How to make applications with the Flutter widget library 

Flutter technology is a tool for developing mobile (Android, iOS) and web applications, as well as computer (Windows, Linux, macOS) ones. This tool contains an open-source library of widgets and frameworks called Foundation. Developers use this library to import classes and methods into their applications. The library language is Dart.

How does it work

From the Foundation library, developers can import ready-made widgets onto the application screen, thus saving developers many hours and money for work. With the help of the flutter application development service, entrepreneurs can create their own application as a commercial or social startup faster (twice as fast as usual).

Startup Idea

Let’s say you have an idea for an e-commerce application that works on multiple platforms. At the first stage, your application will collect information about products from various online stores, including their descriptions, specifications, and prices. It will also collect information about countries, manufacturers, and sellers. 

At the second stage, your application will analyse the collected database to detect such suppliers goods are sold 30% cheaper than on your marketplace, for example, on AliExpress. The application also evaluates the search engine’s credibility to providers in terms of how long they have been on the market and the credibility of these trusts by versions of different rating sites.

In the third step, your aggregator app will display the most relevant search results — the product forks between which the app has found the largest difference between purchase and sale prices. 

Thus, the application automates the search for suppliers and goods for purchase. With just a few clicks, your application’s user will be able to find suppliers of goods for their online store from all over the Internet. These are items that can be bought cheaper and then resold for a higher price. Your list of suppliers only includes candidates with a high level of trust, and the list of goods only includes those goods that you can sell in your store for 30% more than you purchase from a supplier.

The development process

The process of developing a Flutter application consists of stages that cannot yet be automated (it’s a good idea for a startup to create an application with which you can automate the development process even more). There are the following stages:

• Analysis of the business the application is meant for – immersion in the customer’s business.

At this point, a deep search is done to find problems that users want to solve with your application, as well as how customers interact with their business and how they can solve these problems. This search also examines how competitors work by looking at their IT solutions.

• Complete the technical tasks – this is a complete list of the functions of the future application. 

At the stage of drawing up the technical projects, so the customer, together with the developers, must answer the following questions:

1. what will the application’s structural framework look like?
2. what will be the development – cross-platform or native?
3. what will the control mechanism be?
4. do integrations need to be created, and if so, which ones?
5. is a server required?
6. how will the data be stored?
7. what will the animation be like – complex or simple?

• Develop the business logic of the application. 

The point is that it is necessary to establish the rules of tolerances and restrictions, as well as the principles and dependencies that govern the interpretation of information.

• Create a list of time and money estimates as well as a list of specialists (developers, designers, testers) needed to work on the project.
• Prototype development. 

At this stage, designers are included, who render each screen that the user encounters when accessing the application’s functions. Each design prototype is evaluated for informative and user-friendly aspects of the application interface.

• Programming. 

This stage is divided into two stages: 1) development of Front-end (in Kotlin or Swift) and Back-end (in Python and Django framework) parts. 

• Testing the operating system and the internal shell of the application – debugging little thing issues for compatibility of the application with various operating systems. 
• Launch. 
• Collection and analysis of feedback from users.
• Update. 

The last two stages are repeated over and over again throughout the life of the product. You can do all the stages of application development yourself, for this you can get familiar with novice programmers and spend a lot of time experimenting. Most importantly, you need a new, unique idea because other entrepreneurs will have surely used yours last one while you experiment. Or, instead of conducting your experiments, we recommend immediately entrusting the matter to specialists, for example, our partners at Perpet.io.

Why Flutter is a good choice 

According to our partner Perpet.io, one of the advantages of Flutter technologies is that it allows you to create a completely competitive offer quickly and cheaply, which costs between 10 and 25 thousand dollars. The time required to develop a flutter application is from 8 weeks. For example, to develop a news aggregator like Rambler using native (author’s code) you will need more than $100,000 and more than 6 months. By saving time with Flutter technologies, you can devote more time to project management, and the money you save goes to marketing.

The product information aggregator app is a medium complexity app. It can perform three main functions: 1) searching for information by five criteria, 2) forming a database and forming lists according to specified filters, and 3) displaying only relevant information on the user’s screen. Using the product fork aggregator as an example, Flutter technologies are great because they let you combine native development (for example, for libraries) and Flutter (to create a single business logic and user interface).

Flutter allows you to create an MVP (minimum viable product) to test its 1-2 main features. This technology also reduces the risk of delivering an error in building business logic. Argument – iOS and Android versions have a single basis. Another advantage of Flutter is that in the future, it makes possible to compile mobile applications for desktop platforms.

What Flutter technology doesn’t do well

1. Lack of personnel. 

There are not enough competent developers who could implement complex calculations in the Flutter application, a large number of products, access to the hardware capabilities of the device (camera, files). 

2. Graphics problem. 

In Flutter-hybrid applications, the interface can unfold more slowly than usual, slow down. 

1. It does not support older versions of iOS and Android.
2. Speed ​​of application of new functional features. 

In Flutter applications, this takes one and a half times longer than for native applications.

What applications are Flutter technologies suitable for

This technology is ideal for multifunctional projects with a high load and multi-stage nesting – these are commercial applications such as online banking and e-commerce, for example, Ozone and AliExpress.

Conclusion 

The growth rate of the number of Internet users is 7% per year. Complex technologies can be used by users who take online courses for only a half a year. Flutter technology allows you to quickly and inexpensively create MVP products, with which you can also quickly test business ideas.

For already established businesses, Flutter technologies allow you to always be one step ahead of your competitors – quickly implement new services on all available platforms.