Many companies are jumping into the world of mobile digital applications in an effort to attract more customers, and to build better relationships with the ones they already have. In most cases, that means hiring a mobile development company to design and build the app. Like any business project which requires a large outlay of capital, it’s important for business owners to ask the right questions before agreeing to a financial arrangement with a mobile developer. Here are five questions that should definitely be on that list.
Where are your developers and engineers located?
One common trick among mobile development companies is to place a salesperson and/or liaison to the development team in a given market to claim that the company is “local” — but in reality, the key developers and engineers are based in another country. In these cases, it will be much harder to contact members of the development team, obtain responses to questions and concerns, and receive high-quality customer service from the company. So make sure that a mobile development company that claims to be “local” actually is.
What are the costs of the project, as well as future updates?
Obviously, you’ll want to get a clear idea of how much the entire project will cost. Mobile developers may not be able to give you an exact figure before starting work on your app, but they should at least quote you some numbers regarding project costs, licensing expenses, etc. Also, be sure to inquire how amenable the mobile developers are to providing updates because apps can become obsolete within a matter of months. It’s also vital to know if they provide a 30-60 day bug fix window after product release and how much future bug fixes and additional features will cost.
On what platforms will your mobile app be available — and on what platforms do they have experience designing?
You’ll need to determine whether your business app will be available for iPhone, Android, Windows, and/or BlackBerry devices. If you desire your app to be compatible with multiple platforms, be sure to ask the development company to put this into their cost estimates. Most importantly, ask which platforms the company’s developers have the most experience. If you want your app on iPhones but a mobile development company has only designed apps for Android, you should probably consider going with someone else; you shouldn’t be paying for their on-the-job training.
How will users be able to download my app?
Obviously, any mobile app should be accessible through a business’s website. Beyond that, you should know which third-party app sites will be selling your app to end-users. Also — if you want your app to be available on iTunes, and the mobile development company cannot give you a reasonable guarantee that it will be approved for iTunes sales, then kick the company to the curb.
Of the projects that your company has completed previously, which ones are you the proudest of and why?
Mobile development companies will want to put their best foot forward, so they’ll show you what they think is their best work. If what is shown to you isn’t very user friendly, then you should think long and hard before signing on with them; because it’s often easier to design a fancy app than it is to create an effective user experience. A good rule of thumb for a business app is that it should be simple for your mother to use. You can explore various top mobile app development companies in India for developing your application.
Factors to Consider While Choosing a Mobile Development Framework
Developers, these days, have a good number of options while choosing a mobile development framework. However, not every framework enables you to build your app the way you want. Each one will have its unique features and issues. Here are some factors to consider while choosing a mobile development framework.
Paid or free
Licensed versions will have more features compared to freeware; however, the choice depends on the requirements of the application to be built. Many free platforms enable you to build popular app types including content apps, social media apps, games, mapping and navigation apps, etc.
Technologies it supports
Java, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery are some basic technologies you can expect from a good framework. More and more developers are turning to HTML5, as it makes cross-platform app creation easy and cost-effective.
Multi-platform compliant
There are many models of mobile devices available in the market today, each with its own platform. iOS, Android, Blackberry, Palm WebOS, Symbian, and Windows to name a few. In the initial stages of app development, a developer could create an app for a single platform only. However, the evolution of cross-platform frameworks (and HTML5) enabled cross-platform mobile app development and expanded the options for developers. If you plan to use your app on more than one platform, be sure to find a framework that enables you to do so.
Conversion to native apps
Most systems will help developers build web apps, but converting them to native apps is a lengthy and difficult process. There are very few platforms in the market that enable developers to convert web apps to native apps in one click.
Recompiling
While developing apps for multiple platforms, compiling an app for each and every platform is a pain-staking process for developers. If there is a small change to the source code, the entire app needs to be recompiled for the changes to apply. Check if your framework eases this recompiling issue for you.
Enterprise data synchronization
This is important for business apps with frequently-updating content. You need a framework that will help your mobile device communicate with a SQL server database. Not many frameworks provide this feature. If your app requires such technology, you need to recheck if it is supported by your mobile development framework.
Though there are many mobile development frameworks, very few provide the space and support the developers look for. The above factors will help you in choosing the right mobile app development framework.
Bring In Success Faster by Outsourcing Your Mobile Development Projects
By outsourcing your mobile development projects you are fast-tracking your company’s way to success. Many businesses have been including mobile services in their offerings whose great benefits they are reaping. Mobile apps enable them to reach their customers in an instant (and vice versa) and provide interesting and innovative ways to deliver current services. Mobile apps even allow the creation of new services that were not even possible before.
Keep in mind that “customers” do not only refer to patrons and beneficiaries of your services outside of your company, but also to your employees who are recipients of the services of their co-employees. Mobile apps, in this regard, help businesses keep their employees stay connected with the company, and, therefore, improve the overall efficiency of operations.
Mobile application development indeed brings in a lot of elements that you can use to put your company on a quicker plane to success. Here are those elements:
Money-saving. Purchasing mobile development technologies and hiring and training relevant personnel is a valid option for your business but it can be a bit costly. Mobile development companies are able to compensate for that by spreading the costs of purchasing, maintaining, and updating technologies and training of their specialists among their many clients. This means that you, as an individual client, will be able to save money and perhaps spend it on some other urgent expenses. Risks for making apps as creative as possible can also are taken much more readily because they can spread the results better more efficiently.
To make your money worth your while, however, make sure that you work with a reputable company because they create professional-quality output that can be easily understood by other developers, should you decide to move to another service provider.
Professional expertise. Mobile developers receive highly specialized training and commit to highly specialized work. Reputable service providers also have years of experience in which they have dealt with many kinds of needs and issues. Often they work in teams and assume specific roles. They are focused solely on those roles, and as a result, they are able to deliver quick, good-quality and consistent results.
Up-to-date technologies and skills. Reputable mobile development companies make it a point to stay current with their industry, especially since software development technologies are among the fastest to change. They regularly update their technologies and train their specialists in the latest development trends, thereby assuring you that you are always going to get mobile solutions that are always up-to-date.
Creativity. The current mobile development technology allows for almost unlimited creativity in terms of supporting your services to your clients. Mobile development companies have analysts and designers who specialize in translating clients’ ideas in the most visually appealing and efficient way. If you want your app to be an instructional guide (such as a cookbook), for example, you can have a purchasing feature included so that the users can order the items they need. Instead of running to a specialty store to buy rare items, they can just buy through the app and have them delivered at home.
Why iPhone App Development Is the Future of Mobile Development
Mobile apps market entered a new era with the launch of the iPhone. The importance of iPhone development can be understood from the fact that not a single mobile application had created as much buzz as the iPhone applications. Mobile applications drastically boost the capabilities of standard mobile handsets helping each user have a customized phone. This isn’t symbolized anywhere better than in the case of iPhone development with thousands of business and fun applications available. This in turn has created huge demand for iPhone developers.
Just browse the Internet and you will see thousands of offshore development centers, which work on custom development of iPhone Apps. These help businesses connect better with their customers and create an instant feedback module for products and services in the market. Most businesses outsource their iPhone development requirements to offshore development centers for their expertise and cost-effective development models.
Why is iPhone Apps the Future?
Elite Device – iPhone apps are a great marketing tool due to the nature and demography of iPhone users. They are at the top of the pyramid when it comes to doing business over mobile phones. Compared to all other mobile app development, businesses prefer iPhone development as it has a higher usage to sales ratio. Therefore, you see a host of iPhone apps from flight schedule checker to online credit card repayment app.
Strong Applications- What separates iPhone apps from other mobiles is the sheer competition, which has resulted in the development of stronger and smarter applications. Applications created for the iPhones are far more stable and much more reliable than apps built for other platforms.
Easy Access- iPhone apps provide easy and instant access to a host of products and services to businesses. Being the numero uno gadget, iPhone is on the top priority of most businesses and other organizations compared to other mobile development. Developers have mastered the art of developing applications, which can boost sales and revenue for any business firm.
Ever Growing Market- Since the first iPhones hit the market about half a decade ago, it has become one of the must-haves for most people. More and more businesses are recognizing the power of iPhone app development, which has helped the market grow rapidly. The accessibility of mobile device apps is rapidly increasing due to the falling prices of the devices.
Narrowing Gap- Gone are those days when residing in a big city and high street brought advantages inaccessibility to products and services. Developers have ensured access to people residing in remote locations. iPhone applications have narrowed the gap between big urban centers and smaller cities. It has also given smaller businesses a chance to lock horns with their giant competitors.
