Since there are so many software, web, and mobile app development companies worldwide, it might seem that finding the right one for your newest project shouldn’t be a problem. But once you start actually looking for one, you might quickly get confused with the available options. How can you pick the one mobile app development company that will turn your project draft into a complete product?
It might be even harder to pick a development partner if you are looking for someone experienced with the newest technology – for example, Dart and Flutter.
You can, however, find the ideal match for your project idea if you know what to ask the Flutter app developers.
So in this article, we’ll share with you 8 questions you should ask Flutter development companies during the first meeting to help you shortlist the best candidates.
Why finding the right flutter app development services company is so hard?
Thanks to the power of the internet, you no longer have to rely on just on the software development company you can find nearby. Instead, a few clicks away and you can find development agencies from another city, country, or even another country.
On the one hand, that allows you to find web, software, or mobile development companies with precisely the skills and industry experience you need for the project. Plus, finding developers familiar with rarer programming languages and frameworks (like Dart) is much easier when you don’t have to worry about geographical distance either.
The sheer number of options online can quickly turn out to be a problem, though. Where exactly should you search for Flutter developers? What should you look out for when analyzing their profiles? And how can you shortlist the most suitable development businesses for the project?
To learn this, you’ll need to spend some time researching your project requirements first. After you have those clear, it’s time to start browsing for and examining each mobile app development firm you are considering hiring for building Flutter apps for your brand.
As a way to make this search even easier, we compiled a list of things to consider when looking for new flutter application development talents in our other article, “How to pick a Flutter developer for your project.” Although we focused on Flutter professionalists there, you can use those tips to find custom software, web development or native mobile developers as well.
What questions should you ask to find a good Flutter app development company?
By shortlisting a few development firms that fit your project requirements the most, you have already done half the work. The second half is to schedule introduction meetings with them so you can learn more about skills, experience and development approach.
It might seem like it will take too much time to meet with different app development agencies, but those meetings are a great way to determine whether the developers there are experienced, skilled and trustworthy.
After talking with them for a short while, you will know whether they are passionate about what they are doing and what ideas they have for building your dream cross-platform apps. If they have slightly exaggerated their experience or skills on their website, you should be able to catch this during the meeting as well.
Knowing a few questions you should ask during the meetings to find the ideal Flutter app development agency can be especially useful here.
For that task, we made a list of 8 questions that any professional development firm should be able to answer easily – and if they can’t, that should be a warning sign for you.
“Could you tell me a bit about the development company?”
After researching a given Flutter mobile app development agency earlier, you should already know quite a lot about them. Those are mostly only basic information, though. Interviews are ideal for learning about who are they in more details.
For example, here, you can ask them about the clients they worked for earlier or about their latest Flutter development projects. This is also a good moment to learn more about the Flutter developers working for them – their experience, skills, interests, and recent projects they took part in.
Firms that have a few Flutter projects completed will be happy to show their work and introduce you to their mobile app developers.
Red Flag: Consultant talks vaguely about the industries or technologies they are familiar with and can’t tell you much about the clients they have served in the past.
“How many Flutter app developers are working here?”
The next question is how many developers are part of the potential development services partner’s Flutter developer team. Why is it important?
If a given company only has one or two Flutter experts working for them, that might mean it will be hard for them to find time for your project. Plus, if the cross-platform app project is a more complex one, then you might need more than one Flutter developer for the project. However, if the agency doesn’t have enough Flutter developers and the project relies on only one person, the project might get delayed often.
Most agencies have information about how many developers are working with them already on the website. On our Flutter development page, for example, you can see that we have more than 20 Flutter developers on staff – so whether you need only one or a few Flutter app developers, you can count on our team.
In case the company you’re interviewing doesn’t have this information on their website, you should definitely ask them about it.
Red Flag: The consultant can’t tell you how many Flutter developers are working with them or answers vaguely.
“Have you done any similar Flutter app projects to mine?”
Checking whether the potential Flutter development partner has completed projects similar to yours in the past is always a good idea, for a couple of reasons.
First, if they designed mobile applications similar to what you want, they will know what tools might be the most useful to build your new Flutter applications. Having industry knowledge will also help them figure out what features the app should have to meet your target audience’s needs – and what Flutter widgets will allow them to add those features.
They might even think of a few ways how to finish the project faster or prevent issues they faced during previous projects.
Even better if the developers tell you the apps are available through the app stores and they invite you to test those out. Not only you can use those to gauge their design skills but you might even get some design or functionality inspiration for your own app.
Red Flag: When the consultant claims their team has worked on similar projects earlier but can’t tell you any details about it or lead you to the app’s page on the app store.
“Is Flutter really the best development choice for me?”
Going with Flutter has several benefits. Using it, you can get cross-platform apps with native-like performance, custom design, and several features previously only available in native apps. However, it doesn’t fit every project – in some cases, you might be better off picking React Native or going with native app development.
After looking at the project brief and listening to your main needs, an experienced developer should be able to tell you which development method will make the most sense for the project – and why. It’s even better if they can show you how they could add a given feature or design the app’s UI using other Flutter apps they’ve made as examples.
Red Flag: They agree to any ideas you have but get confused when you ask them to give arguments why Flutter is a good choice (or not).
“Will I be able to work with your team during the design phase?”
Flutter has dozens of widgets for building and customizing the design of a mobile app – that’s one of the reasons why the framework is so popular nowadays. To have an app design you are delighted with though, you should work closely with the UI/UX team during the design stage.
Ask your potential development partner about their process for designing UI/UX and how you can share your feedback or suggestions during the design phase. A development team worth its salt should tell you how they’ll work on the designs and how often they’ll get in touch with you to get your opinion on those.
This way, you can be confident that the final design will meet your expectations.
Red Flag: When a consultant says they don’t usually send the designs for approval.
“Do you offer post-release services for Flutter apps?”
Regular maintenance, app updates, and bug fixes will be necessary to keep the new Flutter app running weeks or months smoothly after the launch. Without those, your app might start to malfunction or run much slower than it used – which might lead users to uninstall it quickly. Flutter framework also gets updates regularly – to take advantage of those, you’ll need someone who can update the app to the newest version.
Of course, you could be running the maintenance and updates with your in-house team, if you have Flutter experts onboard. If you don’t though, then it’s essential to ask the potential Flutter app development firm do they offer post-launch support services, what you can expect from those and how much the company will be charging you for the support services.
Using those services will ensure that your app will be regularly maintained and that any performance issues or bugs will be promptly resolved. Plus, whenever there will be a new Flutter version released, the developers will take care of updating the app to the latest version as well.
Red Flag: A company doesn’t offer post-project services and treats the project as finished after the app is delivered.
“How will you keep me up-to-date on the project’s progress?”
Working on a project in-house can give you the comfort of being able to immediately talk to your team members whenever there are any sudden changes to the scope or unexpected setbacks.
With an outsourced project, tracking the app development process is a bit harder, especially if the development company is from a different city or country. In this case, it’s crucial that you ask how and how often the company will keep you updated on the project progress – especially in case of any changes, issues, or setbacks that may impact the app’s price or timeline
A good app development company should be able to tell you what tools they will be using to let you monitor the project’s progress or share any issues or suggestions. They should also let you know how often they’ll send you detailed reports or schedule team meetings to discuss the project’s progress.
Red Flag: The consultant says they will keep in touch with you “regularly” but can’t specify how often you will get project reports.
“How will you charge me for the project?”
As we mentioned in our earlier article about the app development cost, estimating how much a project will cost takes time. That’s why it’s rather unlikely you’ll get a fixed project price right on the first meeting. However, there are a few other things related to paying for the project that the consultants should be able to answer straight away.
- What development contracts do they offer: fixed price, time and material, or both of them
- How much are you expected to pay upfront, and how the rest of the budget will be divided
- How much will you need to pay for any additional services, such as post-launch maintenance
- How any unexpected costs will be added to the budget
When talking to the consultants about the details, be honest about your budget too, so you don’t get stuck with something you can’t afford. A good developer knows where to cut project costs without sacrificing quality, and they will be glad to tweak a few things to help you stay on budget.
Red Flag: A consultant gives you a project estimate straight on the first meeting, without doing any market research – especially if it’s a very attractive estimate.
Conclusion
The key to choosing the best Flutter development company out of a sea of options is to check whether they’re experienced, trustworthy and reliable. And the questions we mentioned above should help you exactly with that.
Professional development companies should have no problems answering those questions. In fact, they might even be impressed that you came so well prepared for the meeting. On the other hand, if a company seems confused by you asking so many questions and can’t precisely answer any of them, then they might not be worth your time (and budget).
So take time interviewing the development – and then you’ll surely find the one that matches your needs the most and can create apps you will be proud of.
