The growing popularity of mobile apps has compelled businesses to use enterprise-level mobile app to capture the attention of their consumers. As a result, thousands of companies develop their mobile app each year. But before hiring an app development agency, you must ask the right questions before you make the big investment.
When people spend 88% of their time on mobile apps, mobile apps for business are no longer a choice; it becomes necessary.
Choosing the right-fit mobile app development agency is a real challenge. The company must understand the dynamics of your business and use it to develop a successful app. As an enterprise, you must avoid the headache, time, and energy required to select the right agency for your project.
Don’t rush towards hiring any app development company; instead, spend some time thoroughly understanding the various aspects of the company before you hire them. Let’s consider the critical elements that you must consider through the decision process.
Let us consider the various factors that’ll help you choose your business’s right mobile app development company.
How To Choose Your Next Mobile App Development Agency?
1. Portfolio
It’s vital to ask about the last few projects that the agency has done. It’ll help you decide whether the agency is right for you or not. Go through their portfolio and see if you can download any of the apps that they developed. Look at the reviews of those apps and notice feedback from users. Be alert of those companies who don’t have a proven portfolio in the app store.
Delivery time of projects? What about the challenges and how they resolved them? These basic insights will help you determine the reliability and efficiency of the agency. Often firms that follow agile development follow an organized app development process.
A professional app development agency will not just deliver an app; they’ll guide you throughout the process based upon their experience of developing similar apps. Look for a company that has developed apps in a similar niche.
2. Expertise
It is vital to know that the company you choose understands the basic and complex functionality of the app. They must be skilled enough to develop the proposed feature and suggest relevant frameworks. Moreover, it is necessary to check that their developed app is compatible with current systems and workflows.
3. Price
A professional mobile app development agency might be expensive. Don’t let that price drive you. For a mobile app, you don’t need a cheap product; you require an outclass product that showcases quality.
It’s smart to fix a budget before you start the project. Agreeing to mutual terms will make the process smooth for both parties.
A survey revealed that the cost of developing a simple app is around $40,000 – $60,000, while a little complex app can be created for $61,000 – $120,000. And a more complicated app can be developed for $120,000+.
While you discuss the functionality and features of the project, it is worth asking about the price breakdown and the payment terms. Is it a full-time payment or payment at regular intervals? Will they take payments after each milestone, or will there be an extra cost for changing the features? Ensure that you know the additional development costs that might exceed your budget.
4. Platform
If you know the platform on which you need an app, that’s awesome; otherwise, the app development agency might be able to guide you. You can either have the app developed for one platform or multiple platforms, be clear when communicating with the company.
Look for a company that is well-versed in cross-platform app development. Whether it is Andoird app development or iOS, you must rely fully on the company that provides guidelines for each platform based upon their experience.
5. Your Involvement
Regardless of the company’s years of experience, a good app won’t be developed until you are involved in the creation process. It’s important to understand that you are paying for the app, and you have to dictate the terms, features, and restrictions you want in the app. What will be your involvement in the process?
There will be several iterations in the app development process that’s why your involvement is necessary.
6. Communication
What is their preferred way of communication? What methods are used before starting the project, during the delivery, and after the delivery? You need an agency that keeps you up to date with the progress of the project once a week. Smooth communication between the client and the development team is vital.
Make a note of how frequently they are replying to your phone calls or email messages. Judge their interest by the way they describe the problem or propose the solution. If they are not active during the initial phase, it is a clear indication of how they will perform during the project. Pick a company that tries to develop a relationship with you – a professional relationship where both of you can share ideas openly.
Inquire about the tools that they will use to track the progress of the project. The project management team should give you access to their project management tools to easily track the project’s progress and meet the deadlines.
7. Project Timeline
Ensure that you know the estimated timeline on which the project will be completed. Moreover, how many tasks is the company working on, and what is the priority of your project?
Find out if your project has dedicated resources assigned to it. With dedicated help, it’s safe to consider that the project will meet the deadline. And with a dedicated team, you’ll be able to make the iterations and overcome the unforeseen changes in your project.
8. UI/UX Design
Coding is one aspect of the app. Other equally important aspects are design and user experience. That’s why it is necessary to keep the UI/UX principles in mind while designing the app. What are the approach of user experience and design principles of the company you are willing to select? Request for previous designs and get them to explain the reason behind its creation.
There must be a detailed explanation of your project. Ask them how they will proceed with the project and suggest a smarter approach to speed things up. In some cases, you need to point the company in the right direction. And during the creation phase, you need to check up on mockup designs to see how the app appears to the user.
9. Release
It is important to ask the company regarding the app submission policy and how they will handle the release. A professional mobile app development agency will guide you every step of the way. Look for a company that will stick with you for the whole lifecycle of the project and not abandons you in the initial development phase.
10. Maintenance
Once your app is launched on the store, there will be updates, bug fixing, and adding new features. For this reason, you must understand the maintenance and support policy. For instance, whether the company will charge an hourly rate or a monthly fee for maintenance.
Closing Thoughts
It’s okay to get overwhelmed by the various mobile app development agencies out there. That’s why it is vital to be extremely thorough and evaluate the prospective company meticulously.
A good firm will have the technical expertise, smooth communication, proven history, and passion for understanding your vision and app idea. It is important to choose a mobile app development agency wisely since the success of your app often depends on them.
