will you handle analytics data persistence across app updates and crashes?
- What is your approach to managing local analytics storage size and cleanup?
- How will you ensure offline analytics don't compromise user privacy?
Key Considerations:
- Offline analytics help maintain data completeness for user behavior analysis
- Consider the storage and performance impact of local analytics data collection
- Plan for analytics data that may become stale or irrelevant over time
- Implement proper data compression and batching for efficient sync
Red Flags:
- Collecting excessive analytics data offline without storage or privacy considerations
- Not implementing proper data retention and cleanup for offline analytics
- Analytics collection that impacts app performance or battery life
- Not handling analytics sync failures or data loss gracefully

Testing & Quality

Required

Unit Testing
Implementation Questions:
- What is your target code coverage percentage and how will you measure it?
- How will you structure tests to support both platform-specific and shared code?
- What is your strategy for testing asynchronous operations and network calls?
- How will you implement mocking and dependency injection for testable code?
- What is your approach to testing error conditions and edge cases?
- How will you ensure tests run efficiently in CI/CD pipelines?
Key Considerations:
- Focus on testing business logic and critical user flows rather than just coverage metrics
- Consider the maintainability of tests as the codebase evolves
- Plan for platform-specific testing requirements and limitations
- Implement tests that catch regressions without being overly brittle
Red Flags:
- Low test coverage for critical business logic and user flows
- Tests that are flaky or environment-dependent
- Not testing error conditions and edge cases
- Tests that take too long to run, discouraging frequent execution
Integration Testing
Implementation Questions:
- Which features and user flows are most critical to test with integration tests?
- How will you test integration with external APIs and services?
- What is your strategy for testing offline/online transitions and data sync?
- How will you handle integration testing with platform-specific features?
- What is your approach to testing push notifications and background processing?
- How will you manage test data and environment setup for integration tests?
Key Considerations:
- Integration tests should focus on critical user journeys and system interactions
- Consider the complexity and maintenance overhead of integration test environments
- Plan for testing both happy path and failure scenarios in integrations
- Balance integration test coverage with execution time and reliability
Red Flags:
- Not testing critical integrations with external services
- Integration tests that are too flaky or environment-dependent to be useful
- Not testing error handling and failure scenarios in integrations
- Integration tests that take too long or require complex setup
UI Testing
Implementation Questions:
- Which UI flows and interactions are most important to automate in testing?
- How will you handle UI testing across different screen sizes and orientations?
- What is your strategy for testing accessibility features and compliance?
- How will you implement visual regression testing and screenshot comparison?
- What is your approach to testing platform-specific UI components and behaviors?
- How will you manage test flakiness and timing issues in UI automation?
Key Considerations:
- UI tests should focus on critical user flows rather than comprehensive coverage
- Consider the maintenance overhead of UI tests as the interface evolves
- Plan for testing on representative devices and OS versions
- Implement proper wait strategies and element identification for reliable tests
Red Flags:
- UI tests that are too brittle and break with minor interface changes
- Not testing accessibility features and compliance requirements
- UI tests that don't cover critical user journeys and edge cases
- Not considering different screen sizes, orientations, and device capabilities
Device Testing
Implementation Questions:
- What is your device testing matrix based on user demographics and market share?
- How will you prioritize testing on physical devices versus emulators/simulators?
- What is your strategy for testing on different screen sizes, densities, and aspect ratios?
- How will you test performance and functionality on low-end and older devices?
- What is your approach to testing with different system settings (dark mode, accessibility, etc.)?
- How will you manage and maintain your device testing infrastructure?
Key Considerations:
- Device fragmentation is significant in mobile, especially Android
- Consider the user experience on the lowest-end devices you support
- Plan for testing with different system configurations and user preferences
- Balance comprehensive device testing with practical time and resource constraints
Red Flags:
- Only testing on high-end devices or emulators without real device validation
- Not testing on representative devices that match your user base
- Ignoring performance and functionality issues on older or low-end devices
- Not testing with accessibility features and system accommodations enabled

Suggested

Beta Testing
Implementation Questions:
- How will you recruit and manage beta testers representative of your user base?
- What is your strategy for distributing beta builds and managing different test groups?
- How will you collect, categorize, and prioritize feedback from beta testers?
- What is your approach to testing new features with gradual rollout?
- How will you handle crash reporting and bug tracking from beta versions?
- What is your process for communicating with beta testers and providing updates?
Key Considerations:
- Beta testing provides valuable real-world usage data before full release
- Consider different types of beta testing (internal, closed, open) for different goals
- Plan for beta testing logistics including distribution and feedback management
- Implement proper analytics and crash reporting for beta versions
Red Flags:
- Not having a representative group of beta testers for your target audience
- Poor feedback collection and management processes
- Not acting on critical feedback or issues identified during beta testing
- Beta testing programs that are too small or short to be effective
Automated Testing
Implementation Questions:
- How will you structure your testing pipeline to provide fast feedback to developers?
- What is your strategy for running different types of tests (unit, integration, UI) in CI/CD?
- How will you handle device testing and emulator management in automated pipelines?
- What is your approach to parallel test execution and resource optimization?
- How will you handle test failures and flaky tests in continuous testing?
- What metrics will you track to measure testing effectiveness and pipeline health?
Key Considerations:
- Continuous testing should provide rapid feedback without significantly slowing development
- Consider the cost and complexity of running mobile tests in cloud environments
- Plan for test result analysis and automatic failure notification
- Balance test comprehensiveness with pipeline execution time
Red Flags:
- CI/CD pipeline that doesn't include adequate mobile-specific testing
- Tests that are too slow or unreliable for continuous integration
- Not having proper test result analysis and failure notification
- Continuous testing that doesn't prevent regressions from reaching users

Deployment & Updates

Required

Release Process
Implementation Questions:
- What versioning scheme will you use and how will it align with app store requirements?
- How will you manage release branches, hotfixes, and emergency updates?
- What is your strategy for coordinating releases across multiple platforms?
- How will you handle release notes, changelog, and user communication?
- What is your approach to gradual rollout and canary releases?
- How will you manage rollback procedures for problematic releases?
Key Considerations:
- Mobile app releases have longer deployment cycles due to app store review processes
- Consider the coordination required between multiple platforms and teams
- Plan for emergency releases and hotfixes that bypass normal processes
- Implement proper release testing and validation procedures
Red Flags:
- Not having a clear release process or versioning strategy
- Releasing to production without proper testing and validation
- Not having rollback procedures for problematic releases
- Poor coordination between platform releases causing user confusion
CI/CD Pipeline
Implementation Questions:
- How will you automate the build process for multiple platforms and configurations?
- What is your strategy for managing build artifacts and distribution?
- How will you implement automated app store submission and metadata management?
- What is your approach to build validation and quality gates in the pipeline?
- How will you handle secrets management and code signing in automated builds?
- What is your strategy for build notifications and failure handling?
Key Considerations:
- Mobile build pipelines require specialized tools and infrastructure
- Consider the complexity of managing certificates, provisioning profiles, and signing
- Plan for build reproducibility and artifact management
- Implement proper security controls for build environments and secrets
Red Flags:
- Manual build processes that are prone to human error and inconsistency
- Not having proper secrets management in build pipelines
- Build processes that don't include proper validation and testing
- Not having build artifact management and traceability
App Signing
Implementation Questions:
- How will you manage code signing certificates and provisioning profiles securely?
- What is your strategy for certificate rotation and renewal?
- How will you implement different signing configurations for debug, staging, and production?
- What is your approach to managing team certificates and developer access?
- How will you handle enterprise distribution and ad-hoc provisioning?
- What is your process for securing signing keys and preventing unauthorized access?
Key Considerations:
- Code signing is critical for app store acceptance and security
- Consider the operational overhead of certificate and profile management
- Plan for certificate expiration and renewal procedures
- Implement proper access controls and audit trails for signing processes
Red Flags:
- Sharing signing certificates or storing them insecurely
- Not having procedures for certificate renewal and rotation
- Using debug or development certificates in production builds
- Not having proper access controls for signing keys and certificates
Update Strategy
Implementation Questions:
- What is your policy for supporting multiple app versions simultaneously?
- How will you determine when to force users to update to newer versions?
- What is your strategy for communicating updates and encouraging adoption?
- How will you handle backward compatibility and API versioning?
- What is your approach to gradual rollout and monitoring update adoption?
- How will you handle critical security updates that require immediate user action?
Key Considerations:
- Update policies should balance security and functionality with user experience
- Consider the time required for app store review and approval processes
- Plan for users who may not update immediately or automatically
- Implement proper analytics to track update adoption and user response
Red Flags:
- Forcing updates too aggressively, creating poor user experience
- Not having a strategy for handling users on older app versions
- Supporting too many old versions, creating maintenance burden
- Not communicating the value and necessity of updates to users

Suggested

Feature Flags
Implementation Questions:
- What feature flag system will you use and how will it integrate with your app architecture?
- How will you implement feature flag evaluation without impacting app performance?
- What is your strategy for feature flag lifecycle management and cleanup?
- How will you handle feature flag failures and fallback scenarios?
- What is your approach to testing features with different flag configurations?
- How will you manage feature flag permissions and approval workflows?
Key Considerations:
- Feature flags enable safer releases and controlled feature rollouts
- Consider the complexity and performance impact of feature flag evaluation
- Plan for feature flag management and cleanup to avoid technical debt
- Implement proper fallback mechanisms when feature flag services are unavailable
Red Flags:
- Feature flags that significantly impact app performance or user experience
- Not having proper feature flag lifecycle management and cleanup processes
- Feature flags that create complex code paths and maintenance burden
- Not testing different feature flag configurations adequately
A/B Testing
Implementation Questions:
- What A/B testing platform will you use and how will it integrate with your app?
- How will you implement user segmentation and experiment assignment?
- What is your strategy for measuring and analyzing A/B test results?
- How will you ensure statistical significance and avoid biased results?
- What is your approach to A/B testing UI changes, features, and user flows?
- How will you handle A/B test conflicts and overlapping experiments?
Key Considerations:
- A/B testing enables data-driven decision making for product features
- Consider the statistical rigor required for meaningful test results
- Plan for proper user consent and privacy compliance in experimentation
- Implement safeguards to prevent negative user experiences in test variants
Red Flags:
- A/B testing without proper statistical analysis or significance testing
- Not having clear success metrics and hypotheses for experiments
- A/B tests that significantly degrade user experience for test groups
- Not considering the privacy and consent implications of user experimentation