Hiring a designer is a big part of your app build. If you’ve never worked with a designer before, you might not know where to start. You want someone who can help you get the creative juices flowing. They should get along with your developer, project manager and the other people on your growing team. You also want someone that adheres to key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics. That way you and your teams can stay on track with time frames and you won’t go over budget. But, how do you decide on one designer? They all have great resumes and are ready to work.
To help you find the right fit for your app project, here are a few ways to help you spot the designer that’s perfect for your new app.
1. Hire Someone Clear About Your Expectations
Hiring an experienced designer that can meet your expectations is important. It means they’ve worked on app builds similar to yours and can hit the ground running. To help with your creative brief, outline your app ideas, image branding and target audience. You want to hire a designer that can adequately sell to your audience. Let’s look at two examples.
Example 1
If your app is to help homeowners file insurance claims online, it won’t help to hire a student who’s never owned a home or filed a claim for damages.
Example 2
If your app will help a novice day trader explore new cryptocurrencies. You don’t want to hire a designer who isn’t familiar with finance or doesn’t have a background in it.
Include the qualifications you want in a designer. Include that you want someone who meets deadlines and can help troubleshoot new ideas. Look online for a sample design job description and add the qualities your designer should encompass.
2. Hire Someone with the Right Skill Set
When you use an app build calculator tool like BuildFire or Otreva, they ask strategic questions to help you come up with a cost estimate. Otreva, for example, might ask about app features you want. They might offer you 30+ features to choose from (geolocation, social media, ratings, a camera) that you might want to add to your app.
Likewise, your designer needs to be proficient in the various features you want. If you want stock, templates or custom work, your designer should be comfortable making changes – especially if you want to add features to your app down the line (happens all the time).
3. Hire Someone Fast on Their Feet
A great way to interview your candidates is to present them with different scenarios. Ask what changes they might make to a competitor’s app. Ask how they would handle it if you have last-minute changes.
You want to know if your designer is working on other projects in conjunction with yours. You don’t want someone starting strong in the creative process only to be a no-show a few weeks latter or give lackluster effort because they’re overwhelmed.
4. Hire Someone You Can Talk To
Collaboration is key to your app build. Your designer might have a stellar portfolio but don’t go by this alone. If you don’t chat with them by phone or text, ask to set up a Skype, Google Hangouts or Zoom interview. You want someone who can get to know and so you can discuss your upcoming project. So, interview them:
A few questions to ask might include:
- What was the best and worst app design project you completed?
- Describe a time when you missed a deadline. What happened?
- Did you get along with every employer you’ve worked for?
- Were there any changes to an app design that you wanted to make but couldn’t?
- Ask what inspires and motivates them about app design?
- Ask what expectations the designer has of you?
- Ask if they have recent experience and when was their last app designed?
5. Hire Someone That’s Flexible and Will Start for a Trial Period
To narrow down your design candidates, ask if they will start on a paid trial basis. Give them a simple project to start with like your app logo. Test to see if they meet a deadline and communicate with you. Throw in last-minute changes to see how they respond. You’ll also want to get them working with other members of your team to see how they get along.
Bottom Line
The most important point to remember is you want to hire someone that has the right skill set. The designer you select should be creative and experienced. They should take criticism well and also offer suggestions to help you complete your new app. When you can collaborate cohesively together, it’s a win-win for everyone.
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