Did you know that 88% of mobile phone time is spent on using apps?
When it comes to mobile app development, companies – start-ups, entrepreneurs, etc. – understand the need for more effective apps in the mobile world. That means that investments are being made to creating a game changer in the mobile app industry.
In that case, a mobile app needs to be effective to clients, thus ensuring a company’s business success. When clients are happy with using the app on their mobile devices, then the app company has succeeded in creating an effective app. Therefore, it’s important for clients to pick the right mobile app development company to product a good-working app to ensure the success of the client company.
With that in mind, here are 5 ways to determine what mobile app development company is right for you:
- Know Your Business Needs
First and foremost, it’s important to know your company from the inside and out. In fact, every business will have their own needs when it comes to creating products and services. In other words, if you’re looking to have an app, have a reason why you want one. Not having a concrete plan for an app will only give you one that’s the bare minimum.
Remember: Clients won’t tap on an app just because. The truth is, only 40% of smartphone users will search for apps in an app store. So, you must give a reason why they should tap the app. That means having your needs met by looking at the context of your business, along with the goals and challenges. Otherwise, your client will either look past your app, go to your competitors, or both.
With that said, when picking an app company to work with, see if they satisfy the following needs:
- Custom Development
Your app must be unique to your brand. Be sure that your mobile app development company can deliver that uniqueness, when they create your app.
- UI And UX
Mobile apps need to be optimized with a working user interface (UI) and a great user experience (UX). It’s been stated that while 44.1% of users use desktops and laptops, with 4.2% using tablets, around 51.6% use smartphones. So, when an app is mobile-friendly, users will most likely stick around and use it further. Not having an app mobile-friendly can be detrimental to your business endeavors.
- Web-Based Design
Make no mistake: Apps have already taken the world by storm, as more and more people are spending more time on their smartphones. So, when it comes to the design that you want for your app, you’ll need to look into what your business is about. Consider these statistics when thinking about web-based design:
- Video apps: 66%
- Social media platform: 10%
- Audio apps: 2%
- File saving: 1%
While some of these genres are appropriate for some companies, they might not be so for others. For example, if your company uploads videos (i.e. tutorials, testimonials, etc.), then the app development company should be able to design an app that allows your company to upload videos with ease. Otherwise, if your company is an audio podcast, then a video platform may or may not be the best design for you.
Remember: Think about UI and UX when thinking about web design in an app before hiring a mobile app development company.
- Porting
To port an app, according to Techopedia, is to change software programming to let the program run with a different operating system, versus the one that was originally designed. While there are different reasons and benefits of getting an app-porting service, there are sometimes instances when your business simply needs to port or migrate apps from one OS to another (This is especially the case, if you want to make your app available on different operating systems and devices).
For example, if you’re looking to get your app on the Google Play Store (Android) or on the App Store (iOS), then consider these statistics:
- The Google Play Store currently has 56 million apps available.
- The App Store currently has 1.85 million apps.
Your best bet is to get into each market with your app. Therefore, be sure to address this with the mobile app company that you plan to hire; in this way, they can help you increase your exposure by creating an app that gets you to more consumers and fast.
- Testing
As always, it’s important that you make sure that an app company tests your app before you can launch it. During the testing, the following processes will be involved:
- Debugging
- Addressing glitches
- Speed runs
When these issues are addressed in time, that reduces the risks of the app failing at launch.
- Consultation
Finally, you’ll need an app company that can create a bridge between your company’s vision and reality. As mentioned before, there are some genres of apps that might not be for everyone. So, when you work with a mobile app development company, then they can give you a consultation on what kind of app is right for your business.
- Do Your Homework
Don’t let this tip slip past you, because you need to know who you’ll work with, when it comes time to choose an app developer. Once you have your business needs in mind, do your research on the various app companies that you look up online. That means observing the following traits when researching app companies:
- Quality
An app development company should do the following, when it comes to quality:
- Understand your company’s vision
- Understand your company’s needs
- Be able to use their expertise and experience to create an app, AND
- Practice quality checks
- Agility
Agility is about establishing an effective collaboration between a client, the end-user, and the cross-functional teams in their base. This ensures that the project is done on time, and an app is delivered on time.
- Confidentiality
A crucial point in the app development industry, an app development company must practice confidentiality, when it comes to creating and delivering an app to a client. Since businesses are competing against each other to earn and keep more consumers, an app developer must treat their client’s information and plans as confidential. Any leak of this information can be detrimental to companies on both sides of the collaboration.
- Latest Tech
You’ll also need to make sure that your chosen app developer knows how to bring an app to the Internet of Things (IoTs), since 31 billion IoT devices have been used as of 2020, with that number projected to grow in the coming years. By catering to the latest technology, developers can create an app that reaches more consumers.
- Case Studies
When searching for someone to hire, you would look to the reviews and case studies, right? Well, the same is true for app developers. So, don’t be afraid to research how app developers do business with online clients. Keep the following objectives in mind:
- What are some of the case studies from app developers that had stood out for you?
- How good are the app developers to their clients? (In other words, what do other clients say about the developers? Check their reviews and testimonials!)
- What kind of rating(s) do app developers have online?
- Do app developers have an online portfolio (or a social media page, maybe) that showcases their work(s)?
Looking at their case studies will show you if whether or not they’re the right app developer for your business.
- Reputation
Going back to case studies, both those and reputation go hand-in-hand. Therefore, you can’t waste your time and money on an app development company that’s scarred with a bad reputation. That means that you can’t risk hiring developers that are incompetent at their jobs.
- Look For Innovation
Obviously, users will want to see more innovation, thanks to the rise of IoTs. Therefore, users will expect innovation from your app.
As you work to meet the expectations of the consumers, you must also make sure that your app developer brings their expectations to life. As mentioned before, more and more people are using smartphones and IoTs, which means that many of them spend the most time on certain apps like:
- Instant messaging
- Maps
- Photos and videos
- Music streaming
- Gaming, AND
- Weather forecasting
So, in response to this rise in innovative trends, make sure that the app developer creates an app that does some of the following (if not all of them):
- Meets people’s daily needs
- Is compatible with AI and ML
- Is compatible with wearable devices
- Is compatible with IoTs
- Enables augmented reality, AND
- Makes coding less complicated
- Look At Pricing
Believe it or not, pricing is another factor to consider when choosing an app developer. In fact, the following things can determine the cost of hiring an app developer:
- Who(m) is responsible for building your app
- How the app will get built, AND
- What you want the app to do
Plus, it’s estimated that the normal costs of hiring an app developer is $1,000 and $100,000. Therefore, you’ll need to set up a budget beforehand, and then scout out the best app developers that will work with your budget.
Now, when getting a quote from a list of prospective app developers, focus on the features before looking at the price. In other words, only having your eyes set on a “cheaper” option can be detrimental to you and your business. Sometimes, “cheaper” options can force you to be delivered a poor-quality app. Plus, you might end up paying twice the price for one app developer if your first choice isn’t able to deliver a promising app.
So, when looking at pricing – a price that best suits your budget – ALSO look at the features.
- Look For Clear And Effective Communication
Finally, communication is key, when working with a mobile app developer. Reliable communication ensures that both you and the app company are always on the same page, so that your business can thrive. In other words, make sure that the developer has a customer support system in place (i.e. a hotline, a chatbot, reliable emails and phone numbers, etc.).
For example, say that your app is running into bug issues, and your consumers are concerned about what to do. So, it’s important to be able to escalate these issues to your app developer, and have them resolve the issues as fast as possible, for the sake of your consumers. If your app developer can’t do any of that, or if they do a poor job resolving any issues in an app, then their incompetency will tarnish your business’s reputation.
Plus, the app developer should have a team of experts that can give suggestions on what your app should like – again, be able to give you a consultation on your app. By establishing effective communication, you and the app developer can put together an app that can help your company be successful app-wise.
BONUS: Get The Source Code
Wait! Let’s not forget about the source code!
Codebots defines the source code as a “set of instructions” that a computer program must follow; the same is true for apps. In short, the source code is a program’s “DNA.” With that said, you should never sign a contract with any mobile app development company without getting the source code from them first. Why? It’s important to keep the source code for every product that you create, as well as for other future purposes. And, the source code is a lifesaver whenever there’s a time when your business must switch to another developer for any reason whatsoever.
Conclusion
Once you establish your business needs, and what you want out of a mobile app, you’ll be able to hire the right company to develop your app. It’s one of the biggest choices that you and your business will have to make marketing-wise, financially, and based on feedback from the people that you’ll eventually serve – your clients (the consumers).
Therefore, it’s important to make a careful investment in a mobile app development company that can create an effective app for your business. By keeping these 5 considerations in mind, you’ll make a great decision on which mobile app development company that you choose to work with.
Michael Dehoyos is a writer and editor at Write my thesis. As a web developer, he helps companies improve their marketing strategies and concepts.
