With around 12 million mobile app developers globally- almost evenly split between Android and iOS, app development has now matured into a full-scale industry. And like every industry, it has its own set of benchmarks to assess resource quality. For instance, qualities of expert Android developers are different from that of iPhone app developers. This consistency is beneficial on two levels- 1. It helps businesses quickly identify developers suited for their projects; 2. It helps developers acquire meaningful skills to enhance their overall value.
But React Native, being a relatively new framework, doesn’t yet have a concrete set of skills on the basis of which its developers can be deemed “expert”. This makes it quite confusing for businesses to find the right match. Should they focus on the “React” skills? Or the “Native” skills? If both, is that enough? We have here tried and answer each of those questions to help you take the right decision.
Here is your definitive guide to hiring the right React Native developer:
Technical expertise
The first benchmark to judge your prospective hiring would obviously be their technical expertise. But quantifying technical skills of React Native developers is much trickier than it may seem. On the face of it, React Native apps are primarily built using JavaScript. But is that enough? No, it is necessary but not sufficient. In fact, technical expertise itself should be segregated into three parts:
JS and React
Solid understanding of JavaScript and its libraries like jQuery or Backbone.js is a must for React Native developers. As almost 90% of the code and all the application logic is expressed in JS, it is absolutely non-negotiable. Also, working knowledge of various React libraries and concepts like virtual DOM is critical.
Native command
Because React Native apps use native UI components and even a few native modules, the working knowledge of both Android and iOS is must for prospective developers.
Related tools
Not essential but command over related tools like Redux, ESLint, Bitrise, Bower, etc is highly desirable as they improve productivity and make the project a lot easier to manage.
Pro Tip– The best React Native developers are the ones with ample native app development experience.
Soft skills
There was a time when developers were expected to be geeks with negligible soft skills but as applications grow in scale and complexity, cross-functional teams are required to collaborate. Plus the advent of offshore development demands developers to consistently communicate with clients and other teams. This means technical skills aren’t enough and they must also have at least decent soft skills to express themselves in cross-functional teams and communicate with non-technical clients.
Pro Tip– Agencies have dedicated professionals to handle cross-functional teams and communicate with clients.
Cost vs. quality
React Native has definitely brought down the cost of development but it still isn’t cheap. And if someone promises dirt cheap costs for your app, be assured that they are going to cut corners in quality. The point is, you can find React Native app development services in all price brackets but ultimately you will need to make certain tradeoffs to find the right match.
Pro Tip– Offshore development firms are known to deliver the best value for money.
Freelancer or agency?
Now this is something that merits its own separate discussion but we’ll here just highlight the key points- Freelancers are cheaper to hire but are tough to manage and are often unreliable. The development agencies, on the other hand, are a bit more expensive but their professionalism and pool of resources help swiftly deliver projects.
In the end, if you have ample technical background and spare time to steer developers, you can save some bucks by hiring freelancers. But for non-technical business persons who just want a product based on their requirements, sparing a few extra bucks on development agencies would yield much better results.
Pro Tip– Some agencies offer dedicated resources for hire. They deliver the benefits of both worlds.
TL;DR
React Native can be best described as a framework that demands its developers to have expertise in a narrow domain but also some understanding in a wide range of technologies- something only experienced resources tend to have. Then there are also additional factors like cost and reliability that you must also carefully weigh in.
In the end, it isn’t a matter of finding the “best developer” but rather “the best developer for your project”. If you are still confused or want to discuss your project, drop us a line and our experts would get back to you with all the answers.