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Michael Hendsbee
Michael Hendsbee

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Building an App or Website? What You Need to Know When Hiring

Building a successful virtual business requires a team of professionals that understand the brand’s vision and know-how to develop it in a growing market. Whether you’re interested in developing an app for your business, or perhaps a new website, the right team will be instrumental in the process.

Let’s break down the key qualities you’ll need to look for when finding the right app developer and website designer — the twin pillars of your online presence.

Finding the Right App Developer

According to Evans Data Corporation, there are approximately 23 million professionals working as desktop, mobile, and web developers worldwide. This may seem like a daunting number when deciding how best to find the professionals that are right for your company, but by following simple guidelines it can be a positive experience.

With the growing list of apps circling the market, having a clear vision for your business is an important first step. Are you looking to solve a problem in the market? Is there a niche you feel hasn’t been tapped into yet? Once you’ve identified your end goal, you can find a developer that has experience in that industry.

They should also understand how important communication is between their team and you, to ensure you’re involved at every iterative stage of development so your vision isn’t compromised.

Finding a developer whose process is lean and efficient will ensure less bureaucracy while maintaining quick turnarounds and low overhead. Because the process has a number of steps — defining the idea, to building the wireframe and UI, and adequate testing — full transparency will provide your company with peace of mind and assure that your app is going to reach the maximum number of users.

Choosing the Right Website Designer

There are a number of mistakes to avoid when it comes to web design, but the first step to avoiding trouble is knowing what to look for in your designer. Asking the right questions upfront will eliminate any unnecessary work.

Asking how they approach usability will help you gauge how important they believe efficient and user-friendly websites should be. You want your designer to operate on the highest level, and that means putting the user first, envisioning how they would move through the website without hassle. If a designer can’t explain the user journey to you, they probably aren’t up to the task.

They should have a list of past work available to show any interested parties. Their resume should showcase the quality of work they offer and the range of designs they can provide. If they have a variety of creative designs, it shows that they can adapt to their client's varying needs, because you may want to change aspects of your website throughout the design process. The right designer will help accommodate and will always be open to communicating.

Ensure you’ve confirmed pricing before you engage in a professional relationship, whether that translates into a fixed rate or if their commission is based on an hourly rate.

By simply asking the right questions and ensuring you and your app developer and web designer are on the same page, finding the right professionals to help grow your business should be a breeze.

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