5 Things You Need to Know Before You Hire Mobile App Developers

It is a challenging job to identify the right qualified mobile app developers for any firm. In the age of ‘surf-on-the-go’, more and more people are choosing to go mobile over PCs and Laptops. Tablets and Smartphones are slated to completely take over communication and internet surfing by 2020, and a large part of that has already begun. So, it’s not surprising that more and more companies are trying to devise mobile applications for the sake of dispatching their products and services more easily to consumers. Consequently, the market for mobile app developers has boomed and is continuing to boom like never before.   A few things need to be kept in mind during the hiring process:

Agility Is a Key Quality:
Mobile apps require monthly or even bi-weekly updates, depending upon customer reviews and demands. These changes could be on any platform; alpha, beta, prototype or release. Various methodologies and technologies should be used in order to maintain continuity throughout the ever-changing forms and formats.  They do this without spending too much time and resources to suit the varying priorities.

Frameworks or Custom Solutions:
It is important to check whether the app developer you are hiring works within an established framework of solutions, or whether they are leaning more towards custom solutions. Once you identify the approach the developer belongs to, you can move to correct the flaws in the structure/method the developer is following. Customized solutions are easier to fix, but they take a lot of time. On the other hand, structural flaws within a framework are hard to identify and/or correct.

Clear Code and Architecture Is a Must:
The developer(s) should make use of certain architectural patterns and code-writing rules so that an app can be sustainably developed and maintained for a very long period. Unless these things are done, every single app would quickly become dysfunctional and would hence, need to be rebuilt from scratch.

Autonomous or Group Functioning?
There are two kinds of developers: One would simply take your order and develop an app for you (without actually joining your company),  the other (group functioning) would join you as an employee and follow your exclusive directions and preferences. The previous one would be of high quality, but would definitely be less likely to be flexible to your every demand and whim; while the latter’s work can be moulded in any way one wanted.

They Should Have the Skills for Cross-platform Development:
It’s really not enough that the developer is skilled in creating applications for only one platform. If they were to claim the correct market value, then they would be able to develop them for a wide variety of operating systems (iOS, Android, Blackberry, Lynx) and devices (mobiles, tablets, and laptops).

The people you’re hiring should have User Experience and User Interface abilities because in today’s age, it is important that the applications that are created are easy to download. The outline of the app is also important in order for it to be presentable for potential customers. Developers hired should have a good command over the languages of PHP, Java, Python, C#, Objective-C and HTML5. They should also be efficient with runtime engines such as Adobe Flash Lite. It is especially useful if they happen to possess Objective-C view controller writing skills.

Last, but not least, the developer should be able to put themselves in the shoes of their clients and think from their point of view. They should be easy to communicate with, easy to reach and interact with in real time (if you’re utilizing the option of outsourcing to an autonomous company) and should have strong ethics.