In this very competitive industry, where there is more money to be made, it is more important than ever to employ the best developers. How can you tell if a job applicant’s profile is a promising one or a potentially disastrous one? This post will give you some key skills you should look out for in mobile app developers.
Important Skills You Should Look for When Hiring an App Maker
From your brand and identity to the back end technology, you’ll want a high-quality product that won’t let you down. That’s where the following list of skills comes in handy, helping to separate the wheat from the chaff when hiring an app developer.
Proficiency in Programming languages
This is the bedrock of any good developer’s skill set and it is the bare minimum you should expect from any app developer worth their salt.
Every software product is built on top of one or more programming languages, so if your developer can’t work with at least one of them fluently they’re not going to get very far
The more coding languages they know the better.
In mobile app development the popular languages are Objective-C and Swift for iOS apps, as well as Java or Kotlin for Android.
UX / UI design principles
Unless users find your app easy and intuitive to use, they’re not going to stick around for long.
Many companies hire a developer solely on the basis of their technical abilities, but if they don’t have a good understanding of UX and UI best practices it can be a costly mistake.
The developer needs to be able to build the app and understand the core of its functionality, but they also need to know how best to communicate that function with users. This includes navigation, information architecture, colour schemes, typefaces and much more.
Understanding of back end technologies and APIs
Any good mobile app will need to communicate with a backend database in order to function properly.
Backend technologies such as RESTful APIs, XML and JSON are essential for the communication layer between your app and any databases or servers that it needs to talk with.
It is the job of your app developer to understand how the front end and back end of your app will work together to provide a seamless user experience.
A commitment to testing throughout the process
While QA testing at the end of a project is important, it’s much better to catch problems earlier on in development so they can be fixed quickly and easily.
Great app developers will test their work throughout the process, testing again after each new feature or improvement is rolled out.
This ensures the final product meets the highest standards, and it also means you can roll back any problematic changes quickly and easily.
Cross-platform skills
The mobile app market is highly competitive, and with consumer demand for new products on the rise you need to be able to deliver new features and updates quickly.
In order to do this you need top developers for your app who are able to work across multiple platforms at once.
Android and iOS are the two main platforms you need to be able to build for, but Microsoft Windows is also popular. Additionally, the ability to build Hybrid apps (i.e mobile apps that run within a browser) and cross platform web apps will give your company a competitive edge.
Database management
Data is an integral part of any mobile app, and it’s important to make sure the right data is in the right place.
Developers should at least be familiar with database management so they can ensure the correct data is stored in a user’s account, and that it remains secure. They will need to know how to manage that data and ensure it’s always up-to-date.
App Store Optimization (ASO)
Mobile apps are often discovered by users through search.
By optimising your app’s title and keywords you can help your app get found by the right people.
App developers should be able to identify and use key phrases that users are likely to search for, making it easier for them to find your app. They should also be able to track changes in download volumes so you can see what is and isn’t working.
Other activities in the ASO process include updating your app’s on-page content, including screenshots and the description. This is also a good time to experiment with different pricing strategies, and track the effect on your download rate.
Mobile app development companies with a good track record of successful projects will have expertise in these key areas, as well as a good knowledge of the app development process.
Agile Methodologies
Agile is a framework for iterative, incremental product development. In simple terms: it’s a way of breaking your project down into small, manageable chunks.
This means you can have constant visibility over the progress made by your development team, and you can make changes or improvements as required.
This enables you to build up new features gradually rather than waiting until the end of the project before testing everything.
It allows mobile app developers to develop new features quickly and efficiently. The team should be able to work in sprints, with a focus on delivering new features and fixing bugs.
This makes it a perfect fit for the modern app development process, where speed and flexibility are essential to success in an increasingly competitive market.
Excellent Communication
A great mobile app developer will be an excellent communicator with both technical and non-technical people. They should have strong written communication skills, and be able to explain their ideas clearly. This is crucial in team meetings where developers work with product managers, designers and testers to agree the best approach for new features.
They should be able to explain their code and design decisions in a way that is accessible to non-technical team members.
In addition, they should have excellent verbal communication skills so they can chat with users and understand what they need from an app.
This is important as it ensures the whole team has bought into a project, making it easier to deliver a good end product.
Problem Solving
It’s important for mobile application developers to know how to deal with setbacks. It doesn’t matter how carefully you plan the project, problems will arise.
Developers should be able to identify and resolve them in a timely manner, so they don’t impact the end product.
They should be able to review and improve their own work, spotting potential issues before they become problems in the future.
Teamwork
Great mobile app developers don’t work in isolation, they are part of a team. To be successful they need to be able to work well with other team members, sharing ideas and opinions. This is especially important when working with other disciplines such as design or QA testing.
Adaptability
The world of apps is always changing, and it’s important for developers to keep up. They need to be able to work quickly when new features are requested or bugs need fixing, without compromising on quality.
They should be able to learn new technologies and adapt them to an existing project, taking into account existing code and infrastructure.
A mobile app development company that has these skills in-house will be able to deliver the best quality products. As well as identifying new opportunities for your app, they can help you refine existing features and monetization strategies to make it more successful in the crowded app marketplace.