The answer will cover the app developement from prototyping to backend developement. I will provide an overview of the backend as a service platforms and apps cross platforms.
Tools to Accelerate Software Development
You should use platforms to speed up software development and reduce the total programming learning curve. The total time you will need to develop an application will depend on how complex you want the application to be and also if you will use frameworks to accelerate software development. You will need to learn to different programming skills:
Backend: Back end means the parts that do the work, but the final user is unaware of or cannot see. Ir represents up 80% of the total work and contain the API, databases, services, etc. There are several BaaS – Backend as a Service providers to speed up backend development. www.back4app.com can accelerate up 80% the backend development and it is a good option for developers looking for flexibility and control over the source code. Firebase provide similar results, but the users do not have access to the source code and are locked on the platform.
Frontend: Front end typically means the parts of the project a user interacts with. The interface can be mobile (Android, IOS, Windows, etc) or web. A good platform to speed up mobile frontend development is Xaramin and it can reduce up to 70% the total time to develop Android and IOS apps. The main advantage to use a cross platform are the reduced time to develop an application and also you are able to standardize the coding language. For example, with Xamarin you will use only C# to code.
Prototyping: For design and prototyping please try Marvel Apps. Free mobile & web prototyping (iOS, Android) for designers – Marvel