14 Questions To Ask Before You Hire an App Developer

Many business owners fail to insist on signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to discussing their idea. This happens often when building overseas. Unfortunately, once an idea is compromised, there's no way to undo it.

Our approach: before we even meet, we will send you a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement (MNDA) to sign. And when you develop your app in Canada, your idea is protected by strict North American laws.

Be wary of developers who promise everything without a formal discovery process. Proper requirements gathering includes very specific functional questions you need to answer prior to development to avoid costly rebuilds. Features such as financial reports, two-factor authentication and compliance are often missed altogether.

Our approach: proper requirements gathering is so important that we built the first App Cost Calculator to help you consider features you may have never thought of. It replaces the traditional $5,000+ discovery process. It costs $197, credited back in full if you hire us to build your project.

Many business owners end up paying for their app twice. Once to build it and once to build it right. There are two reasons this happens. The first is that the developer failed to understand the technical functions required. The second is that the development team fails to notify you as to when to bring in critical third parties such as security and compliance experts.

Our approach: we created the App Cost Calculator to expertly gather the technical features your app needs, which then allows us to give you a realistic estimate.

Some developers build in proprietary systems that make it expensive, or impossible, to leave. This can mean paying licensing fees for as long as you use your own app.

Our approach: when you hire New Idea Machine, you own every line of code from day one, only pay for time and materials, never pay licensing fees, and can move your software to any provider at any time, for any reason.

For Canadian companies, building overseas disqualifies your project from government grants and non-dilutive funding programs. Many business owners don't realize this until it's too late.

Our approach: every developer at New Idea Machine is located in Canada, so Canadian clients' projects remain eligible for government funding. All things considered, building in Canada is actually more affordable than building overseas.

A low initial quote can hide a long list of paid "extras." What should have been a $30,000 app suddenly becomes a $58,000 problem.

Our approach: after our free consultation, we provide you with access to our App Cost Calculator. Answering these questions provides us with enough information to properly scope your project and provide a realistic estimate. There are no surprises or uncomfortable conversations later.

It is unfortunately common for business owners to receive apps that don't fully function. And they are required to pay again just to have these features fixed.

Our approach: the team at New Idea Machine will test your app thoroughly. Then, we will have you test it before we hand it over.

The majority of developers are order-takers. They build whatever you ask for, even if it doesn't make business sense or creates friction for users. This leads to wasted features and poor return on investment.

Our approach: we act as strategic advisors, helping you focus on must-have features for your Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This keeps your budget under control while prioritizing validation and revenue first.

If you don't understand what's being proposed, you can't make confident decisions. Many developers have zero experience in running a business. They often use technical language to impress or confuse clients. Unfortunately, this often hides poor choices or unnecessary complexity.

Our approach: we explain everything in simple, plain language. It's important to us that you clearly understand your options, along with the pros and cons of each, before moving forward. This is how a team works together and succeeds.

Many development agencies lock business owners into 12 month contracts. This means that if things don't work out and you want to leave, you still have to pay a monthly fee until the contract expires.

Our approach: at New Idea Machine, our contracts are flexible and client-first. You can pause or leave at any time and take everything built to date. We want you to stay because you love working with us, not because you have to.