What You Need To Know Before Building Your Mobile App

Technology has changed rapidly in the last two decades and the wider availability of internet access both in home and on the go has transformed many aspects of our lives. How we communicate, work, and live has altered due to the increased connectivity, but in the last five years something else has contributed almost as much of a transformation. Mobile app use has exploded in that time, enabling gaming, work, communication and social interaction in completely new ways, and of course has brought a new business channel into almost every market sector.

Today, most businesses can make use of an app of some kind, but once you start exploring the possibility of creating your own, it can be a daunting process. This is especially true for those who are not extensively experienced in the technical aspects of mobile app development, which if we are being honest, is most of us. This means that entrepreneurs are often in a position of relying almost completely on the expertise of the app developers for advice, progress and understanding of the mobile app itself. At LaunchByte, we guide you through every step of the process and make sure you understand all the technical aspects and processes we go through in creating a 'Top 100' app.

Many entrepreneurs find this difficult - by nature we are a group who like to control our businesses and understand progress and development as it occurs. It can be even more frustrating in a situation where significant costs are being incurred, as do with mobile app development. A custom mobile app, built from scratch (rather than library assets) can easily reach $150,000 in development costs, with more involved projects topping $500,000 to $750,000+, so this is not a cheap endeavor. Handing over control with that much capital on the line can be extremely difficult for many entrepreneurs, which is why it is absolutely essential to find the right app development firm, not just for the project, but that suit the entrepreneur themselves. There are Fortune 500 companies out there that will build your apps and sure, they will look beautiful and work fine but working with a smaller firm where there is full transparency is important and helps you understand your own product better.

A lot of startups turn to outsourcing development to other countries to cut costs and save tens of thousands of dollars. From personal experience and from observing platforms that clients bring us to repair, outsourcing development really takes away your control on the project. The only time I personally would advocate for outsourcing development is if you are trying to throw together a cheap MVP (minimum viable product) to prove a concept. Startups that outsource development for their full working product may save a lot of money at first, but in the long run face issues with users clashing with the flow and design of the app, scalability issues, and putting a huge amount of capital on the line to redesign and recreate the product in house.

Whether you choose to outsource internationally to developers you found online or work with a well established firm, assessing what you need from the developers is vital. If you need everything coded from the ground up with a lot of functionality, then a developer who specialize in simple apps is probably not the best way to go. Look for an app developer with a track record of similar styles of app development to ensure they are capable of providing the right end product. At LaunchByte, we have handled the design and development of over 60 apps (both web and mobile) across 7 major industries so we have the experience and procedures to handle almost any type of project. However, we still do turn away about 25% of the business that comes our way if we do not feel that we can accurately build a platform in an industry that we don't know too much about. I encourage anyone interested in developing a platform to take the time to speak to the designers involved and see what kind of art style they prefer and produce since you need someone capable of matching your brand style and tone effectively. The working relationship between the developers and the product manager is a key factor, because an account or product manager that is easy to deal with and good at providing the explanations, guidance and information you need will ensure that the project runs as smoothly as possible and be less stressful than it can otherwise be.

The right outcome with the right team can make app development an exciting and rewarding project to be involved in, with ongoing benefits to an organization that may include increased revenues or awareness. However, this means that choosing the right team to work with is really important. App development is a booming industry, and there are many people that may be able to complete your project, so instead of rushing to sign with the first few you meet, take the time to find the right one with the right workflow that keeps you as involved as you need to be.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to us at [email protected].