Bringing together app designers and app developers on one team

Many independent application developers and smaller studios create apps by focusing on both the design and core development aspects of the app at the same time. They often divide up different tasks in the development process and then merge the work together to ensure that the app works the way they intended. But as apps and mobile games get more sophisticated, tools are emerging that are intended to address gaps in some of these skill sets and foster better collaboration among those who come more from a designer or development background.

Orlando-based Kony Inc., for example, recently released Kony Visualizer, a platform to rapidly create native and web mobile app experiences for iOS, Android, Windows and the web. Its features include what Kony calls "codeless" app design, along with cross-platform layout, layering and animations that let users switch between iOS, Android and Windows devices in the app canvas to design and instantly preview the native look and feel. For more on this trend, check out this FierceDeveloper special report.