The rapid advancement in mobile app development has resulted in massive demand for mobile app developers. Entrepreneurs are searching every nook and cranny for skillful and reliable developers who can meet their growing business requirements.
If you are an entrepreneur trying to find the right development team, then you are in the right place! This article explains the dos and don’ts when you attempt to hire mobile app developers.
First, the <dos>!
The following are some aspects to bear in mind while collaborating with a development team.
Portfolio
Make sure to have a look at the company’s portfolio. This will help you have an idea about their accomplishments. A portfolio is nothing but the representation of the company’s efficiency and experience. With the help of a portfolio, you can very easily do a SWOT analysis. To those who don’t know what SWOT is, it stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. By doing a SWOT analysis, you can decide whether the company will be suitable for the app development or not.
ROI
ROI stands for Return On Investment. It is used to measure the gain or loss generated on an investment. There are usually three types of ROI: simple, efficiency, and risk aversion. You need to take into consideration all these types in order to evaluate efficiency.
Scalability
One of the major aims of an entrepreneur is to scale up the business so as to generate the maximum possible revenue. As the business grows, the requirements increase too. The development team should be able to cope up with this growth and deliver unmatchable services without compromising on quality.
Spontaneity
Any business, over the course of its existence, is bound to have ups and downs. There will be fluctuations in its performance as well as the client base. One of the major disadvantages is that these fluctuations are, in most cases, unpredictable. So, in order to survive in the industry, the development team should be able to act with spontaneity and come up with flawless solutions.
Trendsetting
“Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you!” Though it is important to follow the emerging trends, in order to be unique, the company should actively set the trends in the industry. This will improve the standards of the business and boost the impact factor.
Innovation
Recently, white-label solutions have been the talk of the town. Though these are very useful, what is the point in developing exactly the same product that already exists in the market? So, even if your development team tries to leverage the existing app, they should pep it up with their creativity and innovation. This helps your business stay ahead of the cutthroat competition that exists in the industry.
Client support
This is another significant responsibility of the developers. They should not hesitate or procrastinate when it comes to providing the clients with support. Make sure to choose such a development company that is ready to provide 24 x 7 support to its clients.
Cross-platform development
Developing apps that are cross-platform compatible is useful in many ways. The development cost is reduced. The TTM (Time To Market) is shortened. The resources used are less. Whereas, in the development of native apps, you will have to invest relatively more. Besides, cross-platform compatibility improves the marketability of the app.
Size of the team
This is yet another very important factor. The size of the team has an influence, not only on the development cost but also on the efficiency and productivity of the team. If the project is very basic, then a small team would do. But for a challenging project, the team size should be considerably large. This makes it possible to share the workload among teammates and deliver the project within the expected duration.
Communication and presentation
Along with the development skills, the team should have great communication and presentation skills as well. They should be able to explain the services they offer, development cost, taxation’s, agreements, policies, etc. This helps prevent any mistakes or financial losses due to the communication gaps.
Now, the <don’ts>!
The following are some aspects where most of the entrepreneurs go wrong.
Cost analysis
As an entrepreneur, it is acceptable to have a budget. But never choose a company solely based on the cost to build a mobile app. If you compromise on the quality to lower the price, the post-launch failures might end up emptying your pockets. That is why you should never settle for anything less than your expectations. Never forget that the development cost is directly proportional to the experience of the team and the quality of the services they offer.
Documentation
The company should possess enough documentation. They should have their rules and regulations present on the paper. Besides, they need to possess the required certificates showing that they are capable and legally allowed to offer app development services. Avoid signing a deal with a company, if they do not have the necessary documents.
Policies
Never finalize a company without knowing their policies. Also, don’t forget that company policies will differ according to the geographic location. So, avoid going by your instincts. Rather, ask for their policies. For instance, do they have a proper maintenance policy? If they don’t, then you probably might not receive support post-launch! What are their policies for the submission of the app in the app store? Do they guide you to launch the app?
Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
An NDA ensures the safety and confidentiality of your data. The development team must sign an NDA. Never ever skip this step for whatever reason you might have.
Scheduling the launch
Do not rush the launch in an attempt to cut down the cost or to hit the screen before your competitors. Give the team the time required to complete the project. This will help the development team avoid any errors due to haste.
App design
The design should not make the app content look clumsy. Avoid colors that are too bright or too dull. Incorporating the same design as the website counterpart is a big NO! The app design and layout should be mobile friendly so as to maximize user experience.
Domain expertise
The development team must have substantial domain expertise. Also, choose the team that is experienced in the required domain. For instance, if you want to get a mobile app developed, don’t go to a web app developer rather than a mobile app developer, just because they are developers too, and they charge less development fees. They may not be ready to solve most of the challenges that you might face along the way.
Wrapping Up!
This article covered almost all the pointers you need to keep in mind while hunting for a good mobile app development company. Have a word with the development team prior to the commencement of the project. You could also get a free quote. This will help you make a comparative analysis.