Almost everybody needs an app. As Apple used to say "there's an app for that". It doesn't matter if you are a small startup in your mom's garage or a multi-national looking to expand further at some point your products will need a smartphone application to truly deliver the service your customers want. With the explosion in popularity, apps have had in the past 10 years, there's certainly no shortage of app developers. Whilst that's a great thing for the marketplace, it can sometimes cause companies a bit of a headache when trying to hire the right developer or development company. If you are looking to build a slick app with great UX, it can often be cheaper to outsource to an app development company. But how do you know who to hire? There's seemingly endless choices so we put together this helpful guide to help you identify key characteristics in your shortlist of app developers.
Do they Listen to the Mission?
If they haven't listened to what you want, what your products about, what your customers are about then none of the points below matter. Getting a good understanding of the company when you are new is time-consuming, and frankly, a few emails just won't cut it. Make sure you meet the development team or if you aren't local video conference in. You should be involved in the process and feedback into the development.
An Eye For Design
When hiring an app developer, have a look at their previous work. Usually, they have a portfolio on their site but ask what other projects they have worked on. Download these apps. Play around with them. Are they pretty? Do they look slick? Clunky apps with poor design are bad news for your company's branding.
Does it run well?
Again, check their portfolio. Download the apps they have created. Do they run well? Are they intuitive and easy to use? The article just linked to describes how intuitive apps don't have a large learning curve, they just work. So think to yourself as you walk through the prospective companies work, do I understand the point of these features? Is there a logical flow that is easy to follow?
Are they multi-platform?
Some of the characteristics we described above are what you might describe as "soft skills". They are things you feel and are subjective. But there are some characteristics of a development company that they either offer or do not offer. One of the keys is multi-platform apps. As Android occupies an incredible 86% of the market you need to ask yourself whether a single platform Apple app is enough?
When deciding on an outfit to go for, you can use this article as a short of checklist. Do they tick all the boxes? Finally, look at the offer holistically, some developers will charge rock bottom prices at the expense of quality of feedback. However, that doesn't mean that the highest offer is the best. When faced with a dilemma on price always remember that past performance is the best indicator of future performance.
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