A number that is on a continuous growth chart with the rising number of mobile apps in the market is the rising number of mobile app development companies.
A quick search on Google with the query ‘Mobile App Development Company’ will get back with million results, a sign that the number of mobile app development companies’ number is on a rise.
With every company’s website making the same promises of getting downloads for your app and making it rank on top, it can be very difficult for a business to decide which company to opt for.
In this article, you will find questions to ask when hiring a mobile app development company that will help you make a sound decision sooner. Without delaying it further, here are the app development questions that you should ask to screen the mobile app development company you can partner with.
1. Can I View your Portfolio?
The number one question to ask for mobile app development should be related to viewing the app portfolio. Ask the prospect service provider to share the portfolio with you. The portfolio will give an idea of the kind of work they do and how complex a project they can handle.
2. Can I Talk to Some of Your Client References?
Ask the development agency to share the references of the clients they have worked for and discuss the possibility of talking to the previous clients.
Usually, companies don’t have an issue directing you to their previous client, but if you find yours getting anxious or not getting ready for sharing the information in one go, you should probably see this as a red flag.
3. What Mobile App Development Process do you follow?
An important element that will decide the mobile app development cost and its launch time is the process that is followed by the app development agency. An important part of outsourcing app development is knowing which development process the team follows should be a part of your list of app developers interview questions.
At Appinventiv, we follow Agile development methodology for every single one of the project. But there are companies that are still working on the Waterfall model.
The reason why we focus our energy on Agile development is that it ensures fast delivery of the app while allowing quick redressal of issue.
If you too are going with a company that works on Agile methodology, ask about the duration of the sprint. If it will be for 2 weeks or more.
[Read: Reasons why we Trust Agile for our Mobile App Development Process]
4. Give an Insight into Your Team
An important part of your mobile app development questionnaire should be to inquire about the remote development team. Ask the agency to give an insight into the team – experience the team holds, number of people who would be working on the app, the tech stack they work on, etc.
Knowing this will give you an idea if the company you are getting associated with have the necessary manpower and knowledge to handle the project or not.
5. How do Approach App’s User Experience?
User experience is hands down the most important part of the mobile app development process. Thus, the approach used by designers also becomes an important mobile development question. Everything – from the future of your app to the capability of it generating revenue – depends on the kind of experience your app is offering to the users.
Now, in order to deliver superior app experience, your app development company will have to be well sound with not just the end user expectations but also with what trends are followed by the leading apps in your app category.
The mobile app design process will be an amalgamation of both – industry trends and user expectations.
*Tip: Get an idea of the UX by looking into the company’s portfolio.
[Read: 7 Strategies to Ensure Better Mobile App User Engagement]
6. Will You also Submit the App on Stores?
Once the app is developed, not every company submit your app in the stores. You will have to confirm if they will offer the service following the app stores’ submission guidelines.
Knowing the support your soon to be partner team will offer becomes an important checklist element of the ‘How to hire a mobile app developer’ question.
*Tip: To take charge of the submission process, know the App Store Submission Guidelines.
7. What are all Services Included in Post Launch?
It is a common belief among the businesses looking to expand into the mobile domain that the majority of the work ends with the development of a mobile app. But the truth cannot be further away. While mobile app development is hands down a crucial part of a mobile journey, the work continues much after the app is developed and deployed.
What you as a business, need to ask from the service provider is the kind of services they will be offering under the post mobile app launch process. Will they only focus on app update or will they also stick on to find and resolve the issues that get highlighted in the app review section.
8. What Communication Mode will you use To Keep us Updated?
In 70% of cases of mobile app development, the services are outsourced to countries like India because they charge less for the same quality that Australian or American mobile app developers would deliver.
With a change in time zone, the number one issue that comes up is of communication. It is very important to be on the same page in terms of the communication mode and the timings. So, keep mode of communication a part of your mobile app development questionnaire.
9. Who will have the Ownership of the Code?
Code ownership is the next and very crucial element to add when you are struggling with finding an answer to What to ask when hiring a mobile app developer. While at Appinventiv, we hand over the complete app, which includes the codes and wireframes even, to the client once the project ends, there are mobile app developers who keep the code with themselves.
Businesses, when they don’t have the ownership of code, tend to get dependent on the app development agency. For every single feature update that could be done by their in-house tech team, they are made to get in contact with the development company. A problem that never emerges when the businesses have the code ownership.
10. Do you Develop Apps for Multiple Platforms?
While in the beginning, you will be concentrating on one of the platforms – iOS or Android, a time will come when you will be looking to expand into the platform you didn’t choose in the beginning. If starting with Android, you might want to go with iOS because of the platform’s revenue generating abilities. If starting with iOS, you will be looking into Android for the user base it comes tagged with.
The proactive approach to the continued revenue stream, whether yours is an enterprise app or an e-commerce one, would be to get associated with a company that specializes in scaling an app across devices and operating systems. So, ask yours if they have a team that knows the nuances of Cross-Platform App Development.
*Tip – Go with a company that provide Flutter App Development service or React Native App Development service.
11. What Does your Delivery Date Structure Look Like?
When it comes to the delivery of a Mobile App, companies give an estimate of mobile app’s delivery date. The delivery date range is generally a week.
Although the delivery range is mentioned in the SLA and scope, but it is hardly ever concrete. The two fold element of the crucial question to ask when hiring a mobile app development company is A. Their delivery date range and B. The measure that they will take when the time exceeds.
12. Can the App Features be Modified Beyond the Scope of Work?
The scope of Work is the document that app development service providers curate and send over to the clients. In the document, they have the detail of the app, the features that it would have, tech stack that would be used, the estimated man hours, and lastly a cost idea.
A number of these companies see the scope of work as a bible, they follow it to the tee and if and when a change is highlighted, they charge extra. What we do here at Appinventiv, is that we leave room for modifications in the scope of work. While majorly the deliverables are kept unchanged, there is always a scope to introduce modifications in the plan.
13. What will be the Frequency of the Shippable Software?
I am sure since you are at the stage where you are looking to hire mobile app development company, you must be well aware with the concept of Agile Development Process. Well, shippable software is a result of Agile methodology.
What happens is that after every 2 weeks (in the case of Appinventiv) or so, mobile app development companies send a working model of a set of features to the client to keep them updated on the process.
While it is two weeks in our case, it can be more or less with other app development agency. So, ask what the frequency they will be setting for sending across the shippable software.
14. What Are All Services Included in the Cost?
Mobile app development cost is made up of a number of different elements. It can have factors like mobile app design, mobile app testing, post launch services etc.
What you will have to confirm with your app development company is what all services are they including in the cost estimate they have sent and how would the cost get impacted if more features get added.
15. Will you Develop a Wireframe before the Start of the Project?
There are a very selected mobile app development companies that provides the service of wireframe development before the partnership begins – So, enquiring about it can be a part of your questionnaire on What to Ask when hiring a mobile app development company – But there are some, like ours that include a wireframe, based on the first level understanding, with the Scope of Work itself.
The reason why you should invest in an agency that offers the wireframe service is that it shows that they have a very clear understanding of your app idea is about and how should the user flow be.
Heads up: On your search for skilled and successful mobile app developers, you will find a number of companies offering wireframes for free and some providing the facility at a discounted price. What you should do ideally, is that instead of sharing your idea with a lot of companies just to get an idea of their development thought, you should get the wireframe made from your top two or top three choices, only.
16. What are the Exit Options?
Confirm your exit options with the app development company. There are so many unforeseen events that can happen – you may run out of funds or the process might not be headed the way you expected.
Amidst it all, the last thing that you would need is to get stuck with an agency without an exit option. So, before you finalize the brand you are going to get associated, have a look at their SLA to check for the exit options that they are providing.
17. Do you have the Complete Team In-House?
One of the most important question when it comes to the stage when you are just starting with the process to hire a mobile app development company is whether or not they have the whole team in-house. While at Appinventiv, we have a team of research analysts, mobile app designers, developers, and QA, there are a number of brands that outsource a part of the process (designing in most cases) because they are a small cap.
So, find out if the company has the support of a team or does it outsource parts of the processes.
Though having awareness of these 17 questions will help you make the right decision, it is equally profitable to have knowledge of the different mobile app development technologies, pitfalls you need to avoid, and much more, for which you can refer this mobile application development guide.