If you need to design an app and do it right, you should hire a professional app developer. But you may be thinking that hiring a professional is too expensive. Or you’d prefer to go at it alone, thinking that designing an app is a simple process. After all, how hard could it be, as script kiddies on YouTube seem to pull it off — right?

As an established professional developer, we do understand the concerns about costs. Designing and developing a polished mobile app isn’t cheap. But can you afford to cut corners when hundreds of expertly crafted apps appear in app stores daily? And do you have what it takes to maintain and update your app consistently?

Furthermore, let’s consider the ever-changing landscape surrounding mobile devices. With the recent introduction of foldable devices, app developers must get to grips with responsive and adaptive design. How would you respond to this? Would you be able to innovate and design an app that runs well on older and newer foldable devices concurrently? Or would you need to compromise and only support one or the other?

As Apple, Google, and various hardware manufacturers bring new operating systems and devices to the market, developers need to keep up. Thus, when you design an app, you also need to think long-term about what changes and roadblocks you’ll likely encounter. So, do you want to handle these alone or let a professional studio such as NS804 deal with them instead?

These are some of the questions you should be asking when opting to design an app. But there are many good reasons why you’ll need to work with a professional developer, which we’ll cover in more detail below.

1. A Professional Developer Adheres To Best Practices

Let’s go back to the YouTube script kiddie example and how it pertains to app design. That young, wide-eyed YouTuber may come across as incredibly smart and knowledgeable and seemingly knows everything about the latest programming languages, frameworks, and mobile app development techniques. And his well-made videos and many positive viewer comments lend him an air of credibility.

Now, you begin to trust him as an expert in his field and decide to follow his video tutorials for your upcoming app. Everything goes smoothly — and in a matter of weeks — you have an app ready to submit to the app stores. You’re excited and wait in anticipation for your app to be approved. But that excitement soon turns to astonishment as both the App Store and Google Play reject your app.

Well, that’s a dreadful outcome but not surprising. It turns out that trusting that young YouTuber was a big mistake! While he was very convincing, he typically didn’t follow best practices, a matter seldom addressed by most content creators that position themselves as so-called experts.

The sad news is that these tech-related content creators have created the myth that anyone can design an app. However, that’s not true, as the mobile app development process is complex, challenging, and highly technical, which is the domain of the professional developer.

And given that both Apple and Google expect developers to adhere to their guidelines, app development is not the space for frivolous content creators that care more about their view counts. The same applies to freelance developers that see app development as a way to make a quick buck rather than creating apps that meet quality standards.

2. It Takes A Team Of Experts To Design An App

You may have many cool ideas that you want to make their way into your upcoming app. But cool ideas are not necessarily good ideas. For example, you may want your app to stand out and envision it having a visually striking 3D user interface (UI). You also want plenty of intricate animations and visual effects to spice things up further. Ultimately, you want your app to look like the best Pixar films — and then some!

While all that sounds great, have you asked yourself if it’s practical or feasible? And if not, wouldn’t it be wiser to consult a team of professionals to help you make the right decisions? After all, it’s all too easy to trip up and make mistakes when trying to design an app on your own.

If you were to approach a professional developer and present those ideas, you would quickly learn whether or not these ideas make sense. A professional developer would also have experienced UI/UX designers on hand to recommend better approaches and design an app with usability in mind.

They may recommend a cleaner-looking and more snappy UI that uses a bare minimum of 3D and effects. Not only will this help with user accessibility, but it would also run smoother on low-end devices. And even after you release your app, this team of experts will know how to respond to user feedback by implementing changes and improvements where necessary.

3. Dealing With The Intricacies Of Mobile Game Design

While a mobile app presents many challenges, things become considerably more onerous when dealing with mobile games. And that’s because mobile games are technically more demanding to make and require a multidisciplinary approach. Furthermore, the game loop must update every time the screen refreshes, which is usually 60 times a second on most mobile devices. Newer phones have higher refresh rates, which only ups the ante for developers.

Not only must developers design mobile games that run smoothly, but they must look, sound, and play great. Imagine if a single individual or freelance developer has to create the next hit mobile game — is it even possible? Well, it’s doable if it’s a simple arcade or puzzle game with little content. But those are seldom the types of games that engage today’s gamers and become massive hits.

The hard truth is that modern gamers expect content-rich experiences with dazzling 3D graphics. And this not only costs a lot of money, but it’s also something only a professional developer can deliver. And by professional developer, we mean a studio that consists of talented individuals with specialized skills.

We mentioned earlier that games require a multidisciplinary approach, which means you’ll need those with varied skill sets. Therefore, you’ll need a game designer, character designer, level designer, UI/UX designer, sound designer, lead animator, lead programmer, and writer. And you’ll also need several 3D modelers, animators, texture artists, motion capture actors, voice actors, programmers, and game testers to complete your game.

Depending on the size and scope of your game, you may need to work with freelancers. It’s common for game studios to work with established freelance game composers. Furthermore, you may need the services of brand identity, marketing, and localization teams.

The Bottom Line

It’s exciting sitting down with a pen and paper to write down a list of ideas and draw a wireframe of your app. And that’s a good starting point, as it will give you a basic idea of what form your app will take. However, it’s even better if you consult a professional developer to make your ideas fly.

When you design an app with the help of a professional, things will turn out differently. You’ll no longer need to guesstimate whether you’re on the right path. And that’s because the professional studio will act as a wise partner offering recommendations and solutions leading to an expertly designed app.

Contact NS804 today to learn how we’ll help you design an app that’s not only professional but also engaging!