Smart Ways of saving on your app development cost
Cost is a huge factor in mobile and web application development. Hence it’s common to get into a heated bargain with a client on the cost of developing them an application while they insist on quality. Based on experience and the advice we give to our clients under such circumstances, I discuss some of the ways a client can save on the cost of getting their application developed.
The most fundamental way one can get a lean cost is to clearly define what the application is supposed to achieve. That way the application scope can be clearly defined and the developer can quote for the necessary and sufficient features only. Failure to define the application scope clearly results in quoting for a general and ambiguous application with unnecessary components hence expensive. For example a client requesting for an uber like application versus a client requesting for an online cab hailing application with detailed explanation of the ‘what’, ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘who’ and ‘when’ of the application is likely to get a more expensive quote.
Another way to save on the cost of your app is to define the minimum viable product(MVP) for your market. This involves defining only the necessary features for your application to deliver your intended goal to your app users. This way you avoid including features which might not resonate with your audience. It helps you to avoid extra costs due to extra features. For example a simple web application can do without an admin back end feature.
Next, the development style matters. Instead of developing your application fully then testing it as it has been done traditionally, we advocate that your application be broken down into modules which get developed in a week or two cycle called sprints. Then the modules get review and tested eliminating any errors before moving to the next stage. This way time and money for development is saved because mistakes are fixed as they arise.
Outsourcing your mobile and web application development services can save you quite an amount on the cost. Getting experts with economical rates can be reasonably cheaper than hiring a freelance app developer or doing it yourself. Expert developers know of resources to develop your application cheaply while maintaining the quality.
Deciding on a single platform where the majority of your target audience is can be a way to save on your application development cost. For example deciding to develop an android application can be cheaper that making both android and iOS. More than 70% of Kenyans with smartphones are on android platform hence making android apps more preferable. The other alternative is to build a multi-platform application that can be easily used on any platform without recoding the application.
Utilizing existing frameworks and templates when developing your application can be of huge benefit cost wise. You don't have to reinvent the wheel when developing an application as it can be costly to code some features like a chat feature on an app as compare to integrating a 3rd party chat service to your application.
Continuously reviewing and testing the milestones as they are developed will cut you the cost of having to redo the whole app if it has errors. We recommend that our client reviews and gives us feedback before we proceed to start on another milestone. This ensures that the development process is lean on time and money.
Taking advantage of the above hacks can substantially reduce the cost of your app while enhancing its quality. For any questions or further information on your mobile or web application, feel free to contact us TrendPro Systems Ltd
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