10 Key Considerations Before Hiring A Mobile App Vendor

1. 10 Key Considerations Before Hiring A Mobile App Vendor With the rise in mobile technology, applications have become an integral part of the day-to-day business. The usage of smartphones is increasing steadily, as the dependency on mobile apps is growing. According to statista.com, by the year 2020, mobile apps will generate close to $189 billion USD in revenue through in-app advertising and app store downloads.

2. Hiring the right mobile app development vendor is crucial because when you are trying to build an app, you have to work with someone who can implement your ideas, and provide suggestions, based on their expertise. Below Below Are Other Reasons Why: Are Other Reasons Why: 1. 1.Stand Stand Out From Out From the the Competition Competition According to research, thousands of businesses launch mobile apps or start the development process, every year. With a plethora of mobile apps in the app store, the one question that

3. everyone wants to know the answer to is: how do you get your app noticed in the app store? In order to accomplish this, you need a capable and skilled mobile app vendor. 2. 2.UX UX Design plays a key-role in mobile app development; after all, don’t all brands want their app to have superior features? A seasoned mobile app vendor will implement core UI principles when designing the user interface. This will not only create a layout that is superior in design, but will also offer impressive features for an enhanced user experience. A good impression is the key to success! 3. 3.Get Better ROI Get Better ROI

4. To give you an edge over your competitors you must offer your clients more than just a website: having a mobile app will help you achieve that! With the shift from desktops to smartphones, businesses are experiencing a tremendous ROI. A capable vendor should be able to chalk out a plan for monetizing your app, and be able to present it as a one-stop destination for your prospective audience. The vendor should have a strong focus on usability, brand visibility, and flexibility. 4. 4.Complement your In Complement your In- -house Team house Team Having an in-house team is another important factor to consider in vendor selection. Though they may have a learning curve of their own, yet having skilled professionals within your organization is an advantage. Not only would you be able to create a culture around your product and your business, but you would also have a team solely focused on the app, and in alignment with the common objectives. How How To Hire The Best To Hire The Best Mobile App Vendor Mobile App Vendor? ? There are several companies that advertise themselves as top mobile app developers, but we advise you to be careful when making your choice. We have come up with the following considerations that would help you choose the right one for your business:

5. 1. 1.Understand Your Business Model Understand Your Business Model and and Target Audience Target Audience It’s very crucial that the company you hire understands your business model, and the customers you are targeting. This helps in building the mobile app as per customers’ personas. If the prospective vendor lacks understanding of the customer’s needs, then they will not be able to successfully develop a responsive mobile app. Look for developers that have customers from your industry, as this means that they already know the needs of that user base. We recommend that you provide a briefing of the scope of the app to the developer, so they can understand it for UX purposes. 2. 2.Right Expertise Right Expertise

6. It is imperative for you to be sure your prospective mobile app vendor has the right expertise, and that they have a strong portfolio. The first step is to ask for the apps that they have developed, download them, and assess their usability. Ask them to provide a walkthrough of how they were created. In addition, check whether the prospect has expertise in the platforms that you wish to support, be it iOS or Android. You might also want to check on mobile-specific experience to gauge the user experience and visual design. 3. 3.Their Their Mobile App Development Process Mobile App Development Process A successful mobile app is an outcome of a good mobile app development strategy. A good mobile app vendor should be able to: Identify the problem the app will resolve Check on platforms and devices to support Emphasize UI/UX of the app Chalk out approaches to developing a native or hybrid app Convert your ideas into a prototype Incorporate appropriate analytics Beta test the app for effective goals Ensure integrity while deploying the app Capture metrics to understand user behavior

7. A prospective mobile app vendor who follows the above steps will be able to ensure more success while developing your mobile app. 4. 4.Design Design and and User Experience User Experience When it comes to building an app, design and user experience is very important: it can make you stand out in a crowd. A good design is all about user interface (UI), and user experience (UX). Both play essential roles in the success of mobile apps, by making the features of the app accessible, and best meeting user expectations. If your app lacks in design and UX, you may lose users and popularity. Look for development companies who offer you an app design mockup at the time of proposal. This will not only help you in assessing their expertise, but also help you gauge how much they understand of your idea/project. In addition, you can ask them to provide you with a list of apps they have already developed, or are currently developing. This will help you make an informed decision when choosing your mobile app vendor.

8. 5. 5.Coding Coding Standards Standards Make sure your prospective vendor employs web application framework, or Bootstrap with structured coding system. Their developers must work unitedly on the same project, using various tools, and factors for code maintenance. They must be clear about the fact that the code belongs to the client since they paid for its development. To ensure proprietary rights of the mobile app and its coding, ask the vendor to sign a copyright agreement stating that you own the mobile app completely, including, design, source code, and all of the contents. 6. 6.References References and and Past Work Past Work Before you hire a mobile app vendor, make sure that you look at their past work. Ask them to show you some previous project case studies, and live apps, in order to evaluate the quality of

9. their work. Most mobile app development companies will have an online portfolio, or a document listing their past work. Check the apps they have developed so far, and download some of them to check their functionality, reviews, and ratings. Always go for an experienced developer, and look for few important things such as, a list of relevant skills that you are looking for in your partner. In addition, check on their previous clientele, as their feedback could be very useful. 7. 7.App App Testing Testing Once development is complete, the app must be tested to ensure product quality. Here are a few questions you need to ask your vendor: Are they only responsible for the development procedure of the app, or will they also test the app? How will they carry out their beta testing, in order to resolve any problems or bugs? How quick are they in resolving issues? In addition, ensure that the vendor has a dedicated team of quality analysts who employ the latest tools while performing the test.

10. 8. 8.Data Data Sec Security urity As per a Gartner study, 75% of mobile apps could not pass even the most basic of security tests. Security concerns such as privacy violation, system information leaks, insecure storage, and insecure deployment, can negatively affect your app’s lifespan. Therefore, choosing vendors that build mobile apps with secure code is a crucial step in the app development process. Though several organizations claim to provide a secure app development process, you need to ensure that the one you hire understands the value of your data, and takes measures to secure it. They must also offer a multi-layered security solution to secure your data from major mobile app threats such as Malware programs, insecure data storage, SMS-based attacks, insufficient cryptography, user and device authentication, etc. 9. 9.Integration Integration

11. Mobile app integration is also an important consideration. Ensure that the prospective mobile app vendor provides the best back-end system integration approaches to minimize the cost of mobile solutions. A mobile application development company can provide you with a wide range of features and services to be integrated into your app. It is vital for any organization to take into account the services to be deployed in their mobile app. One should always consider the prospective vendor to provide a broad range of attributes that can be integrated into your app. Look for integrated mobile apps with backend application such as CRM, POS, and ERP, to get better results, and better-quality productivity. 10. 10.Future Future Proofing Proofing Before hiring a mobile app development company, verify how they submit an app to the app store, and how they handle the mobile app release for a customer. A capable vendor will either submit the app for you, or guide you through the submission process. Always look for a company who will collaborate with you throughout the app development process, and is ready to ship the code once the initial development is completed, and the app is hosted. Once your end users begin using the app, feedback and suggestions will follow, not to mention the bugs that did not come up during the development procedure. Therefore, ensure that your vendor is ready to answer to users’ queries, as well as fix the bugs.

12. 11. 11.Legal Legal It is imperative to sign a non-disclosure agreement, or a written contract for copyright assignment. This should state your ownership of the app, source code, and its contents. You cannot afford to miss this step, especially if your app holds business IP or customized features. Signing an agreement will not only give you a guarantee that your app idea will be safe, but will provide you an opportunity to take serious legal action against the prospective vendor, in case they disclose your app’s idea in the market. Therefore, choose a vendor that explains the end-to- end submission process, including the privacy policy of how they will handle clients’ app releases. Conclusion Conclusion Mobile app development is a bonus in every business strategy. Considering today’s market scenario, the best way to choose the right mobile app vendor is by having a clear-cut idea of your requirements, business challenges, and market needs. No matter how capable the vendor is, they will not be able to develop your app without your input. A good vendor will always think about how to keep you involved, or communicate with

13. you in their development process, and keep you in the loop throughout the many iterations needed to successfully develop your app. They should always provide you access to the project collaboration tools for effective communication between clients and developers. This all plays an integral role in the success of a mobile app. Taking into consideration what we discussed here, choosing the right mobile app development vendor should be effortless. So, get your ideas executed by hiring the best vendors, achieve success, and let us know about your triumphant journey at: canada@netsolutions.com or usa@netsolutions.com *******************