The answer is, it depends.

There’s no fixed price in building and designing a mobile application. Just like any product or commodity that you buy in the market, price points are considered on different elements. The average cost of app development also varies depending on geographical location.

So before reaching out to an app design agency or before deciding to do it in-house, here’s a few main factors that you need to know that affect the development of an app.

Who is designing your app?        

Suppose you’ve decided to launch an app. To cut cost in the process, you prefer to do without UI/UX experts; and therefore abandoning professional mobile app design services. You might think: “Well, I’ve done Photoshop before; I’ll manage this myself!”. A big no-no! And it may lead to the fact that even the most outstanding application idea doesn’t succeed.

Professional app designers pay increased attention to UX and UI. Keep in mind that design isn’t only about the appearance of your product. It also defines how the app works and what cause-effect relationships it has.

What goes into designing an app?

The cost to design a mobile app for Android and iOS is affected by the ratio of such criteria as the time spent on app design and development and the app design company’s rate. Obviously, the more complex the project, the more hours it takes to implement it.

The usual process in designing an app involves:

  1. Initial discussion. The first app design development step is aimed to figure out the main expectations and desires of potential customers of the product (an app, program, site, etc.).
  2. Drawing up requirements. The second step includes the process of determining the functionality available to users. In this process, we get a list of features of the future application. This factor significantly affects the mobile app design cost.
  3. App structure development. The structure and navigation of the application are being created at this stage, and the thoughtful arrangement of all elements of the user interface is being conducted. And positive user experience should also be taken into account during the process. 
  4. Prototyping. The client gets a visualisation of each app screen so that he would be able to imagine how his mobile service will look like where all the points at issue can be discussed. This includes putting up wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes. Besides, the prototyping stage includes testing for compliance with the requirements and user expectations.
  5. The final development of the UI/UX design should be intuitive and pleasant to use. This is the most critical part of the work taking the most time (and, obviously, costs).

The mobile app design development process is not so easy; on the contrary, it’s rather complex, multi-stage – and not too cheap.

Is there a way to save money in designing an app?    

The answer is yes! Here are some practical tips in designing an app:

  • Know your target audience.
  • Analyse your competitors and find out the advantages and disadvantages of the companies competing with you.
  • Develop a solid UX and UI strategy that will attract your user’s attention and make them choose your app over your competitor.
  • Update your app design from time to time based on customer feedback.

That being said, simply follow these steps to draw up your budget correctly:

  1. Make a list of requirements for the future product. What level of complexity do you need? What features are you expecting to see in your app?
  2. Find the best UI/UX designers in your area. Experts from the United States and Europe have the highest rates. Consider New Zealand-based app designers! Always look into a company’s account portfolio and level of services provided, just like ours.
  3. Discuss your task with the experts you’ve found. Figure out how long this job will take. Try to find a solution that would satisfy both sides of the case.
  4. If you think the price is still too high for you, look into reducing the number of app features and design your app most simply at first. 

Are you planning to build your app in the future and looking for app designers to assist? We can help! We’ll gladly consult you in detail and help you calculate the average cost of app design in your particular case. Drop us a note on our contact page, and we will get in touch right away!