iOS app development can be tricky. It involves a whole set of other skills on top of healthy app development! Fortunately, the following steps can help you find the right iOS specialist to bring your project together ideally.

There are millions of iOS developers – both individuals and companies – on the market. Still, the overwhelming number of choices in itself makes the selection more difficult. This is especially true when you’re looking for someone dedicated to your team!

Here are some of the things you need to consider when choosing your developer for the next big iOS app.

Will you choose a local or remote dedicated iOS developer?

  • Countries such as the United States, the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, and others have relatively high salaries, making local developers very expensive.
  • In-house developers also require costs for office space, employee benefits and bonuses, equipment costs, and other expenses.
  • While there are some advantages (such as close management) to in-house teams, remote teams are definitely the more cost-effective option.
  • Some companies are concerned about safety, quality, and legality. However, the right outsourcing partner will already be well-versed in all of these!

What development outsourcing model will be chosen for your iOS team?

  • One option is to designate almost everything to the outsourcing company, including management. Your only input in this scenario is detailed specs and requirements for the end project.
  • Full designation tends to be a costly option.
  • You can also hire a dedicated team, which lowers the costs of project management on the outsourcing side.

Why is a dedicated iOS development team the right choice?

  • You have total control over every aspect of the work, even though it is outsourced.
  • Dedicated means precisely what it sounds like – the team is totally focused on the end client and your needs.
  • Non-dedicated teams may be working on multiple projects. Conversely, you can be sure a dedicated team is only focused on yours.
  • This is also called ‘outstaffing.’
  • The development company is the official employer and deals with working conditions, salary, office space, insurance, benefits, and the like. It is also legally responsible for employees.
  • However, you are still the person in charge. You are in control of targets, the working process, and day-to-day management.
  • It’s mostly the same as an in-house team, but with lower costs, higher skill, and less legal and financial responsibility!

What are some of the basic requirements for a dedicated iOS developer?

  • Proficiency in Swift and Objective-C programming.
  • Experience with CoreAnimation, CoreData, and other major frameworks
  • Have a firm understanding of performance tuning, threading, and offline storage
  • Experience in REST APIs
  • Basic knowledge of Apple’s design principles
  • Knowledge of UI/UX fundamentals
  • Have an understanding of C-based libraries
  • Experience in push notifications and cloud messages
  • Experience with your required tech

Expected iOS developer qualification levels (three levels)

  • Junior-level iOS Developer
    • Beginner level developers who handle tasks under the supervision
    • Having the goal of learning as much as they can and rising in the ranks
    • Receive and accept constant feedback
    • Simpler tasks
    • Two years of experience
    • Experience in required tech stag
    • BA or higher in Computer Science or the equivalent
    • Experience in an Agile environment
    • Effective at self-learning
  • Middle-level iOS Developer
    • Knowledge and years of experience more than middle development
    • At least five years of experience
    • Skill in Objective-C, Swift, OOP, OOD
    • Proficiency in all significant iOS libraries and frameworks
    • Necessary talent in C++ and Java
    • Experience in Agile and Scrum
    • Fluency in English
  • Senior-level iOS Developer
    • Minimum 10 years of experience
    • All requirements for both junior and middle-level developers.
    • Comprehension of app architecture
    • Knowledge of Git and git-flow
    • Knowledge of code review and unit testing
    • Experience in management
    • Proficiency in communication, leadership, and management
    • Empathy, stability, and mentorship experience
    • An impressive iOS published portfolio

What other roles might or might not be part of your outsourced/outstaffed team?

  • Team Lead
    • The person responsible for leading and managing programmer
    • Codes but spends more time managing the development, reviewing code, giving out tasks and providing mentoring
    • Responsible for communication with stakeholders
  • Quality Assurance (QA) Lead
    • Creates and manages the testing of all systems and apps
    • Usually in charge of all other testers
  • Analyst
    • Maintains documentation to make it understandable by all parties
    • Studies the budget as compared to requirements of the product
  • Scrum Master
    • Common in Agile projects
    • Can sometimes replace the project manager role
    • Supervises the development, gives tasks, reports to the project manager if there is one.
  • Project Manager
    • In charge of project workflow
    • Intermediate communication between developers and stakeholders
  • Lead Designer
    • Controls and manages the process of design
    • Supervises all app designers
    • Responsible for the front-end product of the app.

How to locate and retain the best possible iOS Developer team

Here is a checklist to follow when selecting your outstaffing company to get the best potential value!

  • Only use companies which only offer dedicated teams
    • Some companies offer them but do not make them their priority
    • Companies that focus on outstaffing have the best costs and terms.
  • Check the offered specializations and experience against your requirements
    • Make sure you’ve refined exactly the technology requirements your project will need
    • Even the most experienced team isn’t much use if they don’t know the required frameworks, languages, and libraries
  • Ask for and compare the profiles and qualifications fo their programmers
    • Get details of your pseudo-employees and pay attention to details
    • Make sure your requirements are met.
  • Do a check of their legal policies and information
    • Have as much information as you can, including:
      • Registration date
      • Founders names and profiles
      • Key stakeholder names and profiles
      • Any history of court cases
      • Any criminal records
    • Check if they have previous experience with western companies of your size
      • Experience is almost always a good sign
      • Check the validity of their credentials
      • Search for honest feedback from ex-clients