How COVID-19 is Improving Efficiency

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COVID-19 is Improving Efficiency, Surprisingly

As COVID-19 completely changed the working landscape, many businesses and industries were forced to scale back their operations in 2020. Slowing down operations and scaling back can actually be beneficial for business executives and upper management in gaining a better understanding of their systems and procedures in place. This can highlight inefficiencies in processes and procedures set in place within organizations. Even with many company’s feeling a strong negative impact from the pandemic, COVID-19 is improving efficiency in surprising ways.

Understanding where these inefficiencies exist grants better insight which can then be leveraged to optimize these processes and procedures and eliminate organizational waste. Staffing has always been a crucial organizational function. Getting the right people in the right roles is integral for the mainstream transition to work-from-home practices, remote operations, and remote work environments in general.

Business productivity and overall operations may have slowed since the onset of COVID-19, however individuals within organizations have seen an increase in production and individual efficiency. This is important to note because it marks an encouraging trend for businesses looking to ramp up operations in the near future, while maintaining a remote environment for employees.

The Uptick in Individual Performance

The increase in individual performance is the result many COVID-19 related factors. The general shift to the work-from-home environment has freed up employee time by eliminating certain aspects of the daily routine like the commute to and from work. This shift also inspired many businesses to integrate more technology into their operations in order to streamline processes and procedures that were common.

One mobile-app that’s making waves in the sense of streamlining internal operations is an app that scans documents into pdfs. This has traditionally been accomplished with a large, expensive, and complicated piece of machinery. Transitioning from this outdated practice to a more modern approach, with the use of a mobile-app is just one example of how remote professionals are managing to keep up with in-office practices and increase their individual production on a variety of tasks.

In 42 surveyed businesses, over 60% reported an increase in individual efficiency and production since the onset of COVID-19, and the integration of remote business environments. Simultaneously, only 10% of companies reported that COVID-19 didn’t impact individual productivity at all. This shows one of the ways that COVID-19 is improving efficiency on a granular scale, while overall company production may still present a downturn.

As businesses rebound from COVID-19, and more companies transition to a full time work-from-home basis, building efficiency into an organization is vital to staying competitive in 2020. Efficiency goes hand-in-hand with developing a culture of continual-improvement which drives important business metrics like employee and customer satisfaction. These are important elements to building a valuable book of business full of repeat customers.

NS804 is dedicated to making expert-level mobile-app development and design services available to anyone and everyone with a great, and innovative idea. Through years of experience across a wide variety of mobile-app market segments, NS804 provides clients comprehensive mobile-app design services from start to finish. Get in touch with NS804 today to start the conversation about developing your mobile app.

App Privacy During COVID-19

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Personal security and app privacy have been growing concerns after the birth of massive companies like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google. Websites all over the online marketplace track data, and mine personal information for targeted and personalized marketing, or even worse, for sale, and in the darkest of cases, for the purpose of fraud. As COVID-19 has the entire economy operating almost entirely online and remotely; the stress on personal security, company-accessible sensitive information, and privacy concerns is greater than it’s ever been before.

There were some recent updates to website security, and tracking laws, in order to try and combat the malicious or hidden collection of personal data, and shed light on some of the shady business practices that have been previously overlooked or skirted under the rug. Especially from a business perspective, with so many companies opting to operate online, with file-share tech, cloud-based tech, and communication software like Zoom; companies that are privy to private consumer information are open to increased cyber-threats and need to prioritize the security of consumer information.

Similarly, companies need to protect their own private information and do their best to fortify cyber-security efforts in a preventative measure.

Privacy Takeaways

In mobile app design, it’s not only beneficial to pay attention to the competition, but necessary. Despite reaching over 300 million daily users at the end of last month, Zoom is withstanding serious back-lash from a security lapse that left 500,000 Zoom account credentials in the hands of the highest bidder.

While the account credentials were not accessed from a Zoom breach directly, and rather a series of work-around tactics hackers employed; the event raised awareness on cyber-threats and privacy concerns, and brought a landslide of bad press to Zoom. That said, time has proven once again that there’s really no such thing as bad press, as Zoom continues to surge during the pandemic, and acts as the #1 communication software available to businesses.

Zoom was fortunate in proving resilient to the backlash from the security lapse; though the communication company benefited from the fact that the account information was made available through alternative hacking methods rather than a direct system-invasion. That said though, other companies that have suffered a breach in security, were not so easily forgiven.

“60 Percent of Small Businesses Fold Within 6 Months of a Cyber Attack.”
–INC.COM–

Considering the study above by INC, building a multi-layered security system into mobile-apps should rise to the top of the priority-list. It’s becoming increasingly important to provide users with a comfortable in-app experience without the thought of their personal information being sold even crossing their mind.

The mobile app market is absolutely buzzing, and there’s an excellent window of opportunity for those willing and brave enough to invest in the current climate, but anyone looking to develop a mobile app should be realistic to the necessity of robust and fortified security systems to protect consumers and company stake-holders alike.

NS804 is dedicated to bringing mobile app development to the average person with a great idea; as such we preach safety and security in app-design, and are here to help make sure users and partners alike can rest assured your app is secure.

Software Companies and The Work From Home Wave

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Why More and More Software Companies Will Offer Work From Home

The global pandemic has forced business owners, entrepreneurs, and full corporations to make massive pivots in the way they conduct business. While social-distancing becomes the norm; so too does the request to work from home. While some industries are struggling with making the transition, software companies have a leg up in this department. Due to the technical and computer-based nature of software development companies; employees are often able to perform the full spectrum of their jobs from remote locations. A massive benefit in the unprecedented times of today.

Work from home accomodations used to be reserved for the highest level employees such as upper management, and those who have “earned their salt” so to speak. However, with the life-threatening reality of COVID-19; companies are making work from home accomodations much more widely available. A responsible decision that prioritizes the health and wellness of their employees, rather than the bureaucracy of working in an office just because that’s the norm.

Software companies and tech companies alike are aware of the long-lasting impact that this pandemic is going to cause. In response, some are offering work from home accommodations far past the expected “reopening” dates.

Industry Leaders Pave the Path Forward

Rich Barton, who founded the Microsoft spinoff company, Expedia and is the co-founder and CEO of Zillow has actually gone as far as extending these accommodations to his employees through the end of 2020.

Rich Barton and Zillow aren’t the only companies offering extended work from home accomodations. They’re joined by the ranks of other tech giants and software development companies like Microsoft who is allowing work from home through the end of October. Slack, the popular instant messaging platform that enables robust internal communication is offering their employees the option to work from their homes through September.

As these industry-leading companies pave the way forward in terms of how the future software development and tech industries will operate, more and more companies will follow suit. Considering most software development can be conducted from anywhere around the world as long as there’s strong internet access is reasoning enough to allow development teams to work from the comfort of their home.

Allowing software development teams and tech professionals the ability to work from home, shows employees dedication to their health and safety above all else. This in turn leads to a higher rate of employee satisfaction, which contributes to a harder working, and more dedicated staff. All in all, the pandemic has taught society a lot about the way the market functions; and the software development industry has remained relatively unscathed through and through. Luckily, the work from home transition for software companies is loads easier than it has been for other industries.

NS804 is dedicated to bringing mobile app development services to the common person with a good idea, visit our website to get started on your mobile app development journey today!

Internal Communication Solutions

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Communication is arguably the most important aspect of any company. The ability to collaborate, delegate, inform, and present are just a few of the common functions internal communication enables. Being able to communicate across teams and between departments is absolutely essential to the survivability of companies and the success of projects. Especially in today’s volatile economy dominated by work-from-home roles, and remote operations. Communication software is vital to ensuring that teams can continue to function, and deliver on expectations. Mobile apps offer a versatile and robust internal communication solution to companies that need to stay up-to-date with constantly shifting deadlines without hindering a busy professional’s ability to stay focused and efficient.

Most communication software designed today has some integrated productivity tracking functionality. This could include something as basic as a to-do list function. It could also be as robust as project-management software capable of generating complex production schedules, and designed specifically to improve efficiency and productivity. Designing innate productivity tools creates a more robust and comprehensive communication software, that allows business professionals to streamline activities, and keep communication focused.

Without strong communication channels enabled, customer requests can be ignored, projects can derail and productivity can come to a screeching halt. Both could spell disaster for a company striving to Consumers and customers both need reliable avenues to get in touch with knowledgeable support staff to handle any issues that may arise on the user-end of things. Consumers should also always, and without fail, have access to a sales-staff equipped to help them through any issues, and convert them into customers, or in the case of mobile apps: users.

Internal communication channels for personal connection, the development of company culture, and team building should also be made a priority during these unprecedented times. Building a robust and exciting company culture has been a mainstream focus for the better part of the past decade. As the workforce has become empowered with access more information than ever before employees no longer settle for hostile or subpar work cultures. Keeping this in mind, businesses need to emphasize personal connections in order to stay competitive and attract top talent. Especially during the global pandemic, it’s more important than it ever has been to make a palpable effort to support virtual-socialization in a time of almost pure isolation.

Effective Business Communication With Mobile Apps

Mobile apps can be life-saving for companies looking to pivot to remote operations and implement work-from-home roles. Working in tandem with desktop communication platforms like Slack and Zoom, companies can build an infrastructure of communication that competes with traditional in-person communication. One thing to note regarding Zoom and Slack is that they actually both offer their platforms in a mobile-app format; which gives companies a nice array of options when utilizing these platforms to supplement communication processes within an organization.

One of the strongest arguments for pivoting to mobile-app for business-communication solutions is that they are offer push-notifications. In the world of instant-gratification that we live in; smartphones have almost become an extension of our hands. Considering that the majority of workers have their cell phone within 3 feet of them at any given point during the day – the feature of a push-notification ensures that important communications are never missed.

Hipchat is another name in the internal-communication game. Offering a myriad of products that target internal communication, collaboration, and file-security. Hipchat is another player that provides both desktop and mobile app platforms and a nice suite of functionality that’s both user-friendly and corporate oriented. Enabling companies to communicate between departments and individuals while also offering file-storing and file-sharing capabilities that boost efficiency and encourage collaboration.

Internal Communication and Team Building

The work-from-home trend isn’t going anywhere. Not any time soon. With that in mind, companies need to get creative when it comes to team building. The traditional after-hour happy-hours, company-wide pizza parties, and team-specific outings are quickly being phased out of company cultures due to the pandemic, social distancing, and the remote-operations craze. The disappearance of traditional team-building activities leaves a glaring void that needs to be filled. Regardless of industry or profession, top talent candidates still expect a certain standard of company culture that both rewards performance, and promotes socialization.

Instead of heading to the bar after work for a few drinks, managers and team-members are replacing these in-person experiences with virtual happy hours that still promote socialization and team building. While nothing can replace the experience of going to the local watering-hole with your co-workers. Virtual happy hours and virtual pizza-parties are swiftly becoming a relatively popular alternative in order to promote social distancing and employee safety, while also encouraging team-building and internal socialization to bring employees closer together.

As the popularity of mobile-app communication soars, there’s a wide breadth of opportunity for developers and mobile appreneurs. While the virtual happy hours and pizza parties discussed above certainly offer some sense of normalcy – there is an abundance of possibility for bolstering mobile-app communication as it relates to team building. Beyond video conferencing, and instant messaging; mobile apps are capable of delivering real-time experiences to c0-workers, like gaming, going head to head in problem solving activities, or any number of other functions that have yet to be widely implemented in corporate communication solutions.

With work-from-home accommodations, and remote operations becoming the norm for most companies during COVID-19, and likely into the foreseeable future, reliable and reputable communication capabilities are more than essential. The ability to collaborate, conference call, and conduct normal business activities from virtually anywhere is invaluable to companies. This trend in the workplace should continue to grow in popularity over the years to come. The integration of business activities, communication, team building and productivity tracking all into a single mobile app could be the next evolution in the mass-communication industry. This would empower companies, professionals, and individuals alike to maintain the same levels of productivity from anywhere around the globe. An all-in-one communication app would also significantly contribute to a work-teams ability to conduct team-building activities, offer personal connection, and deliver a sense of community in a time of severe isolation to the point that it’s nearly crippling to some.

With new adversity comes new challenges, and 2020 has been chalk-full of surprising new challenges that are universal in nature. The world may never be the same again, and as is natural, the burden of inventing and adjusting to our new normal falls on the shoulders of entrepreneurs. Once again it is the duty of early adaptors, appreneurs, entrepreneurs and pioneers to maintain a sense of curiosity and invention in these dark times so to pave the path ahead by taking the first steps forward.

Wait for the “right” opportunity, and spend a lifetime waiting. There has never been, and never will be a “right time” to take on a new venture, and the risk is all a part of the journey, but with COVID-19 keeping the majority of people confined to their houses, while most businesses remain closed to the public, consumers and companies alike are turning to mobile apps for communication solutions, entertainment, and much more.

Contact NS804 with a mobile app idea and get professional consultation from tech experts dedicated to making mobile app development accessible to the average person with a great idea.

Mobile App Usage in COVID-19 and Beyond

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Amidst this global COVID-19 pandemic economies everywhere are struggling. While countries and governments play a continual game of tug-of-war in an attempt to find the right balance between prioritizing public health, and re-opening markets; entrepreneurs and innovators alike are already looking toward the future of business. With remote-working likely to become the norm, an already bustling market-sector, the mobile app industry, are sure to be even more crucial in the day-to-day operations of businesses domestically and globally.

In the industries that are managing to continue operation during the pandemic, remote-working is already being integrated on a wide-scale effort. News anchors and radio-hosts are broadcasting from home, late-night hosts are delivering their entire shows from home, and musicians are holding virtual concerts. In these hard times people are proving resilient all across the world, adjusting to the new normals and banning together virtually to share hope.

The Future of Mobile App and In-App Spending

While many industries are feeling absolutely gutted by COVID-19, mobile apps and in-app spending are actually showing to be quite sturdy. According to Sensor Tower, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the in-app-purchase market was projected at 15.7% prior to stay-at-home orders, and other COVID-19 related impacts. However, the adjusted CAGR between now and 2024 is less than one percent lower at 15%, pointing toward an amount of $171 billion spent in apps and app-stores by 2024, which is double that of 2019.

According to the same report, mobile games will surprisingly see an immediate benefit from the pandemic over the next 9 months or so, with a startling 33% projected growth rate vs. as shallow as 10% growth in years past. The gaming industry, and more specifically the e-sports industry, was already becoming a major player in the global-market with e-sport world championships for games like League of Legends reaching an audience of 100 million in 2019.

As physical sports shut down across the globe, besides the NFL which is still planning for a full season, e-sports are even gaining popularity on betting-apps like FanDuel and DraftKings, adding to their fanbase, increasing their reach, and ultimately helping e-sports ‘step out of the shadows’. With Twitch seeing an increased viewership of 10-12% and Italy seeing a 70% increase in live-stream gaming; the e-sports industry remains a strong sector of the mobile-app market.

With consumer in-app and in-game spending remaining consistent, and an expected influx of mobile-app adoption in businesses and communities worldwide, plus the innate human-interaction available through gaming together: the mobile app industry is one of the few that looks to remain steady for years to come.

Developing Apps Amidst the Crisis

As the world rapidly shifts and adjusts to the volatile global environment, it might seem like the wrong time to pursue a venture like mobile app development, but looking at the data, TechCrunch estimates that first-time app downloads will be up 22% from 2019, reaching 140.3 billion in 2020. Mobile games are seeing a direct boost, with a year-to-year growth rate of 30% between 2019 and 2020 compared to 10.4% between 2018 and 2019. The growth should continue for years to come, as mobile games are projected to account for 41% of new installs by 2024.

Entrepreneurs are always the pioneers, and the future of business is the newest frontier. No one really knows what the world is going to look like after COVID-19, but a lot of companies never want to be blindsided like this again; meaning there’s a high demand for reliable mobile-apps that allow for businesses to operate as normal in a fully-remote environment. In the wake of COVID-19, remote-work will very likely be the norm; and getting an early jump on things is what being an early-adopter, entrepreneur, or market-influencer is all about.

Beyond companies and corporations, artists, performers, freelancers, entertainers, athletes, and independent-contractors across every market and every industry will need mobile-tools that enable their continued practice on a remote or semi-remote basis.

The Mobile App Market Stays Strong

The mobile app market is staying strong during the COVID-19 pandemic, and actually offers a lot of opportunity during these unprecedented times and economic uncertainty. There is never truly a ‘right time’ to pursue a new venture, and sometimes the idea itself is as valuable as the end product. NS804 recognizes that not every individual is equipped with the skills necessary to take an idea for an app all the way to fruition. In fact, it’s a very common reason app ideas are never pursued in the first place.

Creating accessible, consumer-friendly mobile app development is NS804’s specialty. Beginning as a game-development company before expanding into social, event, and business app development – the goal of NS804 is to allow anyone with a great app idea access to the help they need to see it become a reality.

The Age of The Appreneur

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What is an Appreneur?

With more and more entrepreneurs focusing on mobile app development, coming up with the term appreneur was almost too easy and already feels natural. Appreneur is a term for any entrepreneur who built a mobile app as their business. This includes main stake holders in mobile app development companies, early investors in mobile apps, and the like.

There are plenty of household entrepreneurs that could be classified as an appreneur. Co-founders of Uber, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp, serve as a pair of examples, Jeff Bazos, even with as much bad press as he receives, could be considered an appreneur through the creation of his Amazon empire. Bazos has successfully built a competitor to Netflix and Hulu, while also being the most popular e-marketplace around.

Also competing with grocery stores through their WholeFoods partnership, Amazon has an impressive run as a serial appreneur. Prolific early-investor and content creator, Gary Vaynerchuck could also be considered a serial appreneur as an early investor. Though his energy is often intense, his atmospheric enthusiasm for competition in the marketplace is refreshing.

The point Vaynerchuk makes is that there shouldn’t be a need to tear other people down in the pursuit of any venture. Yet that shouldn’t limit anyone’s growth potential. The sentiment is healthy competition, and an emphasis on strong brand reputation.

The Rise of The Appreneur

Appreneurs have been around for the better part of two decades, harking back to the turn of the century, bulky box-monitors, and the creation of Apple, a behemoth tech company and mobile app developer that exists in a tier so far above the rest; it’s actual competition is few in number and the market is considered by some to be an oligopoly. One competitor of Apple is of course, Google. The two pioneering tech and mobile app companies have provided some of the most incredible technological innovations in history, and each continue to dominate the mobile-app market. That said, history shows that all empires fall eventually, and who’s to say an app being developed today won’t rise to the challenge down the road?

With Apple and Google leading the way, they pave the path for other developers to enter the race through their platforms or mobile app stores. Simultaneously driving popularity to mobile apps and gaining organic traffic.

Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Zoom and TikTok, Uber, Skype, and countless other mobile app companies have been started by an individual appreneur, or a small group of appreneurs, before there was even a word for it. Today, mobile apps are seeing a huge growth in popularity as COVID-19 changes the way business is conducted, and how people conduct their day-to-day lives. With record first-time downloads across the Apple app store, and the Google Play store, the mobile app market is thriving in a time of economic uncertainty.

As interest rates approach 1% and even lower, budding appreneurs who have been procrastinating on developing their mobile app have an extremely rare opportunity to enter a thriving market within an otherwise suffering marketplace, which offers a significant amount of upside.

There are appreneurs in every market, and every industry, as technology and mobile apps have become a staple in business practices across the globe. To find out more about NS804 mobile app development, contact us, there’s no better time to develop than right now.

TikTok and Zoom Boom During Stay at Home

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Staying at Home and Working From Home Lead to Boom in TikTok and Zoom

While the impact of COVID-19 is being felt globally, and there’s no question of the longterm economic impact; one industry remains strong: mobile apps. Within this sector, there are plenty of examples of tech companies that have benefited in usership from the pandemic, such as Netflix, mobile app games, and social media platforms. Across the board though, there are two apps that stand out among their competition: TikTok and Zoom.

TikTok is a popular social media platform dedicated to bringing joy, and inspiring creativity through short-form mobile video, according to their mission statement. While Zoom is a video-conferencing, telecommunication software designed for business professionals, webinars, and personal communication.

“Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars across mobile devices, desktops, telephones, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms.”
–Zoom-

TikTok has seen astronomical growth since the start of 2020. While the mobile app and combined websites already had a growth trend, the increase in usage between January and March are case-study worthy. The TikTok app by itself saw 30.1% growth in unique visitors/month between January and March. The app also saw a jump from 19% to 27% of users from the 13-35-year-old market sector. Beyond usership, increased downloads, and other exciting metrics – one important factor to highlight is the amount of time being spent on the app.

Between January and March TikTok saw a 48.3% growth in time spent/visitor. A massive leap that highlights the extraordinary boom TikTok is seeing.

Zoom is seeing a similarly stellar growth rate, recently reporting that they now receive over 300 million daily Zoom meeting participants, which is a 50% increase from reports early last month, and an outstanding increase from the 10 million daily users back in December of 2019.

Take Aways From the Boom

In mobile app development, and in any trade really, the best creators copy and borrow from one another. Any entrepreneur should know it’s important to learn from others, and there are two strong mobile components that contribute to the TikTok and Zoom boom to consider in mobile app development.

Communication: Zoom is the clear winner here. Hitting 300 million daily users is a milestone in and of itself, but the ability to communicate remotely through Zoom’s platform is really the main factor driving the massive growth its seeing, despite a series of security issues that have been reported. Designing communication platforms into a mobile app should be a priority, especially in a time when the consumer market is aching for human connection, and businesses are searching for communication solutions while remote work swiftly becomes the norm.

Human Connection and Creativity: TikTok capitalizes on entertainment, and providing a human connection through inspiring short-form video. The community on TikTok is generally positive – which is another important factor in considering app-development during the pandemic, and beyond. Keeping the community friendly and welcome should always be a priority in apps that feature mass-communication.

TikTok and Zoom have not only kept afloat during COVID-19, but have managed to grow, and at an extremely impressive rate, and offer many lessons to current mobile app developers. For questions about mobile app development, or how to apply some of these tactics to a mobile app currently under development, get in touch with NS804.

How to Plan a Mobile App Budget

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Creating a budget for your mobile app is important because it helps you and your business stay on track. Not every app developer can evaluate each aspect of the app, especially the cost involved. This post gives you a brief overview of how you can prepare a proper budget for your app.

How to Identify the Purpose of the App?

One of the best places to plan the budget is to first identify the main purpose of your app. Let’s analyze some of the more obvious ones.

  1. You want to help your customers place an order at your store/website with an app. A good example of this would be Amazon, Wal-Mart, and Etsy.
  2. You have identified a unique money-making opportunity and you need an app to cash in on it. Examples include Uber, Airbnb, and Doordash.
  3. You want your clients to easily engage your customer service team members via an app. Examples include the McDonald’s App.

If you need a rough estimate on the development costs, talk to a professional app developer. You can also use our online calculator to get an idea about the costs.

How to Choose the Right Platform for App Development?

As a general rule, the more platforms you develop your app for, the costlier it will get. You can save costs by targeting the most relevant platforms for your target audience. For instance, there’s no use building an app on Android if your customers primarily use iOS. Moreover, it’s more complicated to develop on Android due to the level of optimization needed for each device.

If you’re running out of ideas, survey your customers to identify the devices they commonly use. It is also worth your while to check in with your competitors to see their target platforms.

Which is Better: In-House Development or Outsourcing?

The answer to this dilemma depends on your goals and specific circumstances. Outsourcing and in-house app development have their own pros and cons. For the most part, you should choose them based on your own unique requirements. In-house development makes it easier to closely coordinate with your team and give them instructions. Additionally, you can directly instruct your team about new features in real time.

It is worth noting that in-house development involves software licenses, salaries, employee benefits, and more. Your next best option is to hire an app development team on a project-by-project basis. This is an economical move since you won’t have to deal with salaries anymore, and finding appropriate software is no longer your hassle.

Of course, you won’t be able to closely coordinate every step of the development process and this is where project questionnaires come in. They let you quickly fill your new team in on project briefs. In fact, experienced app development teams like the one at NS804 will work closely with you to build your app. It helps to think of us as an extension of your in-house team.

How Costly Are the App’s Features?

It’s time to identify which features have to stay and which need to go. Run a comprehensive market survey of your potential customers along with their needs and pain points. You should have a list of features that are must-haves and nice-to-haves. For starters, most apps should cover the basics such as integration with third-party platforms, social networks, and in-app purchases.

Create an MVP to Cut Costs and Estimate Future Profits

If you’re working on a shoestring budget, consider building a minimum viable product (MVP) instead. There is no need to go into in-depth animation and complex UI/UX design. For now, it is important to get the app off the ground to gauge demand for it. Don’t sacrifice user experience! You’ll also get an idea about your projected profit and estimated income.

Building an app is an on-going process that requires a lot of time, energy, and effort. There’s usually no cookie-cutter approach to app building and no cut-and-paste template to work with. You’ll also need to set aside some budget for maintenance and regular updates.

If you’ve decided to build an app, then get in touch with the professionals at NS804.

 

Benefits of Agency App Development vs. Freelancers

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If you’re reading this blog, you probably typed “app development: agency vs. freelancer” on a search engine.

You’ve got a brilliant idea for an app and are now dealing with the most frustrating conundrum ever: who should I even hire? Putting together the right team is the first step towards bringing your idea to life.

This can be done in three ways:

  • Hiring an in-house developer
  • Hiring a freelancer on a project-by-project basis
  • Partnering with an app development agency

As for the first option, you will have to probably teach the new recruit a thing or two before expecting them to deliver results. Hiring a person is much more expensive in the long run due to salary, employee benefits, and software licenses, besides.

The second option, freelances, can be a hit and miss. There are literally hundreds of thousands of freelancers you can choose from. This means you’ll frequently run into quality issues before settling with a good freelancer who meets your goals.

Agencies, for the most part, are well equipped with equal amounts of talent and equal amounts of tools. They have all the experience and expertise needed to work on a large scale project. But not all agencies are built equal, those raving reviews you see on BBB can be faked.

In this blog, we’ve conducted an in-depth comparison of agencies with freelancers, so you can make a more informed decision.

1) Commitment

Freelancers: They Won’t Stick Around Long

Our biggest pet peeve with freelancers is that they’re like bunnies, always hopping from one project to another. They are not legally bound to live up to their end of the bargain which allows them to refund your money and bail. This is definitely the case with freelancers who are just starting out and don’t have a reputation to manage.

Freelance mobile developers often get bored easy, find a better paying client, or go on a holiday. You leaving a 1 star review on their Upwork profile isn’t cause for worry to most freelancers. We’re not saying all of the freelancers are like this, but there’s enough out there to cause a major source of frustration.

Agency

Agencies are far less agile than freelancers since they actually have a reputation to stick to. Agencies are held accountable by regulatory bodies and laws more strictly than freelancers. They’re held to a high standard. This means they cannot skip your project, put it on hold, or ignore it after taking your money. Violating contractual obligations can have potential legal ramifications that could prove to be both damaging to their reputation and expensive.

2) Time

Freelancers

Hiring a freelancer is easier said than done. There are thousands of freelancers out there, each boasting having a long list of credentials and satisfied clients. When you do post a job requirement on Upwork or Guru, you will get bombarded with thousands of resume submissions. The worst part is that they’re all automatic, which means that their requests will keep on piling one after another.

Agency

Agencies are much easier to look up and maintain a more considerable profile on social media and search engines. The best part is that you can easily talk to them over different media, including phone, email, and live chat without wasting time.

Speaking of time, agencies stick to their committed deadlines from the start of the project to the end. They will make sure not to miss their project deadlines because it gives you the perfect excuse to ask in for refunds.

Being professionals at what they do, agencies know their strengths and weaknesses, which means they won’t take your project if they know they don’t have the expertise. Freelancers on the other hand will probably take on your project even if they don’t have the necessary tools and skills.

3) Cost of Development

Freelancers

When it comes to app development, there is a rule of thumb you would do best to learn: you get what you pay for. Most freelancers are looking for opportunity and as such, they will charge you much lower than an agency would. Paying less doesn’t mean your project is going to cost you less. If anything, a single freelancer will take more time to manage your project than if you had an entire team of developers working for you.

Think of it this way, a single freelance has to work on thousands of lines of code, constantly communicate back and forth with you, and make prompt revisions when asked to do so. This ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach means that your project will take a lot of time, and we’re not even discussing the errors and potential mishaps that will lead to additional costs on your end.

Agency

Agencies that specialize in app development will have more tools and robust team members who will stay focused on your task. They will not get distracted and usually have someone else to do the communication for them. Organizations have different experts at various departments to execute tasks in parallel, which reduces the development time.

When it comes to app development, time is money. The sooner you can get your app pushed into the market, the better for you.

If you ask them to speed up the development process, it’s easier for organizations to put one more member to speed things up. Asking a single freelancer to speed things up is a bad idea because this will usually come at the cost of too many errors and quality issues.

4) Maintenance and Support

Freelancers

As we mentioned earlier in the blog, freelancers simply do not have the incentive to stick around for the long haul. They’re like nomads – always on the move. This means that once your project is complete, it’s on its own. And we all know that even the most carefully optimized apps will run into the occasional performance-breaking bug that needs fixing.

If you hired a freelancer to work on your app, you will be forced to look for alternatives.

Agency

Professional agencies that specialize in app development provide ‘after-market’ support. This may come at a price depending on the level of support required. For instance, it may be free if you’re asking them to fix bugs in the old software. It may come with a fee included if you want to update the software based on new hardware and OS upgrades.

5) Staying on Top of New Trends

Freelancers

Freelancers don’t usually have access to too many resources which prevents them from staying on top of technological trends. Android and iOS development is rapidly changing at a fast space and not being abreast of new trends is a surefire way of killing your app dead in the water.

Agencies

Most app development agencies depend on trends to boost their bottom line. Not to mention they usually have dedicated researchers who pick up on the latest trends and can offer contemporary solutions that freelancers can’t match. Agencies have access to advanced tools to keep up with the times.

To conclude, agencies offer far more robust and superior app development capabilities than freelancers can on their own – unless you’re asking them to develop Flappy Bird. But most functional apps aren’t Flappy Bird and require a ton of features with support.

Ready to hire skilled app developers for your new project? Get in touch with experts at NS804 for more information.

 

 

A Brief Look at iOS App Development Costs

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One of the most frequently asked questions by business owners is: how much does it cost to make an iOS app? The answer: it varies from case to case.

Developing a mobile app is a tricky process. Data obtained by Clutch reveals that the average cost of app development in the US is around $75,000. The cost of iOS app development in countries like India and Ukraine is much lower than in the US. The same rule applies to Android app development.

The key deciding factor for app development cost is the size and scope of the project. App development is more than just programming. If you want to go the extra mile, you’ll need to invest in things like:

  • Animations
  • Custom solutions
  • Solving unexpected problems during app development

A properly-functioning iOS app will take two months to develop and cost around $5,000 to $500,000. A complex app with lots of features requires more than two months of development and about $240,000.

Enterprise software will typically fetch a price tag of around $140,000, with typical development times of 26 weeks.

Here’s a rough break down of the timeline:

  • Business analysis: 3 weeks
  • UX Design: 3 weeks
  • UI Design: 4 weeks
  • Back-end: 8 weeks
  • Front-end: 8 weeks
  • Testing and launch: 3 weeks
  • Support and maintenance: ongoing

Total time to launch: 26 weeks

You can get a rough idea about cost estimations with our online calculator here.

What are Marketing Costs for App Development?

Now that you’ve built your app, you need to know how to increase your user base and downloads. This is where app marketing comes in. You can do this bit yourself, but it’s probably better to hire an agency to do heavy lifting for you. The typical cost for marketing agencies goes anywhere from $25k to $50k and beyond, depending on the services they’re offering. For instance, if you want to hire an influencer to speak about your app, consider shelling out an additional $10k for extra exposure.

The marketing budget includes SEO, social media, PPC campaigns, traditional ads, content marketing, and word of mouth advertisement.

How to Hire an App Development Team?

By far the biggest factor that goes into the overall cost is the team you hire. Imagine hiring a contractor to renovate your house that has 10 rooms in it. Different contractors will quote different prices, which means you’ll have to do a fair bit of research along the way to get affordable estimates. It is also worth noting that hiring an offshore team from India or Ukraine is a lot cheaper than hiring a local team.

A typical team structure for app development includes a solution architect, a business analyst, a few developers (depending on the size of the app), a quality assurance specialist, UI and UX designer, and a project manager. And even if you do decide to skimp out on the budget for the user interface (such as animations and fancy colors), you must provide good user experience for success on the App Store.

Why is Backend Development Important for App Design?

You’ll need considerable backend development if you plan on launching a dynamic app with a market for millions of users who will exchange huge amounts of data in real-time. More so if the data is to be backed up on the cloud and synchronize with other platforms.

Think apps like SoundCloud, Facebook, Quora – all these underwent extensive time spent on designing a complex architecture before they were ready. Furthermore, such an app will require multiple languages for success, which means you’ll have to hire multiple teams of professionals!

Are There In-App Purchases?

Many organizations also include in-app purchases for extra content and features. In this case, many users don’t like escaping the relatively safe ecosystem of your app. This is why in-app purchases are so useful. The application has to be strong enough to store and process sensitive information like credit card numbers, SSN, addresses, etc.

Your costs will also increase depending on each payment option, such as PayPal, Google Pay, Stripe, 2Checkout, and more.

Which Devices Should My App Support?

Compatibility is arguably the most important factor when developing an app. The iOS app should be compatible with both the latest and previous vision of iPhone and iOS alike. This is why you should run an analysis on your target market to gauge demand for the app. An app that is compatible across various platforms will require a greater budget.

Are There Any Extra Costs?

All developers are not necessarily good designers. That is an extra cost that depends on the size of your app. Prepare to spend costs on hidden expenditures such as legal fees, server costs, startup fees, and more when you’re turning the app into a business.

Since running an app is an on-going process, you will need to provide regular updates to fix bugs, security loopholes, and add new features. This means added maintenance costs after development is done. As a general rule, the industry norm is to allocate about 20% of development costs towards maintenance.

So, if your app costs around $100,000 to develop, then you’ll need to pay about $20,000 every year to maintain it. If you’re dealing with legacy costs, then you’re looking at 50% of your original app development costs. This means $50,000 per year of support and maintenance!

If you’re ready to build your iOS app and want to know how much it costs, get in touch with our team ns804!