How to select a mobile app development company
Selecting a mobile app developing company
News flash. It's 2019. Meaning: both startups and enterprises are all starting to see the importance of offering a connected experience to their customers. Last year alone, Downloads from the App Store and Play Store crossed over 175 Billion. In fact, 90% of the time spent on digital media is actually through mobile applications, as compared to a web browser. In addition, around 62% of businesses are already building or have built a mobile application.
However, building a cutting edge mobile application is never as easy as it sounds. Also - Just because an app developer has years of experience, that does not mean they have the full range of mobile experience required to deal with all of the challenges associated with building your mobile solutions.
Why you should work with a development partner
There are several meaningful reasons to work with a product development partner. Complexity is obviously the first one. A strong working knowledge of effective UX design is number two. And lastly, you need a full-service development partner who is capable of not only helping out with mobile strategy, but also with pre-release testing to ensure your customers have an excellent experience.
Should you work with a freelancer or a professional agency?
Many clients wonder about whether they should work with a freelancer and get the job done cheaper, or work with a professional agency and ensure they are engaging a well-rounded and expert-level development team. Often, clients do not understand the true differences between the two, and how to compare them.
If you are a larger firm or enterprise-level corporation, you will undoubtedly need to engage a professional agency. As they are more up to date with the latest technologies and understand the pros and cons of incorporating the newest trends. They will also have a team well-versed in multi-platform development, such as ios development, android app development, and all of the additional foundational features necessary for a well-rounded application. They will most likely offer consistent updates and continued support.
Another area for concern is dependability. A larger firm is less likely to take your money and "disappear". In addition, larger firms ensure their employees keep client matters confidential and have the organization infrastructure to ensure a professional experience. It is almost always better to work with a professional agency.
Should I use a ready to use app, or have an app custom made?
If you are a small company that is lacking in budget and don't require a bunch of functionality, a ready to use app may work well for you. However, a custom app developed specifically for your purposes will almost always win out. A well-planned and well-developed custom application can offer a more personalized experience and offer way more functionality to your users.
Should I use a Native or a Hybrid Mobile App?
If you are a larger company, we suggest going with a Native application. You will be able to offer your users a better experience and you can incorporate your client's devices hardware and software features into your application (Think the ability to: Shake, GPS, Location, Calender, etc..) It will also be easier to discover in the app store.
If you are a smaller business, a Hybrid app may help with portability. In addition, the base is only one code and can be used across multiple platforms.
How much will developing a custom mobile app cost?
A lot of factors are considered while deciding upon the cost of mobile app development. You have to think about where the agency is located, how many people are on their team (do they employ designers, developers, QA Testers, as well as UI/UX professionals), and whether or not they have experienced software engineers on their team. Typically, a custom application with a solid user experience will start at around $25,000+, and if the app is more complex, prices can range upwards of $100k+
What should you look for when hiring a mobile app development company?
While choosing the right mobile app development company is as much an art, as it is a science, you still want to have a baseline process for how you can evaluate and select the right vendor. These are the parameters we would recommend you use.
How big are they?
Some advisers will tell you that the smaller an app development agency is, the better. Others will say that the larger they are, the better. How are you to know what too look for? Is size really the metric that you should be using to evaluate your future business partners. The answer = As long as the agency meets a minimum threshold of "experience" than you should be able to start looking at other factors. For example, a large agency may have 200 employees, but what if the majority of those employees are interns with absolutely zero experience that is helpful to you. On the flip side, an agency with only 12 extremely experienced employees may deliver a much better product, because it is an experienced developer who is actually handling your account. In general, just make sure that they have all of the roles filled with experienced employees to handle development, design, testing, UI/UX, and QA Experts.
Does the agency have a portfolio showcasing their experience?
Do your research on their past projects. Seriously. You need to evaluate, even download and try applications that they have developed. Ask yourself, Do they work well? Did you enjoy the user experience or user interface? Do the applications they have built include some of the same features you are looking for in your application? Make sure their experience is relevant.
Ask them directly.
App development is complex, and requires quite a bit of strategic planning. Ask your app development agency to walk you through a past project, and explain their reasoning behind their decision to use certain features or technologies over other options. An industry leader should be able to present not only a portfolio of work, but WHY they did what they did in each different scenario.
What is their Pricing Model?
Their a few different models at play in today's current environment. Fixed Price, Dedicated-hiring model, and the Time and Materials Hiring Model. In the fixed-price model, you define the scope of the project, as well as a timeline, and agree on a fixed price. In the dedicated-hiring model, you hire a dedicated developer and simply pay for the resource each month. In the time-and-materials model, you estimate a general timeline, but then pay for any overages in hours later.
Do they structure their contracts favorably to their clients?
Make sure that when you are looking into a vendor's contract make sure they include favorable provisions such as an NDA, a promise of protection, simple to understand compliance terminology, and a well-defined payment structure.
Maintenance and Quality Assurance
Always double-check that once development is complete, your prospective partner is able to help you maintain your application with timely updates and testing. Also, make sure you understand what their fees for this service are going to be?
Final Thoughts:
Conclusion:
Always be prepared. Do your research. And ensure you have a standard for evaluating your potential partners. Once you've established a strong baseline, you will then be able to make an educated choice on which app development company you want to go with.