Having a great idea for a mobile application that appeals to your customers, improves internal

operations and reduces costs is exciting, but choosing the right development partner can be

intimidating for just about anyone. Relying on someone to make your vision a reality involves

risk, but asking the right questions can significantly increase your chance of success.

Think of development like shopping for a car. Once you narrow down the body style you’re looking for, there are several things you must consider before making a purchase: cost, quality, comfort level and more. You’ve figured out what you like through the years, but with development, the investment can be greater, and there is no way to “trade in” your app for a new one.

Begin by outlining your company’s needs and resources, as well as your app’s key functions. We’re talking budget, timeline and app functions like user-to-user messaging, location services, asset tracking and image capturing, just to name a few. Once you’ve narrowed down your essential functions, compiling them into a ‘requirements document’ will improve your ability to communicate your idea to each prospective development firm.

Now the 10 steps to choosing a development partner begin.

After receiving recommendations from people in your network and trusted business advisors, as well as doing your own research, you should have a handful of developers you’d like to contact. Whether you initiate contact by email or phone is irrelevant, but supplying each prospect with the following information is essential.

• Company name, location and industry.

• Development budget.

• A brief, concise description of the app at hand.

• The key business problems you are looking to solve.

QUESTION 1WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR ME?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What can you do for me?

Domestic of offshore development?

What have you done for other companies?

Can we see some references?

How much will this cost?

How do you communicate?

What’s your development process?

Do you have a design team?

How will you keep our data secure?

What about analytics?

About Seven Tablets

2-3

3-4

4

5

5

6

6

7

7-8

8

9

QUESTIONS PAGES

1 2

Be up front about your budget, but be reasonable with your expectations, too. In 2017, quality development will still require significant investments of time and money. Be sure you understand the complexity (or simplicity) of your project before deciding on a budget and timeline. As with most things, you get what you pay for.

Many firms will be happy to develop an app for your company. However, it’s a huge benefit to find one that has expertise in mobile strategy as it applies to your specific industry, or a portfolio that includes a solution that offers similar functionality to your needs. Choosing a firm with experience in your niche can lead to shortened development cycles and an enhanced, more-comprehensive mobile strategy, leading to accelerated revenue growth, easier market penetration and increased user acceptance.

Remember that even the best development firm cannot ensure your app’s success if proper marketing is neglected. You must have a marketing plan and budget set that

complements your development budget, timeline and target audience.

At first glance, offshore development is almost always cheaper than domestic, but its drawbacks can cause major headaches throughout the development and release processes, including:

• Difficult communication caused by language barriers and time differences, which leads to

longer-than-anticipated delivery schedules.

• Typically lower-quality work and lack of consistency in the software.

• Threats to the company’s intellectual property and security.

• Legal issues due to different governing bodies.

• Unexpected, additional costs to correct outstanding or unidentified issues in the

discovery and strategy process.

• Lacking or nonexistent product support after release of “final code.”

For some companies, the risks associated with offshore development may be worth it. If you opt for domestic development, you will most likely be able to justify the cost through shortened development cycles, increased savings down the line, reduced security risks and a final product that is a true reflection of your original vision. The choice is yours, but be prepared for the hurdles both avenues may present! If you choose a good partner, the odds are they will be around for the lifetime of the app, so be sure you see long-term potential and compatibility.

Pay close attention to the answer to this question. Aside from a look at the company’s portfolio, their answer should let you know how deep their development and early discovery processes go. Many development teams will simply build an app and then leave it up to you to integrate it into your business operations. This may include the effort of figuring out how to generate revenue from the app, publishing it for user download and selecting a safe hosting option.

For the not-so-technically inclined, these obstacles can kill your app before it ever hits the market.

Winning mobile solutions are enjoyed by companies that find a partner who wants to help them succeed, rather than simply generating software. A good partner will assist you in developing a mobility solution for your business that will generate a positive ROI; coach you through revenue generation and/or cost saving techniques; help you integrate the software into your daily operations; and publish, host and maintain the app if you see value in their services for long-term support.

As you learn about each company’s offerings, you may discover features and functionality you’d like to have in your own app, but hadn’t thought of before. This is a great time to revise your requirements document before deciding on a final concept.

QUESTION 2DOMESTIC OR OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT?

QUESTION 3WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR OTHER COMPANIES?

“Winning mobile solutions

are enjoyed by companies that

find a partner who wants to help them succeed, rather than

simply generating software.”

3 4

Obviously, most companies won’t disclose the kinks in their system while they’re trying to win your business. It’s best to look to their current and past clients for more honest reviews. In every scenario, a good partner will provide references to validate their work. If they won’t, save your time and money for another option.

Be sure to ask for case studies as well, and don’t hesitate to sign an NDA so you can measure your potential partner’s ability to understand your business.

This is a complex question, considering that enterprise-level apps can cost anywhere between $50,000 and $1,000,000+. Some apps may cost less, but those are likely very simple and lower value-add than those we’re focusing on here.

We’ve already talked about domestic and offshore development, but there are other factors that contribute to the overall cost of each project. The following table demonstrates what to expect from low-, mid- and high-end firms, though it varies greatly from project to project.

Development firms usually use one of two payment structures:

Time and Materials

• The development team is paid by the hour until completion of the project.

• The company will estimate your cost, but until the project is finished, you won’t know the exact total. The clock is always running.

Fixed Cost

• The development team sets a flat rate based on their Statement of Work (SOW).• Payment structure varies, but the following are common:

• 20% up front, with four milestone payments of 20% made until the balance is paid. The

final payment is usually required at product release.• Or for smaller projects, 50% paid up front, 50% paid upon product release.

A good partner will keep your company in the loop throughout the development process. This may seem obvious, but as noted before, many lower-end firms will simply generate their version of your app with few questions asked. Be sure the partner you choose will offer status updates at least twice per month. Additionally, they should be open to speaking with you on the phone or by email as questions and issues arise.

Most companies will provide a project manager who will be your point of contact through the entire project. This person will be the mediator between your team and the developers, ensuring each side is represented impartially and in a manner that makes sense to each group. As with all synergetic relationships, clear communication is essential to the success of your application.

Most quality development firms follow the Agile design methodology, so it’s important to know what that means. Mobile technology evolves on a monthly basis, with software updates coming out faster and more consistently than ever before. Thanks to this rapid advancement, mobile applications become obsolete quickly, resulting in constant redevelopment, maintenance and support. The Agile approach was designed to cooperate with this high-speed evolution, making updates more painless than in previous development styles through accelerated improvement and cost savings.

Agile Method

• Iterative, team-based approach focused on design sprints and daily Scrum meetings.

• Dependent on cross-functional teams and excellent management.

• Close collaboration between development and business.

• Allows for changes and new features to be added along the way.

(Change requests are often required for unexpected deviations.)• Testing is performed at each stage.

• Sprints cut down on development time so projects can be launched sooner.

• Allows for continuous improvement after the app is launched.

QUESTION 5HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST?

QUESTION 4 CAN WE SEE SOME REFERENCES?

QUESTION 6 HOW DO YOU COMMUNICATE?

QUESTION 7 WHAT’S YOUR DEVELOPMENT PROCESS?

5 6

Whether or not you have your app prototyped by the partner you choose to develop it, they need to have an in-depth understanding of how users engage with applications. Users make a decision about an app within 10 seconds of opening it, so design should be taken very seriously.

A good partner will have at least one UI/UX designer on staff who understands how technical functions and visual cues drive users to perform your desired actions, such as making a purchase, clicking through to a specific page or interacting with other users.

This marriage of visual elements and technology

combines:

• Fast load times and page transitions.

• An intuitive presentation of information.

• A hierarchy of page elements that moves users

through the app along a preferred path.

• The implementation of simple and instinctual controls.

• A visually appealing aesthetic.

Expertise in this field will ensure your app generates a higher-than-average user adoption rate, which is crucial to the success of your business.

Mobile security is often overlooked, but according to a recent study, half of mobile users say they would change network providers if they suffered a security breach. There’s no doubt that these users would also remove an app if it caused the breach. Thanks to this consumer mindset and the rise of threats including malware, spyware and ransomware, app producers must be more diligent than ever.

A good mobility partner will offer several layers of security options, including:

• SSL Encryption

• Two-step Verification• Biometric Fingerprint Authentication

• Ephemeral Messaging

• Geo-fencing

• Required Use of a VPN

• Bring Your Own Device Protocols

Your partner will be able to recommend which features should be implemented, based on the sensitivity of your app and its data.

If you don’t have the right analytics in place to measure your app’s effectiveness, it will fall prey to user rejection and obsolescence. Real-time insight into your users’ behavior will allow you to implement changes to increase user retention, enhance usability and facilitate conversions.Your mobile solutions provider should offer their own big data and analytics tools, or at the very least be able to implement the base-level functionality offered by Google Analytics, Amazon Mobile Analytics, Apsalar or others.

Another piece of the puzzle, especially for companies processing large quantities of data, is predictive analytics. Predictive analytics combines techniques such as data mining, statistics, modeling, machine learning and artificial intelligence to forecast when users will complete a specific action and/or spot fraudulent activity. This data usage creates rules and reports that provide enhanced insight into your users’ activities before they happen, allowing companies to make changes that boost the efficiency of their apps and cut costs sooner.

The Choice Is Yours

Armed with this information, you are ready to ask your prospective partners the right questions for a successful business relationship and well-received mobile application. For more insight into the mobile development process, schedule your free Discovery Workshop with SevenTablets today.

QUESTION 8DO YOU HAVE A DESIGN TEAM?

QUESTION 9 HOW WILL YOU KEEP OUR DATA SECURE?

QUESTION 10WHAT ABOUT ANALYTICS?

7 8

We combine a seasoned leadership team and a Business First approach with custom mobile strategies, expert UI/UX design, rapid app development, military-grade security, app hosting,

lifetime support and built-in mobile analytics to help your company win.

Shane Long is a visionary, entrepreneur, and strategic thinker with over two decades of experience in mobile, wireless, and SaaS markets working with the industries leading companies around the world. He is an energetic leader with an engineering background and strong grasp of technology. He also has an understanding of market needs that allows him to help set the direction for SevenTablets.

SevenTablets is your Secret Weapon

Shane Long, President of SevenTablets, Inc.

Ready to take the next step?

Fill out our online contact form.

contact@SevenTablets.com | 214-299-5100 | www.SevenTablets.com

Want to learn more?

We recommend the following blog posts:

How a Mobile App is Good for Business

According to Forbes, Americans spend an about two whole hours on their mobile devices

each day. An engaging app can put your business in your customer’s pockets.

Mobility Transforms Customer Engagement

Businesses need to consider how apps will drive the customer engagement processes

and how those choices will create maximum value for the business and its clients.

3 Keys to Developing Successful Apps

There are several things to consider when developing an app, but these three may be the

most important.

Let’s Talk!