Since mobile app development has already become part and parcel of business promotion and marketing strategies across all industry niches, expert app development companies face high demand worldwide. But the question is how to hire a mobile app development company that perfectly fulfills the project requirements. Or, to put it in a better way, what are the key considerations for hiring an app development company.
In the context of the USA, making such a choice is even more difficult simply because the country, as the leading software development market, offers an awesome range of choices, including many of the world’s top development companies as well as promising startups. Knowing the most important parameters and considerations for hiring an app development company is crucial.
Check out the portfolio first.
The first and foremost consideration should be the development company’s prior track record and experience. Instead of taking the value number of years denoting the experience at face value, go deeper into their actual portfolio of app projects and figure out their development capabilities.
The first thing to ask them about the representative app products they consider showcasing for evaluation. Instead of taking their versions seriously, you need to install a few of these apps and see how they look, feel, and perform. This will give you a first-hand idea of their capabilities.
As the logical next step, you can just contact some of their clients and ask about their experience working on the app project. Sometimes, the app development can be exceptional, but the client can cite several other issues corresponding to the process, communication, cost, development time, etc. This is why interview8ng previous clients, at least a few of them, is so important.
Operating System (OS) platforms they build for
The second important consideration is to understand the core expertise of the company and whether they are primarily an iOS or Android development company or whether they master cross-platform app projects. You can also figure this out from their previous experience and portfolio and check their developers’ track record and skill set. Based upon their platform specialization or expertise, you can further zero down to the respective technology stack.
It would be wise to remember that development companies also evolve over the years and can change gears to turn their earlier native development expertise into cross-platform development. So, the time portfolios of previous projects may not provide a clear picture of their capabilities.
Development process
Another key consideration for choosing the right development company for your app project is going deeper into their app development process. Do they adhere to the tested and tried development process and methodology, from identifying the development issue to creating a detailed requirement document to Wireframing and prototyping to core development to testing and deployment? This is a crucial aspect to judge their development process.
You should also consider whether they are completely versed with the latest development methodologies such as DevOps, Rapid App Development (RAD), agile development, etc. A company with no idea about these emerging methodologies may deliver an app with outdated user experience attributes. Since incremental feedback-based development is extremely popular now, you must check whether they have any understanding of the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) app development approach.
How do they accommodate communication and iteration?
Another crucial consideration is how they allow communication during development and whether they are okay with in-project iteration to accommodate client suggestions? Make sure the company follows a proper protocol to allow customer feedback and communication in times of need. Since communication between developers and clients plays a crucial role in shaping the success potential of an app, this has become a key consideration.
You can get a first-hand sense of their communication by checking the frequency of their replies when the hiring process is going on. Do they provide valuable suggestions frequently to improve the app idea and its execution? From their communication, you also need to judge whether they are perfect for building a long-term association or partnership for the project.
App Maintenance & Updates
No app is built once and for all. Every app needs to go through a series of updates and maintenance. The development companies generally take care of the app maintenance, and hence, you need to check their potential for long-term support and maintenance for the project. Check the company’s policy regarding maintenance support and releasing app updates.
Now consider asking them about the post-development support, bug fixing, value additions through new features and UI design changes, and other required updates. Remember, post-development support and app maintenance are the most important deliverables that must feature in a big way for hiring any development company.
Owning the app’s codebase
Every app must ensure that the core codebase remains fully protected under intellectual property rights. Your app is an intellectual product that needs to be secured from plagiarism and duplication by others. Since you are outsourcing the project instead of hiring the development team in-house, you need to make sure that the core codebase of the app remains under your ownership.
Summing It Up
If you have already observed, we just skipped the cost consideration altogether simply because it should only come at the last to pick up a development company among the equals. When all considerations are researched and done, you need to look for a better value proposition for the development budget. This is an implied aspect of any hiring process.
