iOS is one of the most dominant platforms. If we see its market in the US, Canada, and France, we will see clear dominance.
It is always important for a business owner to know the market would be more appropriate for them to develop an application and make it a huge success. It requires you to see where your Target audience inclined more towards, whether it is iOS, Android, or both. This way, you could choose the right platform for the application.
Once you have settled down on the platform, not it comes to native and cross-platform app development. If you want to build an application for an iOS device alone, you can go with a native app.
But if you are targeting multiple platforms, you can choose to go with native app development for each platform or go with cross-app development to build one application that runs on all platforms.
Before you say cross-platform app development is all good and well-preferred, it has its downsides. They may be cheap, but only some apps function well on cross-technologies.
It would help if you had apps with fewer features, less dependency on device hardware, and minimalistic app design; sure, go for cross-platform app development. But if not, you would want to maintain the experience on the application.
So, if you want to hire dedicated developers for iPhone app developers, you have come to the right blog page. We will be sharing some amazing hiring tips.
Also, you can use most of the mentioned tips to hire an Android app development company for your project, as there is little difference except for the technical expertise you would be looking for.
How to Hire the Best iOS App Developer: the Best Practices
Hiring an iOS app developer is difficult as only a few are proficient in the popularly used technologies. And remember, you dont need to hire just one dedicated resource; you would have to build a team.
Regardless of what platform you will work with, you must hire experienced and knowledgeable people in those domains.
Next, we have a planning budget, set deadlines, define roles in the team, and start a search. We recommend you thoroughly analyze your plan to avoid any mistakes during the development work.
Once the business goals plan is ready, you know the points you want to address in the mobile application. It would help if you found the features you want to put in the application and the development priorities.
Remember to add unique features to the application to stand out in the competition.
Project Planning Stage
During the planning stage, you must stay clear about how you want to profit from your application. You would also have to find out why iOS development will be more profitable for you than Android.
Or, if not, why do you need both applications? Leaving that for another day, lets head down to the factors influencing iPhone application development services.
So, the project planning stage opens up a new world of opportunities and challenges. It would help if you made yourself known of all the aspects of the app development process.
It would help you save loads of money and time and ensure a faster turnaround time. You must consider a few factors before you hire someone or start the development work.
- Target audience
- Monetization plan
- MVP peculiarities
Once you have decided on these three factors, you know what platform to choose, what features to use in the freemium and premium versions, and what features you want in the app in the initial phase.
Search Process
Now you can start to hire dedicated developers.
It will be a long process, but it will be very rewarding. First, we recommend you understand a development teams hierarchy. There are various grades of iOS developers around.
You have to pick the one with all the necessary competencies and utilize their knack for technology in the best way. There are a few points of evaluation that would help you in your course; here are they:
1. Area of Experience and Core Expertise
Hiring an iPhone app developer with all the necessary experience and technical expertise is essential, as their quality must sync perfectly with the projects requirements.
It would also help you save a lot of money.
Find someone experienced in similar projects, from industry to the project size. See if they understand the market and the target markets needs or have worked on the same type of product previously.
2. Professional Levels
There are various professional levels found. They are based on the experience and expertise they hold. There are:
- Junior-level developers
- Mid-level developers
- Senior-level developers
The main difference is the number of years they have been employed and are experienced in iPhone application development services.
It shows their expertise, practice, and the professional experience they hold.
A junior developer would have 2 years of professional experience, and a senior-level developer would be well-off, over 5.
Well, we will be talking about this in the coming section.
3. How to Decide what Professional Level is Right?
An iPhone app developer might have worked on several projects. But it needs to have a different complexity or require the same skillset.
So, the complexity of the project is necessary, the skills that you require, etc.
There are various ways to hire iPhone app developers. You can go for an iPhone development company, hire a freelancer or choose to set up an entire iPhone app development team.
All three options require you to find someone perfect for the project. Find someone with practical knowledge, like industrial experience, or the important features you need in an app, such as integrating AI, adding modern features, and more.
4. Portfolios
The portfolio is a very important aspect of hiring; you must check if the developer is as efficient as they claim to be.
It is just a reassurance of their skillset. It should be the first thing to look for in an iPhone developer. You must ask questions in your screening process. Ask about their last three projects, roles, responsibilities, development style, achievements, etc.
Also, do remember to check the reviews and ratings of people on the work the developer has done. Ofcourse, you would not be able to know about it individually, but you will get an idea of their expertise.
5. Communication Skills and Soft Skills
Many people hire iPhone app experts from offshore development companies, where communication becomes a huge challenge.
You need to hire a development company with the values, professional experience, and attitude that suits you. Look for a company that has a robust infrastructure for superior communication and seamless interaction, and an improved development process.
Soft skills are equally important as they help a candidate sync well with the other dedicated team members, be open to others opinions, and develop a cohesive work environment.
The iPhone app developers you hire must have strong, soft skills that would help your project.
iOS Developer Grades
It is one of the most important things to look out for in an efficient candidate. Here is a complete breakdown of the information.
A developers grade would be similar to an engineers grade. It includes junior developers, mid-level experienced developers, and senior-level experienced developers.
We have already established that the grade depends on their work experience, skillset, and the complexity and diversity of any task they can handle.
Depending on these many factors, the hourly rates of a developer vary.
1. Junior-Level Developer
As a junior-level developer, the iPhone app developer would work under a senior developer. The senior would control and start executing a less complicated task.
They have less than two years of experience and are on their way to becoming a mid-level developer in a year or less.
If you have an iPhone app expert on your team, you must hire a junior developer. They could be more efficient in handling the entire project.
2. Mid-Level Developer
It would help if you had a team with advanced and simple skill sets. If you need a specialist that doesnt require full-time monitoring and knows what they are doing, hire a mid-level developer.
They are 2 to 5 years of experienced professionals with advanced task progress audits. Although they are mid-level developers, they have all the required skill sets for developing an iPhone application.
You may sign them advanced tasks without any worries. They are proficient in handling a development team under them too.
3. Senior-Level Developer
A senior-level developer is more experienced and capable than the junior and mid-level developers. They know how to solve advanced problems found in the development process.
They are efficient in managing the whole development department. The senior developer has a very diverse experience, given they have more than five years of experience.
A senior-level developer can guide not only the development team but the design team, the testing team, and other people involved in the tech department.
They guide the developer under them through complex development processes such as API integrations, market research, working cohesively with the product research and marketing team, etc.
Read More: IOS Application Development is the Process of Making Mobile Applications
What are the Skillsets to Look for in an iOS Developer?
The hiring cost of a developer depends largely on their specialty, skill sets, and expertise. It would help if you evaluated a developer based on their knowledge, industrial experience, and more.
IOS mobile developers must be proficient in various industries and hold the hard and soft skills required to develop a project. But mostly, the hard skills are needed to be evaluated the most. Here is the list of technical skill sets they must have:
- Object-C or Swift iOS for native iOS app development.
- Xcode IDE experience
- Apple Human interface guidelines awareness
- UI and UX standards
- Version handling and instrument proficiency
- Core data framework practical experience
- API development and integration
- Metal and OpenGL knowledge.
We have already talked about how soft skills influence the progress of any project. They are essential in the long term.
They help ensure collaboration between the teammates and the skilled developers leadership, diligence, and persistence in people.
Available Hiring Options for iOS Developers
Since there are multiple hiring options available, you likely need clarification. You must find the best hiring option for outsourcing, outstaffing, or hiring an in-house resource.
The digital world has made it easy for you to hire someone perfect for your project. You can hire a freelancer, outsource it to an iOS app development service provider or hire an entire in-house development team.
Suppose you are looking for an in-house development team. In that case, it will be more expensive than hiring freelance mobile developers or an offshore development team.
Especially if we talk about outsourcing, you would be mitigating the risks of development to a great extent. Outsourcing allows you to work with the best iOS development company and find a mid-way to manage development in your budget.
It is not cheap but also not very expensive, especially if you go with the companies in India that cost you three times less than iOS development costs you in the US and UK.
At the same time, the development companies hire the best resources, that too, of varying grade levels. So you can hire anyone that fits your criteria.
Furthermore, they have a very flexible hiring mode so that you may hire someone hourly, yearly, or part-time based.
In-house development is not the right idea, especially if you are from a non-technical background. You have to continuously guide the development team and be with them all the time.
It takes up a lot of time, and you might need help investing in other business operations.
Since each hiring option has pros and cons, here is a complete breakdown to help you make a better choice.
Freelancer
Hiring freelancers is the first option that entrepreneurs look for. They are spirited, and you can choose the right developer with the right knowledge.
Fortunately, there are multiple options to hire freelancers from Upwork, Freelancer, and GitHub.
You may hire an iOS app developer for your project later; there are so many things you need to consider other than just their technical experience and knowledge.
Here is a list of the pros and cons of hiring freelancers.
Pros
- You get to hire a developer of a particular development grade, experience, and expertise.
- You can work with the industrys best hire developers and hire from a globally available talent pool without regional limitations.
- You can hire freelance developers within your budget, which is much cheaper than hiring an in-house or outsourced developer.
- It would help if you had no investment in the tools and technology.
- You pay hourly, which is very rewarding as the technical advancement allows you to track the work progress.
- You dont have to hire other supporting staff such as HR professionals, legal teams, or other professionals.
Cons
- Freelance developers may miss deadlines. They work alone on a project and have a huge dependency on other members of the team.
- Communication is less seamless than with an in-house team or an offshore development company, as the infrastructure could be better.
- Communication barriers may cause miscommunication, delayed working, slow work, etc.
- Reporting is less professional than it is with an in-house team or an offshore development company.
- Project security is largely at stake.
In-House Development Team
You may choose to hire a development team in-house. But if you want an app to work on multiple platforms, consider the number of resources you need to hire.
Also, it will take a lot of time to hire efficient individuals for all the required positions.
In case you want to hire an iOS developer on a full-time basis. First, you must pay them a full-time salary, invest in all the required instruments, and then guide them.
Also, it could be more practical as you would not engage them on a project back to back. There would be an entire team you need to hire to make the development work rewarding.
Pros
- iOS developers may require more time to study and analyze the challenges. They would also require you to find all the needed support in the pre and post-development phases.
- Communication is very easy, clear, and fast between employees and departments.
- You can set up an entire team per your requirement, from senior to junior-level of mobile app developers.
- They spend 100% of their work time on your project.
- It is a manageable and flexible option for companies that can accommodate them easily.
Cons
- Paying a full-time salary to an in-house employee when you need more work to fill their timetable.
- Hiring takes a lot of time, and employee retention is a task.
- Extra professional hiring is needed, including in-house HR, legal team, office rental, hardware, and software expenses.
- You have to spend a lot of time with the development team. Furthermore, the dependency should be more. Any resource going on sick or casual leave may halt the project.
Outsourcing Development Work
Outsourcing iOS app development is considered the best option in the market. It gives you a mid-way. It offers flexibility in designing, choosing technical stack, consultation, and much more.
They handle everything well. They are experienced in project management and development quality and offer easy tracking. Also, delegating work is easier than it used to be.
They are full-fledged iOS development companies that have a large resource of developers and designers. They have specialists working for them.
You can upscale your team anytime you need an extra hand in the development process.
Offshore development, too, is very convenient. Communication is not a problem anymore as companies in countries like India have adapted to the work culture of the US and UK.
Instead, they have a full-fledged team of development, testing, designing, and project management. They are open to discussing your expectations, project scope, aims, goals, and requirements. Hiring offshore development companies is easy with online platforms such as Clutch.co, GoodFirm, Google, and more.
Pros
- No legal support is needed to start the development work. You need only to sign an NDA with the company to ensure the security of your app idea.
- Less management as it gives your efficient project managers and saves time and cost of business reality operations.
- You have the flexibility to upscale your team, remove any engineer and take up a substitute for them.
- They have a good corporate culture, and the professional culture is at par.
- Communication is omnichannel and offers amazing flexibility to choose between calls, emails, and chats.
- You get a ready-to-use product, well tested and competitive for the market.
Cons
- It takes some time to find a credible development company and outsource the work to them.
- Deadline and quality issues may follow.
- Before hiring, time zone, cultural issues, and language problems must be discussed.
- You have to constantly guide them and make sure they are on the same page as you are.
Conclusion
Hiring an iOS developer takes a lot of effort and time; you must always look for people with experience and expertise.
Finding someone who fits your criteria will take a lot of work. Still, it is essential as if it doesnt happen, the apps quality may improve.
Outsourcing gives you a major advantage over other hiring options. It would help if you looked for the most profitable option.
It gives you limitless opportunities to hire someone for your project. It would help if you had a developer with communication skills, technical skills, soft skills, and so many other factors.
We have tried to cover everything important in a professional for iOS native development. You can avoid budget risk, analyze the developers, and evaluate their previous experience to hire the best developers for your project.