Freelance App Developer UK

From vision to delivery to Google Play or the App Store

1. What can we do for you?

We bring your app vision to reality. Supporting and nurturing your idea into a viable and tangible product. Our goal is to build a solution that meets your goals. Whether it’s for an Android phone or an Apple iPad.

We develop truly native apps that have one Dart code base. These apps have native performance unlike apps developed to run in a device’s webview. We use tools that allow us to compile this code base into both iOS and Android compatible apps. This reduces the cost of development and future maintenance.

Before working on your app, we run the functionality through a feasibility stage. For example, you may need to use the phone’s geolocation system or camera or accelerometer.

2. Helping you to scope your ideas

We’re there to help scope your idea into a solution that works for your target audience before we build it.

At the beginning, this process can seem overwhelming if you are not used-to designing a system. But we are there to help at each step. We can help in the following ways.

• Mapping out the complete structure of the app, i.e. all pages
• Helping you make decisions on the kind of navigation to use, e.g. side bar or hub
• Defining the functionality of each page
• Designing layouts with your branding for sharing with colleagues or testing with customers
• Building a minimal viable product for testing

3. User interface design

Both Emma and I have design skills and so can design all the screens for your app. We’re also happy to work with your design team. In either case we will ensure that your app matches your brand.

We follow usability rules so that screens are easy to navigate. We don’t like to give users any unexpected layouts that would lead to navigation issues. Our page design is very flexible. You can have a wide variety of layouts. For example, grid views, stack layouts, components anchored to the side of the screen. And more…

We use a wide-variety of components for each page. These include (but not limited to):

• Buttons
• Lists
• Date pickers
• Sliders
• Charts

If you are not working with a UI designer then simple sketches of your layout will help. Or you can leave that to us.

At this design stage, we use Adobe XD software to create page views. This means that you get low fidelity wireframes that are interactive. You will be able to navigate from page to page. Perfect for initial viewing and checking the flow between screens. You’ll be able to comment on the wireframes per screen. This makes feedback straight-forward and speeds up the wireframing process.

Once we have created a set of wireframes. You’ll be able to present these to colleagues for sign-off. Or use them for further market testing with your targeted segment.

At this point, we can then move to high fidelity wireframes, i.e. much more detail. This does depend on the design, we don’t recommend this if the design is simple.

4. Securing your data

For apps that have data to manage then we use Firebase. Firebase is Google’s cloud platform solution. It provides a NoSQL database called Firestore. As you can imagine, this product is very secure as it benefits from all the Google infrastructure. Using Firebase is a serverless computing approach. You will not have to worry that any backend infrastructure is out of date as Google maintains the system.

Firebase also provides authentication, i.e. logging in and out of users. We can use this service with your app to protect your data content.

Firebase is a cost-effective approach to managing your data. It has starter packages with generous free usage amounts. As your users grow, then Firebase handles the scaling with ease. In fact, if your app went viral, then Firebase would easily handle the growth… it’s a big benefit with using the Google Cloud Platform.

You can use their calculators to predict future charges.

Also, we will code your app so that it minimises the number of data requests to Firebase. This will save you money.

5. Managing your app's content

We can build an administrative backend to allow you to manage users, data and content on your app. This can be via a web browser or via an admin app. Whatever works best for your business.

We’ll discuss this with you right from the outset. We will build the admin interface alongside the building of your app. As per the apps’s design, we will also wireframe the admin system. Again, we will use Adobe XD for this.

6. How we work

We like to follow an agile approach to the development of your app. This means basing the design of your app on the needs of your targeted users. In an ideal world, some market research should input into design and functionality.

With an agile approach it means creating a minimal viable product for testing. From here, we can change it in response to customer feedback.

We approach all app builds in a modular way. This makes it easier to concentrate on specific areas and get them to market for testing.

7. The frameworks and libraries that we use

We use the Flutter framework to create your app. This is a framework developed by Google. Flutter allows the creation of high performing native iOS and Android apps.

For specific functionality we use the large array of plugins developed by the Flutter community. For example, if your app needed to access a device’s camera then we’d use existing plugins.

We also use:

• RxDart to manage streams of data in your app
• Firebase
  • NoSQL database
  • Storage for managing your assets
  • Authentication for logging in and out of your user

Read more about our Flutter services.

8. Our portfolio

Check out our Find Me Beach app or the Wylder well-being app. If you'd like to see more examples, then please get in contact and we can send you details of other app projects.

9. Next steps

If you have an app in mind then please do not hesitate to contact us for a consultation. We’re happy to discuss the ins and outs of your vision and provide advice. Once we have a clear idea of your needs then we will be able to quote for your project.

We work on a fixed fee approach so you always know the cost of your app project.

We’re based in the UK, but we can work with you wherever you may be.