This is the second part of my blog “Top 3 ways to find Mobile app developers” from last week.  If you haven’t already read it please visit to read it before you read this blog.

Now you have your idea and hopefully a pool of developers to choose from.  If you went through the referral options then at least you have found someone who you would be willing to work with.  If you went through the job site option then you have to gauge if that person is someone you can work with. Some tips on how to determine if a developer is of good character will be covered in the experience question below.

How do you choose the right Mobile App Developer? 

Here are some questions that can help you.

Disclaimer: This blog assumes the read has little or no mobile development technical expertise.

What are some technologies available to build a mobile app?

Here you are looking for the candidate to give you some options.  They most likely will be comfortable with only one. But you can gauge the breadth of their knowledge by the way they can review the options with you.  They should be able to give the pros and cons of the options. They should also be able to give the general costs of those options. This will help you determine the breadth of their experience.

How long has the candidate worked with those technologies?

Here you are not looking for a number or years.  Anyone can claim any number of years. Instead try to relate their years of experience claim with the scope of the apps they worked on.  Ask them to describe the app they developed and why it took them the time that it did. If they worked on multiple projects during that time then do the same for each project. This will help you determine the length of their experience.

Describe the technical experience?

Here is where you want the candidate to relate their experience with what you need done for your product.  Ask them to describe the process of how they went about developing their app. Have them describe the interactions they had with the product owner.  Gauge how well they were able to communicate with the product owner. Have them describe a couple of technical and non technical challenges they had and how they overcome those challenges.  This will help you validate their technical experience and character.

Provide App References

Ideally the candidate will be able to provide you the app that they have developed in the past for you to try out.  If they do then get the app and use it. If you are stuck with any parts of the app then have the developer clarify it. Examine if the developer can describe why you were stuck?  Ask specifically which parts of the app they were responsible for developing. If they worked on a team then it gives you an opportunity to gauge how they worked with a team. If they cannot provide you an app to try out then ask them to provide screenshots of the app or even have them draw it out on paper and describe the functionality.  Treat this exercise the same way as you would if you had the app on your phone. This will help you validate their app development experience.

In summary a right mobile app developer will have a well rounded technical experience in mobile technologies, a good and high character person to work with and can prove their mobile app development experience.

Please leave me comments about your experiences on selecting an app developer.  I’d love to hear from you.