For your business to do better, you need a new mobile app. But you should know why you need it and what features it needs to have to help you reach your goals. Then, decide where to find a good developer, what tasks are most important, and how long the whole process should take. That’s why you should make a list of questions ahead of time that you want the potential developer you want to hire to answer.
What an App Development Process for Mobiles Means and How It Works
Tablets and smartphones need different kinds of mobile apps that work with their features. The most important thing is that the app should work on small screens on small devices. But such an app should also be like the ones you already use on your desktop and on the web.
The development process differs very much because a new app should make use of the features that have already been developed for the mobile platform, such as an iPhone accelerometer for gaming.
The app should work with the built-in features and apps of both iOS, which is used by Apple, and Android, which is made by Google. iOS, for example, has a full web browser and the Apple App Store, while Android has the Google Play Store.
What are the most important questions to ask a company that makes mobile apps?
You may have already decided that you need a mobile app for your business. The next step for this project is to find a good development company. Talk to some developers or companies and try to find out as much as you can about them so you can decide if they can do what you need. Before you talk to a potential developer, you should already have a list of important questions you want to ask them. Here are some suggestions.
Is it better to have an app for Android or iOS?
Start by deciding whether you want to make an app for iOS or Android first. Think about the number of target users on each of these platforms, how often they utilize their mobile devices, and how complex the project should be to fit your budget. Talk to experts and marketers if you can’t decide on your own. The software company’s specialists can help you a lot because if you continue the cooperation with them they will know for sure what your requirements are.
Find out everything you can about both the iOS and Android app stores. You need to find out how well they can tell users about the app.
How much does it cost to make a mobile app?
The price of the development is essential for every client. You should clear up this point with the developer you want to hire. The problem is that you will never pay a set price because it depends on a lot of things. They include:
– the complexity of the app involving its users’ ability to create profiles, communicate in different ways, pay for extensions, products, or services via the app, and other consumer-related features;
– a set of additional features, the amount of data in databases, compliance with servers, efficiency of customer support, the choice of domain hosting, and availability of automatic updates.
Thus, how much does it cost to build a mobile app? The cost of the simplest app can be about $50,000-$100,000, while marketplace and E-commerce apps can cost you $200,000-$1,500,000, depending on thor additional functionality.
The price also depends on what kind of developer it is and how it does its job. In-house and outsourcing teams will cost you different amounts of money. The app prices may also differ depending on the platform they are developed for – iOS or Android. On the website of your potential developer, you can use a cost estimator to see if the company’s services fit your budget. You can also talk about the quote directly with the administration.
Remember that the quote may also include the cost of testing and maintenance after the product is made. This is a very important thing to think about because you will need this help for at least two months after the app is done.
How does your company help people?
Get to know the potential developing company as closely as you can. The first step in carrying out this plan is to talk to a representative about why you should choose their company and what possible benefits you might get. This can be one of the first or last questions you ask at the end of your talk. Think ahead of time about what you would like to get as a bonus. You might want discounts, professional explanations of all the steps, or to see a list of their past projects and how they turned out. You could also ask them what they think of the way you make custom mobile apps. In any case, their answers will help you decide.
You can also think about the questions about the skills, experience, and new ideas of the developers. Don’t be afraid to ask them, then.
What projects from the past are you happy with?
This question is interconnected with the previous one. You may want to understand how much experience and expertise a developing company can contribute to your project. So, ask them about the projects they are most proud of from the past that turned out to be a huge success. You could also look for this information on their website if you’d like to. So, look at their awards, directories, and referrals more closely. If you see such titles as Wirehive 100, US App, DADI, or Webby, you can be sure that you have arrived at the right place.
During the first talk, you can also tell them about other awards and accomplishments. Managers who are willing to show proof of their success will show that you can trust this developer completely.
How long does it take to make an app for a mobile phone?
Every client is very interested in the answer to the question, “How long does it take to build a mobile app?” You do not want to wait for your project to get ready for years or months. Keep in mind that the process of making a mobile app should take between 3 and 9 months. It depends on how hard your app is to make and how many extra features you want to add. If the manager promises the project completed within a month or several weeks, do not trust such a company – you won’t get any satisfactory results from such hassle.
It is better if the representative can explain to you the duration of every stage. For example, it might take 1-2 weeks to write a project brief with an estimated budget and delivery date, set goals and metrics, and put together a non-disclosure agreement and a request for proposals.
It could take another 5–6 weeks to talk about research ideas, make a prototype, finish user stories, and get the MVP (minimum viable product).
You should also consider the time needed for the following steps:
– designing mockups and prototyping (6-12 weeks);
– app developing and coding (6-12 weeks);
– delivery and launch at app stores (more than 2 weeks) (more than 2 weeks).
You should provide such essential details as your company’s contact information to receive app features screenshots, detailed descriptions of every component, presentations of app icons, and video demonstration of the app’s performance. They will be helpful for your app’s successful appearance and availability in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.
In its first two months of use, the app will also need to be checked for bugs, improvements, and changes. So, you will need to find out the answer to one more question.
You make apps. Do you test them?
You should make sure that your app works well. That’s why it needs to be tested while it’s being used. Find out more about the testing process, like how much testing they do during the development process, how they test prototypes, designs, and wireframes, and what they do about that during the first phase of launching.
You might also be interested in what you find out at the end of the testing process, how true it seems to users, and how well the developer can change the app based on what users say in their feedback. When making changes to how the app works, you should also think about your marketing strategy, the type of business you have, how your customers act, and any other marketing-related factors.
You can ask the developer what kinds of problems you might run into and how they solve problems that come up during or right after the development process. Obviously, you should also ask if these changes will cost you any extra money.
How do you manage the process of making an app?
The question of ‘How will the app development project be managed?’ is also very important. You may need to know what to expect from the app development process and its results before the final product is released.
So, you have to think about how the company’s representatives will handle this process at every stage of its growth. Such stages of management as making a project brief, developing the design, improving the app, and further maintenance can be of special interest to you.
Make inquiries about the type of project management methodology the company uses – Agile or Waterfall. You should keep in mind that the Agile method doesn’t require too much time and work to make changes, while the Waterfall method gives each team member more detailed tasks to make the development go faster.
How Can I Launch My App via the App Store?
You should also predict such things as the exact name and description of your app, its category, keywords for proper ranking, screenshots of all the features, developing icons, and ratings before you launch your app either on the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
The developing company should be able to help you with all these pieces of information. You may also be asked to invest in ASO (App Store Optimization) for better rankings and visibility. You can obtain a more distinct picture related to these points from your developer.
Will My New App Need Updating?
Even if your mobile app is very popular and has a lot of users, you will need to keep it up to date. Do it about 3-4 times per month. The automated schedule of such updates has to be included in the overall development plan. You should also talk to the developer about how they might add new features based on what customers say.
Fixing bugs and making constant technical improvements should also be part of the strategy.
How will I know if my app is a hit?
This item is also important, and your potential developer can tell you more about it. Getting more sales and investments is a clear factor that you will notice. So, tell your developer what your end goal is and ask how quickly it can be reached.
Think about special metrics and KPIs like engagement, customer activity, results, and customer retention. Make sure you’ll be able to check out how well the app works. Think about the times of day and places where customers use the app the most. Your app’s developer should be able to tell you about all of these details and the specific app features that were added for these reasons.
Conclusions
So, this list of important questions to ask a mobile app development company before you sign a contract with them is very important, and we hope it will help you a lot. Its main goal is to give you peace of mind that you will get the result you want. It would be great if the developer’s answers to all your questions could be written down so you could look back on them if there are any problems or misunderstandings.
Your developer should be more than just someone who does work for you. He or she should also be a committed partner. Because of this, you need to be very careful and clear when you first start to work together. You could even ask the same questions again if something isn’t clear or goes wrong. Your mobile app’s future success may depend a lot on these points, which you should clarify at the start of the mobile app development process to be safe.