3 Mobile App Development Disasters and How to Avoid Them

Tales of mobile development disasters are nothing new. Going far over budget. Running out of time. Outsourcing development only to find it’s nothing like you originally expected. You’ve heard the stories whispered in conference rooms or shouted loudly over social media channels. One thing’s for sure, you want to avoid it all cost.

Constructing mobile solutions

Just like construction, mobile solutions connect people. In both types of projects, teams are working — hard — to get from point A to B. In construction, that might mean building a new bridge or widening a freeway to physically move people between two locations. While mobile developers don’t need orange pylons or reflective vests, they connect people too — with features, functionality and capabilities that add value to their daily lives.

The key to preventing a mobile nightmare is being able to recognize the warning signs and setting your project up for success from the very start. Who better to share what works and what doesn’t? Our solutions architects, project managers, developers and designers.

So what are three of the most common mobile disasters?

Mobile disaster 1: Far over time, far over budget

No one likes to be late for an important date, especially when that date involves releasing a first to market mobile app. In the case of most app development, every day and every dollar counts. Know how you can make the most of them.

Plan ahead. Even before you start searching for the best mobile app development company on Google think hard about your mobile solution. The simplest question you can ask to prepare for development is, “What problem do I want to solve?” Let that lead you to define your business needs and users. With that in hand, you’re arming your software provider with information to offer you the best guidance in solving the unique need you’ve identified.

Encourage cross-functional conversations. Coordinating closely between any internal and external development efforts are another way to maintain momentum. This means regular meetings and regular communication. Questions like, “What challenges have we identified in the last week?” can keep the brightest minds on your project focused on any blockers or risks that have emerged.

Set up a system of checks and balances. Spoiler alert. Design and development go hand-in-hand. They should never operate in silos. Bringing them together early on ensures your designers are creating wireframes and actions that are feasible to develop within the budget and timeline your client identified. Developers can tell them. By contrast, designers can provide key insight on user experience that could be overlooked without checking it.

Mobile disaster 2: Aimless investing

The results are in. Throwing money at a problem won’t make it better. But, often redirecting development efforts by choosing another software partner can salvage a ship taking on water.

Ask the hard questions right away. When you’re choosing a new software provider, ask references the right questions. Focus on understanding the quality of the end results and level of collaboration throughout. Ask about work created for other clients. Past experience can help you predict future success.

Consider the long-term value. Everyone likes a bargain. But as the hardcore cost-conscious know, when you take a “deal” you may be accepting that a certain level of extra work may be required to bring a recently acquired purchase up to par. Maybe that means patching a hole or adding a zipper.

Now think about value in the tech space. Consider more than pure economy when you’re choosing a mobile app developer. You don’t want to have to worry about excessive paths or fixes as soon as you release. An experienced mobile app development company can help you keep this to a minimum and provide mobile framework that can grow and evolve efficiently as your solution does.

Mobile disaster 3: Asked for one thing, got another

Developing functional, valuable software is as far as you can get from peering into a crystal ball and divining the future. It relies upon clear and continuous communication between clients and software partners along with actionable results to make that anticipated future a reality.

Embrace transparency. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Look to partner with a software provider you wants to show you progress along the way. The only thing worse than a miscommunication is assuming you and your developers are one the same page, when really expectations were confused all along.

Stay involved. It’s easy to consider checking out of the creation process once you’ve onboarded your development partner. You’re busy. Now they’re busy. Problem solved. Well — resist the urge. Decisions will need to be made along the way. Your provider will need to know what you value throughout the process and how well you see the functionality and development addressing your business needs.

Read our latest eBook 3 Mobile App Development Disasters and How to Avoid Them, so you own the development process and it doesn’t own you.

Image Source: Unsplash, Samuel Zeller