Finding one person who can develop a new product or service in the tech-sphere all by themselves is rare. Imagine — you’re coming up with the idea, designing the product, building the application, and strategizing the development process all on your own. It’s overwhelming just thinking about it.
Many entrepreneurs may find they have an idea for a product but lack the skills to build or optimize the design for the user experience (UX). Enter: a software partner. A software partner can help create a minimum viable product or MVP to get your product out there. An MVP is essentially the basic version of your product or service — think version 1.0. It allows you to offer your product or service and then build on it based on feedback and market research for future releases.
Building the best MVP possible is a vital step in your product development. The right partnership between you and a software development company can be the key to your success. But like with many things, picking a software partner is easier said than done.
Here’s what you need to look for in a software creator:
Know Your Goals & Needs
The first step before you start your search for a software consultant is to know what your goals and needs are. Some questions you should ask yourself are:
- What product are you hoping to develop?
- What aspects do you need help with?
- What’s your foundational level knowledge of application development and design process?
- What’s your ideal timeline?
Answering these questions first will help you narrow down your search.
Team: Knowledge & Balance
Once you know what you need, you can start to look for a team that can fill those needs. You want to look for a software creator that has designers, strategists, and full-stack engineers and developers with strong skills and understanding. With a well-rounded team, your product has professionals helping it in every aspect of development and creation.
Also, find a company that has experience in your particular market or domain. This specific experience means that the team will be more aware of both your and your target customer’s needs.
Experience & Portfolio
Take a look at a software consultant’s portfolio and how many years of experience in application development that they have. You’re looking for someone to help you in the areas you have less strength in, so look for a company to lift your product up. It’s their job to know which technology to use, how to roll out a new product, and UX design best practices for your customer base. Make sure you’re looking at companies that have experience building MVPs.
Product Pricing
You’re designing a product from scratch. Any quality software development will have a price tag to prove it. If you’re looking for the cheapest option, you’ll likely get a shoddy and cheap product with bugs and a limited range for expansion. Not to mention, you may be working with a company that has little experience and, most likely, poor support and a lacing development process.
Product Technology
There are so many technologies available for software development. A quality software creator can help you pick the right technology for your MVP in its first stages, as well as the future goals for expansion and growth. If you know someone with experience in this, ask them what technologies they think would be best suited for your product. This extra research may help you before speaking with a software creator.
Reviews & Communication
Look at what past customers of the software provider are saying. If possible, reach out to the past and present customers directly to hear about their experience working with the company. Is the company good at responding? Is the companies culture and values in-line with your own? How do they demonstrate their culture and values? Are they engaged online and offer helpful resources to their customers? These are the kinds of application developers you want to work with.
Choosing an excellent software creator to partner with to build your product is a significant decision. The right software consultancy company can bring your idea to life — or it can help bury it ten feet under. Before deciding on a software development company, make sure you do your research. Then reach out to those companies on your shortlist to learn more about how they can help your product come to life.
If you’re looking for an experienced product and technology firm to help deliver your products and services to your dream customers, we’re here to help. Learn more about our past projects on our homepage, or get in touch today. Tell us about your idea, and let’s start planning how to make it happen.