At Calvium, our mission is to create world-class apps that get people talking and leave our clients happy. The best apps – those that are the smoothest and easiest to use – appear almost effortless; so much so that it’s easy to underestimate the amount of work involved.
Occasionally we hear that the development of an app took longer and involved more staff than expected. The truth is it doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right preparation, a lot of unnecessary work can be avoided.
Here are six things clients can do to ensure their app agency nails development with maximum efficiency:
Lay your cards on the table
From the off, be clear and upfront about how much you know about app development. We don’t expect our clients to be mobile technology aficionados. A good agency will tailor their behaviour to make the development experience comfortable and successful for all parties.
State your objectives
It is easy to get carried away with how you want your app to look and feel, but first we need to know the fundamental goals you’re trying to achieve. Once we know this, we can advise those features best suited to achieving it.
Get specific
You may know which category your app falls into (lifestyle, games, fitness, etc.), but we need to get much more specific. We’ve created an app specification template that we ask our clients to fill in before starting a development project. The guide asks for technical details, but if our clients aren’t able to give this information then no problem – we’re here to help.
Money on your mind
Many different factors influence the cost of your app: the required features; database integrations; the level of design … and that’s just for starters. To figure out how much development might cost, be aware of these sums and work with your agency to schedule a budget plan before starting the project. Financial planning means no nasty surprises for either party later on. A good place to start is our guide to app costs.
Know your timeframe
Find out how much time the development project is realistically going to take – then plan for this time accordingly. Add a few weeks for testing, troubleshooting and changes.
Aim for co-creation
Teamwork makes the dream work. This one is the most important. Successful apps come from a strong working relationship with our client. We call this co-creation. It’s our belief that for projects to have impact, app development must be driven by genuine insight about target audience. Furthermore, co-creation of a product with the people it’s being developed by and for can ensure a genuinely intuitive and engaging product that meets the specific needs of its audience. This also speeds up the later development process, ironing out issues before they become critical and encouraging a fruitful, enjoyable development experience.
Successful app development requires honesty, preparation and carefully aligned goals, but above all, it requires teamwork. The best apps come out of close partnerships between agency and client, so don’t keep your app development team at arm’s length. Work with them closely and you should end up with an app that exceeds your expectations.
Calvium build beautiful, intelligent apps for forward-thinking brands. Working closely with heritage, engineering and agency groups, we provide award-winning app development that drives customer engagement and boosts innovation in business. Thinking about investing in your own app? Read our other blogs to help you make the right development decisions.
