You’ve finally decided to bite the bullet and hire an app development company to turn your fantastic idea into a killer mobile app. Still, with so many options out there, how do you as a start-up founder decide which company to use? Should you opt for the dynamic and eager young team whose office is based in a gentrified loft? Or what about that huge Silicon Valley conglomerate that has app software packages pre-priced at set fees?
All too often, start-up founders focus on cost when they weigh the qualities of an agile app development company and neglect the characteristics that ultimately mean far more. Here are seven characteristics that can make or break your app.
Here are seven characteristics that can make or break your app.
1. Are they a Solid Company with a positive and verifiable record?
2. How will they work with your team and manage the progress of your project?
3. Are they open to new ideas (and to your ideas and needs)?
4. How will they care for your end-users initially and over the long haul as technology adapts?
5. Do they have your security – and that of your end-users – in mind?
6. Check for professional certifications and any relevant memberships.
7. Finally, don’t neglect to check online reviews.
1. Are they a Solid Company with a positive and verifiable record?
In this day and age, you probably wouldn’t hire a plumber without checking business reviews, yet all too often, founders entrust the survival of their companies to fledging app developers without so much as a reference check. Don’t make that mistake: do your due diligence. Here are a few things to consider:
- Make certain the app development company you are considering has a legitimate business address and a strong portfolio.
- Ask for references from – and follow up with – their previous clients. Of course, ask those clients about the quality of their finished product. Don’t neglect to ask them about quality of the relationship. Was communication good? Did the development company hit their deadlines? How did they handle conflict? Would they use them again?
2. How will they work with your team and manage the progress of your project?
App development is give-and-take. Communication is key to keep the project running smoothly and on time. Your team has the idea and understands how it should function for your clients. The app development company you hire has the technical expertise to bring it to life. As you move through development, there should be a transparent and respectful flow of information between both parties. There should also be an established timeline that is adhered to by both.
Among the things to consider:
- Will you have a dedicated project manager?
- Will you have regularly scheduled meetings?
- What type of project management tools do they use, and will your team have access to them?
- How is regular communication handled?
- Will communication flow through the project manager, or will your team talk directly with the developers?
- How are changes handled?
- How is quality checked?
3. Are they open to new ideas (and to your ideas and needs)?
All too often, some successful app development firms are locked into rigid processes. While this template-driven development plan allows them to hit deadlines on schedule, it might make them unwilling to look outside the box to develop a creative solution that fits your needs.
- The app development firm should be the experts. They should be willing to take the time to understand your business and what you want your app to accomplish. (That applies to how that app should work for your customers and how it fits into your business plan.)
- They should then take that critical information and use it to execute a high-end optimization that delivers exactly what you need now and anticipates how it can be built on in the future.
- Most importantly, they should be able to do this even if you as a client don’t know exactly what that entails or how to ask for it.
4. How will they care for your end-users initially and over the long haul as technology adapts?
Customer service is a lost art in today’s world; be known for it if you want to stay ahead of your competition. Ultimately, how your app functions for end-users is the main component of solid customer service in the digital space.
- Make certain that your app development company has a solid quality control process on the front end to avoid releasing an app with bugs.
- It’s your relationship with your developer over time that is most critical. Be aware that updates are inevitable – every platform updates software regularly. Your app needs to adapt to those updates to function well.
- Ensure the company you hire has an update and maintenance plan in place to regularly address ongoing issues.
5. Do they have your security – and that of your end-users – in mind?
In this day and age, data integrity is vital to your success. If customers don’t believe you will keep their data safe, they won’t download your app.
- For your safety, use a comprehensive legal contract that protects your intellectual property during the development process and after your business relationship ends.
- Make certain that the app development company you enlist is using industry standard best practices and keeps up with evolving technology to ensure data safety.
- They should put your app through required app store approval processes.
- They should establish user identification, authorization and authentication procedures, encrypt customer data, and secure APIs.
- Ongoing security testing is essential to meet threats as they arise.
6. Check for professional certifications and any relevant memberships.
7. Finally, don’t neglect to check online reviews.
While the anonymity of online reviews makes them less trustworthy (because you can’t tell whether a review is from a genuine client or an unscrupulous competitor) if you see a troubling pattern, don’t hesitate to ask about it.
- Are they willing to give your company complete intellectual property and source code ownership? You’ve already invested a lot of time, effort, and money in the idea for and the research behind your app. Don’t waste your time by pursuing a business relationship with an app development company that is not willing to give you complete ownership of your own app if and when your business relationship ceases.
- Have they successfully created apps with similar technical requirements before? While even experienced companies need to learn how to execute new applications in a continually evolving technological landscape, you don’t necessarily want them learning on your project.
- Ask their software engineers if they’ve handled projects of your size and scale that provide a similar end-user experience.
- Make certain they have a developer experienced in the platform you want to use (iOS and/or Android).
- Ask whether they’ll have a complete team of additional developers (backend developer, UX designer, project architect, project manager) dedicated to your project.
- Remember, there can be a high rate of employee turnover in app development companies. Ask if they have qualified staff who can step in to handle your project if a key team member leaves their firm.
Don’t make the mistake that sabotages far too many start-ups! To select the right agile app development company for your killer app, consider more than price. If you focus only on the bottom line, your app may fall far short of it’s goals – and kill your business plan! When you’re ready to work with a firm that will meet the requirements we discussed while exceeding your expectations, contact us today! We are here to learn how we can help your company grow.