#140: Tactical Tuesday: Decoding Mobile & Web App Development

OVERVIEW:

Jason A. Duprat, Entrepreneur, Healthcare Practitioner and Host of the Healthcare Entrepreneur Academy podcast talks about the three things he’s learned while researching mobile and web application development.

 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

• First, learning anything new takes time, particularly if you're new to the space. The learning curve can be steep.
• During his research, Jason learned about software languages such as CSS, C++, HTML, JavaScript and PHP. 
• Knowing “analysis paralysis” was his worst enemy, Jason gathered information to get up to speed and made quick decisions.  
• Take advice with a grain of salt; Jason shares a story about dealing with an acquaintance’s referral, which included a steep referral commision. 
• The second thing Jason learned is there are two ways to get a web or mobile app developed. One option is to partner with a dev shop. 
• Dev shops based in the US can be very expensive. The standard US rate is $130-$200/hr. There are also international shops, which are less expensive at an average rate of $40-$100/hr. 
• Dev shops are experts in what they do. They have higher rates and usually only work for short bursts of time.
• The third thing Jason learned was you can also hire an in-house software engineer. Finding an experienced one is difficult because they’re in high demand.
• Often, it’s tough to get a true assessment of a software engineer’s skill set. 
• If you’re seeking an investor, they’ll want to see an in-house team vs working with a shop. 
• Jason provides a tech rundown on the framework for software development - the front-end and the back-end.
• The front-end includes the user experience (UX) and the user interface (UI). HTML and JavaScript are the most popular front-end languages. 
• The back-end includes the server side like databases, cloud storage and encryption. Popular back-end scripting languages include Ruby, Python, JavaScript and PHP. 
• You can hire a full-stack developer to handle both the front-end and the back-end. While these developers offer breadth,they often lack depth.  

 

3 KEY POINTS:

1. Technology can aid your success in the entrepreneurial world. This is because the tech industry is forever changing so you’re constantly learning. Teaching yourself a new skill like coding is a demanding process. You need to put in the time and effort to achieve results.

 

2. There are two options for building a web or mobile application. You can hire a dev shop or an in-house engineer. Each one has its pros and cons, and it’s up to you as the business owner to determine which option will best fit into your business model.

 

3. The framework for software development consists of the front-end, which includes the user experience and user interface. It also includes the back-end, which is the server-side. 

 

TWEETABLE QUOTES:

“Take advice with a grain of salt because people give advice based on their particular knowledge set and experience factors.” - Jason Duprat

 

“(In the) tech field things change fast and it’s definitely a pretty steep learning curve.” - Jason Duprat

 

 

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