iOS Advice on programming vs subcontracting

[chris7777]

I have an app that I am working on, but I assume it would be much faster to subcontract its development out to an experienced programmer.

I guess what I am asking is, if I end up hiring a programmer, How do I go about the process. As well as finding someone reputable , and reliable? Also , How and or where can I find rates to estimate the cost.

If it wouldn't be overly time consuming, I am sure I could learn, but I have no idea of how long that will take, and I would like to get the ball rolling asap.

thanks for any advice.

 

[miep]

I have an app that I am working on, but I assume it would be much faster to subcontract its development out to an experienced programmer.

I guess what I am asking is, if I end up hiring a programmer, How do I go about the process. As well as finding someone reputable , and reliable? Also , How and or where can I find rates to estimate the cost.

If it wouldn't be overly time consuming, I am sure I could learn, but I have no idea of how long that will take, and I would like to get the ball rolling asap.

thanks for any advice.

It depends on the app and how tech savvy you are - hacking together some code is not the same as having something carefully designed. In my experience, it is the latter that's often skimped on by beginner programmers. And it's the thing that comes haunting you hardest when you realize you want more functionality, other features or different features.

I have never seen a software design that was completely executed A-Z as planned - changes are ALWAYS made, mistakes in the design are more rule than exception. With good reason: once implemented, things look and feel different than originally intended. Good software allows you to make changes, to make errors, to go back and redesign parts without requiring major overhauls.

So there's my argument for getting an experienced developer.

Depending on the size of the project, I would think an average developer would cost $40-$75.

You'll probably need a UI/graphics designer too...

 

[chris7777]

Depending on the size of the project, I would think an average developer would cost $40-$75.

is this hourly, weekly, or thousands?

You'll probably need a UI/graphics designer too...

I figure we can do that ourselves in photochop/illustrator, on the graphics end or are you talking about the actual interactions themselves

 

[miep]

is this hourly, weekly, or thousands?

Thousands of course Seriously, it's a reasonable price per hour - but it totally depends on the project too. An interesting project that will guarantee many hours of work will yield a lower per-hour price than a short run-of-the-mill project.

I figure we can do that ourselves in photochop/illustrator, on the graphics end or are you talking about the actual interactions themselves

It's both - and it's not that easy to do yourself well. A good graphics person will earn themselves back - the routine they have designing stuff typically offsets the time it takes an amateur to do the same work. But then, depends on the project, again.

Graphics work is not something I would be thrifty on. It's typically not expensive, but it can be time consuming if not done properly, and a bad interface can kill even the best application.

 

[chris7777]

Thousands of course Seriously, it's a reasonable price per hour - but it totally depends on the project too. An interesting project that will guarantee many hours of work will yield a lower per-hour price than a short run-of-the-mill project.

thanks, No I just didn't know what programming ran.

It's both - and it's not that easy to do yourself well. A good graphics person will earn themselves back - the routine they have designing stuff typically offsets the time it takes an amateur to do the same work. But then, depends on the project, again.

Graphics work is not something I would be thrifty on. It's typically not expensive, but it can be time consuming if not done properly, and a bad interface can kill even the best application.

Well me and my business partner plan on handling the art chores, the interface and programming are where we are by no means experts. We know flash, but next to nothing about programming on a mac.