What do you reach for when you need to book a cab, take a photo, order food delivery, or text your friend? Probably your mobile phone. Let’s not compete over who has more apps on their phone because, as practice shows, everyone has at least a dozen of the most used ones.
Mobile apps are driving business these days, with more and more companies switching to mobile to attract more customers and scale up. If you’re a business owner, you’ve probably thought about that too, the main question being, “Should I develop a mobile app in-house or work with third-party developers?” Working with an in-house team is great because it gives you constant access to the project’s status, but it can be extra expensive and time-consuming. Application outsourcing, on the other hand, saves you time and money and gives you unlimited access to a huge talent pool of experts all over the world. Why not take advantage of this and outsource your app development?
At IntelliSoft, we have more than 10 years of custom mobile app development, creating cutting-edge, innovative, and creative solutions for our clients all over the world. There’s no idea we can’t bring to life, and we love a good challenge, so if you have been looking for a development partner, we’re right here.
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What is Mobile App Development?
The current market is oversaturated with various mobile apps, with more than 80% of the world population using smartphones on a daily basis. That’s quite an impressive number, so it’s no wonder that so many new and established businesses switched online and took on the mobile-first approach. If you want to attract potential customers, you should put your company in their pocket and let them carry it. Thus, developing an app for your business is a must now, not just an option.
To be honest, mobile app development is a daunting task. You not only need to create a user-friendly app that is unique and represents your brand well, but also figure out how to build it for iOS and Android without wasting too much time and money. You have two options here: to stick to native app development and create a separate app for each OS, or use cross-platform development, building one app for both OSs.
The second approach has become a trend in recent years because it allows companies to save time and money and use their resources more wisely. Since we have already started discussing trends, why not elaborate? Here’s a list of mobile app development trends in 2023 that are shaping the market.
Mobile app development trends in 2023
The mobile app development landscape is not standing still. In fact, it’s evolving at the speed of light, so you should be extra attentive to catch everything that’s changing technology-wise.
- AI and ML
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are on everyone’s lips right now. These technologies have already revolutionized the market and will keep up the good work for a long time. If you want to stay on top of the competition, consider integrating AI and ML into your mobile app to enhance user experience, streamline operations, and improve decision-making.
For example, you can use AI to create personalized content and provide recommendations for users based on their previous behavior. Another idea is to use chatbots or AI-powered voice assistants to handle customer queries. One more tip for you is to use ML for predictive analytics; it can help you identify trends and patterns and make more data-driven decisions.
- Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
In 2023, Ar and VR technologies will become even more popular, offering users interactive and immersive experiences. That’s why it’s high time to jump on this bandwagon and implement these technologies in your mobile applications.
For instance, if you create games, Ar and VR are a must for elevating the gaming experience. It is also possible to use these technologies for retail and eCommerce by letting people “try on” clothes online or seeing how certain elements of furniture will look in their apartments. Finally, VR-based learning apps are also gaining popularity, offering students the opportunity to try immersive lessons.
- App Security and Data Privacy
This one is not really a trend but rather a must for any app developer. All mobile apps these days must follow strict security measures to protect user data. Apps should comply with privacy regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and others.
To enhance your app security, you should employ strong encryption algorithms, implement multi-factor authentication, update and patch your app, and ensure that it complies with data privacy regulations.
- 5G technology
The era of 5G technology is upon us, so it’s time for mobile app developers to adapt their apps to take advantage of this technology. 5G has the potential to create a real revolution in the market by enabling real-time communication, seamless streaming, and improving user experiences.
If you want to use 5G in your app, you should ensure that it is optimized for faster loading times and smoother performance. Moreover, you should incorporate real-time features such as video calling, live streaming, etc. Your app should also be data-intensive, relying either on AI or ML.
- Cross-platform app development
Taking into account how time-consuming and expensive it is to develop native apps separately for iOS and Android, it’s no wonder that cross-platform development has become a trend in recent years. Frameworks like React Native and Flutter have become real life-saviors for developers who now need a single code to build apps for both operating systems. Moreover, these apps are super high-quality, fast, and run seamlessly.
Related Readings
- 12 Benefits of Outsourcing IT Support Services for Businesses
- Flutter vs. React Native: Which to Choose for Cross-Platform Development?
- Beyond Brainstorming: A Deep Dive into the Product Discovery Process
- Become a Master of Tech Due Diligence: a Comprehensive Guide
- Who Does What? Understanding Roles in a Software Development Startup
What is outsourcing in app development?
If you have an in-house team of developers who can build you either a native or a cross-platform app easily, consider yourself lucky. Most of the time, it’s a time-consuming and expensive process that makes businesses outsource mobile development.
These two options have pros and cons, but we’re here to discuss outsourcing. What is it, then? According to Gartner, mobile app development outsourcing is the use of external service providers to deliver IT-enabled business processes, application services, and infrastructure solutions for business outcomes.
In other words, outsourcing is working with a third-party development company that is located either in your country/city, or even on a different continent.
Why outsource app development?
With mobile apps expected to generate over $935 billion in revenue in 2023, it’s high time for you to consider outsourcing your app development, especially considering all of its benefits.
Working with a team of experts who have developed tons of apps before can help you bring your business to a whole new level. Moreover, it can help you reduce costs, save time you would otherwise spend on recruiting, increase efficiency, and allow you to focus on more high-priority tasks. Let’s take a look at the reasons why you should outsource your app development.
Access to the talent pool
There’s a huge pool (no, even an ocean) of talented, experienced, and skilled experts out there that work as outsource developers. The more research you do, the more professional app developers you will find, especially if their location does not matter to you.
The world is huge, so why limit yourself and not take advantage of all the talent you can hire to develop your app? If you want to bring the same experts to your in-house team, you may either waste a great deal of money or be unable to do it at all because these developers live on different continents.
With outsourcing, the choice is unlimited. You can select anyone you want and create an outsourced team that matches your requirements perfectly. Moreover, if you need to find an expert in a specific topic that is unpopular or new, it might be tough to do where you live. Outsourcing, on the other hand, offers you this exciting possibility. You can find true gems in this ocean of talent.
Access to the latest tools and technologies
Why invest in the latest tools and technologies if outsourcing companies have already done it for you? All you need to do is take advantage of their advanced software and skilled teams of developers by outsourcing your app development to them.
Outsourcing can save you a lot of money when it comes to technology. Not many businesses can afford to purchase, install, and train their employees to use the latest tools in-house. Why not trust someone with experience and expertise in this and invest your money in something else instead?
Better flexibility and scalability
Let’s say you want to scale your in-house team app. It would usually take from a couple of weeks to even a few months to find the experts and go through the recruitment process, not even worth mentioning how much money you will spend on this.
With outsourcing, scaling up and down has never been easier. It offers incredible flexibility in terms of staffing and schedule. You will be able to adjust the schedule of developers more easily and make your team bigger or smaller without any issues.
Cost-effectiveness
Let’s face it, developing apps in-house is extremely expensive. You have to spend money on recruitment, salaries, equipment, holidays, sick days, etc. Money is the most important factor when it comes to app development, and it’s understandable that you want to get the most value for your money. With outsourcing, you get the best of both worlds: You work with top talent and save a lot of money.
Moreover, outsourcing offers you many options since teams are located all over the world: Eastern Europe, India, the UK, etc. You can choose a cheaper option and still work with a skilled team that will deliver a high-quality product.
Beyond that, outsourcing lets you forget about paying for training, benefits, and bonuses. You only pay for the work done, which lets you manage your budget better.
Focus on your goals
Working with an in-house team is great if you need to be able to control the process and have your developers be present at the location at all times. But once it comes to focusing on your business goals, you’ll probably be pulled in multiple directions and go back and forth between tasks, unable to concentrate on the more important stuff.
Multitasking is awesome if done right, but it can be incredibly distracting for you and your employees, affecting productivity and making the development process longer. Great management is about delegation. Once you outsource your app development to a team of experts, you can breathe out and focus on your main business goals and activities. You won’t have to worry about training and supervising your employees because you will put all the tasks in the hands of a development partner you trust.
Risk management
Doing business without risks is a fairytale. No matter your industry, you will always encounter unforeseen risks and issues. As practice shows, everything that can go wrong during the development process will go wrong. With outsourcing, you can decrease this problem significantly.
When you work with an in-house team, you are the accountable party in case anything doesn’t go as planned. When you outsource the development process, the project’s roadblocks are the development team’s responsibility, so you don’t have to worry at all. A third-party team is accountable because you hired them as a service, outlining your requirements, needs, timelines, and budget to them. Thus, everything that happens later is their responsibility.
Risks during the development process are also associated with a lack of expertise, which is often the case with in-house teams. There’s no such thing during outsourcing because the team you hire are the masters of their craft, having years of experience.
Round-the-clock development
Have you ever dreamt about having your app developed 24/7? Outsourcing can make your dream a reality. With a specialized third-party provider, your app can be developed round-the-clock, speeding up the time to market.
Outsourcing can make your business operate longer without worrying about office opening hours. You can even have your app developed while you sleep if you work with a team from a different time zone. Outsource developers are also not limited to working a 40-hour workweek. They can often work extra hours or when your employees are on holiday. The key is to negotiate working times when selecting the team so you’re on the same page.
Key steps to hiring an outsourcing app development team
When you decide to trust your mobile app development process to an outsourced team, you need to know what to look for in the huge talent pool. Here are some tips that will help you make the right choice.
- Know your requirements
Before looking for a team of developers, you need to outline your project requirements clearly. This includes the type of app, the industry, the target audience, what features you want it to have, etc. You should have a clear picture of the final product and clearly communicate everything to the development team. - Find an app development team
Knowing your requirements will narrow down the list of experts to choose from and make it easier to decide on the outsourced team. You can choose among onshore, nearshore, or offshore teams. You can make a list of teams that suit your requirements and move on from there. - Check portfolio and communicate with previous clients
Once you have a list of teams you would like to work with, it’s time to go through each of them and check their portfolios, communicate with their previous clients, and read the reviews. This will help eliminate those teams that either don’t have enough experience or don’t fit your requirements for any reason. - Select a service model
You should also choose a service model: staff augmentation, outstaffing, or dedicated teams.
Staff augmentation’s primary goal is to offer the labor and necessary tools for your project. When you employ workers in this manner, they become employees of your company, even though temporary. With staff augmentation, you bring people in on a temporary basis to work on specific tasks.
Outstaffing is about adding labor to perform the outcomes. The primary goal of this service model is to extend your team with the right people. In this case, a vendor will provide a specialist or group of professionals for your project during the contract term.
Finally, a dedicated development team model is about long-term collaboration between you and the team. All team members will work exclusively for you, just like your in-house teams. The difference is that a dedicated team works remotely, full-time, and reports directly to the client. The cooperation with a dedicated team includes four stages: The discovery phase, the team setup phase, the development phase, and a buyout phase. - Choose a payment model
Different service models have different payment types. For example, when you choose the staff augmentation model, you pay for operational excellence. You may pay more at the start, but you save money in the long run. Usually, this model is based on hourly rates calculated for each individual project based on your needs and requirements.
With outstaffing, you pay for the additional staff. There are two types of pricing models in outstaffing: The “cost model” and the “cost plus” model. The “cost” model presupposes that you pay one flat fee to an IT services company to get a part-time or a full-time member of their team. With this fee, the service providers pay the employee’s salary, benefits, bonuses, etc.
The “cost plus” model gives you more control over how much the outstaffed members are paid. Under this model, you pay the team member’s salary, buy them equipment, and pay bonuses. You don’t do this directly, though, because the IT outstaffing provider is still their employer.
Finally, with a dedicated team, you pay for the intellectual property. This pricing system is very simple and transparent. There are monthly payments that depend on the size of the team. The bill can also include additional fixed costs such as taxes or bank transfer charges. Thus, with a dedicated team, you only pay for the hours of work, with no need to pay for bonuses, equipment, electrical bills, etc.
How can IntelliSoft help?
Have you been looking for a team of developers to create a mobile app for you? At IntelliSoft, we have built our development team out of the most talented experts who can assist you with all the steps of your app development. We can do it all, starting from the discovery phase up to maintenance and support after your application is deployed. You don’t have to worry about the tiring and confusing hiring procedures and spending money on equipment and bonuses. All you have to do is have an idea and a list of requirements – the rest is on us.
Do you live in another part of the world? Not a big deal as we have worked with clients from all over the world, and even different time zones did not affect our collaboration. Book a consultation with us, and we will guide you through the process and help you choose the right cooperation and pricing models.
Conclusion
We get it! Trusting the development of your app to someone outside of your company can be scary and uncertain. But as practice shows, outsourcing app development can help you reduce development costs, increase productivity, and work with the latest tools and technologies. The talent pool of experts you can work with is astonishing, allowing you to work with the true masters of their craft. The key is to select a team carefully based on your requirements, and you will never want to go back to traditional development models again.
