The FIVE worst developers to build your app (ranked).

It would certainly make things run smoother for you and your customers through easier transactions, notifications and location alerts — all accessible through a gadget’s reach away. 

In today’s modern age of the internet where most people prefer the ease of purchasing services online, this is a great step to levelling your business within quick reach of your target audience. 

So you put some feelers out and let your network know that you’re looking for a developer. You start getting hit up on Linkedin… you’re looking through portfolios… and now you need to decide who to hire. Who do you bring on to help you bring your baby to life? 

I’ve worked with a lot of developers — either side-by-side on a project, in a contractor relationship, or as the second on a project when someone else couldn’t finish the build. 

Let’s face it… there are certain developers who have a knack for making the whole process a bit more… tedious.

I’ve ranked the FIVE worst developers so hopeful you can avoid them in the future. Ready?
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Number 5: “The Big Talker”

Talking big is something that almost every developer does… In fact, it’s common for devs to brag about the fact that they had no clue what they were doing when they took the job on but they were able to figure it out and hit the deadline. 

So personally, I can live with a little bit of “big talk” as long as the developer is willing to put in the work and get it done. 

A developer turns into a “big talker” when they are telling you, “Yeah I can do XYZ on this timeline” without anything to back it up — no references, no portfolio, and no plan for making it happen. 

Don’t be so anxious to find a dev that you jump on the first person who tells you what you want to hear. 

Do your research. Ask around. Get multiple opinions. And if it sounds like a developer is telling you something way too good to be true, it probably is.
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Number 4: “The Under-qualified”

Coming in at number 4 on our list is the fraternity brother of the “Big Talker.” The under qualified developer wants to be a big shot so bad but they just don’t have it in them… yet. 

The key to spot an under qualified developer is when they either completely misunderstand your expectations, or they blow past your deadline with a bunch of wishy-washy excuses. 

Want to make sure you don’t get stuck with “The Under-qualified?” Ask lots of questions in your interview process. Ask them to tell you a time that they solved a problem with a feature or piece of code. Probe them for details so you can see HOW they thought about it… 

Chances are a real dev will have a real good story for you… the Under-qualified dev won’t have any stories because they are… ya know… not qualified or experienced enough to have any war stories.
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Number 3: “The Outsourcer”

This is more and more common… You meet a developer at a coffee shop. He says that he has a team of 45 people but none of them seem to live in the same city. 

You feel a little skeptical so you keep asking questions and they assure you that they have a whole team of developers ready to do the nitty-gritty code work, then they charge you upfront. 

So how do you know if they are outsourcing? If you never get to meet with the actual “team,” that’s a big red flag. Chances are they’re outsourcing your app project to a junior team overseas. 

Outsourcing in and of itself isn’t the worst thing in the world… if they are good. 

Most of the time though, outsourcers might not write maintainable and working code in the long run, so make sure that you’ve got the time and the work process to oversee things yourself.
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Number 2: “The Non-Communicator”

This type of developer is actually pretty common in the dev world. You ask them about how the project is going or how a specific feature in an app is coming along, and you’re greeted with short replies like, “Oh, it’s good.” 

Don’t get me wrong, but just because it’s hard to squeeze replies and updates from them doesn’t mean that they’re under-qualified. 

But good communication is crucial for a developer to help the client feel validated. Talking about the progress of the project itself helps in leveling up the product, as well as finding technical solutions and balancing out ideas and innovations. 

As a client, you want to be able to talk freely with your developers so you can collaborate and solve problems as they come up.
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Number 1: “The Ghost”

The absolute worst developer to encounter as you build your app is the Ghost. 

You talk to them on the phone and everything seems great. You pay them upfront to start your build, but don’t hear from them for a week. You absolutely have no idea what they’re working on or how it’s going. 

This is even more annoying when you talk to them like 6 weeks later and they have a big feature to show you. Now you’re really confused because the fact you haven’t heard from them drives you crazy but their work seems solid so you feel like you can’t let them go. 

Here’s the thing — you should NEVER feel like you’re in the dark on your project. You should be able to communicate with your team every couple of days and feel like they are being honest with you about how it’s going. 

The last thing you want is for a developer to disappear to their dev cave for 6 weeks and come back with THEIR version of your vision. 

This might be ok for part of your project but I almost ALWAYS see the ghost developers burn out, move on to another project, and leave their clients high and dry at the moment the app build becomes difficult and the details become hard to manage.
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Have you ever encountered any of these developers? 

If you’re ready to start an app project and you’re tired of dealing with these types of devs, hit us up. We are a well-communicating team of developers and we can help you make that dream app you’ve always wanted.