It’s no surprise if you’re interested in building a mobile app. Almost everyone has a smartphone these days, which means the market for mobile app users is larger than ever. And when there were 218 billion app downloads in 2020, people are now using smartphones for more of their daily lives.
However, it’s not easy to create an app that works. You need to learn to program yourself or find an app developer who knows how to deliver results.
The problem is finding the right person in a world where everyone can claim to be an expert developer.
That’s why you must do your due diligence when you hire a mobile app developer. Use the guide below to find the best mobile app developer for what you need.
Assess Your Needs
The first step in choosing a mobile app developer is to figure out precisely what you need. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to developing a mobile app. What you choose to do will depend on the type of application you plan to build.
Determining your exact needs will help with this process.
Are you planning to launch on several mobile platforms? If so, it probably makes more sense to work with a programming language that allows you to deploy on each one without multiple codebases. It also makes sense, in this case, to get an API to avoid writing your backend code twice.
Many other factors can play into your tech stack, so lay out all your features and prepare them for your potential app developers.
Pick the Right Type of Developer
You have a few choices for the type of developer when you outsource to a mobile app developer. Each option has different price considerations and customer experience.
The first type of developer you can hire is a freelancer. You’ll be the manager in this situation, so it’s up to you to act like a boss. You’ll provide your requirements to your freelancer and keep in touch with them during the entire process.
You can hire a development agency for the job if you want a developer from an established company. An agency will likely cost more than a freelancer, but you’ll get a more professional experience.
Your agency will handle the management of developers and the whole development process. As long as you give them your exact requirements, you’ll likely get the end result you’re looking for.
Look for Potential Integrations
You don’t have to develop an entire app from scratch anymore. Sure, you hire a developer to do everything themselves. But why do that when you can tie into countless existing services that speed up your app launch date?
Be sure to examine the services you can tie into and find a developer that knows how to use those services. Yes, it probably isn’t hard for an experienced developer to learn how to tie into things from scratch. However, you’ll get things done faster by working with someone who already knows.
Take a phone number discovery tool, for instance. You can use those services instead of building the functionality from scratch. There are many options for this, so check them out to get started now.
Check the Communication Preferences
The chances are good that your app won’t be quick to develop. It takes time to create well-functioning code and build an excellent user interface. You don’t want to rush the process and release a buggy mobile app that doesn’t meet your users’ needs.
That’s why you need to stay in contact with your mobile app developer to see how things are going. At a bare minimum, you should get regular reports detailing your developer’s accomplishments.
You may be able to test the progress yourself to see if things work as you intended.
You also don’t want to wait forever to hear back from your developer when you have questions. See if someone guarantees a turnaround time on communication requests of less than one business day.
Look at the Portfolio
A great thing about software is that you can show your work. If you build in public, you can post your software on source code repositories like GitHub to show what you can do. It’s also possible to show your finished products by linking to your past work on a website.
Because of this, most developers have portfolios of work they’ve done in the past. Look at a developer’s portfolio to see the type of work they’ve done and the companies they’ve done work for.
Ideally, the developer you hire will have worked on products with similar features to yours. This means they’ll already have experience with what you require and won’t need to learn as much from scratch.
Get References
The final step of vetting a mobile app developer is to get references from past clients. A developer that can give an excellent presentation and claim to be able to handle the job may not always tell the truth about their abilities.
Getting feedback from references is a great way to cut through the noise. Ask potential freelancers for references and if those references are willing to speak with you.
If you hire from freelance marketplaces, it’s also possible to read reviews. This is a great way to vet your freelancer options without bothering other app owners.
You’re Ready to Hire a Mobile App Developer
You’re going to spend a lot of money to get a mobile app developed. You can’t afford to cut corners with your development if you want a secure platform that serves your app users well.
That’s why you need to be careful when you hire a mobile app developer. Use the guide above to choose a mobile app developer with the expertise you need to develop your new app properly.
Do you want to learn how to make your new mobile app known after getting it developed? Check out the blog to find advertising tips that will help.
