How To Select A Competent Mobile App Development Company For Your Next Project?

You’ve got a phenomenal mobile app idea and cannot wait to start the development process! Sounds great! However, developing a mobile app is not as easy as it sounds. Before embarking on the app development journey, you need to decide on certain vital factors that can impact your product development process considerably. The top factors are the choice of targeted platforms, tech stacks, and most importantly, the development resources that suit you best. Choosing the best mobile app development company is essential; it decides the success rate of your software development project.

Now, the question is how will you know which mobile app development services are competent and worth investing in. Well, this post discusses the factors and standard practices you need to consider while choosing a development agency for your next project.

Factors to consider while picking a Mobile App Development Company

Check their Portfolio and Customer Reviews

The very first step to selecting the best mobile app development company is checking its portfolio and customer reviews. Here are the reasons! It’s important to determine the quality of the software development partner you are going to work with by checking out their past projects. This way, you’ll be able to understand if they were successful in producing top-quality apps for their previous clients.

You should also take into account whether or not the company can meet your project delivery deadline. You can identify it by thoroughly analyzing their customer reviews. If their reviews indicate that customers are satisfied with their services, then you will have confidence in them that they will be able to produce a high-quality mobile app solution that meets your needs.

Happy customers and an impressive portfolio are positive indicators of a good software development agency.

Domain-specific Experience

Review the apps your would-be software development partner developed in the past and check whether they have worked on use cases similar to yours. Look at the years of experience they have in your domain. Always pick an agency with several years of app development experience. This is because developing an impeccable app solution that aligns with the market requirements is not enough. You need something more to be successful. The end product must also be compatible with your business objectives, resolve some problems that other similar apps aren’t able to, and include some USPs.

Software development firms with domain-specific experience can easily identify the operational bottlenecks in your business and understand the needs of your targeted audience during the discovery phase. This will save you from major pitfalls and add optimum value to your project. Experienced development teams will be able to design the app architecture flawlessly and implement the necessary measures related to data security. For instance, they will know the necessary regulatory compliances mandated for a specific software product category.

They’ll be able to effectively handle any kind of developmental challenge and mid-project crisis no matter how complex they are. This minimizes time and effort during the development phase. Moreover, an application development company that has been in your domain for a long time will be able to provide sound advice on the most profitable add-ons and other product-related aspects. For example, you’ll receive expert guidance on which app monetization strategy will work best for your business use case.

Besides, accomplished mobile app development services have experience in developing solutions for iOS as well as Android. A company that has experience in both platforms can bring a lot to the table.

UI/UX Design Capabilities

Examine the company’s previous work to gain an idea about its UI/UX design capabilities. This is because a major part of your app’s success depends on how the app looks and how effortlessly a user can interact with and navigate through it. Aim to create user interfaces that are easy to use and captivating as well. A unique and clean UI that is consistent in terms of text, shapes, color, etc. is most desirable. It’s the first impression your end customers will have about your business brand.

Choose a Dynamic Team over Individual Developers

It isn’t a good idea to have a single developer manage your project. There are a wide variety of elements required during the development process. A single mobile developer who takes up a project might not be aware of all the elements that need to be included in the final product, nor does the resource have time to include everything. Besides, there are times when the app development responsibilities become too much for one person to handle; which is when multiple specialists are needed.

Hence, you need a dynamic team of experienced designers, developers, testers, and project managers who can guide you smoothly through the development process. Each of these resources is a specialist in their respective areas and you get the best quality of work done.

For example, experienced designers will maintain world-class app design standards customized as per the client’s need and the best mobile app developers will write good-quality codes. Professional testers will follow the standard testing approaches and use the necessary tools to ensure that the final product is free of any bugs or technical issues before launch. A project manager will make sure that the sprints are completed on time and that the client is kept informed on the project’s whereabouts. Other resources will be able to help you with app distribution and maintenance. This way, you get every job done smoothly without much ado.

Technical Expertise

The technology a mobile app development company uses determines what kind of project they are best suited for. Most app development companies offer iPhone and Android apps.

Look for sound technical expertise. The firm should have expertise in working with the latest technologies, tools, programming languages, etc., and be well-versed in software development best practices.

The Mobile app Development Company you choose should have resources who have thorough knowledge and expertise in the following technical areas:

• Programming languages such as Swift, Kotlin, Java, Objective-C, etc.
• Mobile operating systems- Android and iOS
• IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) such as Xcode, Android Studio, Visual Studio Code, etc.
• UI frameworks like UIKit and Material Design
• Backend development technologies like Node.js, PHP, Ruby on Rails, etc.
• API integration capabilities
• Cloud Services (AWS & Microsoft Azure)
• Testing Tools like XCTest, Espresso, etc.
• Security best practices to ensure to protect app’s data
• CI and CD tools like CircleCI, Jenkins, TravisCI, etc.

Communication and Transparency

Transparent communication and strong project management skills are must-haves. A competent IT firm must keep its clients updated on the project’s progress at every stage of the developmental cycle. The firm should also be available to answer your questions whenever needed and promptly respond to emails. If a communication gap is there between the client and the development firm, the final product may not turn out as per the client’s expectations.

Also, the company should be open to taking timely action if any issues arise and also should accommodate mid-project modification requests based on the need. Usually, software agencies following the agile approach are able to adhere to the aforesaid prerequisites. Also, your technology partner should be open to innovations for making your app stand out.

The Lowest Price is not always the Best

Some business brands have the tendency to settle down for the lowest available price as they have budget considerations. But, the truth is, low-cost vendors are often unable to provide top app developers. So, if you pick the least expensive vendor, the quality of your end product is likely to be below standard. Also, you might end up spending more in the long run. Incompetent resources may land you in a situation where you may have to redevelop the app with other app development resources because the final product didn’t turn out as expected or there are technical glitches.

Non-disclosure Agreement

Imagine a scenario when your app idea gets leaked and inferior-quality duplicates hit the app stores even before your product development process gets over. Such a situation may arise if the outsourcing agency does not adopt adequate security measures. As such, you need to sign a non-disclosure agreement with your would-be software development partner.

Usually, every top mobile app development company complies with this requirement. A non-disclosure agreement states that the app’s concept must remain confidential before the app reaches the app stores. IT agencies that sign this agreement are bound to adopt stringent security measures to protect the mobile app idea and concept.

Post-launch Support & Maintenance

Remember that developing an app is not just about UI/UX designing, coding, and deploying the app successfully to the app stores. The role of your app development firm doesn’t end after the app goes live. You need technical support during the post-launch phase as well to maintain the app.

After deployment, an app might come across issues that need to be fixed at once. Then, when you go live, users send valuable feedback. It’s important to keep these users happy and provide great experiences for them so they continue to use your app and download it. So, most apps follow the best practice of making post-deployment modifications based on the end users’ feedback and updating the app with the latest features whenever needed.

The company you partner with must provide ongoing support and maintenance for your mobile application after it goes live. Continuous support will make sure that your app functions as expected without any issues and remains updated as per the latest trends.

This is the reason why it’s a great idea to choose app development services that offer an end-to-end mobile app development package right from the app ideation stage to the post-launch phase.

In Conclusion

Mobile apps are powerful tools using which you can provide easy access to your products and services to your targeted customers. It is also an effortless way to establish your brand’s presence. But, you can make the best out of these aforementioned advantages, only if your app functions flawlessly, offers new-age features, provides some add-ons that are lacking in similar apps existing in the market, and stays relevant as per the most recent trends.

This is the reason why it’s important to choose the most competent mobile application development company for your upcoming project. And, the factors mentioned in the post will help you to make the right decision. A professionally sound company will fulfill your specific requirements and deliver a top-graded app that aligns with your business goals. Once done with selecting the best-suited mobile app agency, make sure you have a thorough discussion regarding the product development roadmap and the kind of deliverables expected.

 

Microservices vs Monolithic Architecture: Which Approach is Suitable for a Start Up?

Monolithic Architecture is a traditional approach in which the entire app is integrated into a single unified model. The prime objective is to interconnect all features making them co-dependent on each other. This model may sound simple, but creates roadblocks in handling bigger and more complex projects.

Microservices architecture, on the other hand, splits an app into smaller services that are interconnected and interact with each other with the help of APIs. Every microservice is independent, loosely coupled, and possesses a distinct hexagonal architecture comprising of business logic and different adapters. Here, each service is a separate codebase, has its own database, and can be deployed independently. This approach has gained momentum these days as modern-day businesses expect more agility in their operations. Some renowned brands using the microservices approach are Uber, Twitter, AWS, Netflix, and Spotify.

This post explores Monolithic and Microservices architecture in detail, outlines their differences and provides suggestions based on specific project requirements. A quick read will help you to pick the best-suited approach for your upcoming software development project.

 Monolithic Architecture: Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

Monolithic apps perform speedily at the initial stages as they use local calls in place of API calls throughout the entire network. But, this speed reduces with the expansion of the app. A monolithic app, being a single solution, rather than a set of separate apps, is easily manageable, involve much lower development cost, and encounter very few cross-cutting issues initially.

Weaknesses

When the codebase of a monolithic app becomes huge, the IDE slows down, adversely affecting the developers’ productivity. Moreover, it’s challenging to scale the app, and modifying the programming language or framework that hampers the app’s functioning. Also, it’s pretty expensive to migrate to different technology in situations where monolithic architecture is used.

Microservices Architecture: Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

Microservice architectures are well organized - each microservice is responsible for carrying out a particular task, without being concerned about the tasks carried out by the other components. And, since such services are decoupled, they can be effortlessly reconfigured and recomposed to fulfill the needs of various microservice applications. For instance, microservices can serve public API as well as web clients.

Each microservice can be written employing a different technology; for instance, one microservice can be handled by Java developers while the other can involve DotNet developers. Thus, you have the flexibility to choose a particular technology for catering to specific business requirements without having to lock other services with that technology. This helps in optimizing the performance of crucial functions.

Microservices allows you to auto-scale an application as per the load on the app, promises speedier deployment, and eases out rolling updates as there aren’t any dependencies between the services. With this type of architecture, you can execute parallel development by setting up boundaries between various parts of the system; these boundaries are difficult to violate resulting in fewer errors.

Weaknesses

Microservices apps consume more memory; involve higher development costs initially; come with complex requirements regarding the operation, testing, deployment, and management; and need a greater level of developmental proficiency and expertise.

Microservices vs Monolithic Architecture: Comparison

Here are some major differences between Microservices and Monolithic architecture based on these crucial parameters.

Architecture

In Monolithic architecture, the app’s UI, database, business logic, front-end, and back-end are integrated into a single codebase; whereas in microservices architecture, all the aforesaid app elements are subdivided and operated independently of each other. Likewise, the processes of testing and deployment are executed under one line in monolithic apps, while in microservices apps, these processes are scattered across different adapters and databases.

Monolithic architecture is deployed in a traditional format and caters to standard web servers. For deploying microservices, on the other hand, a plethora of approaches are supported - One service-One host approach (each service is deployed to one virtual host machine); One Service-One Container approach (microservices are isolated by docker containers, but resources like frameworks, libraries, and operating servers are shared); and Serverless deployment (third-party cloud services host and manage the servers on which the program runs).

Development

Developing a monolithic application is easy if the app is new, but as the app gets bigger developmental challenges crop up. This is because the huge indivisible database needs the joint effort of the development team.

Microservices, on the other hand, offer loose coupling and several options to choose from while picking the tech stack; but the app developers must possess a more profiled knowledge. However, this structure allows developers to work independently on each component.

Testing

Testing is pretty simple in a monolithic app as a single script is used for testing the whole system while testing a microservices application becomes complex as every part of the app needs to be tested separately.

Deployment

Microservices architecture enables continual development and deployment as every service gets individually implemented. With monolithic architecture, deployment becomes slower.

App Updation

The process of updating a microservices application happens uninterruptedly and doesn’t slow down the entire system. Contrarily, updating a monolithic app is voluminous and burdensome and for every update, the entire app has to be redeployed.

Scalability

The bigger the monolithic app the more challenging it becomes to scale the app - for handling new changes the entire system has to be redeployed. In microservices apps, each part is scaled independently without downtime and so, involves fewer hassles while carrying out modifications.

Security and Reliability

Monolithic architecture involves a single source code; communication happens within a single unit, resulting in secure data processing and a simple monitoring procedure. Microservices architecture, contrarily, involves inter processing between multiple API connections increasing security threats, and hence, greater security monitoring is needed. However, in monolithic apps, one bug can hamper the whole system, while in microservices apps, one bug affects only that specific service and the bug can be topically fixed. Therefore, even when one service fails other services are not affected.

When should you pick Monolithic Approach?

You intend to develop a Simple App with faster Time-to-market

Monolithic architecture is an ideal choice for building a simple app that doesn’t require reinventing the wheel and the app is unlikely to scale rapidly. Moreover, developing the prototype of a simple app will take place at a fast pace leading to quicker time-to-market.

Smaller-sized Team and No prior Experience with Microservices

Start-ups with smaller-sized teams will benefit from the monolithic approach as experience and expertise in one tech stack will suffice and your team will not have to handle any developmental complexities. Furthermore, if your team doesn’t have any prior experience of working with microservices, picking this approach will be a risky business. In such a scenario, it’s better to start with a monolithic approach and migrate to microservices later on as and when needed.

Your app idea is Novel, Unproven, or the Proof of a Concept

If you have a novel app idea or planning to create a product that is unproven, your application is likely to evolve with time. Here, a monolithic approach will help in iterating the product speedily. Similarly, if your intended app is all set to prove a particular concept, you need to learn more within a short time and monolithic architecture will prove beneficial.

When should you pick Microservices Approach?

Your app is Complex and needs unprecedented Scaling

If you wish to develop a complicated software solution that involves a rich feature set, a substantial amount of personalization, extensive use of interactivity, a huge amount of business logic, or needs to be run by various modules; microservices architecture is your ideal pick. Start-ups who plan to build a highly innovative and revolutionary app that targets a humongous audience base and comes with heavy scaling requirements are recommended to adopt the microservices approach.

Need for Isolated Service Delivery

Microservices work better if you need to deliver independent services speedily. However, for this, you need a sufficient amount of resources as well.

A part of your Platform needs High Efficiency

For instance, your business is intensively processing petabytes of log volume. In such a scenario, you’ll have to create a service with a super-efficient programming language like C++ whereas the users’ dashboard can be created in Ruby on Rails.

Effortless Team Extension

If you commence your start-up with microservices architecture, your team will get accustomed to the idea of developing small services right from the very beginning and the teams will be segregated by service boundaries. So, later on, you can effortlessly scale up your team as per the need.

When is it advisable to migrate to Microservices Architecture?

It’s time to migrate to microservices architecture when your monolithic app grows big enough to create maintainability issues, when your business functions and their boundaries are crystal clear enough to be converted into individual services, and when your app needs scaling to deal with a humongous user load.

Example: The popular app Netflix started as a monolithic application. With time, the app experienced a surge in the demand leading to issues concerning performance and reliability. As such, the owners migrated their app to the cloud-based microservices architecture. Consequently, the app got segregated into hundreds of microservices and this approach enabled boundless expansion and scaling.

Summing Up:

Monolithic architecture as well as microservices architecture comes with its own set of strengths and challenges. So, when deciding on the most suitable pick for your start-up, you need to first define the requirements of your software development project. If you plan to develop a lightweight app and have budgetary constraints, it’s advisable to go with the monolithic approach. But, if your project is huge with complex requirements or you need to work with futuristic models like Big data, and you can spend on hiring several cross-functional teams, microservices is the most viable option.

If you want to adopt microservices or monolithic architecture, but lack the necessary in-house infrastructure, partner with the distinguished mobile app development company, Biz4Solutions. We would remain your trusted partner throughout the product lifecycle - from app ideation to development to maintenance post-deployment. We have helped several clients from diverse domains across the globe since the last 10+ years to achieve their business objectives.