The design of your mobile app is so crucial these days because it directly influences user experience and engagement. If it has high usability, aesthetics, and functionality, you can be guaranteed to enjoy increased user satisfaction, retention, and overall success.
That means you need to know how to hire an app design agency that will make the best design according to your business needs and budget. But how do you make your choice from so many options out there?
This is what this guide is all about. Follow our lead and enjoy the best ROI with an informed hiring decision.
Why Hire an App Design Agency
A BusinessofApps study found that 9 out of every 10 mobile users stop using an app within a month of installing it. This means your app design should be highly intuitive and user-friendly to have a loyal user base.
According to BusinessofApps, in 2022 the user retention rate for apps started off strong at over 20% on the first day but gradually declined to a little over 1% by the end of the month.
Hiring an efficient app design agency can ensure a superior design for your app since they have the required experience, expertise, and resources to accomplish the critical job efficiently. They hold a significant upper hand over in-house app designers and freelancers in the following categories.
Technical Expertise
Skilled app designers have the expertise and technical know-how to craft top-notch applications. They have a deep understanding of programming languages and essential tools for powerful and efficient designs.
With a knowledgeable agency, you can rest assured that your app will be designed following the current industry standards utilizing the best tools and practices.
Personalized Solutions
By leveraging their long experience, agency designers can customize your app design to meet specific business needs. They keep a keen eye on your objectives and target audience to develop a tailored solution.
Take a look at the interface for Headspace, an app designed to help with meditation. The app’s interface effectively guides users to access its services. Right from the beginning, the app’s tailor-made design makes it easy for users to understand the navigation system.
User-Centric Design
Experienced designers at agencies know that the user experience is a crucial factor in the success of an application. Thanks to their training, they can accurately understand user behavior in any particular type of business.
As a result, they always aim to design smooth navigation, eye-catching layouts, and interactive elements to guarantee a pleasant user experience that can captivate your customers.
The language learning platform of Duolingo is a notable example of user-centric app design. The app’s features are user-friendly and easy to navigate.
Integration Capabilities
A smooth integration of your mobile app with various backend services and platforms is crucial in achieving success for the app.
Experienced app designers are well-versed in integrating your app with established databases, APIs, or third-party services to facilitate effortless data exchange and other functionalities.
Cross-Platform App Designs
Businesses often need their app to be available on multiple platforms to reach a wider audience. Professional mobile app designers can craft applications that work seamlessly across different operating systems, such as iOS and Android.
By utilizing cross-platform development frameworks, agencies can increase the profitability of an app significantly.
The success of Skype as a communication app can be credited to its diverse range of platforms. Users can seamlessly use the app on desktop PCs, iOS, and Android devices.
Quality Assurance
Users demand nothing less than impeccable quality and reliability in an app. That’s why reputable agencies use a rigorous quality control system that meets industry standards.
They make sure that thorough testing is performed to pinpoint and fix any bugs, glitches, or performance problems in the design.
A focus on detail ensures that your app operates without any flaws and ultimately provides a positive experience for your users.
What Does App Design Agencies Do?
Before guiding you on how to hire an app design agency, let’s first give you some idea about how app design agencies work.
Discovering & Documenting Specifications
Primarily all apps come from an idea and the discovery phase involves ideation and mapping out a clear idea about the app into paper.
At this stage, designers finalize the key objectives of the app along with its user interface and user experience. We have listed all the steps of the discovery and documentation phase of app design below:
- Examining the Idea: First, a designer needs to be sure that the primary app idea is not an eccentric one. They determine the practicality of the idea by asking questions like – Is the idea economically feasible? Is it technically doable?’ Would people find it interesting enough?
- Investigating the Market: During the initial stages of app development, designers also analyze the market and research the industry to determine the target audience for the app.
- Defining the Requirements: Once the market research is completed, they determine which features should be incorporated into your app to meet the requirements of the target users.
- Document the Specifications: Finally, designers produce a detailed app specification document that demonstrates all the requirements of the app. This document helps the designers, developers, and app owners maintain a shared understanding of the project.
Creating Wireframes
The next phase of app design is to construct wireframes which are some low-fidelity or high-fidelity drawings showcasing the design and functionality of your app in a simplified manner.
This is how wireframes generally look where the designer manually creates a visual representation of the interface and details the functionality.
The wireframe may not contain the entire design since its primary focus is on the essential interface elements and screens. It does not necessarily have to be a high-fidelity graphic design. Think of it as a structural guideline and blueprint for your application.
Wireframes are like a guide map for UX designers and app developers, which provide a visual structure of the app.
Designers keep the wireframes simple to enable effective collaboration among the app developer, app design agency team, and the client.
Typically wireframes contain a hierarchy of information, allocation of space for different app elements, potential behaviors of users, key features of the app, and also the navigation system.
Making Changes According to Feedback
Designers use the wireframes to collect feedback from all stakeholders and refine the design repeatedly. The success of the app depends a lot on the efficiency of the designer in analyzing the feedback and acting upon it accordingly.
Top-tier mobile app design agencies like UIExpertz always ensure multiple rounds of revisions in the wireframes.
An app designer agency reviews the wireframes keeping in mind the final objectives of the app keeping in mind the user’s point of view. They try to ensure that not a single element of the app irritates or bores the user.
Planning the User Experience & Interface
Lastly comes the phase of designing the user experience and interface design, where the designers determine the user experience and user interface of the app. A successful UI design seamlessly complements the user experience design to ensure complete user satisfaction.
The role of an app design agency does not conclude there. They consistently work with the developer team to ensure a smooth realization of the design. More importantly, agencies provide long-term after-sale support to update an app to make it contemporary.
How to Hire an App Design Agency?
Step 1: Specify the Category of the Application
Before hiring an app design agency, you should clearly understand the type of app you want to launch. At the very beginning define the app’s purpose, target users, and platform. Apps are primarily divided into categories based on their operating platform.
Native Apps: The apps that are tailor-made for one specific mobile operating system are native applications, such as iOS or Android. Since they are designed for specific platforms, an iOS app cannot be used on an Android phone and vice versa. When it comes to speed and reliability, native apps outperform others.
Web Apps: You can use a web app only through a web browser and cannot download them on your device. Web apps are more cost-effective to create and maintain compared to other options.
Hybrid Apps: A hybrid application integrates the features of a native app and a web application by incorporating widely used front-end development technologies and programming languages like HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS.
It offers cross-platform capabilities, which means developers can use one code for both Android and iOS without any extra effort.
Step 2: Creating Your Budget Plan
In the second step, you need to fix a budget for the app. The budget is a crucial factor since determines which agencies you can afford to hire.
It is important to establish the maximum expenditure limit from the start, taking into account your business goals, potential financial gains, and overall economic stability.
The objective of the app can indicate which design platform or tools are necessary for the job and how much money can you make out of the app.
You should consider this information to determine how much should you spend on the app. Familiarize yourself with the ongoing market rates to accurately budget for the design of your app.
It is important to strike a balance between flexibility and strictness when managing your budget, as being too flexible can result in inflated costs, and being too rigid can lead to a shortage of funds.
Step 3: Explore Various Agencies
Now that you understand the type of your app and also know your budget, it is time to explore various agencies that align with your needs.
You should utilize your social network and conduct online research to discover potential companies that could be a great match for you. Evaluate their portfolios and experience thoroughly.
Filter out the companies with adequate experience, good track records, and positive online testimonials and reviews. You may download and evaluate apps they have built to have a better idea about their capabilities.
To assess the reputation of the app designing companies you should ask for references from their past clients. At a minimum, they should provide testimonials and case studies for your perusal. Going through their client testimonials or user reviews can also help you.
Clutch – the ratings and reviews platform for IT services can be a great resource for you to find an established app development firm and know some basic information about an agency.
Step 4: Interview Some Potential App Designers
Once you have thoroughly researched the design agency and its competitors, reach out to all the potential agencies directly. Engage in conversation with them to make a well-informed decision.
Ask them about the technologies and tools they use for designing an app and assess if they are enough to fulfill your requirements.
Try to understand their way of creating an app design in detail, like how they design the user experience, how they conduct the quality assurance tests, etc. At the same time let the agencies know your specific terms and conditions.
You need to pay attention to their payment conditionalities to ensure there is no hidden cost to bother you in the future. Do not forget to request a non-disclosure agreement to secure your app’s code and to protect your idea from duplication.
Step 5: Acquire Proposals and Analyze Them
After conducting thorough research and narrowing down your options, the next step is to get proposals from the leading app design firms on your list.
To allow them to submit a proposal, you need to send a request for proposal (RFP) to them. Upon receiving replies, you can evaluate the proposed expenses, schedules, and procedures of each company to find the agency that fits your requirements the most.
You may need to schedule more than one meeting with an agency to clarify any additional inquiries. Focus on two or three companies that you find interesting.
Analyzing the proposal is also a way to get an idea about the capabilities of an agency.
You should notice if they proficiently fleshed out the concept of the app. Try to get an idea if they are truly aware of the expectations of your business and the app’s potential users by monitoring their proposals.
The proposal must include a comprehensive outline of the design process and should not contain any sign of ambiguity regarding the cost.
The proposal can serve as a key indicator of how well the agency has researched the market and user behavior. If the agency’s proposal fails to earn your trust, it would be unwise to proceed with hiring them.
Step 6: Finalize the Terms and Sign a Contract
The last phase of hiring an app design agency is to sort out all the clauses and conditions of the contract that you need to sign along with the agency before you can kick off the job.
The contract paper must clearly define all the expectations of both parties. It should clearly explain the app’s objective, project timeline, and deliverables.
Apart from detailing the payment terms and schedule, the contract should contain dispute resolution protocols to avoid any untoward situation in the future.
Do not forget to include a clause for termination of the contract in case any party fails to comply with commitments. It is always a good idea to have a lawyer examine the contract before finalizing it with your signature.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire an App Design Agency?
Hiring an app design agency can cost you anywhere between $3,000 and $48,000 depending on the functionalities of the app, the reputation of the agency, the platform of the app, and the location of the agency.
Features and Functionalities: Your app can be as simple as telling the temperature of the day or it can be a complex one like Skype that requires the use of some critical technologies. The more complex the app, the more expertise is needed to create it, ultimately leading to a higher cost.
Platforms of the App: The platform on which an app is launched is a crucial factor in determining its design cost since each platform requires varying levels of expertise. Possible options include the internet, computer systems such as Windows and MacOS, or smartphone operating systems like Android and iOS.
Location of the Agency: Different countries and states have varying tax rates and policies. Moreover, the salaries of app designers also change depending on their location. That is why the location of the agency is also a big factor in determining the cost of design.
Expertise and Reputation of the Agency: If an agency has exceptional skill in app design, they may charge you significantly more than the market rate. Additionally, when a company gains recognition for their exceptional app designs through years of consistent excellence, it is common for them to increase rates.
8 Questions You Should Ask an App Design Agency Before Hiring Them
1. Can They Show You Their Previously Designed Apps?
One effective way to evaluate an agency’s skills is to use an app that they created previously. Request that they present any apps they have designed in the past.
Thoroughly assess the app to ensure it meets the necessary quality criteria. In an attempt to secure the job, a company may exaggerate their capabilities, but by assessing their past projects, you can identify any misleading statements.
2. Can They Give You Some References from Their Previous Clients?
Don’t forget to inquire about references from the agency’s former clients to ensure their competency.
If possible, reach out to the former clients to confirm that the agency’s claims are without discrepancy.
3. Do They Have Deep Industry Expertise?
Different types of apps require distinct skill sets to design them. Just because an agency excels in creating utility apps does not guarantee their ability to develop efficient lifestyle or educational apps.
That is why you should request evidence of their experience in creating app designs that align with your needs.
4. What Tools Do They Use to Design an App?
Adobe, Sketch, BuildFire, Axure RP, and Marvel are some of the top brands in the realm of app design tools. The tools that an agency uses for designing the mobile app can heavily influence the ultimate result.
Inquire about the design tools that the agencies use and ensure that they are not relying on any unfamiliar freeware just for budgetary reasons.
5. What is Their App Design Process?
Before launching an app, an agency must first analyze the target users, create wireframes for the UX and UI, develop a prototype, establish the software architecture, and conduct thorough QA testing.
Find out how the agency executes the app design process and verify their way of business complies with the standard procedures. If you find any agency to omit any of these steps it may not be wise to take their service.
6. How Can You Monitor the Progress of the Design?
It is important to understand how an agency can help you track every stage of the app design process. It can be more significant if this is the first time you are using their services.
Rather than believing their verbal assurances you should ask them how they let the client monitor the progress of the design in their existing method of work.
Ask them how often and through what means you can contact them for updates. Any reputable agency may assign one employee to maintain regular communication with you. Some of them may have a 24/7 support system.
7. Is there Any Hidden Cost Involved?
Be upfront and ask the agency if they will impose any additional charges for any other purpose regarding the app design. Unfortunately, many agencies have a habit of surprising clients with additional fees during or at the end of the design.
At times, there may be an extra cost for resolving bugs, completing maintenance work, monitoring app performance, testing on various platforms, conducting user research, or submitting the app to multiple app stores.
Urge them to agree on an exact final amount to avoid any potential conflicts in the future.
8. How Sensitive Are They About Meeting the Deadlines?
If an app is not launched within a reasonable timeframe, it may not be able to fulfill its business or social targets.
You must ask the agency about their level of commitment to meeting the deadline. They must have a reputation for delivering within the time limit.
Why Should You Choose UIExpertz for Designing Your App?
We Provide Free Consultation and Advice
Feel free to contact us with any new app idea for your business and rest assured that we will not charge you for the expert consultation. Our team will try their best to understand your concerns and objectives and provide guidance on all available options throughout the entire process.
UIExpertz aims to assist you in finding the most suitable solutions for your project, enabling you to make well-informed decisions that nicely align with your objectives, deadlines, and budget.
You Get Complete Ownership
All the rights of the designs and other assets from our engagement will remain your property, including the source files. You will also have access to a wide range of free licenses, plugins, and tools to use as you please.
UIExpertz is Adaptable to Your Specific Needs
Our team will assist you at every step of your journey in creating an efficient app. Our client manager will schedule regular communications to let you know about the progress, plan future tasks, and make any necessary changes in the design.
You Get Access to High-Class Expertise at an Affordable Cost
We make sure that you gain access to the highest caliber of talent in branding, graphic design, motion graphics, video production, UI/UX, web design, and web development, all at a reasonable price.
We Ensure Easiest Communications
At UIExpertz, we prioritize seamless communication to guarantee a successful outcome for your app design project. We make sure that you have full visibility of the design’s progress at all times. You can connect with us at any hour of the day using any means of communication.
UIExpertz Guarantees Adaptability and Rapid Pace
Our track record shows that we consistently meet deadlines and maintain high-quality work. UIExpertz guarantees a timely launch of your app, eliminating concerns about missing any deadlines.
Wrapping It Up
2023 saw a significant shift in the realm of mobile app development, with a newfound focus on creating captivating user experiences. Recent data suggests that an efficient app design can boost conversion rates by as much as 200%.
This implies that you should emphasize more on app design and know how to hire an app design agency to craft a befitting design for your app.
