14 powerful questions that help you hire the best mobile app development company
However, it is not easier to make the switch.
Apparently, it’s a high risk to the business and a very streamlined process. If you are an IT manager who is planning to incorporate a mobile app as a part of the business strategy, make sure you do the right research to hire the right mobile app development service provider.
“An expert knows all the answers – if you ask the right questions!”
In this article, you get to explore some of the most sought-after questions (and their answers) which many of our clients had in their minds before they embarked on their mobile journey.
Questions you should ask your mobile app development provider
Below are the questions (and their purpose) you should ask your technology partner before hiring them for your mobile app project:
- 1. When was your first app published successfully and what was it like?
Purpose: It’s important to establish your developer’s pedigree and experience up front and know if they are familiar with the technology platform. It is important to trust in the credibility and skill set of the app developers to make sure they are not experimenting and have real exposure to the service.
- 2. If possible, could you walk me through your development process?
Purpose: A well thought-out and realistic development plan for your project that shows insight and thorough grasp of the technology in the beginning means lower costs and less shortcuts in the end. It is essential to be aware of the development process your app developer follows before you hire them so that you both are on the same page.
- 3. For how long a period after the app launch will you provide support?
Purpose: Software development is a journey towards perfection. The best software remains malleable and upgradable as modifications are required based on user feedback. A developer that provides ongoing or as-needed support throughout the life of the app understands the importance of offering added value.
- 4. Does your Client Manager have development experience?
Purpose: It’s vital to work with partners who utilize senior managers with development experience for any client interactions, so that client expectations and the needs of the development team can be communicated effectively in both directions.
- 5. What are your copyright policies?
Purpose: You want to ensure that your company retains copyright ownership over your newly created project. This is one crucial question you should be asking before hiring any app developer. If they retain rights to the project, they can come after your firm later for significant usage and licensing fees.
Must read: Legal Issues for Mobile Apps: An Update
- 6. Are you building the application on top of an existing platform or system?
Purpose: Just like the issue of copyrights, if your developer builds on top of third-party or in-house platforms, licensing could become a major setback if the business relationship doesn’t last.
- 7. Will you use third-party APIs or systems?
Purpose: This is a very common and acceptable practice which can greatly improves the go to market time of your project. However, it does require that the developer notify the client up front that third-party libraries are being used, so that licensing and copyright issues can be included in the planning phase itself.
- 8. How will you test my app?
Purpose: As with questioning the development process, you should also be concerned with how a developer will go about weeding out bugs, what the scope of the beta test will be, how bugs will be corrected, and how quickly those fixes will be put into place.
- 9. Will you submit my mobile application to any of the app stores?
Purpose: Submission of your newly developed app to an app marketplace can be a complicated and a time-consuming process. Every app store has a defined set of guidelines that should be met with. Experienced developers should know how to navigate these processes and should include doing so as part of their services.
- 10. My app is going to include e-commerce. How will you ensure my app is compliant with popular app marketplaces’ requirements?
Purpose: Is the developer familiar with methods of complying to the stringent compliance requirements of app marketplaces, such as the use of SDKs in native apps rather than using browser-based payment methods? In case where there are compliance factors that you aren’t aware of, your development partner should educate you for the same.
- 11. Do you have staff capable of assisting with system deployment?
Purpose: While your own IT department may be competent, they might be overworked with projects and maintaining everyday IT requirements of your organization. It can be helpful to partner with developer with staff capable of configuring firewalls, maintaining the database, and other networking and deployment tasks.
- 12. How will you go about assuring customers that their information is secure?
Purpose: With a growing focus on privacy, modern applications need to inform users of the information being gathered, stored, and transmitted. The practices adopted by your developer to ensure mobile app security to safeguard data access will not only give you enough confidence to hire them but also help you answer data safety concerns of your customers.
- 13. How will the application be designed to handle the edge cases?
Purpose: During the testing phase, the developer should address how the application handles unfavorable operating conditions. For example, how will an app which needs active internet connection behave when internet connection is unavailable?
- 14. My business operates in a heavily regulated industry. Are you familiar with these industries mobile application development requirements?
Purpose: Whether it’s the stringent protocols of the health industry’s HIPAA, or any other heavily regulated industry, it’s important to work with a developer that knows how to navigate the finer points of your industry. Such an informed developer will know how to protect user data, how to maintain the integrity of the hardware with tricks such as hidden notifications, and how to set the application for remote data wipe in case of hardware loss.
Additional specific questions to help you choose the right app developer
Small things that can make or break your mobile app.
From ecommerce to healthcare to retail to accounting, there will always be some special industry requirements which need to be addressed early in the development process to ensure you are not caught by surprise in the middle of the product development phase.
Make sure you give due consideration to such requirements, and check with your development partner around the same before you start with the development.
These questions are crucial to your project and can make it or break it. If you think we missed out on one of the questions, feel free to tip us on it in the comments section below or tweet it to us!
Recommended Read:
The state of mobile app security: How to tackle the challenges?
10 powerful mobile app features you should not miss out
7 pre-launch mobile app performance metrics to measure
