Questions to ask a potential developer

Finding the right someone to develop an app for you or your client isn’t easy. Here are some questions to ask them to improve your chances of making the right choice.

One. What apps have you got on the App Store and Google Play?

Your potential developer should be able to point to some apps they’ve published. Even if they are new to working with clients they should have written an app for themselves. You don’t want someone who hasn’t written anything being so key to the success of your project.

Two. Do you write native apps?

A native app is one which uses the UI toolkit for writing apps that Apple and Google use for theirs. Probably the app would be developed using Swift/Objective-C on iOS, Java/Kotlin on Android or use Xamarin. Some developers write apps using web technologies - that is they create a series of web pages which act as your app. If they mention Cordova or Ionic that is what they’ll be building. I personally recommend native apps but I’m not saying it’s always the right choice and there are some fine apps written using HTML and JavaScript out there. It’s important though you know what you are getting.

Three. Can you meet my really right deadline?

Developers should be realistic with clients. If they think a deadline isn’t possible they should say so. Ideally they should help you outline a schedule which includes discovery, design, build, testing and release based on what work is required, their available resource and third party deliverables before they agree to any dates.

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