Building an Android app is much more than writing code. A predictable process protects your budget and makes sure the app actually solves the problem it was built for. This is the step-by-step process we follow at Ravian Matrix.
1. Discovery and requirements
We start with a workshop: who are the users, what should they be able to do, and what does success look like? Features are sorted into must-have, should-have and later. The result is a requirements brief and a first estimate.
2. Technical concept
Now we decide on the architecture: native Kotlin or cross-platform, the backend, the data model, third-party services (payments, maps, push notifications) and hosting. Security and GDPR are planned here, not added at the end. You receive an architecture overview and a fixed quote.
3. User flows and wireframes
Every journey – onboarding, search, checkout, profile – is drawn as a simple clickable wireframe. This is the cheapest moment to change your mind, so we test the flows with you before any visual design.
4. UI design
Visual design follows your brand and Google's Material Design 3 guidelines, including dark mode, dynamic colour and accessibility (large fonts, contrast, TalkBack). The output is a Figma prototype that looks and feels like the real app.
5. Development in sprints
We develop in two-week sprints. A typical Android stack is Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Coroutines, Room for the local database and Hilt for dependency injection, plus the backend and admin panel in parallel. After every sprint you install a test build via Firebase App Distribution or Google Play internal testing.
6. Testing on real devices
Android runs on thousands of device models. We test on a range of screen sizes, manufacturers (Samsung, Google Pixel, Xiaomi…) and Android versions. Automated unit and UI tests protect critical flows such as login and payment against regressions.
7. Google Play publishing
Publishing requires more than uploading an APK:
- a Google Play Developer account in your company's name,
- store listing texts, screenshots and a feature graphic,
- the Data safety form describing what data the app collects,
- content rating and target-audience declarations,
- for new personal developer accounts, a closed testing period before production access.
We prepare all of this and handle reviewer feedback.
8. Launch and monitoring
After launch we monitor crashes (Firebase Crashlytics or Sentry), performance and analytics. Early user feedback flows directly into the backlog.
9. Maintenance and updates
Google requires apps to target recent Android API levels, and libraries need security updates. A maintenance plan keeps the app compatible every year and adds new features over time.
How long does it take?
A focused MVP typically takes 8–12 weeks, a multi-role platform (for example customer, driver and admin apps) 4–6 months. Because you get a test build every two weeks, you see progress the whole way.
Ready to start? Our AI project assistant asks the questions from step 1 for you and prepares a brief for our team.