The right app can change a business or become a profitable business itself.
Injecting an app that addresses the specific needs in a market or solves a business issue leads to two major benefits: first, the timely resolution of a pain point and second, the personal fulfillment of being a problem solver. Plus there’s good money involved!
The common problem, however, is that even if you may understand the app idea conceptually, you may not have the technical skills set to create one. If the app idea is to going to see the light of day, hiring someone who understands how to code is the only option.
The good news is that finding an app developer is not that hard. Finding the right one, though, can be tricky if one doesn’t know where to look and what to look out for.
At Denali7, we’re committed to providing cross-platform mobile app development to your business. Below are some ideas on how to hire an app developer that will help start the process of looking for an app developer on the right footing.
1. Define the type of developer
An online search such as ‘app developers for hire’ will provide loads of places to start from. But for many people, experience finding the right person to develop the app is not always that simple.
As a person who intends to make a hire, the foremost thing is to communicate effectively by defining expectations for the hire.
That means one would then be able to effectively communicate to the hire precisely what the scope of work is, what they want and expect from them. Often times, settling for the first guy who comes along is never the solution. Trying the level best to find a suitable developer even if it means waiting a little longer is more likely to yield success.
Given that one will be working with the hire for a considerable amount of time and paying lots of money for their skillset, matched needs will prove beneficial to both parties.
Matched expectations in the kind of app developer one is looking for may be as simple as:
- Adequate proof that they are skilled in the coding language of required
- A decent track record with clients they have handled before, and testimonials from these clients
- Commitment to starting and seeing a job through
- Giving timely updates on agreed timelines
- A good communicator on issues arising or when clarification is needed
While the primary need is to get the app done, one has to consider that this is a collaboration and the relationship between an individual and the hire needs to be as smooth as can be.
Apart from finding the right person for the job, their skills should also be complemented by other desirable traits that will make the relationship work. This point cannot be overstated.
As one can imagine, it’s very unpleasant to get to the midpoint of the app development process only to part ways before the job is done because of scuffles over time management and other issues.
While there are no guarantees as to how the collaboration pans out, evaluating a potential hire based on business needs will help mitigate hiring a mismatch and increase the chances of seeing the job through to completion. With a platform like Denali7, you can select the services that are best-suited to your needs and we will match you with a developer with the skills set for your project.
2. Have a grasp on the type of app to be built
Although one may or may not know code, it’s imperative to have a thorough grasp on the type of app to be developed. Knowing precisely what the app is and what it should do in great detail will help achieve a desirable outcome. This can help form a requirements document or list, that gives the app developer a clear idea of what’s needed.
In most cases, an app will either be a new start up company in itself or it can be for an existing business. Many individuals know that the solution to a business problem or enhancement of a service will be solved by their app, but their familiarity with the technical side may be lacking. But this can be remedied with a bit of research on the subject in respect to the type of app that one would like developed. This will also help to understand how long it would take as well as inform the overall cost of developing such an app.
Getting a good degree of knowledge on what one wants developed is crucial to bringing the app idea to fruition.
3. Have a budget in mind
With an inkling to the type of app one needs developed, the individual may have a rough idea as to what it might cost.
Like most services or products, app development will range in cost based on many factors. Chief among them is the simplicity or complexity of the app. So, if one would like a simple app such as a calculator, they can expect the cost to be much lower because it’s an app that has basic functions and can be built using pre-existing libraries of code, with a bit of tweaking.
On the other hand, if the app idea is complex, it will require a lot of coding and much more involvement in developing it. In some cases, maintenance of the app may be a necessity. Complex apps will often need to function on a network and be hosted, which requires a separate set of skills and work to build and maintain.
Some examples that constitute as complex features are:
- GPS/Location tracking
- Payment gateways
- Multi-platform support
- Integration with third party apps
- Privacy or security requirements/compliance built natively on the app
If the app being built is complex, then the client can expect that it may take a longer time and will be significantly costly. The best approach to the budget is to set aside money for the basics like the app’s core features. Slowly scale it up and increase the budgetary allocation as the components to build the app increase. It’s important to know that there’s no fixed budget in such a case but one can work with a range.
4. Job boards and social media
Having laid down what the business needs are, the kind of person one would like to hire, the type of app to be developed, and the budget they are prepared to work with, it’s time to look for the right person for the job. While a good place to start is on web service portals such as Upwork, Fiverr, TopTal, Reddit, and LinkedIn to name a few, these services can often be unreliable.
Posting in one of these communities or job boards will get some responses, but it’s usually better to reach out to a software and app development company so you can be more sure of the skills of your developer.
When hiring an app developer from a more reliable company, you can reach an understanding with the app developer hire that is based on trust. If you use social media or job boards and it doesn’t work, there’s no recourse other than to move on having lost cash and time depending on what the arrangement was.
6. Create a friendly interview environment
Over and above laying out one’s expectation when looking for an app developer hire is to find a friendly but professional person that one can get along with. This means the client must create a conducive environment for the hire to feel comfortable. The interview process whether written or face to face will help both parties to have a feel of each other’s disposition. During this interview process, it’s important to test both soft skills and hard skills such as by offering programming quizzes, or sample assignments. This helps to thoroughly vet the candidate.
Thanks to the internet, having a chat with a potential hire face to face is pretty easy and is most recommended. This enables one to have a fair assessment of the person by general disposition over and above their technical qualifications.
Someone who meets the skill set but also provides creative input to an initial app concept, and has a generally friendly disposition will most likely turnout to be a good hire and easy to work with.
Talk to us at Denali7 to get started with your app developer.
Freelance app developers vs app development companies
Even hiring from the best regulated web service site such as Upwork involves some element of risk. They also ensure their pool of technical niche freelancers are qualified for the expertise they claim to have and will also act as an arbitrator for the employer and freelancer in the event of any disputes so no either party loses money unjustly.
But not all Job boards are well governed since most have no arbitrator. Although hiring a freelancer tends to be a cheaper option through these means, it does not always guarantee the results one desires.
So, if the app one would like developed is fairly sophisticated, hiring an app development company may be the better option.
The risks of not the seeing the job through are minimal and with an app development company, one can easily vet their track record and ability to deliver. They also tend to have a higher level of professionalism as compared to an individual freelancer.
Developing a complex app may be significantly more expensive when using an app development company compared to a freelancer. The upside is that is that one can be assured that the job will be done to completion. When it comes to app development, it’s better to have it done right the first time and within a stipulated time for a premium price. Other advantages of choosing to work with app development company are as follows:
- Have a lot of resources at their disposal such as teams for design, maintenance and so forth
- Can work with varied technology stacks and languages
- Have a long list of proof on projects they have worked on and can easily demonstrate their ability to deliver
- They provide clear quotations based on your app needs
- They are reliable
When professional work is needed, an app development company may be the way to go. But that’s not to say that freelancers are not as good, it simply means that it may be harder to get the right one.
Find out more about Denali7 and our happy clients here.
Final thoughts
Just like various commodities and services will have vary in pricing, so will app development. Services will be charged based on the needs of a client. As we have established, the cost of an app will be dependent on complexity.
Irrespective of the level of complexity, a business person would want their app developed by someone who understands the desired end result. That can only happen if one takes the time to choose a competent app developer within their budget.
The budget one has may only allow sourcing for a freelancer. In this case, the individual may need to be more intense and thorough in their vetting process. Alternatively, highly complex apps may call for an app development company that has adequate resources to deliver results within a reasonable time. But this can be more expensive.
There is a lot that goes into getting the right hire for developing an app, concentrating on the above points will certainly help avoid some common pitfalls. Check out our portfolio and services to get started with Denali7.
