If you’re looking to hire Flutter developers to build your apps‚ here’s what you need to know. This article explores how to find and hire the best Flutter developers for any mobile app project.
You probably already know that Flutter is a Google-backed software development kit that enables developers to build applications for both iOS and Android from a single codebase‚ but did you also know that it’s becoming one of the most popular cross-platform frameworks?
According to Google Trends‚ Flutter became the most popular cross-platform app framework globally in 2020‚ followed by React Native and Xamarin. According to Google’s internal data‚ Flutter has been used on over 100‚000 apps for Android on the Google play store alone.
The Necessary Skills for a Flutter Developer
A developer is an individual who can comfortably write code. Unfortunately‚ a lot of managers and project owners are under the impression that hiring the “best” developer is all about how many lines of code they have written and how many languages they know.
As you may have already found out‚ both of those metrics are both worthless and unhelpful when looking at different developers’ ability to complete a project successfully.
The common misconception is that all developers can create great mobile apps. In reality‚ app development is an involved process that requires solid product and feature knowledge‚ project management skills and an understanding of the underlying technology. Coding is a small part of the entire skill-set required to make a Flutter project successful.
To get the best results out of any developer you need to be confident they understand the problem your app is trying to solve‚ they have the skills and knowledge required to deliver against your expectations and that they will be able to communicate effectively throughout the app development process.
Alongside effective communication and project management skills‚ Flutter Developers also require the following technical skills:
- An understanding of Git and Version Control
- Experience and understanding of Bloc (business logic components)
- Experience consuming RESTful APIs
- Able to create complex layouts which are maintainable and scalable
- Experience with unit testing
- Experience using Dart DevTools
- Experience with continuous integration / continuous deployment
- Experience writing fully native apps
- Ability to write readable‚ maintainable code and create well-structured documentation
Flutter Developer Responsibilities
To effectively build apps with Flutter‚ developers should be familiar with technical concepts and modern software development processes.
Writing Clean Code
The core responsibility of a Flutter developer is to write the code that powers Flutter applications. This code should be clean‚ efficient and scalable‚ allowing it to be read and understood by future developers who might want to make updates or changes.
Fixing Bugs
It is usually the responsibility of the QA team to perform testing to guarantee that the app will be fully functional and reliable. If any bugs are found‚ these will be reported back to the development team who need to be able to replicate‚ identify and fix any issues.
Solving complex problems
With new technologies and frameworks appearing at a record rate‚ the mobile app ecosystem is growing rapidly.
A successful developer will be able to test and evaluate a range of technologies‚ alongside understanding the pros and cons of various technical solutions.
While it’s impossible for a developer to have a firm grasp of every language‚ framework or niche edge case‚ they should be able to break down complex puzzles into manageable pieces that can be solved either solo or with the assistance of fellow team members.
Collaborating with other team members
Building a successful app is never down to the performance of a single person. Developers have to be able to collaborate successfully with other team members in a variety of disciplines. This can include UI/UX design‚ project managers‚ product owners‚ scrum masters‚ QA engineers and wider stakeholders.
Clear communication is the cornerstone of successful teamwork and Flutter App Developers must be able to articulate their challenges‚ progress and recommendations when working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
An understanding of Agile principles
One of the most important parts of Flutter Development is an understanding of Agile principles.
With so many people working on a project at once‚ time management and planning is key‚ especially when product requirements are being worked on iteratively and are constantly evolving as new information gets fed into the product roadmap.
Your responsibilities when hiring Flutter Developers
As a client‚ it is good to have a broad understanding of what your Flutter developers are building and testing. This allows effective communication with the development team if there are changes or additions to requirements or bugs.
Questions to ask a Flutter Developer at Interview
There are certain questions that every Flutter developer should be able to answer off the top of their heads. If you’re looking for help in hiring a Flutter developer or deciding who to hire‚ below are several questions which you could ask possible candidates to ascertain their competency in Flutter and general development principles.
Flutter/Dart Questions
- What’s the difference between Stateless and Stateful widgets?
- Explain dependency injection in your own words
- What’s your favourite state management solution?
- What are the differences between BLoC and Cubit?
- What are the differences between unit tests‚ widget tests and integration tests?
DevOps Specific Questions
- What experience do you have with Git and pull requests?
- Experience with CI/CD products?
General Development Questions
- How much do you value automated testing?
- What are your thoughts on test-driven development?
- Describe your interpretation of “Clean Code”‚ and why you think it’s important
- When do you think it’s appropriate to add comments to your code‚ and when should it be avoided?
- Have you ever mentored another developer? If so‚ what was your approach?
- Tell us about a time when you took responsibility for a major development project. What were the challenges‚ and how did you overcome them?
Why should Flutter developers follow Agile?
Agile is a methodology of software delivery based around short cycles (Sprints) and tight feedback loops. It allows teams to move faster‚ produce higher quality products and respond more quickly to change. The ideas behind Agile have evolved since the mid-1990s and are now widely used in software development and non-software contexts.
There are several reasons why agile approaches work so well for Flutter projects. One of them is that agile takes into account the tight feedback loop that is required for mobile development. We often hear “we have to release this to market within 2-3 weeks to get some traction.” Agile is perfect for a team that needs to focus on making small‚ incremental improvements instead of lengthy release cycles.
What about Scrum for Flutter App Development?
Scrum is a variation of Agile and is also referred to as “agile-scrum”. Scum has a very clearly defined structure‚ with established values‚ goals‚ Scrum roles‚ artefacts and meetings.
One of the main features of Scrum is the standup meeting where the whole team meets for a quick status update on a daily basis. This allows for close collaboration and the rapid resolution of any issues that arise during a sprint.
Scrum has become the delivery method of choice for many development teams‚ especially in mobile app development contexts‚ as it encourages teams to focus on high impact work and reflect on their wins and losses to continuously improve.
Are Flutter developers in demand?
If you’re wondering if Flutter app developers are in demand‚ it’s clear that they are and that this demand is growing year on year. The recent release of Flutter 1.17 and Google’s recent acknowledgement of the potential of Flutter demonstrates the demand for developers who have this skill will rise in the coming years.
The popularity of Flutter is continuing to increase thanks to its performance benefits and the flexibility it offers. As an open-source framework‚ Flutter is being used by developers at all levels and in a variety of industries.
According to UKtalent‚ the average Flutter developer earns approximately £45‚000 per year in the UK. At the time of writing‚ there also are over 100+ live vacancies to hire Flutter Developers in the UK.
What kind of Flutter Developers can I hire?
If you decided to hire Flutter developers‚ then you should know what kind of developers that you’re looking for. There are many things that can help you decide on a development team.
This is a quick guide to help businesses looking to hire a Flutter team to cross-platform mobile applications of any complexity.
Hiring a Dedicated Flutter Team or Flutter Agency
One of the most common mistakes we see developers make with hiring Flutter developers is hiring one person and expecting them to do everything. This is a trap you need to avoid falling into. The best approach is to hire a dedicated Flutter development team or specialist Flutter Agency‚ which will help ensure your app development progresses smoothly from start to finish.
A dedicated team is a group of delivery professionals and developers who are put together as a team and assigned to you on an exclusive ongoing basis. They are invested in the project’s success‚ which means that you’re more likely to reach your goals and get the best results.
A dedicated team model takes away the headache of having to hire and onboard your own team of developers and also comes with the added benefit of access to expanded skill sets‚ such as project management‚ product management and QA.
(Did you know that software development teams with dedicated project managers tend to produce higher quality deliverables faster than teams without them?)
How to Hire Flutter Freelancers
Sometimes the need for a freelancer comes up when you have a small task. A minor bug fix or adding a new feature‚ for example.
Hiring freelance developers can be a daunting task. Often there are dozens of freelance websites‚ all claiming to offer the best developers out there. But hiring the right person for your project can be a difficult process. Hiring the wrong person can cost your business valuable resources and money.
Hiring Offshore vs Nearshore Flutter Developers
If you’re not familiar‚ nearshore and offshore development are terms used to describe the location of a business or worker compared to their customer. Offshore often means that the company or team you are hiring are located in another country‚ with a different time zone. Nearshore rerefers to a team located in an adjacent or close location‚ for the UK this often means working with developers in Eastern Europe.
Nearshore and offshore development have been around for years. Nearshore developers are known to be more expensive than offshore‚ but the quality is higher. Offshore developers cost less‚ but their quality may vary. As the old saying goes‚ you get what you pay for.
Flutter Team Augmentation
Team Augmentation‚ also known as Team Extension‚ is a service that allows organisations to enhance their in-house teams with additional team members.
These team members come pre-vetted and trained by an external provider‚ who also takes away the headaches of management‚ payroll and employment. Team Augmentation has advantages over hiring a freelancer or contractor‚ as you are not locked into a single individual.
You are usually able to switch different people in and out of your team within the same commercial agreement.
Augmentation of an existing team with additional resources is a good way to build out specialist skills‚ such as Flutter‚ which are difficult and expensive to hire for in-house. Alongside providing on-demand expertise‚ companies are increasingly looking to Team Augmentation to increase development velocity and drive new feature/product releases.
Summary
Looking for an experienced team of Flutter Developers to assist with your project or Augment your team? We offer a range of Flutter Development Services.
We are an experienced development partner who have a proven track record delivering cross-platform mobile apps for FTSE 250 companies and exciting new start-ups.
Get in touch today to discuss your Flutter Development requirements and get started on building something better.
