Once your business reaches the point where a website isn’t enough to meet your needs, you need to know how to find a mobile app developer in Los Angeles.
A well-designed app provides a great way to build customer loyalty by keeping them informed and supplied with everything they need to keep coming back. With the right app developer, your brand becomes part of someone’s life.
So how can you find the right developer for your company’s app?
With so many developers out there offering their services, it’s hard to know which one to pick. This blog aims to provide you with some tips on how to do it right.
TLDR; Contents
Where Do I Find a Developer?
A project like a mobile app requires months of work and thousands of dollars to complete. You’ll need to determine whether your priority is time or money because spending less of one usually means spending more of the other.
For example, if you hire a freelancer on Upwork or Fiverr, it’s up to you to plan out a timeline, design most of the product yourself, and continually outsource later tasks like testing and bug fixes.
There are a lot of mobile app developers in Los Angeles and evidence of their work abounds throughout the entertainment industry’s unique marketing campaigns. If you are comfortable assuming the risk of your project and can stay motivated through the setbacks, a freelancer may be the way to go.
On the other hand, you can make things easier for yourself by spending a little more to work with an established design studio. The benefits are obvious: they assume more of the risk, they help you plan, and they handle the project from start to finish.
Good design studios employ teams of experts who can help you iron out the wrinkles in your idea before giving you a firm timeline you can count on.
Sure, it costs more to work with a studio, but can you really put a price on happiness? Doesn’t it seem worth it to wake up every morning knowing someone else will handle the fine points of your project?
Know What You Want
The importance of planning cannot be overstated. It’s one thing to have a great idea for an app, but it’s something else entirely to bring it to life. One of the best ways to save money is to spend time planning the details of your app.
Not sure where to start? Take a look at some of these ideas here for inspiration. No, your app doesn’t have to be laid out perfectly but bringing your developer a more finished product will help them deliver on your vision.
Ask friends and family for input. Be open to the things they suggest (unless it’s bad advice, in which case you’ll have to pretend it’s helpful) and try to put yourself in their shoes. Will they use it? Would your app solve a problem in their lives?
When discussing advertising, David Ogilvy said, “if it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.” While you aren’t planning an advertising campaign, the same rules apply—if people won’t use your app, it’s back to the drawing board.
Quality Takes Time & Money
Building a quality mobile app is not something to skate through in a week. If you’ve looked into the process at all, you’re probably aware that good apps cost around $10,000 and take a few months to build at least.
Why? Because bad app development has consequences. If you’re lucky, those problems amount to nothing more than frustrating glitches that turn a few users off your product. At worst, though, it could be a major security breach that puts you at risk of massive lawsuits.
If you don’t have time to do it right, you don’t have time to do it at all. Give yourself and your team the best chance of success by setting realistic expectations early on. The right team will give you a sprint timeline so you know exactly when to move on from each step.
Focus on Scalability
Once you build and distribute an app for your business, you no longer have control over who uses it. If you’re lucky enough to have a popular app, it is crucial that your developer builds something that can handle all the traffic that comes your way.
Scalability is about more than just meeting an increased demand—it is about knowing your own long-term goals. Building a bigger framework than you need is just a waste of money and can sideline your project if not properly considered.
It’s best to work with a developer versed in helping companies establish web presence from the ground up. This means assessing where your website is at right now, charting out a road map for what your needs will entail as your customer base grows, and planning how technology will get you there.
Remember, every new user needs server space, and it’s not cheap. An app developer who has your best scalability interests at heart can help you cut down on needless expenses and provide users with a better overall experience.
Explore Coding Options
When looking for a mobile app developer in Los Angeles, you’ll want to work with a team that understands the most effective architecture format for your project. There are many code languages out there, and each one offers something different. Your developer should know which format best serves your needs.
Each coding language takes time to learn. Knowing one doesn’t mean you know all the others, and if your team has to learn a new language for your project, that’ll cost you time and money. Take a look at the different coding languages and try to understand each one’s pros and cons.
Does your app rely on outside services like weather or location? You’ll need an API, which could pose a problem. If your app can’t communicate with another program, users will quickly—and rightly—delete your app and find something better. Make sure your mobile app developer knows how to accommodate different API options.
When shopping for a mobile app developer, ask them about their preferred approach and why they choose it time after time. It may give you ideas about what you want in your app and how particular coding languages better support your needs.
Find a Team that Can Deliver It All
Another benefit of working with coders who understand different languages is that they can seamlessly work across different devices and media. This comes in handy if your app has to communicate with a website or business network. Different devices may require different code languages.
When planning your app, consider how you want it to interface with other devices. Can your mobile app developer accommodate you? Do they know how to keep your users connected no matter how they access your brand? What’s their plan for unifying all your business services?
Do Your Homework
Nothing can take the place of a gut feeling. Did another app inspire you to build your own? Find out who built it and how they did it. It may even be worth hiring a freelance UX/UI designer who can analyze a good app for you and write a report about it.
A designer is a great resource for what works in an app and what doesn’t. Many designers build their careers out of working knowledge of usability statistics and app best practices. They can help you avoid simple mistakes. For example, you may not think color scheme and font style are important, but you’ll wish you had once you’re slapped with an ADA lawsuit because your app didn’t meet accessibility standards.
Talking to app developers is a great way to glean information, and you don’t have to buy their services just because you have a question. What do they wish they knew early on when building mobile apps?
As a businessperson, you are only as good as your network. By having a few developer friends in yours, you’re much better off when it comes to issues involving web presence.
Finding a Mobile App Developer in Los Angeles
At some point, you have to accept a plan of action and move forward. If you feel a nagging impulse to make a change, talk to your development team right away—don’t wait until the app reveals to say, “you know, I’d rather have that menu lower on the screen.”
Some changes are easy, but others require hours and hours of work which can cause you an expensive headache.
With these ideas in mind as you seek out a mobile app developer in Los Angeles, you can feel confident about your choice in a team to bring your ideas to life.
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