In the past few years, there has been a tremendous rise in mobile technology. This paradigm shift has resulted in mobile applications being an integral part of our everyday lives. The use of smartphones has also grown steadily with this dependency. Therefore, businesses that are interested in reaching a wider audience are turning their attention to mobile apps. This has made mobile app development companies some of the most sought out businesses in this century.
According to a
report made available by Statista.com, an estimated $189 billion will be generated by 2020 via mobile apps through in-app advertising and app store downloads. It has become quite obvious that businesses are turning to mobile app development so they can improve their revenue.
The success of an app depends largely on the capacity of the developer or the app development companies involved in its development. When you have the right
app development company at your corner then your app ideas instantly becomes a possibility. The right app development company will help you to implement your ideas and provide valuable suggestions. There are tremendous benefits attached to hiring the best app development companies for your app development project, some of which include standing out from the competition, getting the right user experience, and getting the better return on investment.
There are a lot of app development companies spread around offering their services, but in order to find the best partner, you would need to do some homework. Below are eight important considerations that would help you arrive at the best choice;
1. Expertise:
Before you opt for any app development company ensure that the company has the right expertise and a convincing portfolio. You can go ahead and ask them for a list of apps they have developed in the past. You can download these apps to assess their usability. The app company is not likely to perform any better on your project than they did on these other apps. If you are not satisfied with the quality of these apps then the company is likely not going to be good for you. Also, check if the prospective company has expertise in the platform that you wish to support; Android or iOS.
2. App development process:
The success of a mobile app is dependent largely on the app development process. If the process is flawed then it would likely result into a faulty app. A basic process should follow this order;
- UI design and development
- Coding
- Test
- Certification
- Deploy
3. Design and user experience:
When it comes to app development, what really makes you stand out from the fray is app design and user experience. What makes a good design is the app's user interface and user experience. Both of these play important roles in making a mobile app successful by making the app features easily accessible thereby meeting user expectations. You are certain to lose users and popularity if your app is lacking in design and UX.
Ensure to request an app design mockup during the initial stages of your consultation with the app development company. This will help you in accessing the expertise of the company and also confirm if they understand the idea behind your project.
4. Coding standards:
Whether your ambition is to create a mobile app for the Android platform or for iOS, or even for both platform, you must ensure that your partner has the capacity and expertise to deliver effectively. You must ensure that the app development company employs the use of the most well-suited app development framework for both native and hybrid apps.
It is equally important that you get the development company to sign over proprietary rights over to you. This will state that you own the mobile app completely, including the all its contents, design and source code.
5. Customer reference and past work:
Before you sign the dotted lines ensure to go over the app development company's past work. Request for their previous case studies and live apps. Many app development companies have an
online portfolio or at least a document which lists their past works.
Check the apps listed in the company's portfolio and download a few of them. Some of what you should look out for include functionality, reviews, and ratings. You should also consider the company's previous clientele as well as their feedback.
6. App testing:
The process does not end with the development of the app, the app must be tested to ensure that they conform to product quality and meet with your objectives. Some of the questions you should ask the development company before you enlist their service include;
- Will you be responsible only for the development of the app or will you also test the app?
- How do you plan to carry out beta testing so as to resolve any problems or bug?
- How promptly will you resolve any issues?
You must ensure that the development company you are going with has a qualified team of quality analysts who would employ the latest tools to perform the test.
7. Data security:
According to the
Internet Security Threat Report 2018 provided by Symantec, there was a spike of 54% in data security concerns in 2017. Some of the most popular security concerns include insecure storage, privacy violation, insecure deployment, system information leak, all of which can affect the lifespan of your app. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you choose a mobile app development company that uses the secure code in their app development process.
It is not unusual for app development companies to claim to provide a secure app development process. As the client, the onus is on you to ensure you hire a company that understands the value of data and takes all the necessary procedure to secure it.
They should also offer a multilayer security solution to secure to have your data protected from key threats which include malware programs, SMS-based attacks, insecure data storage, user and device authentication etc.
8. Third-party software integration:
Top mobile app development companies have the capacity to offer their clients a wide range of services and features which would be integrated into the app. An app should be able to offer a holistic experience, without the need for users to move the website interface to have an action completed such as payment. An app needs to fulfill these expectations.