Putting Instruments in Perspective

Broadly speaking, there are four steps to developing and implementing an app whether it is for an iOS device, a Mac, or any other computer, including a Windows computer, an old-fashioned mainframe, or even more obscure devices.

• Define and design—Decide what your app is supposed to do.

• Compile—If you cannot pass this hurdle, no one can run your app.

• Work as expected—This means that calculations are correct and that the app delivers on the design promise.

• Work properly in the computing environment—This section explores this point.

In any development process, some people stop after any of these steps. Being unable to agree on the definition and design of a project is common, and, in many ways, it is positive. It is much cheaper to cancel a project if you decide at the start that it will not work than it is to cancel the project after it has flopped.