Choosing a mobile app development company is vital to boosting ROI and guaranteeing an optimized end product. Mobile apps are forecasted to generate over $600 billion in revenue by 2025 as B2C and B2B companies leverage advances in smartphone technology and general accessibility.
Mobile app development is, therefore, crucial to the next generation of digital marketing and overall business prospects. Building a first-rate application is a vital requirement in 2022 and beyond. Without one, attracting new customers or employees will get exponentially harder as time goes on. Multinational companies such as Uber and Deliveroo prove the profitability of a scalable, user-friendly, and genuinely innovative mobile app.
The development process demands astute decision-making across numerous variables. Businesses must choose between low-code or custom software development and various other factors. Mobile app developers are plentiful, but choosing the right one may be more challenging than you think.
What you will learn from this article:
- How to approach budgeting for your mobile app development project?
- Why is it worth choosing to create a mobile application (business factors)?
- What should you pay attention to when choosing a software development company?
- Why the company's culture and values matter?
- Key legal considerations when engaging with a development company.
- The importance of post-launch support and maintenance services.
Table of Contents
Why Develop A Mobile App (Business Drivers)
Companies hire mobile app developers like Selleo to boost ROI, overall profitability, and market position. Creating a market-leading mobile app can help business prospects in various ways. Here are some of the most salient:
- Innovation: Mobile applications are increasingly used to signal innovation. For example, companies can use advanced software capabilities such as AI, augmented reality, and cloud services to solidify their position as industry leaders. An advanced mobile application is the way to go if you want your business to be seen as an important innovator.
- Help employees: It’s not just customers who benefit from mobile app development services. Backend B2B and SaaS mobile applications can streamline day-to-day work practices, freeing more time for pertinent activities.
- Enhance customer engagement: Optimizing your mobile app development strategy will pay significant dividends regarding customer engagement and overall relationships. Offering customers a highly personalizable app with several useful and unique features will naturally increase their loyalty, ultimately delivering higher profits and ROI.
- New revenue funnels: Mobile apps are advantageous ways to open new revenue funnels for your business. These platforms offer new ways to sell your customers products or services.
Costs of Developing A Mobile App
Mobile app development costs vary depending on the software building technique. As a general rule of thumb, the more complex your app, the more expensive it will be. We’ve listed a few common examples below:
- No-Code: Basic apps can be developed using free tools such as Shoutem, Appy Pie, and BuildFire. You don’t need any coding language knowledge to use these. The process is quick and easy, albeit very limited.
- Low-Code: Enterprise apps are commonly created using low-code drag-and-drop tools like Microsoft Power Suite. Generally available on monthly subscriptions, they can be available from around €50 per month.
- Mobile Optimized Website: Businesses looking to convert a preexisting website so it’s optimized for mobile platforms can complete the job for approximately €100 using content management plugins.
- Custom App: Complex mobile applications using custom software development can vary in price depending on the intricacy of the necessary features. Businesses can expect to pay at least €200,000 in these scenarios.
9 Tips How to Choose a Mobile App Development Company
Choosing the right software development company is integral to long-term satisfaction and positive ROI.
1. Understanding Your Project Needs
Thoroughly understanding your own project's requirements and objectives is foundational before engaging with any mobile app development company.
- Defining your app's objectives and target audience.
- Identifying the key features and functionalities of your app.
- Deciding on the platform(s) (iOS, Android, or cross-platform).
Understanding your project's requirements and objectives to enables precise assessments of scope, timeline, and costs. It allows for identifying necessary technical expertise, ensuring a company's capabilities align with your project's needs. A thorough understanding aids in creating a detailed project brief, vital for comparing proposals and ensuring proposals align with your objectives. It also helps in foreseeing potential challenges, facilitating the setting of realistic expectations regarding timelines, budgets, and deliverables.
2. Researching Best App Development Companies with Expertise and Experience
Identifying a development partner with relevant expertise and a proven track record in your industry or with similar app projects is crucial for the success of your app.
- Utilising online directories and platforms to create a list of potential companies.
- The importance of a company's portfolio and case studies in assessing their expertise. Example of portfolios:
- DataGame - customizable web and mobile platform
- Defined Careers- e-learning platform dedicated to students and teachers
- QStream - Microlearning application for remote leaders - Assessing the technical skills and tools used by the company.
Mobile App Development Partners bring invaluable insights into user expectations and regulatory standards, enhancing your app’s market fit. Their experience in similar projects ensures the application of best practices and innovative solutions, significantly reducing the risk of costly errors. Such best mobile app developers can accurately estimate project timelines and budgets, drawing on their familiarity with the complexities of similar apps. Ultimately, their proven ability to navigate the intricacies of your industry with precision significantly increases the likelihood of your app's success.
3. Assessing Communication and Project Management Practices
Assessing the communication and project management practices of a potential development partner is essential for ensuring a smooth and transparent development process.
- Understanding the company's project management approach and development methodology.
Effective communication channels facilitate clear articulation of project requirements, timely updates, and swift resolution of any issues, thereby preventing misunderstandings that could derail the project. Robust project management practices, including the use of agile methodologies, indicate a company's ability to efficiently manage resources, adhere to timelines, and adapt to changes or feedback. Such assessments help in identifying a partner who not only promises to deliver a high-quality product but also ensures a collaborative and responsive partnership throughout the project lifecycle.
4. Quality Assurance and Post-Launch Support
Quality Assurance (QA) is an integral part of the app development process, ensuring that the final product is free from bugs, performs well under various conditions, and delivers a seamless user experience. A rigorous QA process involves multiple stages of testing, including functional, performance, and security tests, to validate the app against defined requirements and standards. Post-launch support is equally critical, as it addresses any unforeseen issues that users may encounter, ensuring the app remains functional, secure, and up-to-date with evolving user needs and technological advancements. This continuous support and maintenance not only prolongs the lifespan of the app but also helps in retaining user engagement and satisfaction over time.
5. Budget Considerations and Pricing Models
Budget considerations play a pivotal role in the selection of a mobile app development company, requiring a careful balance between cost and the quality of services offered. It's essential to understand the different pricing models available, such as fixed-price contracts, time and materials, or retainer agreements, each with its advantages and implications for project flexibility and cost control. Transparent communication about budget constraints and expectations from the outset helps in aligning the scope of the project with financial resources, preventing unexpected expenses. Moreover, a clear understanding of the pricing model and associated costs ensures that both parties have aligned expectations, contributing to a smoother development process and a partnership built on trust.
6. The Importance of Cultural Fit
The importance of cultural fit between your business and the mobile app development company cannot be overstated, as it significantly impacts the success of the project and the working relationship. A shared set of values and work ethics facilitates smoother communication, mutual respect, and a more collaborative approach to problem-solving, leading to a more productive and enjoyable partnership. Cultural alignment ensures that both parties are committed to the project's vision and goals, fostering a sense of unity and purpose. Moreover, when both teams are culturally aligned, they are more likely to navigate challenges effectively, maintain a positive working environment, and ultimately deliver a product that meets or exceeds expectations.
7. Legal Considerations and Intellectual Property Rights
Navigating legal considerations and protecting intellectual property rights are crucial steps in the app development process, ensuring that your business interests are safeguarded. It is vital to establish clear agreements on ownership of the app's source code, design, and content to prevent disputes and protect your investments. Confidentiality agreements or non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are essential tools to secure your idea and information from being disclosed to third parties without consent. Understanding the legalities surrounding user data and compliance with relevant data protection regulations, such as GDPR, is imperative to avoid legal pitfalls and safeguard user trust. Engaging with a development partner who is well-versed in these legal aspects and can guide you through the necessary precautions can mitigate risks and lay a strong foundation for your app's success.
Mobile App Development Process
Most mobile app development companies have slightly different methods, but the mobile app creation process can generally be split into several basic stages:
- Strategy: This stage is where businesses hone in on their idea and explore their intended market, competitors, and target audience. Meanwhile, the web development company decides on a platform, tech stack, and how to implement the feature requirements.
- Analysis: Next, businesses do precise analysis to further formulate the app idea and framework. A product blueprint and roadmap will be available after this.
- Design: The design stage is where you can flesh out the user experience, visual architecture, aesthetics, and more. Designers use wireframes and mockups to create app prototypes.
- Development: This is the main development stage. App features and layout are implemented using a chosen tech stack, generating a complete front-to-back mobile application ready for testing.
- Testing: Before deploying apps on a large scale, businesses use quality assurance specialists to check everything works perfectly, and there are no errors or bugs.
- Deployment: When companies are happy with the final product, it’s time to deploy. You can roll out your app using the App Store or Google Play store and focus on marketing techniques to widen your audience.
- Maintenance: Deployment certainly isn’t the end of the road. You’ll need to keep a constant eye on your mobile application to fix glitches, make consistent improvements, and implement new features.
Summary
Each of these aspects plays a critical role in the success of the app development project, from ensuring the final product meets your vision and standards, to aligning with your budget and legal requirements. It's crucial for businesses to not only evaluate potential partners based on their technical capabilities but also consider how well they align with the company's strategic vision and values. This comprehensive evaluation ensures a partnership that is not just transactional but collaborative, fostering innovation, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to achieving project goals. Businesses are encouraged to navigate this selection process with diligence and foresight, seeking a partnership that transcends technical fulfilment to become a cornerstone of strategic success and value alignment.
