Everyone wants to have a great iOS application. Year after year, Apple sells more iPhones and increases its customer base. The unique thing about iOS is its customer retention rate. It means that anyone who has used an iPhone will most likely buy another iPhone as his next device.
Moreover, unlike Android, iOS is optimized for the specific set of iPhones currently in the sale. This exclusivity allows these devices to perform very well for an extended time. People can use an iPhone for several years and still feel that they’re using a new operating system, whereas most android devices go obsolete within 2-3 years.
An iOS app is a long-term asset that will allow users to engage with your brand for years. Thus, you must hire a competent iOS developer, so you get the best ROI on your published apps.
After extensively researching the world of iOS development and the type of complications that appear while working with a developer later, it is in your best interest to pick up some tips that will help you hire the best coder out there for your job. Here are some things to keep in mind while hiring an expert.
THE HIERARCHY OF DEVELOPERS
Before hiring one, ensure that you are well-versed with the scale of judgment for every developer. These three labels are junior, middle, and senior iOS developers.
A junior iOS developer has less than two years of experience in the field. He/she usually works in companies or projects alongside senior developers to continually learn and improve their skill set. They take orders and assignments from their leaders and spectate their decision-making skills and how they go about tackling hurdles and changing workflow accordingly.
A middle-level developer has two to five years of experience and has some liberty in choosing his projects. These people master their skill-set within their previous years of work and often learn new skills to expand their knowledge and abilities. Mostly, developers do so when their project demands a specific requirement.
Once a developer crosses the five-year mark, he upgrades to the rank of a senior level developer. A developer of this rank has experience across dozens of different projects and mastered most of the skills that go into app development. All senior-level developers also have leadership experience and previously completed projects.
These iOS development experts have worked on multiple projects and released dozens of apps. They are usually proficient in not just design and coding but app testing and API integrations as well.
THE CHECKLIST OF A GREAT DEVELOPER
There are a lot of verticals that come under iOS development. While hiring a master, ensure that they have a well-rounded knowledge of all the different aspects of applying.
First of all, they should be highly proficient with Swift or Objective-C programming language. They should be knowledgeable at Xcode IDE, apple human interface guidelines, and core data framework.
They should also have experience with handling APIs like Cocoa Touch and UIKit, RESTful APIs. Coming to more elementary things to look for, take a look at their profile to judge their UI and UX design. Also, ask them about their work with Metal or OpenGL.
All of the proficiencies mentioned above are crucial for developing a reliable app that provides a great experience to the user. A junior developer ideally knows the basics, and a middle-level developer has comprehensive knowledge of most things.
However, it is the senior developer who has working experience with all the skills. Thus, they’re very well suited to dealing with issues and monitoring their progress while mentoring their juniors at their tasks.
LOOK AT THEIR EXPERIENCE
Every developer does not have the same experience. They start with their projects and work on different ones until they understand their strengths and favourite industries.
The work you require for your app has its unique demands, and you need to understand that every developer will not fulfil it. A way to determine which developer will be the best for your project is to look at their experience in detail.
Their experience entails a lot of things. It includes their previous roles, educational background, and ability to deliver work fast. Also, look at the nature of their work and the kind of apps they have previously worked to complete.
The key here is to hire a developer who has worked on maximum similar projects before in his career. You can chat with them about their strengths and the challenges that often pop up in projects like yours.
You can even ask them for client testimonials and get to know how similar the client’s demands were to your own needs.
Moreover, a developer with knowledge of similar projects will be able to offer you some more features you hadn’t explored before. They will generally be competent enough to deliver your work faster than a developer who has not worked for your field before. Scour their LinkedIn and Github profiles to know more about their colleagues and if their vision and creative drive are the perfect fit for your project.
SOFT SKILLS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT
When you are hiring a senior developing expert, you must be expecting him to assume some leadership role at your organization. This leadership role can be scalable, depending on the task you allot to him. Thus, soft skills and personality traits must resemble those of a leader.
Most projects cannot function without a team, and as you previously read, senior developers will play a key role in helping their juniors team members improve their capabilities. Thus, they do not solely look at the portfolio of their work but also ask them about their project leadership experience.
A good expert should ideally have experience in leading an application’s development from start to end. His communication skills should also be immaculate. Many developers fall into the habit of losing track of time while coding, but your expert, as a leader, must reflect values of punctuality from the very start.