As web and app-based applications expand into every facet of our lives, you may need to engage a developer to stay relevant and competitive. How do you choose the right one? We invite you to read our related articles about choosing a developer here.
Do You Need One?
Are you simply looking to provide basic content on a website or do you need to a web channel to manage/connect with staff, customers or third-party software? Do you need a mobile app?
You can establish a respectable web presence at minimal cost with SaaS-based providers like WordPress, but even template-structured solutions require time and expertise to produce an effective result. Conversely, tailored front and back-end design or managing your company’s data or the ability to interface with other software requires actual development.
Mobile development invariably requires a seasoned firm with competence in desktop publishing, UX/UI design, Apple and Android coding, database management and must often have the capacity to integrate third-party software solutions and interface with external software.
Experience and Location
Ensure you are working with a developer who is based in a major urban center, the more local the better. Toronto, New York and Seattle-based developers operate in the most competitive markets utilizing the most skilled, experienced personnel. Trusting developers across the globe where labour is cheap can be infinitely more costly when dealing with people who lack linguistic, sociocultural or technical competence.
Get it All Under One Roof
Software development is like building a house; you need a team of professionals including Apple/Android coders, database managers, graphic designers, front-end and back-end designers and team and project leads. Make sure you are dealing with a firm who offers all the resources to deal with scope of your project or you risk additional time and expense.
Development and Maintenance Costs
Chances are your needs are not unique, so choose a developer who has proven experience with them. You do not want to wait or pay for your developer to learn how build your solution. Ask to see their other projects; do they demonstrate the requisite depth? It may sound counter-intuitive, but choosing a leading developer with the requisite depth is usually the most cost-effective option.
You are not going to develop a mobile app with a leading local developer for less than $30,000. Customized features and integrating third-party modules like chat features can double or triple that cost. You will also pay more if you are seeking ownership of the ensuing intellectual property or source code in order to control and resell the software. You may wish to read our post about retaining source code here.
Initial development can take anywhere from 4 to 9 months, but your solution will need to will be updated and maintained – i.e. you are going to have to keep the lights on. Don’t forget that bugs, operating system upgrades, new devices, database maintenance, Apple/Google Play compliance, third-party software updates, data migrations, adding new features and maintaining cloud infrastructure are going to impose ongoing costs you need to budget.
But A Glimpse…
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