Did you know that almost 50 percent of people open an app more than 11 times a day? Having a mobile app agency design an application for your business can make a huge impact. With so many moving parts, though, it can be difficult to know what all goes into the development process. How can you know the team you’re hiring is a good one?
Luckily, we’re here to help. Read on to learn everything you need to know about an ideal mobile app development team.
Qualities of a Good Team
Before you can make a proper hiring decision, it’s important to know the qualities you’re looking for in a team. When it comes to building a team for app development, there are a few key things you should be on the lookout for.
Knowledgeable
You’re hiring a design team, but do they have a designer? You’re hiring developers, but what kind of developers do they have?
Without those key players, you can’t be confident that your app will be able to handle a consumer’s ever-changing demands. You also can’t be sure that all those needs were covered in the first place.
Good Track Record
You also want to be sure any mobile app agency has the necessary past experience to help you and your business succeed from the very beginning. With proven past success, your app’s development process can be shortened, and you’ll be able to have everything out on the market quickly.
They’ll also be able to handle any potential issues that might pop up during app development. With their expertise, they’ll be able to overcome challenges and mitigate risks along the way.
Can Handle Complexity
When you’re searching for an expert, you want to know they’ll be able to handle the different complexities and advanced techniques that come with app building. With the right team, you’ll know they’re capable of handling that along with the scalability your app will need.
Key Roles
So, you know what qualities to be on the lookout for in a mobile app agency, but what are the key roles to know about? The right roles help create an agile team with solid processes — here are a few of the most important ones.
Project Manager
When you first meet with a mobile app development business, you’re likely going to meet with a project manager. This person will act as your liaison throughout the entire design process, and they’ll help ensure that everything goes smoothly from start to finish.
They’re the ones responsible for project planning, meaning they’ll be making sure the project meets your business’s budget, timeline, and overall goals.
UX/UI Designer
Above all else, you’ll want to ensure the team you’re hiring has a UX and a UI designer. These roles are responsible for providing an intuitive interface that users want to keep using.
They’ll draw up app prototypes that outline the user’s flow, and they’ll be able to make changes in response to user input and testing data.
UX Writer
Having a good UX writer to work in tandem with the design team is essential. This person is responsible for writing the text that helps guide users through your app, and it’s a lot more essential than you might think.
Without clear copy, users can easily get confused and choose to exit your app. A skilled UX writer will be able to guide your users effortlessly with text that matches your brand’s voice and intentions.
iOS or Android Developers
The operating systems for iOS and Android require different languages and requirements, which is why both platforms require their own set of developers. These engineers are in charge of any technical aspects that come with app development. A good mobile app agency will have a team covering both platforms.
Ultimately, your target audience and budget are going to determine whether you develop for one of these markets or both.
Backend Developers
The backend developer is in charge of keeping a server up and running, along with cloud storage and other operations. When they bring in their logic and algorithms, you’re really going to start seeing your app come together.
These developers are typically in charge of things like:
- Framework development
- App architecture
- Using databases and collaborative tools
- Managing payment systems
- Data storage, security, and presentation
The engineer on your app development team should know coding languages like Java, Python, or Ruby.
QA Engineer
Finally, a quality assurance (QA) manager is really important for your app’s development. They monitor every stage of the development process to ensure design and software meet necessary requirements. They also work to uncover app problems and bugs so they can be solved, making them an essential component of ensuring your app releases on time and stays under budget.
Marketing
As your app is developed, it’s going to need to be marketed. Here are a few roles that might work to market your app, whether within a mobile app agency or a mobile-specific marketing agency.
Growth Lead
This is more of a strategic role, but that doesn’t make it any less important. The growth lead’s job is to create a growth strategy for your app using every step of the marketing funnel, every resource, and even the buyer journey to search for growth opportunities. Their job is to then take those ideas and implement them into your app’s marketing strategy.
Overall, the growth lead’s role involves a lot of technical understandings that ultimately lead to solutions for potential issues your mobile app has. For example, if your app lacks subscriptions or some other paid components, they may dig into that problem specifically and then create a solution that helps bring on more paying customers.
They’ll work hand in hand with the engineering and design teams to lead the ideation and execution of specific product changes, along with the implementation of different design ideas and creative pursuits.
UA Manager
UA is short for user acquisition. This person is responsible for implementing specific strategies set by the growth lead. When it comes to optimizing ads, opening campaigns, and uploading specific creations, the UA manager has it all covered.
They have a keen attention to detail, and they’re ultimately going to be the ones setting up, monitoring, and analyzing specific campaigns along with performance marketing experimentations. They’re capable of evaluating key metrics and then optimized in order to achieve certain growth goals, as well as independently managing and allocating different budgets across ad channels to maintain spending efficiency.
Data Analyst
A data analyst works to collect, clean, and interpret necessary data so you can solve problems and create solutions of your own. Not to be confused with a data engineer or data scientist, analysts have a completely different role to play.
They’re familiar with a wide array of technical tools, and they typically have some coding skills. They’ll work to remove or clean up any corrupted data within your app, along with providing analysis to determine the meaning of any data.
They can assess the quality of any collected data to determine whether or not it’s usable. That data is then translated into an easy-to-interpret report that makes the overall marketing process a lot easier to deal with and understand.
Creative Director
A creative director is a person responsible for overseeing a brand’s creative output. They take the burden of approval processes and resource planning off your shoulders so you can focus on other things. They’re similar to a project manager, but their scope of expertise falls under marketing.
They’ll be in charge of overseeing and approving any marketing campaigns for your app. They’ll also be responsible for ensuring those marketing efforts don’t go over budget and meet any necessary deadlines.
They work in tandem with the engineer and design teams to ensure your app has an effective UX and UI for users. They’ll be quick to identify trends and then work to redirect your app’s course if necessary so it fits in with what users are looking for.
They’ll also work with the UX writer directly to ensure clear copy in different languages (if necessary), that meet the very specific needs of different channels like Google App campaigns or different in-app video copy.
Is Working With a Mobile App Agency Right for You?
Working with a mobile app agency can make a huge difference in your app’s overall success. They’ll be able to capture your overall goals in a unique way that matches your brand and everything it stands for. They’ll also be able to do it a lot more effectively than you might be able to.
That’s where finding a great team to work with is essential, and luckily, we can help you out. Contact us today to get started.
