‍

Building your own app seems like an intimidating process. In most cases, it involves knowing a programming language, having the skills to string that language together in a functional way, and then putting on a layer of polish over the whole thing. All of this can take years of practice and work to fully grasp. 

However, there is an easier way. With Bubble.io, you can build an app without having to code at all. This is an easy-to-use tool that makes app building more accessible to everyone. 

This guide will walk you through that process. Keep reading to find out how to use Bubble.io and start creating your own app. 

Get Started with Bubble

The first thing you will want to do is head over to Bubble.io’s website. You can sign up for the tool and select the features you want to use there. There are paid tools available, but there are also some options that you can use for free. 

Once you’re all signed up, you are pretty much ready to go. However, we recommend using the “Canvas” Chrome extension by Air Dev alongside Bubble. This gives you more options to use and generally makes the process better. 

‍

Related: How to Grow Your Agency and Charge Over $1000 Per Hour (Ultimate Agency Training)

‍

Getting Started

Once in Bubble.io, you will want to load the app you are working on in debug mode. This will allow you to view everything more effectively and better track the changes you are making as you progress. 

At this point, you just need to decide what you want to build. For the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll stick with the example of building a music streaming app. 

Adding Elements

Now, you can start adding elements. This is a big part of using Bubble.io and will make your app look good and function properly. Mastering elements will allow you to master the entire app creation process. 

Elements are located under the Elements Tree, an easy-to-use drop-down menu that shows you the elements you have access to. All you have to do is browse through this tree and select the elements you want to use. Commonly used elements include dynamic text, buttons, images, and more. 

You can also assign these elements conditions. These are how they will respond in various situations. For example, you can set a string of text to appear differently if someone is logged into their account than it would if they weren’t. You can also design a button to make something appear or link users to a different page. In linking elements and conditions together, the options are nearly limitless and will take any number of shapes and forms depending on the app you are trying to build. 

If you’re building a music streaming app, you will want to use elements to create a page with a look that suits the vibe you are going for. Think about the brand image you want and design pages around that. Then, you will most likely need to add a search page, as this is the foundation of most music streaming apps. This will, in turn, necessitate linking data. 

‍

Want to make building your app even easier? Find out more about the development & IT services Twiz can help you find.

‍

Linking Data

‍

‍

Most websites will rely on data in some way, shape, or form. This could be to hold account information, to track progress, or to provide them with some sort of information. In many cases, this data will need to be accessible through the program. 

Bubble.io can help with this as well. It has a database view, design view, and workflow view that are designed for dealing with and manipulating data. You can simply upload the data you need to use on the backend and proceed with it from there. Bubble even has the ability to create referential data, which can be incredibly helpful for some projects. 

You can then go on to choose how this data is displayed. Bubble.io lets you display all of the data, pieces of the data, or just select elements of data. You can fine-tune this further by deciding what shows up and when it shows up. 

The best way to do this is through the search function. Most people expect to have access to a search function so they can look for information and solutions on their own. You can program your app’s search function to access the data as you see fit, which will vary depending on the purpose of your website. 

Returning to the example of a music streaming app, a database with information about artists, songs, and any other relevant details can be loaded into Bubble.io. Then, songs and relevant details can be set up so that they are tied to their respective artists. If you don’t have this prepared, you can even use Chat GPT to sort the data for you beforehand. Once all the data is in, it can then all be made accessible through the app’s search page when it is linked to the data.  

‍

Related: How to Create a Podcast

‍

Preview Results

The majority of your experience with Bubble.io will likely be fine-tuning your app and playing with the results. However, eventually, you will get to a point where the app feels complete. At this point, you can preview the results. 

To do this, go to the preview page. This will let you know how the page looks on the web. Then, you can click inspect on this page to see what it looks like on mobile. By clicking the drop-down menu at the top of the screen, you can even adjust the view so that you can see what it looks like on multiple different devices. 

If you like what you see, you are finished building your app! If you don’t, then you can return to an earlier step in the process to make any changes that need to be made. Once you're done, you just have to wait and hope you will be the next no code success story. 

‍

Ready to get started building out your app idea? Get in touch with us and let Twiz match you with vetted agencies and professionals.

‍

Build Your Own No Code App with Bubble.io

‍

By following along with this process, you can create your own no code app using Bubble.io. Jumping in with this starting point will get you to a good place, but you’ll discover even more as you work with the tool. Eventually, you’ll be able to create exactly what you want in a fraction of the time you would expect. 

‍

Related: How to Setup Your Calendar for Meetings

‍

‍