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İsmail Kaçmaz
Co-Founder
Every mobile application project starts with similar perceived needs, but the development journey varies for each team. This decision matrix is designed to help you understand what stage your project is at, which approach you need, and what kind of working model you should follow. Making the right decision in terms of design, motion, and product architecture directly affects the efficiency of the process.
The most critical stage in creating a new product is establishing the product concept correctly before starting the design. If user types, usage scenarios, business goals, and the operating model are not clarified, the application can become unstable in later stages. In this scenario, the application's flows, information architecture, screen structure, and motion language are designed together. If the backend does not yet exist, the data model, API structure, and management interfaces are also determined accordingly. This approach requires more detailed work early on but strengthens the application's scalability in the long run.
In existing applications, two clear problems usually arise: user flows become complicated or the design language becomes outdated. The first thing to do in this case is to understand the current behavior. Seeing where users struggle, which steps slow down, and where the motion language breaks helps guide the process. The goal of refresh projects is not to create "a new look" but to make the application stronger in terms of speed, consistency, and intuitiveness. Motion design plays a critical role here; the correct movement language facilitates relearning the application.
Some teams develop the entire data structure, API endpoints, and backend architecture internally. In this case, the need is not only designing screens but also transforming these screens into a mobile frontend working with Flutter. In this model, Pikap creates the design system and motion language, then develops the entire application's interface in Flutter and integrates it with backend APIs.
This approach is ideal for projects where the backend is stable but the user experience needs modernization, acceleration, or rethinking. Since the behavior of the interface is clarified during the design phase, the development process proceeds smoothly. Your backend team produces data models that the mobile frontend will be compatible with. As a result, not only "design files" but a fully functional frontend layer is delivered.
In some projects, the data structure necessary to start mobile interface design is not yet prepared. In this case, mobile design and backend architecture progress simultaneously. User behavior determines how the interface should be, while the data structure defines how this behavior will be processed. In this scenario, the application's data model, API structure, management panel, and integration points are designed together with the mobile experience. This approach ensures that both design and development teams move in the same direction and helps release the first version more controlled.
Many teams may not clearly know the current level of their application or what it needs. This is quite natural. Sometimes the backend exists but is not usable; sometimes screens are prepared but flows are inconsistent; sometimes there is an idea but the product is not yet defined. In such cases, a brief discovery study helps to set the project on the right track. A design-focused assessment forms the basis of information architecture and motion language, revealing the true needs of the project.
Not every project is the same, and a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be applied to each project. The reason we prepared this matrix is to help you quickly understand the structure of your project and enable Pikap to recommend the most suitable model for you. Clarity in the decision-making process helps the process proceed more efficiently in terms of both cost and time.
The visual-auditory motion system that determines the transitions, animations, and motion behaviors of the application.
The arrangement of endpoints and data models that define how data exchange occurs between the backend and the mobile application.
An evaluation table that helps determine the current stage of the project, which approach is suitable, and how the team should proceed.
The structural design process regarding how the application will work, which user types it will serve, and which business goals it will meet.
A brief assessment process conducted to understand the current stage of the project, identify existing problems, and determine the real needs.
