How To Hire An App Developer For Your Business?
How to find an app developer? That is the question entrepreneurs face nowadays. Apps are dominating the digital industry, which means that tapping into this market is essential. Gone is the era of cumbersome software packages shipped in bulky CD-ROMS. In this age of screens and memes, every customer has a smartphone, which means that they can carry your business in their pockets. In this scenario the best thing you can do to boost your business is hiring an app developer.
Let us speculate a little bit about how to find an app developer who will match your business needs.
So, Why Do You Need To Hire An App Developer?
It’s not necessary to hire an app developer. Some entrepreneurs with programming knowledge can create an app themselves, and this is made more comfortable with a vast array of free or paid development tools.
The problem is that most business owners either don’t have a computer background or they are unclear about what exactly they need to build the right app. Sometimes, the sheer magnitude of the project requires more than one person for the job, which means that even experts have to hire a team eventually. This is when the need to hire an app developer becomes clear.
There are three ways that you can go about when hiring an app developer:
Hiring In-House
The most common option is hiring an app developer as your team member. If there is already an existing team, the gaps in labor can be filled by conducting a job interview, picking the right person for the job, and integrating him into the workplace with his fellow co-workers. Though costly, hiring an app developer in-house is effective when it comes to small and medium businesses.
Hiring A Freelancer
Another option is hiring a freelance app developer. This method is gaining popularity today. With the onset of freelancing websites, any business owner can hire a specialist online. A major advantage of this option is the contractual nature of the agreement, which means that the owner doesn’t have to pay for vacation days, social security, and other benefits. Being cheap, however, is also a downfall, since many freelance app developers for hire out there are simply under-qualified for big jobs.Therefore, only entrepreneurs with pet projects that have a budget of less than $10,000 should go for this route.
Hiring An Outsource Team
Hiring an outsource app developer pieces together the best of both worlds. The business owner hires app developers who are employed only on a contractual basis. It’s still less expensive than getting an in-house team, and because of the group setting, the product is usually better compared to hiring a single freelancer. Furthermore, hiring an outsourcing company is completely scalable, which means that you can expand or diminish the size of the team in order to fit the exact needs of the project, thereby saving resources in the long run. It’s the most efficient solution for entrepreneurs who have moved beyond the startup phase and are ready for their big breakthrough in the market.
So, Is Hiring An App Developer Team For Outsource The Best Option?
It depends. There are a few reasons why hiring an outsourcing team is the right way to go:
Pressed For Time
App creation is a multifaceted approach that requires years of study. It’s simply not feasible to learn all of this by yourself, even if you happen to be talented in the field of programming. By hiring an app development team for outsource, you can leverage the expertise of other talents in the industry in order to create your mobile app and save yourself decades of effort in the process.
Budget Constraints
Unless you’re running a Fortune 500 business with deep pockets, you may not be able to afford having your own dedicated teams for app development. Apple reportedly has approximately 12,000 engineers working solely for them. Maintaining a private workforce like this is beyond the reach of 99% of entrepreneurs. Outsourcing an app development team is therefore the most practical solution.
Lack Of Available Talent
Specialists are difficult to come by. Even if you have your own workforce, there may not be anyone in your team who has the necessary skill to create a particular feature that you want. This is when hiring an app developer can be very rewarding. Most outsourcing companies like Savvycom have a large talent pool for you to choose from, so contracting the job is often easier than having to train a member of your own company.
Launch Deadlines
The problem with hiring a solo freelance app developer as compared to an outsourcing agency is that freelancers often work on multiple projects at a time and can overestimate their capabilities. Missed deadlines is therefore a common occurrence. On the other hand, outsourcing companies have systems in place that prevent slacking off. The larger workforce also allows them to keep things on time and on schedule.
Lack Of Clarity
Mobile app creation involves so many minutiae that it is simply beyond the capabilities of an entrepreneur to micromanage. Business owners should focus on the big picture rather than having to spend all their time nitpicking the details of an app. By simply hiring an app development team for outsource, your overall goal, you can then let them handle the implementation, freeing up your calendar for you to run the more important aspects of your business.
Overall, outsourcing your work to a remote team can be both cost-effective while still maintaining the necessary quality to make the app stand out for clients. While it may not be as cheap as hiring a solo freelance app developer, the work will progress much faster, and if you pick an agency that knows what it’s doing, then they will often come up with an elegant app that can rival the products of even the most dedicated in-house designers.
What Should I Consider When Hiring An App Developer?
Hiring an app developer can be tricky, if you do not know where to start.. Just because someone’s resume looks good on paper, doesn’t mean that he’s the right person for the job.
Ask A Friend Or Colleague For References
Experience is the best teacher, so asking friends and colleagues for any referrals is the best way to find an excellent app developer quickly. With this method, you can save a significant amount of time from having to go through hundreds if not thousands of substandard worker profiles.
Research The Hiring Platform
Quickly research through online platforms that allow you to hire app developers:
– Freelance platform Upwork.
– Design communities Dribbble and Behance.
No matter what you choose, consider the hiring platform carefully. Be especially wary of scam websites, and never put in a large down payment unless there’s an escrow or refund process involved.
Step By Step Process Of Finding App Developer
Examine The Apps Developer’s Portfolio
Don’t take chances with app developers who are still fresh from college. Of course, there are some rare instances wherein newbies might prove to be extremely skilled, but they are not the norm. Before actually hiring an app developer, take a look at the past work experience and portfolio to see how well they performed on other projects. You can get a lot from simply browsing through their previous job cases. You can get a lot from simply browsing through their website or Clutch profile.
Check Testimonials
The experience of previous clients is an invaluable factor when hiring an app developer provided that their testimonials are legitimate. It’s very easy to get fake reviews, so while testimonials may be important, they should be considered along with other factors in this list.
Discover Their Development Approach
Finding an app developer to fit your project, requires the coincidence of your development approaches. The software development life cycle is the way in which app developers divide and organize the work so that the process goes smoothly. Different teams have different methods and approaches.
Discover Technologies What They Use
Like with doctors, you ought to see if the app developer you want to hire is specialized for your project. Is your app web-based or not? What programming language do you need? Do you want a fancy graphical user interface or a basic one? The answers to these questions will narrow down the search of applicants. Remember: you don’t just want to hire a good app developer, but one that knows the particular technologies for your project.
Look Into The Culture Of The Company
This factor is critical while hiring an app developer, though many co-founders tend to skip it. Different app developers have different working atmospheres. For example, some companies function in a traditional managerial style that uses a top-down approach, with bosses at the top giving orders to their employees at the bottom. Others function on a team-based level where everyone is encouraged to speak up and contribute regardless of their rank. There are also a few that give large amounts of creative leeway to their workers with hardly any supervision. Therefore, even if a particular company has superb talent, their culture might not be a right fit for you. In order to find a good match, you have to figure out your values, ethics, expectations, goals, and personality, then make sure that the developers that you are hiring are on board with them.
Talk With The Team
Even when hiring an app development team remotely, you still have to interview team members. Testimonials and portfolio cases won’t be worth anything if the app developer is hard to deal with on a personal level. Be aware of potential difficulties or character flaws, as this might cause unexpected arguments down the road.
Keep Communications Open
The problem with hiring freelance or employee app developers is that they work remotely, which means that email and teleconferencing are often the only means of contacting them. This difficulty is further compounded if they live in different time zones. Before hiring an app developer, make sure that communication is not hampered by these logistics. It’s always best to get someone from your side of the world and agree on specific times when they are available for an update. Lastly, always make sure that communication is transparent! Agencies should be upfront with their capabilities and limitations, as well as their payment terms. Never work with anyone who seems to be hiding something.
Summary
Mobile apps form a crucial support for the backbone of your business. The good news is that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel—by hiring an app developer, you can simply tell them what you need and wait until they come up with the finished product.
Since you’ll be working on a budget, getting it right the first time is necessary, and by using the guidelines above, you should be on your way towards finding an app developer who will take your business up the notch.
