If the people that will be using the app have devices on iOS, then obviously you need a developer or platform that supports iOS. Also, apps can be created that work across multiple environments, so if your business needs include a single app that must work across several environments, be sure to ask if the developer or platform solution can do that, and what if any trade-offs there are for their product\u2019s functionality to do so. For example, a simple mobile-web based app will work in many devices and environments, but won\u2019t necessarily give users much functionality with any specific device\u2019s built-in gadgets. More sophisticated architectures like Wrappers and Hybrids can help, but still face the same trade-off and incur a significant increase in architecture complexity.<\/p>\n
What Architectures do you offer and support?<\/strong><\/p>\n Hinted at above in relation to environments the app, developer or platform supports, the various architectures for creating apps give several tradeoffs for you to consider. Apps with a native architecture will usually offer the greatest functionality for a particular device, but will be limited to use on just that device or environment, limiting its reach. At the other end of the spectrum is mobile-web architecture, which can be used on any device with a web-browser, but won\u2019t be able to access many of the new nifty features on today\u2019s and tomorrow\u2019s gadgets. The recent introduction into the market of breakthroughs in HTML5 allows some features to work with a web architecture, but not enough to compete with native in functionality. Wrapper and hybrid architectures seek to balance the benefits and drawbacks of native and web by combining native and web into a single app. Wrapper and hybrid apps still do not offer the same levels of performance, security, or interface richness that a native infrastructure can, but can often offer greater functionality than mobile-web architectures.<\/p>\n Does your product require a technically savvy person to run it?<\/strong><\/p>\n That Open Source Platform might look tasty\u2026 but if you don\u2019t have the IT resources to take advantage of it, then your App project won\u2019t be going anywhere fast. Make sure to ask what technical skills will be needed to utilize the platform fully as well as maintain and update what you\u2019ve built. Then, compare the answer to the IT resources that are available for the project. Also ask if they offer training services for the product if it is more complicated than what your IT resources allow.<\/p>\n What services and maintenance options do you off along with your platform?<\/strong><\/p>\n There are many platforms and tools that require a higher level of technical sophistication for their use. Many open-source platforms are like this. If your organization does not have a resident coder, you will need a tool or platform with a simple user interface. Another alternative is to hire an application developer to simply create the App for you. Additionally, if you lack the requisite technical sophistication, fixing and maintaining the App on your own will be difficult, and you will need to make sure your solutions provider offers these services. Of course, if your IT department is chock-full of tech talent, you can save yourself some cash by selecting a solution without maintenance services.<\/p>\n How financially stable is you company? <\/strong><\/p>\n The field of Mobile Application Development is in a state of rapid change currently, with many companies are entering and exiting the market. You should seek to avoid the scenario where you purchase a company\u2019s solution, only to have that company go out of business, leaving you with a solution that won\u2019t get updated, maintained, or serviced unless you\u2019re willing to spend money on IT talent to do that yourself. And if you\u2019re not in the Mobile Application Development business, then chances are you aren\u2019t going to want to in-source that work. Save yourself the pain, and vet your potential partner\u2019s finances and future business prospects ahead of time.<\/p>\n<\/h4>\n
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