According to research, the Google Play Store showed an annual growth of 31% in the download rates, as compared to 2.5% in the App store.
There are 3.45 million apps on the Google Play store, and the average retention rate for an app in the first month is only 43%. Considering the saturation in the biggest mobile market, an application has to be super useful, modern and provide exceptional user experience to survive the competition.
Building onto this, choosing an app developer for your next hit project can be more challenging than any other commodity. You have to check the skillset, the experience, the clientele, the technology stack and most importantly, the price you’ll have to pay for the product.
Rushing with the process and sealing the deal with just any developer can disturb your development timelines, product release, and most importantly, your project budget.
10 Factors to Consider Before Hiring An App Development Agency
While pricing and development quality are two primary factors that directly affect the hiring decision, modern appreneurs also consider these 10 factors before finalizing the deal with an android app development agency.
1. Location of agency
The geographical location of your app developer matters, especially during the early stages of the development process. Being in the same location ensures you’ll be working during the same business hours.
Operating in the same location becomes all the more relevant during the pre-development phase when you are chalking out the strategy, which usually involves deciding a technology stack, monetization options, wireframing, and prototyping.
Though usually developers and dedicated project managers hold virtual meetings in planned slots, some technical specifications may require you to meet your developer in person, which again, is conveniently doable if you operate in the same location as your developer’s.
2. Technical expertise
Asking about technical skillset and experience is important if you have planned to launch a native Android application, in which case your developer (or team) should have solid grip on languages like Java and Kotlin.
Though this does not become an issue when you are shortlisting full-service development companies, but if you are flexible about hiring an independent contractor (e.g., a freelance developer), you’ll have to ask technical questions.
Also, another trending way to test the technical expertise is to check the tech partnerships, certifications and awards the company has achieved during their working tenure.
3. Innovation strategies
Google Play currently hosts around 3.45 million Android applications – and that’s a solid competition if you are concerned about download rates and profitability. While the market is growing exponentially and becoming more saturated every day, innovation and integrating emerging technologies can be your keys for success.
ask your developer if they have experience working with diverse leading technologies like blockchain, IoT-enabled embedded systems, AR/VR environments, machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, and robotics.
While managing the budgets you have allocated for app development, try integrating one of the aforementioned features in your app and gain a competitive advantage.
4. Portfolio
Assessing a company’s portfolio is an ideal way to test the quality of its development services. When going through their previous projects, consider the following factors:
- The design patterns of the applications
- The magnitude of application development projects
- Feature-complexity of their developed apps
- Clientele and target customers of the company
You can assess all of these factors by downloading the free applications from the store and analyzing the performance and user experience the applications would bring to a target user.
5. Stack of services
While it is ideal to work with full-service Android app development companies because they offer one-stop solution for all technical development needs, (even covering launching and marketing in some cases), you can still go for an agency that only offers development.
But in that case, do choose one that at least provides user-acceptance testing and debugging, if not post-launch maintenance and support.
6. Testimonials
You can assess company’s ratings and reviews via 3 authentic sources:
- The testimonial section on the company’s official site usually features project’s name, client’s name and remarks.
- Google business listings have rating options out of 5, company’s official address and comments about the service.
- Review sites like Clutch and Good Firms have specific benchmarks based on which they assign a ranking to each listed company.
Checking these testimonials also helps with understanding the type of clients an app development team has worked with, and the sectors they have served.
7. Social proof
In addition to social media handles like Instagram and Facebook, you can also check the authenticity and credibility of a company’s service via their LinkedIn endorsements. Also, community platforms like Quora and Reddit are also great sources where you can check how the company’s staff engages with their audience.
8. App development timeline
The success of your overall app development project depends firstly on the idea and then its timely execution, specially if it’s a solution to an emerging issue.
While basic Android apps can take 3-6 months for completion, apps with intermediate features can take up to 12 months and more complex ones can take 15 months or more.
Inquire the potential app development duration and set tentative milestones with deadlines. Then balance pricing, duration, quality of service and payment structures for effective decision-making.
9. Payment structure
Most app development companies now offer flexible payment options. The total price for app development is usually broken down into a down payment, and 5-8 installments. You can choose to pay one installment per month, with the total structure spanning on a year or so.
10. Ownership of app’s source code
The app’s source code, graphics, the final version of the product, and other associated digital assets legally belong to the client. While this is the industry norm, we still suggest appreneurs and clients discuss such clauses beforehand.
Wrapping Up…
While it can take you a good deal of time to assess a company on these 10 factors, remember they’ll help you effectively manage your development project in terms of cost and time. While balancing quality and price are important, choosing an Android app development company by prioritizing these factors can actually help you in the long run.
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