The first meeting between you and your developer is critical to determining the foundations of the app development project. Your app developer will start by asking a series of questions to determine the basic scope for the project before creating an initial bid for the project. It’s essential that you come prepared for this meeting if you want an accurate initial bid. Here’s what you can expect to discuss with a developer in your first or second meeting. (Don’t forget to check out our initial post on the topic for more questions developers ask.)
Will you need payment processing?
If your app will be a product on it’s own or if you’ll be offering products through the app, you’ll definitely want to consider how you want to accept payment. Your app doesn’t have to be a shopping app to require payment processing. You can offer in-app upgrades, the purchase of specific features, and subscriptions (recurring payments). Integrating popular payment services can increase your app’s appeal. Your developer will want to know if and what payment options you’ll need as payment comes with more complex security requirements and/or integration work with third parties.
Will you be sending push notifications?
Notifications are one of the most powerful ways you can interact with users. Give them timely reminders, invite them back to the app, and give them important warnings or information. Email notifications are another option for interacting with your users, and your developer will want to know if you plan on using those as well. Push notifications can be sent locally or through the network, and your developer can explain the difference if you’re not sure which one you need.
What devices and screen sizes will you target?
You don’t need a list of every iPhone and Android phone to be released in the last seven years, but you do need to think about phone and tablet. You’ll also want to think about the orientation of the device. Different layouts have to be created for an app to work in both landscape and portrait orientation. Basic apps might only target one orientation and device type, but more complex apps may target all layouts. Your developer will need to plan and program the app accordingly.
What else does your app need?
Before wrapping up the meeting, your developer will ask you if there are any other odds and ends that the app needs. These could include reporting tools, an on-boarding or tutorial system in the app, additional languages, and any graphic animations. These can add some additional complexity to the development, and your developer will want to know the extent you need them (like how many languages, and what type of reports). It’s a great idea to bring some examples, if you have any.
If you’d like to see how your answers to these questions affect the cost of your app development, check out our free app development calculator. It’ll walk you through all these questions and some others. At the end, it will give you a ballpark bid for the app, and you can download your results as a PDF. It’s not an official quote, but it’s a good starting place.