Mobile application development has existed as long as digital handheld mobile devices have been produced. As the volume of mobile transactions grew at a meteoric rate, it became clear to businesses that mobile applications not only help them to drive innovation and differentiate themselves in the marketplace, but also to go where the eyeballs actually are. As a result, we are starting to see businesses adopting mobile applications as a key strategic initiative. Below are the top five things you need to look for in a mobile applications development partner.
1.) Strategy
An effective mobile product begins with an in-depth product discovery.
Selecting a development firm is different from choosing a development partner. At the end of the day, mobile application development is a business investment. A true development partner will understand this and the goals therein as a part of their process; a firm that only focuses on development may not.
This new business-central focus has created a need for Mobile Solution Architects – experts with a specialization in mobile applications and technologies – to help businesses define and develop enterprise caliber applications that fit into a corporate strategy and meet specific user needs. The right mobile applications development partner will do the following:
- Understand mobile business drivers
- Evaluate the type of app to build
- Provide technology recommendations
- Navigate the unique challenges of mobile applications development
You can read more about how Mobile Solutions Architects guide your strategic process here.
An effective mobile product begins with an in-depth product discovery. At Summa, our Mobile Solutions Architects encourage a Discovery Project that makes for a better estimate by defining what you’re looking to do or achieve and getting a more thorough understanding of your current state. The Discovery Project will also delve into existing business value and the options technology will allow you to have. Analyzing your objectives, current software and options before launching into a mobile development is essential. Summa’s Discovery Project allows complexity and depth into what you're looking for. Involving Mobile Solution Architects throughout an enterprise mobile strategy expedites the process and ensures its success, longevity and return on investment.
2.) Agility
Successful mobile application development is contingent on an agile partner. Once your business objectives are established, the best mobile app development partners will be committed to staying in line with these objectives through rapid and agile product development. They will never use a cookie-cutter approach. The right mobile applications development partner will be flexible and adapt architectural, design and management solutions throughout the course of the project.
There needs to be a sense of trust and seamless communication between the design and development teams. For this reason, you need a mobile applications development partner with ample experience. Summa's design team is very open to suggestions and works with the developers in an agile, iterative fashion. This trust is realized by elegant and polished mobile applications (read about an example of a three-week turnaround project here).
It is also important that your mobile applications development partner keeps up with the constant changes in the mobile development industry. Summa has continued to increase our mobile capabilities and mobile development capacity. We have taken on and delivered high-quality enterprise-caliber mobile applications for Fortune 500 companies. These projects have included straight mobile web apps, HTML5-based hybrid apps and native iOS apps.
3.) Communication and Collaboration With Your Team
The opportunity to brainstorm helps us understand the type of app needed.
After the Discovery Project, it is essential for the Mobile Solution Architect to have regular team meetings with clients to leverage their knowledge and experience. This ensures the team meets the client’s vision and reaches the MVP within the allotted timeframe.
Regular communication is essential for several reasons. First, during mobile application development, different applications may have certain requirements that will impact the overall IT and business strategy. An iPad for field inspectors to document findings seems like a great idea, until realizing that inspectors really have nowhere to carry an iPad, that they wear heavy gloves that don’t work with the touchscreen, and that the existing back-end storage of Excel files don’t agree well with to wireless updates. The appropriate mobile solution will meet a valid business need in a way that fits the user. Building an app just to build an app may lead to something beneficial, but more likely will result in a waste of time, effort and resources. Mobile Solution Architects help you avoid that risk altogether.
In addition, regular communication and collaboration leads to insightful mergers of ideas. At Summa, we find thoughtful, insightful brainstorming sessions between teams are the most productive. During these brainstorms, we identify opportunities, potential problems and solutions. For instance, if your team wants a full-featured app but does not have a lucrative budget, we may present a browser-based version of an existing web application that may fit your needs. Or if you want a full-blown mobile application development project, the Mobile Solutions Architect can ask questions surrounding security, platforms, graphics, development language and more. The opportunity to brainstorm helps us understand the type of app we need to build in order to deliver the right results.
The right mobile application also will correlate with your team’s capabilities post-delivery. A common situation we experience with new clients is them asking, “How do we write apps without having to hire a bunch of new developers?” There are a myriad of options for writing apps, and it's usually just a matter of finding the right platform or framework. Understanding what the mobile development options are and when they are appropriate is paramount to making the proper decision. Mobile Solution Architects have the background knowledge to navigate this challenge and determine your best option.
Along with experience and expertise, a good mobile partner like Summa will provide Mobile Solutions Architects, who recognize that collaboration is not a “nice to have” but a “must have” for mobile application development success. They will make the conscious effort to have regular team meetings with clients to leverage their experience, creativity and vision.
4.) Commitment to User Experience
User experience (UX) is much more than appearance. As the first reflection of an app that the user will see, UX is about a goal-driven design approach that offers intuitive, human-centered function and an aesthetically-pleasing, on-brand design interface. It’s all about creating applications with experiences that relate to the users.
In the effort to support a broad range of users, many mobile applications provide the same functionality for everyone. But that's not really how people work. Each user type may only use a small part of the overall functionality—giving all groups access to everything can create confusion and increase the risk for accidental errors and data loss. Taking the time to understand your different mobile user groups, consider their needs and create specific privileges/functionality based on those needs will greatly improve the usability of your mobile application.
The key with user experience in mobile applications development is to start with the customer experience in mind and work backward to the technology.
5.) Results-driven
Mobile applications development partners should have a record of working with various types of integration technologies, infrastructure platforms, and more.
A mobile applications development partner should have a proven track record of working successfully to create results with various types of integration technologies, infrastructure platforms and more.
One instance of a results-driven app development project is a project Summa conducted with a paint company. A simple mistake mixing or applying paint can cost a vehicle collision shop hundreds of dollars. Summa created a B2B application for a company looking to reduce the risk of these mistakes, identifying a user group of the clients' painters. Then, we provided the ability to set privileges for specific users. For example, less-experienced painters may have quantity and price limits associated with their profile, requiring them to seek approval before mixing the paint. Having this threshold in place helps reduce the chance of an error for the shop.
Bottom Line
When looking for the right mobile applications development partner, look for a team with strategy, agility, communication, commitment to user experience and a results-driven portfolio. At Summa, our experienced team of designers, strategists and architects can create the tools to transform your business. Whether you're curious about a new mobile applications development project or revamping an existing one, we have the know-how to help you be swifter, smarter and get a leg up on the competition.
