Member Avatar for GustavSimonsen

Hey everyone! I would like to create a crossplatform mobile app to showcase our dinner events which we run. I want the app to have a chat, to have the ability to send invites and I would want it to send push-notifications. By the way, I'm planning to outsource, maybe someone among you guys can give a couple of tips on how to choose an outsourcing company?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by techugo-app

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A concise, practical plan that builds on points from and and is tuned to a dinner-events app with chat, invites and push notifications. The aim is to turn general vetting into testable, low-risk steps: define the MVP exactly (event listing, RSVP state, per-event chat, invite flows, push types), require a short technical spike that proves chat + push, then use clear acceptance criteria and contract terms before full development.

Vendor evaluation checklist (use as pass/fail or scorecard)

  • Request a one-week paid spike deliverable: a small prototype that implements one-to-one chat + a push notification triggered from the backend, plus a short architecture diagram.
  • Require an architecture diagram showing mobile stack, backend, auth, push provider, data store, and where PII is stored.
  • Insist on code access for review (anonymized repo or sandbox) and a CI/CD + automated test description.
  • Confirm App Store / Play Store experience (certificate handling, provisioning, release process).
  • Confirm ownership: IP assignment, source-code delivery on completion, and a source-code escrow clause.
  • Ask about support/maintenance SLA, update policy, and hourly rates for post-launch bug fixes.
  • Verify security practices: TLS in transit, encryption at rest for sensitive data, and brief OWASP checklist for mobile.
  • Get 2-3 client references and ask specifically about delivered features similar to chat/push.

Hiring workflow (minimal friction)

  1. Freeze MVP scope with measurable acceptance criteria (e.g., “1:1 chat, message history, push on invite, RSVP flow + calendar add”).
  2. Shortlist vendors and run the paid spike above.
  3. Do a technical review of the spike (internal engineer or independent consultant).
  4. Sign a phased contract with milestones, acceptance tests, IP clauses and maintenance SLA.
  5. Arrange knowledge transfer and staging environment handover.

Implementation notes and red flags

  • Managed chat SDKs (hosted services) speed time-to-market but add recurring costs; building chat in-house requires WebSockets, scaling and moderation planning.
  • Push requires FCM (Android) and APNs (iOS) setup on the vendor’s side and Apple/Google publishing experience.
  • For invites use deep/universal links so an install flows to the correct event and RSVP state.
  • Red flags: refusal to do a paid spike, vague architecture, unwillingness to sign IP/source-code clauses, or no CI/QA plan.

These steps keep risk low, make technical competence measurable, and ensure the final vendor can deliver a production-ready cross-platform app for event-driven communities.

Member Avatar for Anninflow

Well, personally, I’d pay attention to the experience of the company, in your case, their expertise in mobile development, so be sure to have a look at their portfolio. And don’t forget to check the feedback from other customers, ask for references, that’s very important.

Here are a couple of links that will help you to have a better understanding of how to choose a company:

https://medium.com/existek/how-to-find-reliable-embedded-software-outsourcing-company-40e21c0cfd32
https://www.quora.com/Where-do-I-find-the-outsourcing-companies

Member Avatar for GustavSimonsen

Anninflow, yes, thanks for the information! Maybe you also know some companies that are quite skilled in mobile development?

Member Avatar for techugo-app

Hello, thanks for asking this question. Let's try and crack the code to find a nice cross-platform app development company.

Due to the rising trend of mobile app development, the market is studded with companies that create apps. But sadly not all of them can provide you with an application that has the capacity to stand out. So here are the following factors that you need to look in to find a nice company-

  1. Check the total years of experience they have in creating applications.
  2. Look into their portfolio.
  3. Go through the top business listing sites to know more about them.
  4. Research about the applications they create.
  5. Keep a check on their relationship with their clients.
  6. Check if they are bringing value to their audience on social media.
  7. Go through their work culture.

There are steps to follow to identify the best company. I hope it helps.

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