Through our work, we meet many founders who don’t have a technical background. What they have is an insight into ways in which they could use tech to solve a problem they’ve noticed in a part of their life. There’s Thomas Foster, who after years of working in the hospitality industry started Attender, or Jackie and Josh DeNutte, a couple who wanted help with their date nights and realised they weren’t alone, and therefore they created Spark. One of their worries is how they’ll work with developers when they don’t understand one line of code.

In many ways, their worries reflect this short anecdote of Neil Gaiman, recorded during a Moth show. The cult author (who has gotten more famous and successful since then) talks about trying to understand what Michael, his son, had been doing since he started doing “things with computers”. The story goes like this:

“I’d ask him what do you do, and he’d say

‘Well, what I’m doing right now is whah, whah, whah, whah, whah [words that don’t make sense].’

‘I don’t think I got that.’

‘You understand that Python is a programming language?’

‘Yes, I got that.’ And he’d say:

‘Well, whah, whah, whah, whah, whah. whah.’ [more words that don’t make sense] ”

We know that most people hear gibberish when they hear developers talk about their work. Non-technical founders are no different, but they have the added load of having to hang in there until the gibberish turns into something meaningful. We’re here to tell you that it’s possible, and you don’t have to have years of experience to choose well the developers you want to work with.

The secret is to know what questions to ask to identify the right development company who will turn your prototype into reality. Armed with a good project plan and well-timed questions, you can get any development company to show its true colours.

“What’s your experience?”

Just like you want to see the CV of every new potential hire, so you should ask to see the portfolio of the development company you are considering. This has two manifest benefits for you. It first allows you to glimpse whether they have experience developing products like your own. Previous experience helps them get a head start on your own project, ensuring you are one step ahead of your competitors.

Secondly, it helps you vet their past products. It’s one thing to have a great, validated prototype, but that needs to be translated into a functional, good-looking app that lands successfully in the app store.

“What makes you different?”

A good app developer will be responsive and adaptable to current tech trends, able to progress efficiently across an array of different industries and software. Ask what sets your developer apart from the rest. Perhaps they’re native to Android as well as iOS or have experience building successful VR platforms you could incorporate. There is a myriad of ways of standing out: whether it’s their agile development process, expert knowledge, capital raising network or affinity towards a certain type of apps, be sure to inquire what makes them rise above the crowd.

“How will you protect my idea?”

Intellectual Property is typically at the forefront of a founder’s mind when they approach app developers. When you dip your toe in this market, you want to rest assured each developer who gets a semblance of your idea is not working competitively and that their staff have watertight NDAs as standard contractual practice.

Ensuring you own the code contractually is paramount — some developers may suggest purchasing it from you or offering discounts in exchange for ownership, which undermines your level of control and ability to adjust. Set out your concerns and requirements for IP protection from the first moment of encounter. In this way, you’ll proceed more comfortably in negotiating your collaboration and — hopefully — your work together.

“How can we maximise my app’s potential?”

Mobile is a continually changing landscape, with the operating systems in an everlasting battle for superiority and progress. Mobile applications must struggle to keep pace with everything, as well as the developers who build and maintain them. This means an app developer who has contacts in the industry gives you a distinct advantage, allowing you to capitalise on key updates which you can then incorporate into your future updates.

In the same way, any app development company that can expand your network into the second phase of capital raising and launch is a golden ticket. Their support alleviates the pressure of making a splash with their app that many digital startups have to face. Consider if the company you’re approaching can take you a step further than mere app development.

“How simple or complex can you build my app? How will this affect costs?”

Every founder wants to know how much it will cost to build their app. But this question comes with a caveat: you can achieve most things that you dream about, but you will need the expertise, money, and manpower to actually build it. When you ask a development company for estimates, ask about complexity as well. There’s no one way to build something, so ask about options and recommendations and how certain decisions will affect your app down the road. You might get several estimates from several companies, so understanding what you are comparing is critical.

While app developers are in many ways gods in what they do, they are not (yet) telepathic. Until such monumental breakthroughs happen, you will have to sit down with developers with your homework done and your brief clear. Show them your prototype, show examples of features you like, show what your competition is up to. Give them examples of visual design, fonts, colours, illustration types you like. The more specific you are, the better will the developer understand your project and give you better estimates.

Once you get through this stage, you should have an insight in how well the developer understands your project, what his recommendations are and an estimate not only of the costs of building your app but also of what it means to build your app in that certain way.

Most importantly, ask the questions you need answers to in able to make a good evaluation. You are approaching experts, and like every field, they tend to develop their own specialised language. Don’t hesitate in asking for clarifications on terms or concepts. In many ways, how a developer answers your questions, evaluates and estimates a project is a reflection of their professionalism and ability, underscoring their expertise and experience.

When there is a will, there is a way

We meet everyday founders who put their heart and soul into building their apps as they envision it. They all have great insights and experience to back them up, but when they step into the tech industry, they realise they have a learning curve to climb. And the truth of the matter is, they will get better at understanding development steps and pitfalls, but they won’t become dev experts.

The best non-tech founders don’t learn to code, they learn how to communicate with development companies and how to find the one that will best understand their vision. So don’t worry about not knowing how to code. Strive to make your vision clear.

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