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Estimating Mobile App Development Cost: Intersog's Perspective

What are the key factors associated with app development costs? Which mobile app platforms should be considered in the app development process? Intersog project manager Valerie Verveda spoke with Clutch, a leading source of mobile app developer reviews, in an interview assessing these questions. Valerie gave Clutch expert insights on how Intersog evaluates costs and platform choices when developing a new app.

Valerie Verveda, Senior PM, Intersog

Valerie Verveda, Senior PM, Intersog

When asked how app development costs are calculated, Valerie offered the way that Intersog may evaluate the prices of developing an app for a client. “That [estimating a price] depends on how specific the client's vision of the solution is. If he really knows what he wants to be done specifically and down to the point and, if we both know that it's not going to be changed in the process or afterward, this most likely would be the case for a fixed-price project. Also, we usually do small projects first at fixed price, just because it's easier to see how we work together, how we as a company can deliver to the client what he wants. We can then go further and develop something more advanced.”

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Valerie compared the instances that Intersog would use a fixed price model to the situations in which a time and materials pricing model would be more appropriate. “There are some other situations when the project is innovative, and the client is still thinking through how things are going to be handled. It's quite probable that things are going to be changed along the way. We have such projects like one of the latest ones we are taking part in, which is an innovation for the medical industry. It makes very much sense from a business standpoint to change priorities when something new comes along or when we know we can do something differently. This is a case when the time and materials pricing model works best.

Additionally, Valerie discussed how the process of developing an app on different platforms is contingent on client needs. Most clients choose to develop a mobile app on either IOS or Android first, depending on their target audience. “There are others who like to develop on both platforms at the same time. These are the ones who would like to have major coverage right away, who would like the release to be massive and cover as much of the market as possible. In this case, the question is whether to do native applications or to do the PhoneGap versions, which would make it faster to develop the mobile solutions for both platforms. It saves money and resources, and it may be faster to get to market.”

Clutch used Intersog’s insights to compile several articles on app development that are relevant to those new to the field of mobile app development. The full interview with Intersog can be found at Clutch.

Amanda is an Analyst at Clutch. Before Clutch, she worked with the Smithsonian Institution as a Photojournalist. Amanda attended Georgetown University where she studied both Government/International Relations and Studio Art. She studied abroad in Florence, Italy and then traveled throughout Europe upon graduating. Amanda is originally from Boise, Idaho where she grew up playing soccer and skiing in the beautiful mountains. She enjoys travelling, playing with her dogs, yoga, and photography in her time away from work.
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