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Hiring web developers with no coding skills

Ivan sntr

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Hi,

PROBLEM: I'm in the process of hiring someone to code an application, but I have no tech skills.
I have no idea about django python HTML Css etc, so I have trouble hiring the right person.
What is the best way to check the quality of the code as someone without coding experience..

Has anyone been in this position before? how did you solve it?
 
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OverByte

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Honestly this will be pretty risky for you. I would recommend you pay a company opposed to trying to vet a developer if you aren’t technical.

Some pointers:
  • Get clear on your MVP requirements and strip down to bare essentials
  • Make sure you have UX mock-ups before coding begins
  • Request bi-weekly demos of progress and to provide comments
  • Request a break down of the quote into screens / buckets of functionality
  • Check to see how much time in quote is allocated to testing (if it’s less than 50% of dev time then quality may be a concern)
  • if getting a fixed price quote set expectations on bug fixes and what constitutes a severity of bug which would be fixed under contract
  • Ask about how the app will be tested and what automation coverage will be provided

I have an interview template for vetting developers but I don’t know it would be use to you if you aren’t technical. Hiring a bad dev could be very costly and get you nothing which is why I’d say go with a company with an established record. It will be difficult for you to manage a freelance developer if you have no experience.

Source: I was formerly a tech lead / software engineering manager and a hiring manager for one of the large Silicon Valley tech companies.
 
Last edited:

Ivan sntr

Contributor
User Power
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Nov 27, 2017
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Sydney
Honestly this will be pretty risky for you. I would recommend you pay a company opposed to trying to vet a developer if you aren’t technical.

Some pointers:
  • Get clear on your MVP requirements and strip down to bare essentials
  • Make sure you have UX mock-ups before coding begins
  • Request bi-weekly demos of progress and to provide comments
  • Request a break down of the quote into screens / buckets of functionality
  • Check to see how much time in quote is allocated to testing (if it’s less than 50% of dev time then quality may be a concern)
  • if getting a fixed price quote set expectations on bug fixes and what constitutes a severity of bug which would be fixed under contract
  • Ask about how the app will be tested and what automation coverage will be provided

I have an interview template for vetting developers but I don’t know it would be use to you if you aren’t technical. Hiring a bad dev could be very costly and get you nothing which is why I’d say go with a company with an established record. It will be difficult for you to manage a freelance developer if you have no experience.

Source: I was formerly a tech lead / software engineering manager and a hiring manager for one of the large Silicon Valley tech companies.

Thanks, that helps. Im in the mock-up stage right now and should be done with the MVP in 7-10days.
Would be great if you would be willing to share the template. I might not understand much but kinda curious about the process and maybe down the line it could be of use, to the person that does the hiring for me.

I'm considering two things:
1. Hiring a company. Again I would have a hard time to compare competitors based on quality of the code they provide and the quote they make.
2. Second option would be to find someone with this technical skill, pay them as consultant, so they would help find the right person.


Once it's coded, what is the estimated monthly running cost to keep a simple application updated?
Would be around 5%monthly of the total app cost be a realistic number?
 

Tom H.

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Great reply from @OverByte

I will just reiterate the first point in that post: GET THE DEVELOPER TO BUILD THE MINIMUM POSSIBLE.

If you're MVP will take 7-10 days it's already too big IMO.
 
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NMdad

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To lower your risk, I'd try making the MVP using a no-code tool/platform. In other words, build it yourself with no-code so you can validate it. You might even be able to generate revenue with the no-code app, and use the revenue to fund the v2 app.
 

Ivan sntr

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Great reply from @OverByte

I will just reiterate the first point in that post: GET THE DEVELOPER TO BUILD THE MINIMUM POSSIBLE.

If you're MVP will take 7-10 days it's already too big IMO.
Good point. I said 7-10days because my Designer is on Holidays until the 5th.. MVP Should take about 1 day or less to design.
 

Ivan sntr

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Nov 27, 2017
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To lower your risk, I'd try making the MVP using a no-code tool/platform. In other words, build it yourself with no-code so you can validate it. You might even be able to generate revenue with the no-code app, and use the revenue to fund the v2 app.
I like that idea. Can you vouch for a no-code tool or platform for coding a google chrome extensions?
 
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Hadrian

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I like that idea. Can you vouch for a no-code tool or platform for coding a google chrome extensions?
Check out Adalo.com and my own App Developer Meetup thread on here for some helpful tips!
 

Tom H.

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I like that idea. Can you vouch for a no-code tool or platform for coding a google chrome extensions?
Depending on your app, AirTable is a good start, and then Zapier to wire together any other services you need.
 

alexkuzmov

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Honestly this will be pretty risky for you. I would recommend you pay a company opposed to trying to vet a developer if you aren’t technical.

Some pointers:
  • Get clear on your MVP requirements and strip down to bare essentials
  • Make sure you have UX mock-ups before coding begins
  • Request bi-weekly demos of progress and to provide comments
  • Request a break down of the quote into screens / buckets of functionality
  • Check to see how much time in quote is allocated to testing (if it’s less than 50% of dev time then quality may be a concern)
  • if getting a fixed price quote set expectations on bug fixes and what constitutes a severity of bug which would be fixed under contract
  • Ask about how the app will be tested and what automation coverage will be provided

I have an interview template for vetting developers but I don’t know it would be use to you if you aren’t technical. Hiring a bad dev could be very costly and get you nothing which is why I’d say go with a company with an established record. It will be difficult for you to manage a freelance developer if you have no experience.

Source: I was formerly a tech lead / software engineering manager and a hiring manager for one of the large Silicon Valley tech companies.
Can you share the vetting template here?
 
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