How to Hire An iOS App Development Company: A Step By-Step Guide for 2024
When you plan to develop a high-functioning iOS app that truly stands out, there are a few things that you need to consider. The first thing is to hire a skilled iOS app developer that ensures the success of your project.
But lately, it has become more challenging to hire an iOS app development company because of the constant change the industry is facing. Furthermore, the iOS development team has to have in-depth knowledge of the latest development technologies as the demand for iOS apps increases.
Even though iOS has a 22% market share in the US smartphone industry, its users spend more on premium features, like paid applications and iCloud storage, compared to Android.
Therefore SMBs, SMEs, and conglomerates are looking to hire an iOS development team to create a scalable and profitable application for their business.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to hire iOS app developers or an iOS app development company.
What Is iOS Development?
Generally speaking, iOS application development is the process of creating applications for Apple’s flagship operating system. iOS developers use programming languages like Objective C and Swift to develop those applications.
Unlike Android, iOS isn’t open source and only runs on Apple devices that include iPhone, iPad, iMac, and the Apple Watch. Another distinct feature of iOS is the operating system’s security.
Responsibilities Of iOS App Developers
- The iOS developer is responsible for creating secure and scalable applications on the platform.
- The iOS developers fix bugs and enhance the application’s performance.
- The iOS developer plans, designs, and adds new features to the iOS platform.
6 Must-Have Skills For iOS App Developers
When you are hiring iOS developers, you must analyze if they possess the technical expertise required for your application. The technical skillset of the developer will ensure a seamless user experience. Along with that, it aligns with your company’s short-term and long-term goals.
Here are some technical skills you’ll find in an expert iOS developer:
1. Knowledge of Swift
The first and foremost skill an iOS developer should possess is the knowledge of the Swift framework. That’s because, in the Swift framework, APIs are easily manageable, making it easier to infer and return values along with the name parameters. Similarly, the code in this framework is cleaner because of the inferred types.
Unlike other programming languages and frameworks, Swift supports several languages due to its Unicode-correct strings. With the Swift framework, the developers have the option of optimizing memory usage. Other benefits of Swift include native error handling, multiple return values and tuples, protocol extensions, and much more.
2. Xcode IDE
Xcode is a code editor and a core feature of an IDE or an integrated development environment. The purpose of an Xcode is to create a premium user-experience design for your application. Developers find this code editor because it supports programming languages like C, C++, Jave, Python, and more.
Because of Xcode’s productive environment, iOS developers find it easy to publish applications on the iOS platform. Similarly, through this code editor can also write, compile, and debug the applications. Text editor, compiler, source code checker, and just some of the most productive Xcode tools.
3. Spatial reasoning
Simply put, Spatial reasoning in an iOS application development means thinking from a user’s perspective – assuming how they will interact with the product. This is an essential skill for iOS developers. That’s because this skill would help them envision how the application should look before starting the development.
Similarly, iOS developers with spatial reasoning skills are always able to come up with both creative and logical solutions during the development process.
4. Human interface and design guidelines
Apple has strict guidelines for applications before the final approval. The iOS development team you’ll hire will have to adhere to every human interface and design guideline. Similarly, if the iOS development team is familiar with the guidelines, they can ensure that the quality of all the applications they develop remains the same.
5. JSON and core data
Another thing you should consider when hiring an iOS app development company is the expertise of JSON. Without JSON, the development team won’t be able to send or receive data over different networks.
Additionally, JSON also assists in creating strings and parsing data. Along with having knowledge of JSON, check if the development team has expertise in core data. By incorporating core data at the application’s backend, the users are able to store all of their progress on Apple devices.
6. UI and UX
A solid user interface is critical for an application’s success. The UI determines how the end product appears in front of the user. Similarly, an application’s user experience (UX) refers to how the user feels about the final version of the product. The iOS development company you’ll hire must possess expertise in both UI and UX design when creating iOS applications.
How to Hire iOS Programmers In 4 Simple Steps
When you are looking for the best iOS programmers for hire or an iOS app development company, you should understand a couple of things first.
To begin with, don’t follow a shortcut since there is no method for landing the top iOS developers who build the best iOS apps.
Try following these 4 steps when you want to hire a skilled iOS developer:
1. Prepare a Description of Your Project
According to HOI Solutions, there is no single way to hire an iOS developer. However, it is critical to describe every aspect of your project clearly. So, whoever is working on your iOS application knows precisely about the project’s scope, deliverables, and expected outcomes of the development.
The reason HOI experts recommend creating a concise project description is that this is the most understandable way to align your goals with the developer’s experience. Additionally, here’s a checklist of all the information you should include in the project’s brief:
- An overview of your organization’s goals.
- The details of the application you’ll need.
- The application’s functionalities.
- The amount of investment you can make for the iOS application.
2. Choose the Most Suitable Model
Once you have a project brief in place, you can move on to finding the best hiring option available for your iOS development. Here are all the hiring options you choose from:
- Outsource the iOS development team that manages everything about your project from start to finish.
- Freelance iOS developers who work on a per-task basis.
- Hiring an in-house full-stack iOS development team.
3. Conduct the Interviews
Preparing all the relevant questions before you hire an iOS app development company or an iOS developer also helps you in making the right decision. Secondly, the questions you ask enable you to find the talent that fits your project requirements.
In some cases, you’ll find developers that emphasize more on the analysis, while others are high-performers. You’ll even come across development talent that is an all-around standout. The questions you ask should give you an understanding of all of these three aspects.
4. Finalize the agreement and sign the contract
The iOS app development services contract you’ll draft protects your product’s confidential information and intellectual property rights. The contract will include details about the project’s delivery along with the amount the development team will receive after the project’s completion. Furthermore, to avoid any disputes during the development process, the contract will lay out the complete dispute protocols.
Here is a checklist of all the important components of an iOS app development contract:
- The services you require, such as iOS app development or iOS app maintenance.
- The complete timeline of the project’s development and its cost.
- The ownership of the intellectual property rights.
- An NDA for confidentiality.
Wrapping Up
Hiring the right iOS app development company or developer is easier said than done! Before hiring them, you’ll have to analyze their expertise and portfolio.
In this article, we gave you the complete step-by-step process for a seamless outsourcing journey. Following this article will ensure that you make the right choice when developing your iOS app.
If you need further information regarding the frameworks of an iOS app, read our article on the top 10 iOS development frameworks for building iPhone and iPad apps.
