We spoke to 4FX co-founder Chris Coomber about the range of skills required to successfully build an app and why clients trust 4FX to be their “internal external development partner”.

Why do clients come to 4FX for support in building an app?


Clients come to us for lots of reasons. Either we’ve worked together before, we’ve been recommended, or they have seen one of our digital solutions and want to recreate something similar for their own business.

When a company has an idea for an app or a need for a software solution to help them increase sales or streamline data capture, this often comes from a different department than the IT team. It can be something from requested from marketing or a problem identified within operations.

To translate the ideas into user-friendly functionality requires a range of skills. You need someone who can ask all the right questions to create a brief and define the project scope. You need someone who can understand the technical capabilities and limitations within the existing IT infrastructure. Then there’s design and development expertise, testing, deployment and marketing.

They come to us, at 4FX, as we offer a complete solution from idea generation and problem solving through to app design, build, ongoing maintenance and management.

Why don’t businesses use their own IT team or employ an app developer?

Some do. However, not every business is big enough to have its own app development team and, given the project-based nature of app development, it often doesn’t make sense to.

Many businesses don’t have the internal resources and skills sets available to build an app. They may have different IT priorities and allocate internal time to other projects. Or, they might have the skill set for design and build but not testing or deployment. We provide support and guidance across all areas.

What do you get from 4FX that you couldn’t get from a single employee?

Essentially six people in one! You need at least that number of people to cover the skill set needed. From within our team, we can draw on more than 40+ years collective years’ experience of problem solving, creativity and digital design.

We’ve been developing apps in one form or another for almost two decades and you can’t get that from one person in one project! We understand the process and the challenges that developing the technology can bring. We know how to talk ‘tech’ but also translate that to the wider business in simple, practical terms.
As a readymade unit, the 4FX team brings a blend of skills that can’t be found in a single employee, including:
  • Project management – liaising between teams, translating requirements and keeping plates spinning
  • Knowledge of a range of programming languages such as C++, Swift (iOS), Java, Kotlin and Xamarin
  • Cybersecurity awareness ensuring that the data your app collects are designed to be secure
  • UX design – focusing on simplifying app features so users intuitively know how to use it
  • UI design – creating engagement and interaction through colour, text and user prompts
  • Testing – in house testing specialist to identify and fix bugs
  • Cross-platform development knowledge for developing apps for deployment in iOS and Android app stores
We can blend seamlessly into an existing team and become an ‘internal external development resource’ and we’re good at wearing multiple business hats!

 

What next?

Contact the 4FX team on 01908 375200 to find out more about how we could become your internal external development partner or visit www.4fx.co.uk