Before you sign a contract, here are the key questions you should ask to make sure your next mobile-app project starts strong and finishes even stronger.
1. What Experience Do You Have in My Industry or with Similar Apps?
Experience matters especially in a highly competitive, innovation-driven ecosystem like San Francisco.
Ask potential developers about previous projects they’ve worked on: have they built eCommerce platforms, on-demand service apps, fintech solutions, social apps, enterprise tools, etc.?
Ask them to describe the challenges they faced on similar apps and how they overcame them. Request live app links, screenshots, or case studies.
This helps reveal how they perform under pressure and navigate complex requirements.
2. What Does Your Development Process Look Like?
You want a partner who can walk you through the entire app development lifecycle from idea to deployment. Ask whether they follow structured methodologies like Agile or Scrum.
How often will they share updates?
Who will be your main point of contact?
How will communication be handled (meetings, demos, reporting)?
A great team will involve you throughout and ensure you never feel out of the loop.
3. Which Platforms and Technologies Do You Specialize In?
Depending on your app’s target audience and features, you might prefer native development (e.g., Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android) or cross-platform frameworks (e.g., React Native, Flutter). Ask which platforms and tools they work with, and whether they also manage backend, databases, APIs, hosting, and other server-side concerns. A developer that can clearly explain why a particular tech stack fits your project shows they understand tradeoffs in performance, cost, scalability, and long-term maintenance.
4. How Do You Handle UI/UX Design and User Testing?
In the world of mobile apps, design and usability are just as important as functionality. Ask about their approach to UI/UX design: wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and testing across multiple devices/resolutions.
Will they accommodate different screen sizes, OS versions, and accessibility needs?
A developer who values UX and invests time in design and testing dramatically increases your chances of building an app people enjoy using.
5. What Is Your Experience with Integrating Emerging Technologies?
San Francisco is often at the forefront of tech innovation. Even if your initial requirements are modest, it’s wise to consider long-term growth and potential future features. Ask whether they have experience or openness to integrating technologies like AI, AR/VR, blockchain, IoT, or big data depending on your vision. Having a team that can adapt to future tech trends will give your app longevity and competitive edge.
6. What Design Principles Guide Your Work?
Good design is more than visuals it’s about usability, consistency, and respecting platform conventions. Ask if they follow design standards like Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines for iOS or Google’s Material Design for Android, or if they use custom design frameworks tailored to your brand. A team that balances looks and usability is more likely to create a polished, user-friendly product.
7. What Support and Maintenance Do You Offer After Launch?
Launching the app is not the end it’s the beginning. You need maintenance, updates, bug fixes, OS compatibility, and possibly feature upgrades.
Ask what kind of post-launch support they provide: will there be ongoing maintenance, regular updates, response times for bug fixes, crash monitoring, etc.?
A developer who treats app maintenance as part of the project lifecycle is a safer long-term bet.
8. Who Owns the App and Source Code After Completion?
Clarify from the start who will own the source code, design assets, and intellectual property once the project is completed. Make sure the agreement states clearly that you the client will have full ownership. A trustworthy developer won’t hesitate to grant you full rights to your product.
9. How Do You Manage Feature Prioritization and Scope Changes?
As you refine your app idea, requirements may change.
Ask how they handle change requests, new features, or shifting priorities. Will they provide impact assessments (on cost, timeline, performance)?
How will scope creep be managed?
A clear process for handling changes ensures flexibility without compromising project stability.
10. Do You Understand San Francisco’s (or U.S.) Market, Privacy Laws, and User Expectations?
If you’re targeting users in San Francisco, the broader U.S., or globally, make sure your developer understands local user expectations, data-privacy laws (e.g., laws governing user data, security, compliance), and differences in design preferences or behavior. This helps build an app that’s not only functional but also legally compliant and culturally attuned to your audience.
11. How Do You Approach App Updates and Version Control?
Mobile platforms evolve continually. Ask about their version control strategy, update plan, and how they will handle OS upgrades, dependency management, backward compatibility, and smooth rollouts. A developer with a solid version-control and update strategy reduces the risk of future technical debt or app instability.
12. How Do You Manage Deadlines and Keep the Project on Schedule?
Time is often critical especially if you’re launching in a fast-paced environment like San Francisco. Ask for realistic timeline estimates, milestone schedule, delivery phases, and how the team ensures timely delivery. Make sure there are clear agreements about deadlines, deliverables, and what happens if timelines slip.
13. How Do You Handle Third-Party Integrations and APIs?
Many apps rely on third-party services: payment gateways, maps, authentication, analytics, etc. Ask about their experience integrating and working with APIs, third-party SDKs, and external services. Also, ask how they handle updates or deprecations of those third-party services.
14. How Will You Help Plan the App’s Monetization Strategy?
If your app is meant to generate revenue via subscriptions, ads, in-app purchases, or other models ask what input they can provide to help structure monetization.
Are they familiar with U.S. regulations around payments, taxes, in-app purchases?
Can they suggest models suited to your target audience and market?
15. Can You Build a Prototype or MVP Before Starting Full Development?
Before committing fully, it’s smart to start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or prototype. Ask if they can build a prototype first to validate ideas, get feedback, test user behavior before launching a full-scale build. This reduces risk, speeds up feedback, and helps fine-tune requirements early on.
16. Who Will Actually Work on My App Project?
Clarify who in the developer’s team will be working on your project: front-end devs, back-end devs, UI/UX designers, QA engineers, project managers. A well-rounded team ensures quality across all dimensions, including usability, performance, security, and maintenance.
17. How Do You Ensure App Performance and Speed Optimization?
Performance matters: loading time, responsiveness, smooth animations, efficient resource use. Ask how they optimize performance, manage memory and network usage, test across devices, and ensure the app runs smoothly even under heavy use.
18. How Do You Handle Feedback and Change Requests During Development?
Development rarely goes exactly as initially planned.
Ask how they handle feedback, revisions, bug reports, changes especially mid-project. Is there a structured feedback loop?
What’s the process for review, approval, and implementation of changes?
19. How Do You Perform App Quality Testing?
Quality assurance (QA) is essential. Ask about their testing strategy: manual testing, automated tests, device coverage (iOS, Android, different screen sizes), performance testing, security testing, user acceptance testing (UAT), and how they handle bug reports. A robust QA process reduces the chance of crashes and improves user satisfaction.
20. Can You Help with App Store Optimization and Submission?
After building the app, the next challenge is getting it into users’ hands. Ask if they can handle the submission process to app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play), manage metadata, comply with store guidelines, optimize keywords and descriptions, and help with any compliance requirements.
21. What Differentiates You from Other App Developers in San Francisco (or the U.S.)?
Finally what makes THIS developer or team stand out?
Why should you choose them over others?
Ask them to articulate their unique strengths, specializations, vision, and how they plan to deliver value beyond just code maybe in design sensibility, scalability, long-term support, performance, or strategic guidance.
Wrapping Up
If you ask these thoughtful questions before hiring, you’ll save yourself from wasted time, unnecessary expenses, and endless frustration. In the dynamic, competitive tech ecosystem of San Francisco, partnering with the right mobile-app developer can make all the difference between building an app that fails and building one that succeeds and scales.
Make sure your next tech partner checks all the boxes from experience, process, and tools, to design, support, and long-term vision before handing over your app idea.
Let me know if you like. I can also adapt this for a small business in San Francisco (with extra emphasis on budget, lean teams, and MVPs).
