“Is Mobile Application Development profitable?” “Should I create an app for my business?”
Consolidation is the need of the hour. As far as mobile app development is concerned, each app typically had two versions- an Android and iOS app. This meant IT development teams needed two distinct teams- one each for Android and iOS. In February 2020, this changed for the better.
Google announced the launch of Flutter 2.2 an open-source UI Software Development Kit (SDK) that can be used to make apps on multiple platforms- Android, iOS, Google Fuchsia, and desktop apps.
Since then, there has been a mad scramble amongst companies to migrate to Flutter. As this is a fairly new SDK, the chances to hire Flutter developers are few and far between.
In this post, we’ll see everything that you need to know about Flutter and why it makes sense to hire a Flutter App Development Company like Rentech Digital.
What is Flutter?
Flutter is an open-source application development framework that allows you to build mobile, desktop, and web applications from scratch across multiple platforms. Though the emphasis is placed on Flutter mobile app development, this new-age programming framework is handy especially when you need to make a single application that can run on Android, iOS, web, and desktop.
Flutter supports output targets like Android, iOS, HTML Canvas, HTML, Windows, Linux, macOS, and Google Fuchsia. It uses the Dart application programming language.
Why is it gaining popularity?
Flutter helps consolidate the web development process. This helps app developers save time and money. Flutter is the natural choice to launch an application across platforms with only a single app development team. Flutter also provides a host of fully customizable widgets to fasten the coding process. These widgets incorporate all types of platform differences like fonts, navigation, scrolling, and icons into one coding framework based on the Dart coding language.
Flutter emphasizes native end-user experiences. Its coding architecture is layered, which results in easy and quick rendering with flexible designs. Flutter helps developers code, test, and fix bugs quickly using a fraction of a second reload time without wasting time restarting the application for testing.
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Roles of Flutter app developers
As Flutter is a fairly new programming framework, most Flutter developers would be freshers or those with a year of experience. If you are looking to hire Flutter developers, you will need a team consisting of junior, middle, and senior Flutter developers
a. Junior Developers
If you are looking to hire junior Flutter developers, they are generally available with a year of experience. Alternatively, you could hire freshers having some experience in mobile app development (iOS and Android). These junior developers would need a lot of mentoring from their seniors and a lot of time to understand the architecture, framework, and logic used in Flutter. Due to their relative inexperience, it makes sense to hire junior developers only when you have a well-established team of experienced Flutter developers.
b. Middle/Senior Developers
Middle or senior Flutter developers with two or more years of experience are few and far between. These developer’s coding expertise enables them to code applications based on business logic. They can code independently and fix bugs as and when required.
Domain knowledge, experience, and the ability to work independently depend on person-to-person. There could be some freshers who can learn quickly and need minimal mentorship. On the other hand, sometimes even experienced Flutter developers may require expert assistance based on the work to be done. Hiring the right Flutter app developer can be challenging, the skills you may need might not be readily available. All hiring is based on a case-to-case basis.
Responsibilities of Flutter app developers
Each Flutter app developer has to be able to-
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Design and develop apps - A Flutter developer should be able to design and develop code to make cross-platform applications. The developer should be able to code the required features and also predict potential bugs that may arise.
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Write easy-to-understand code- This is crucial as the code should be written to ensure faster development and easy scalability.
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Participate in the development life-cycle - The Flutter app developer has to interact with UI/UX designers, Testing Engineers, Project Managers, and others involved in the app development process. He should be able to predict the estimated time needed for developing the code.
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Fix bugs - After developing each feature, the QA engineers would test it to check for potential bugs. As and when they find the bugs, the Flutter developer has to fix them as soon as possible.
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Learn new technologies and features to hasten development - There are always new technologies and features that are released from time to time. The Flutter developer should learn and implement these as and when needed.
Required technical and interpersonal skills for Flutter developers
It is expected of each developer to have two skill sets- Technical and interpersonal skills.
1. Technical Skills
Each Flutter developer has to have-
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A good understanding of Computer science
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Knowledge of Git
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knowledge of software development life cycle
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Knowledge of different architectural approaches
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Knowledge of SQL
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Experience with GoF patterns
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Networking knowledge
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Experience in Kotlin, Dart, and Swift coding language
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Knowledge of Flutter framework
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Experience in iOS/Android mobile development
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Basic knowledge of OOPS
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Knowledge of Java and C++ languages
2. Interpersonal skills
Each Flutter developer has to have-
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Creativity - The developer has to think out of the box and find solutions with keeping in mind different perspective.
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Problem-solving - Various challenges can crop up during the coding process. The developer has to look into the problems and solve them effectively.
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Communication skills - The developer needs to communicate effectively with his team members. The developer has to convey his thoughts about any challenges that may come up during the development life-cycle.
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Teamwork - he developer should be able to work in a team along with other specialists like project managers, quality assurance specialists, and designers. He should be able to take and give suggestions/thoughts about how to approach various developments.
Why outsource Flutter development?
Hiring a Flutter developer can be time and resource-consuming, not to mention making further investments in hardware, software, and training. If you want to migrate all your online apps seamlessly and quickly to a single interface, outsourcing Flutter development is what makes perfect sense. Here, you can be sure to get a state-of-the-art solution to your requirement while also getting quick and consistent after-sales support for bug fixing and further app improvements.
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Competitive pricing - Probably nowhere else would you find Flutter development services at the prices quoted by Rentech Digital. The low costs along with the consistent quality of work is what makes many people outsource their Flutter development projects to us. This results in substantial savings in development costs for the app.
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UX focused - The user experience is what matters the most when developing an app. We go the extra mile to code apps that are UI/UX friendly. This means implementing the latest technologies and trends in developing apps using Flutter.
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Work Flexibility - With outsourcing, you can focus on your core competency while leaving the app development process to experts. The app development company will manage every aspect of the app- design, development, and testing. You only need to state what you expect from the app.
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Reduced Risk - There is no guarantee of the performance and timely execution of work by freelancers. Outsourcing Flutter app development to an expert ensures you do not have to face any losses due to unprofessionalism by freelancers. You can be sure the work you assigned is done as per your requirement according to the timelines you have set.
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Access to experienced developers - Mobile app development is highly technical and is constantly evolving. Here at Rentech Digital, you get access to up-to-date Flutter developers who know what it takes to make a state-of-the-art application according to your needs.
How to identify a reputed Flutter app development company?
As Flutter is a fairly new app development platform, most Flutter app development companies have small portfolios of apps they have or are currently working on. More than this, you need to check how well they have worked on mobile and desktop apps for their previous clients.
Here are five things you need to check when choosing a Flutter app development company
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Check customer reviews and feedback - The best way to know how well an app development company has worked is by reviewing their past work and taking feedback from their past clients. This will give you a brief idea of the professional standing of the company in the eyes of its past customers.
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Non-disclosure of app ideas - This is crucial if you want to have the first-mover advantage and the same goodwill as you did before your Flutter app was launched. You have to ask them how they would ensure complete secrecy of your app idea. For this, you have to get them to sign a non-disclosure agreement to secure the concept of your app.
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Consistent communication -If you want your app to be the way you expected it to be, you have to constantly be in touch with the Flutter app development company. A lack of communication can result in an app that might not fulfill your requirements.
To ensure this does not happen, the app development company has to constantly engage with you to ensure things go the way you intended them to go.
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App designing standards - The design of the app is crucial for its success. You have to keep a close watch on the app design to ensure it is as per requirements. Ensure the app development company has a good track record with the UI/UX designing of their apps.
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Quality and testing fixes - Inquire with the company to know how often they checked the quality of the work done. Ideally, a QA engineer should keep testing the app as and when various features are made. The Flutter developer team should also consistently solve the various bugs that may arise from time to time.
A few last words
Hiring Flutter developers may be challenging but is extremely rewarding in the long run. Flutter will take time to become ubiquitous, but embracing it now gives you a head start in the race against your competitors.