This must be one of the toughest questions in the hottest IT market right now; mobile application development.  I field this question every single working day and many weekends as well.  As you can imagine there are a multitude of factors that have to be considered when looking at developing an iPhone, iPad, or Android application.

Have a Project Scope

The most important factor in answering this question is simply thinking the project scope out thoroughly.  I’ve seen individual entrepreneurs and large companies rush into a mobile project without properly scoping out every important angle in the proposed project. 

But What if I don’t have a Project Scope?

Generally there are two approaches to this scenario:

• I have no idea what this will cost, so let’s build a scope of work and find out what vendors will charge.
• I have a set budget of XYZ, here is my scope of work, can this project be accomplished within my budget?

If you have no idea of a budget to begin with, don’t panic.  Start with generating a solid scope of work and send it out to several vendors (at least three) to see what kind of budgetary feedback they give you.  But be careful to cover yourself with a Non-Disclosure Agreement and make sure that you are comparing like vendors. (See our page on who owns my idea)

Know the Vendors You’re Talking To

Many vendors use freelance or outsourced talent, make sure you ask them if the project management, design and programming resources are in house or not.  You should also ask if you will be able to communicate directly with everyone on the team via phone or email. While you may save money going with firms that use freelancers or outsource projects overseas, you have to look at the opportunity cost and how much longer your project will take in development.

Getting in a Range of Bids

You will likely receive a wide range of bids, typically the range can vary (from high to low) by tens of thousands of dollars.   Again don’t panic, there will be reasons for this, not all of them will be logical, but some factors include overhead, market served, technical scope of project and design requirements.

Two Main Types of Mobile Apps

Generally speaking there are two main types of mobile applications, static and dynamic.  A static app is normally just informational, with the entire app residing on the mobile device.  There is no automatic updating of fresh content unless the developer submits an update.  A dynamic app contains information that can be continuously updated via RSS or web services feeds via Wi-Fi or cellular phone service.

So what does all this mean for my budget?

Simple, static apps typically fall in a price range of $8,000.00 – $20,000.00 (per platform) depending on the amount of information that has to be displayed in the app.  Dynamic apps generally average from $12,000.00 – $30,000.00 (per platform) depending on the complexity, though as you add in more features and functionality, the cost will typically increase as well.

We have worked on many dynamic apps that have to be deployed on multiple platforms (iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Mobile Web) in which case the cost can easily go above six figures.

How can I Keep the Budget Down?

Many companies can shave the budget cost down by leveraging in house talent to lend a hand in the project.  We encourage our clients to leverage such talent in areas of wire-frames, design and writing web services scripts.

Be Careful when going with the Lowest Bid Out There

You can get lower quotes by going with small outfits or freelancers who are hungry to prove themselves.  Just make sure to check references and keep in mind that most freelancers have other jobs so you are not the most important client that they have.  Also, companies that outsource work overseas have to bridge a cultural and time gap in development, which can lead to longer project timelines and higher frustration for your project managers.

At the end of the day any good outfit will give you a proposal that is presented a’la carte, meaning you can pick and choose what features you want in for your final project specifications. As always feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Be on the lookout for my next post on Features you can Incorporate to a Mobile App and how Complex they are to do.

The question of should you develop your mobile application as a mobile friendly website or a standard native application is really very complicated to hash through in a single blog post, so those of you who are really interested to know please call me.

There are however several factors that I normally see in this decision making process:

Reasons to go for a Mobile Web App:

• Internal application for employee and customer login.
• Does not require an app icon sitting on a smart phone.
• Does not want the app available for general download on iTunes or other stores.
• Large, enterprise wide app that requires many data feeds.
• Large quantity of videos, PDF’s or other data.
• Easier to develop and optimize for all platforms.

Reasons to go for a Native Application:

• Selling the application for a fee.
• Need to “brand” your icon by having it on the smart phone screen.
• Smaller files sizes, native app will work faster if running from the smart phone.
• Need to notify user base of updates.
• Native use of the internal GPS or accelerometer.

There are many more pro’s and con’s to cover, these are just a few when considering which direction to go.  Give us a call at 888.856.2664 to discuss which option might work best for you.

How to Hire an App Developer Part III

Compare All Apples and Oranges

You have done your homework, and you have a list of three or four developers to contact (see Part 1 & Part 2). Because each of these developers may be offering different services, make sure you are making comparisons on the same criteria.

You will find that many of the developers either do not have phone numbers listed on their web sites or request that you use email to start the ball rolling for app quotes. You need to put the same parameters about your intended app into the email for each of the developers, so they are quoting on similar specifications. Remember, you have clearly defined your app (Part 1), so you can just cut and paste this description into the email.

Read the rest of Sharon’s post on How to Hire an App Developer at 148apps.biz

How to Hire an App Developer Part II

Strongly Weigh the Pros & Cons

A few years ago, if you put “iPhone app developer” into Google, only a handful of returns would come up in the search. Now, you can choose from thousands of individuals and companies who are begging for your work.

Not only do you have to choose a reliable developer, but you need to decide what country, type of company and whether a company or individual. When searching for a developer, you will quickly find that many, if not the majority, of the service providers are from India…(continued at 148apps.biz)

To read the entire post, visit 148apps.biz.

How to Hire an App Developer

Every day, scores of apps are being submitted to Apple for the iPad, iPod or iPhone. Just as many apps never make it to the store. They end up only partially developed or not developed at all. I should know – my app is still wandering somewhere in limbo land. The good news: I learned a great deal about hiring an app developer. In this series of articles, I’ll pass on some of the pitfalls and lessons learned.

Good Ideas Aren’t Enough

You are a business owner and have a great idea for an app that will promote your widgets. Great! But, there’s no shortage of inspirations for new apps. That is only the very first step in app development. To have a successful app, or one that is used by your target audience, you need to be totally involved from concept, through design, onto development and then onward to Apple. Don’t expect to just hand the idea over to a developer and expect miracles…(continued)

To read the entire post, visit 148apps.biz.

“How difficult is it to launch an app simultaneously on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry?”

It’s not difficult from a timing and work perspective as much as it can be challenging from a budget perspective. We normally start with the design and wire framing process for the iPhone first, then delve right into the same process for Android and BlackBerry. Once the client has approved the wire frames and designs we have our programming teams start in on functional implementation of the code. This is done concurrently with an overall project manager overseeing the development efforts.

iPhone, Android and BlackBerry are all developed on completely different code bases. So for native application development on each platform you have to budget in the proper amount to duplicate each effort. Typically coding the same app for Android and Blackberry (after the iPhone app has been developed) runs about 85% of what the original iPhone app cost. That 15% savings occurs because much of the design used for the iPhone can be translated over to Android and BlackBerry. You obviously want to keep that consistent branding experience through all of the apps in the same family.

Mobile Websites have their place

One way to get around this duplication of effort is to program the app as a mobile website that is optimized for all three platform’s browsers. This would be recommended in cases where a company wants to offer it’s app to a specific niche of users such as employees, vendors and customers. The mobile web would not be recommended if you are trying to brand and sell a commercial, retail or utility app that has to appeal to a large cross section of users. Having that app icon consistently on the screen of any platform is a constant reminder to the user of your brand experience.

Which platform should you launch your app on first or does it make sense to launch on all three concurrently?

While the rules do change, we suggest that the first platform you launch be the iPhone. The user base is still more app-centric than Android or BlackBerry. Plus users are more likely to spend for the app. Of course that equation will quickly change as Android apps and its platform become more popular.

We also suggest that if you have the luxury of a little market research first you should conduct your due diligence and survey the potential user base. Some of our clients have done their homework and reached a conclusion that Android made sense to start with first. Others have come to the decision that they want to skip the smart phone development and go straight to the iPad, or an Android tablet.

Next week we’ll tackle how easy it is to build on all three platforms simultaneously.

What mobile platform would you go with first for your mobile application?

Last year our firm lost a decent amount of new business projects to outsourcing overseas.  In many cases the prospects knew that the firms were outside of the U.S. and they were comfortable with taking the risk.  They were getting projects quoted at half or 2/3rd of the rate that U.S. based companies offer, and who can argue with that during tentative economic times?

In some cases the prospective clients were told that the firm was U.S. based, and in many cases they were, but the actual design and programming was being conducted in India, China or Eastern Europe.  For straight up database or software programming I notice that these arrangements work out quite well.  Where I have witnessed a serious breakdown is when the overseas contractor is creating a user interface and logic flow for a website or mobile app that is aimed at a Western audience.

The cultural connection is just not made on multiple levels which include project time zone lag, language issues, unrealistic expectations, unsatisfactory break testing, final code not transferred, and in a  high number of cases the project just is not finished at all.  So even if the overseas firm is charging five times less I am seeing projects that take 9 months to complete instead of the average  2 -3 months costing the client more in budget and opportunity cost at the end of the day than if they had gone with a U.S. firm.

In the mobile application development market we are seeing a trend of about a 70% failure rate of projects going overseas.  Many of the complaints that we receive indicate that these firms are jamming so many low cost projects through their system that a good amount of them get “lost” in the process.

This really boils down to detailed project management and communication with the actual developer.  If you cannot  speak to, and communicate with the individual programming and designing your project then you should think twice about working with that particular firm.

One other unfortunate aspect of this trend is that when the project does fail you have little leverage or recourse from a legal point of view to get your designs and source code.  Even if the firm is administratively based in the U.S. I have seen clients suing them to no avail.  The mind boggling part of many failed projects is that the overseas firm seems to get 80% or more finished with the project and then they just “fall off the earth” as several of our clients have expressed.

Obviously there are some outstanding overseas firms that you can work with.  However, before you go with a firm that is based overseas to save money I would caution you to get references, look at past projects and be mentally ready for time-lines and project expectations not to be met.

Thinking beyond Design

We often see clients stressing over the design of a software or web project without paying close enough attention to the functionality and workflow of the application. In fact, workflow is more important and should act as starting point for user interface design. It is through workflow that the user performs all tasks. Usually it is only a one-step process, such as filling out a single form, but sometimes wizards or context-aware interfaces are required to perform sophisticated tasks. These need to be discussed in detail and agreed upon early in the project cycle, because changing complicated workflow in the middle of development is a time-consuming process and can potentiallyeffect other aspects of the project.

Good questions to ask early in developing a project are:

• What tasks do we want users to perform in order to achieve our goals
• How do we make it easy/elegant/entertaining to perform these tasks
• What are the states/steps for each task, how do we inform the user about his current state or errors that occurred, how do we properly instruct the user
• What should occur in the back-end code when these tasks are performed in terms of data generated (new content/user data recorded, general/error log messages written, emails sent/etc)

For most projects workflow is usually a one or two step process. In addition, most tasks have been standardized over time, functions such as user registration, contact forms and purchasing products are pretty much the same across the board. Therefore it may not occur to the client that underlying workflow governs the project/website. Overlooking this fact may lead to unintuitive interfaces and processes and hinder long-term project success. This may also lead to non-standard implementation of certain workflow processes that can be time-consuming and risk-prone.

Communication is key

Finally, the most important part of translating your vision is the communication, not only between you and the developers, but between others within your organization. Steve Demby, our director of development, was able to sum up the importance of communication pretty well:

• Do not communicate with the developer solely by email. You need to speak on the phone or in person with them periodically
• Set up regular meetings to review the progress
• Set up web reviews or meet in person to visually review the project regularly. Don’t just talk about the project; make sure you see the progress
• Don’t go too long with out reviewing the project. If you do, designers and developers will go off on a tangent, straying away from the idea that you have in mind towards the idea they may have in mind
• Be aware that if you go with a free-lance developer that has a full time job the project will normally take MUCH longer than expected

Conclusion

It does not matter if you are a large Fortune 500 company or a small entrepreneur, your vision should be clearly stated, budgeted for and managed with expectations that can be met. A reputable programming firm will give you access to the project manager, developer and in most cases even the CEO and top VP’s. Having that connection helps ensure that everybody on the development team has the client’s vision in focus. The bottom line is if you don’t have direct communication access to the guy in the trenches developing your vision don’t be surprised if the project stalls.