Specific considerations that must be made when hiring a mobile app developer
Any mobile app developer will tell you: building a mobile app is not a project that just starts and stops on the drop of a dime. Constructing a usable, well-made app is an ongoing project that requires effective levels of support and close collaboration between the client and mobile app developer. Frequent updates and new versions are also required as the technological landscape changes. Bringing a successful app to life requires a large set of skills, from marketing savvy to UI/UX design experience and even the ability to work with different types of code.
Before setting out to hire a mobile app developer, it’s critical that you do your homework. Consider how much you’re willing to pay for the project and set a budget that provides plenty of wiggle room. Among these encompassing concerns are other considerations. Will the entity you choose to work with operate in a native operating system or do they plan on utilizing cross-platform software? Are they creating a design template from scratch or are the integrations entirely new? These kinds of questions need to be answered before any app development project gets off the page.
How to define what the mobile app developer will be doing
There are various design phases that go into building an app. A mobile app developer is required to address everything from design to coding to APIs and much more. Back-end integration needs and testing should also factor into a mobile app developer’s overall strategy.
The key to ensuring all of this is outlined and ready to go lies in establishing solid project guidelines and parameters. Work with your mobile app developer to hammer out both an appropriate budget and timeline governing the various aspects of your project. Establishing basic guidelines allows your developer to provide accurate estimates and actionable figures.
Platform and programming language considerations
The mobile app developer you work with should also focus on the intricacies of the platform in question and the programming languages being used. For example, if you want an app coded in Swift 3, your mobile app developer will need to be well-versed in Swift 3’s latest iterations. App programming languages are not static and the developer you work with should know this.
Furthermore, what platform are you targeting – or are you targeting all of them? Whether it be Android, iOS, Windows, or cross-platform, these considerations must be outlined ahead of time. Are there any API integrations, target audience considerations, or design specifications – from font to logos and color palette – that must be considered?
Why platform choice is so important to project scope and cost
We want to spend another moment talking about platform of choice, as this is a huge determinant of the project’s overall scope and cost. If you are creating a native app, it will consign you to a specific platform. Codebase written for a certain platform will only work with that platform. However, when you create an app designed to function on multiple platforms, expect an increase in delivery time and budget.
Apps designed to work on the web or on multiple platforms are simply more time-consuming and resource intensive than apps designed to work on only one device. Conversely, cross-platform apps might run a bit slower and will require optimization for each device or OS version. The upside about a cross-platform or hybrid app is that many of them can be built within common coding technological structures, such as HTML, CSS, and/or JavaScript.
When hiring a mobile app developer, these are just a few of the things that you need to consider. In future blogs, we will get into other considerations, such as project complexity, typical rates charged, developer experience and location, and many more. As premier mobile app developers, these are topics that are near and dear to our heart. To learn more about other aspects of mobile app development that we’re passionate about, simply follow this link.