This Critical Step In Building A Successful App Can Be A Costly Mistake

Your app is ready to be built, but who will build it? You turn to developers and get quotes ranging from $20,000 to $200,000 for the same app.

Who do you trust?

Should you go for the cheapest option available, or will money buy quality?

As an entrepreneur, it is absolutely important that you choose the right development team to build your app. But it isn’t easy.

Beyond price differences, different teams suggest different technologies. Your team of executives might not be technically skilled enough to understand these different technologies, and you’ll be left confused.

To help you with that decision-making process we present you with,

Top 3 Things To Look Out For When Hiring An App Development Agency or Freelancer:

1. Due Diligence towards Developer Competence

The most important thing for you to ascertain is the capability of the developer. Do they have the ability to do what you want? If they cannot deliver your vision, then it doesn’t matter how low the price offer may be. If a developer is able to execute your vision better than what you can imagine, they may well be worth a higher price.

But how do you check if they have the ability or not? You can’t just ask developers directly unless you want several “yes” answers. However, so many businesses make this mistake of just going by the words of the quoting developers.

Instead, ask for proof of skills — look at their portfolio of apps and websites. Ask them for their 3 best apps. Use it. See if you like the design and intuitively understand the UI. Have they built an app that’s better in quality and functionality than the app you are trying to build? If not, understand it’s a risk if you just assume they will deliver superior quality just for your app.

Don’t stop with just checking their apps out. Ask for references from previous customers, especially the customers of the apps you liked the most. If you are dealing with overseas developers, it’s possible that they just provide you link to apps that they actually did not work on.  Contact the client of that app and ask them if they were happy with the developer and if the project was delivered within time and budget.

These 2 steps are basic common sense due diligence. But it’s very uncommon. A shocking number of founders take developers at their word, lazy to do their due diligence and $50,000 later, they experience a rude awakening.

Professionalism is an invaluable asset, and trying to save money with an unprofessional or unqualified developer is a surefire way to waste money, take on stress, and give time for competition to get a head start on you.

2. Detailed Scoping

The second most common mistake entrepreneurs make is to provide a vague scope of their app. There are founders, executives who try to explain their idea over the phone or try to get a quote based on a 1-page brief.

Don’t do that! By doing this, you leave the interpretation of your app to the developer. Unclear instructions are a one-way trip to headache town.

You need to do the exact opposite — be hyper-specific. Create wireframes of every screen of your app, and create detailed user stories covering every feature. Then use these mockups to get a quote from your developer.

Yes, this is a lot of work, and yes, the development team has designers as well, but if you give them an incomplete brief, their interpretation might be completely different from what you wanted. Every developer you get quotes from has their own interpretation of what you want. So no wonder the quotes are going to vary a lot.

Creating a detailed document and wireframes of your app also helps you judge your own commitment to your business. Do you know exactly what you want in your app? Being clear from the start will ensure your project doesn’t overrun on budget or time.

Create wireframes of every screen of your app, and create detailed user stories covering every feature.

For example, at Appomate, we have a process called “See It Before You Build It (SB4UB)”, where we help you see your app before we write a single line of code by creating a visual prototype of your entire app. You can take this visual prototype output we create and use that to get a quote from other developers.

Remember, if a developer gives you a fixed quote without this kind of detail, but only based on a phone call or a 1-page brief, they might just be desperate to get your business, and will likely overrun on budget and time and never deliver what you want.

3. Character fit

If you knew for sure that someone is arrogant and difficult to work with, would you hire them?

The character and attitude of the team you work with is much more important than the technology they use. You don’t need to get caught up in specific tech — that world is constantly changing. Does the developer exhibit an eagerness to learn, adopt new technologies and not use legacy technology? Do they have evidence to support their use of a tech stack? If yes, then this relationship is likely to work well.

It is much more important to know if your wavelengths match. Once your project starts, you’ll be spending a lot of time with your development team. There can be miscommunication. You might change your mind about a feature, or a competitor’s action might force a change of direction.

The character and attitude of the team you work with is more important than the technology they use. It is vital to know they actually care about you and your business.

Are you able to catch up with your developer over coffee?

Can you have conversations with them outside the scope of your project to understand who they are as a person?

Do you like them?

Are they flexible enough to accommodate changes?

If the answer to any of these is ‘No’ at the beginning of the project, then it’s unlikely to improve during the work cycle. If you can’t fully trust them during the sales process, where they’ll likely be at their best behavior, then it might be best to look for someone else.

See what our clients say about us.

The more care you put into the initial process, the fewer problems you will run into later. Sadly, many founders rush this critical step of finding the right team and it could be a very costly mistake. You don’t just lose tens of thousands of dollars but you will miss the opportunity and the timing to launch your app to the market. So get out there and be smart about how you choose who to work with. Following these 3 simple steps will ensure you are making the right choice about who you want to invest your hard earned money with.

Sign up for the “See It Before You Build It (SB4UB)” and get a quote for your app.