Are you currently planning to build a website or a web application ? Or maybe you are planning to build an e-commerce webstore ? Now,the next question that will pop up in your mind is perhaps whether I should hire a programmer to achieve this task ? Well,the short answer to this question is “It depends”. Read this article to know about in more details regarding this question.
So in short,The actual answer to this question will really depend on who you are and what you are trying to build. Let’s take a look at three common scenarios.
Scenario 1 :
- Consider an entrepreneur with the name Jackie.
- Jackie owns her small business which manufactures hand-made widgets . Currently she sells from her shop. Now, she wants to branch out into selling her widgets online.
- Jackie is an expert in making absolutely amazing hand-crafted widgets of very good quality. She is completely a business savvy in this field
- Now, in order to branch out and have an online store,Jackie knows and envisions how her website should look like . However she doesnt have the skills to design,develop and maintain the website
- Jackie plans on managing all of the content and products on her site. She just needs someone to deal with development and design.
So in this case Jackie needs both a developer and a designer to work with her to get her site up and running. After that, she will need her developer partner or programmer on a retainer to handle monthly maintenance, and deal with issues as they arise. She will need her designer only when she wants to re-design her site or add new graphical elements.
Scenario 2:
- Rocky has an idea for a new service that is a web-based application.
- Rocky understands how his idea will work and pan out.
- Rocky knows how he wants the website to look like and how the application will flow.
- Rocky is not planning on selling multiple products or services, just this single idea.
In this scenario,Rocky needs a good programmer for the long haul. Rocky should seriously consider hiring a developer either part-time or full-time depending on his budget until the product has been shipped. Rocky will need a designer to develop the graphical and user elements which is also known as UI and UX.
Scenario 3:
- Martin wants to set up a ecommerce store to sell his handmade shirts.
- Martin is a power-user. He understands computers and knows a little about programming.
- Martin is comfortable with computers and has always wanted to learn programming.
- Martin also has a steady permanent income, and this project will not be his primary source of income in the beginning.
Martin probably does not need to hire a developer. Given that he is interested in coding, and also a creative guy, he may not even need to hire a designer. Martin can start with existing plugins, themes and customize them as necessary, using the WordPress admin interface.
If Martin chooses a good hosting partner like SiteGround or Namecheap, that will take care of WordPress and plugin upgrades, as well as routine backups and scanning her site for malware, he doesn’t need to immediately invest in a developer retainer to manage all of that. He can set these things up herself.
Martin may need to hire a developer in the future if he needs the functionality that does not currently exist in plugins he can download or buy. He may also want to eventually hand off the management of his infrastructure to a developer partner so that he can focus more on her selling his products.
SO, It REALLY Depends
As we’ve seen in these three different scenarios or small case studies, if you need to hire a programmer and at what stage of the project, largely depends on the project, and on your technical skills. If you are unsure about whether you need a programmer, chances are good that you do need to hire one.
Invest a little in your project by hiring a good developer/programmer to sit down with you and do the “discovery phase” or “MVP phase” of your project. This is where the developer listens to your idea, asks you a lot of questions, brainstorm with you and then present you with a detailed plan on how to build out your idea. They will most likely also present you with a quote for what it would cost for them to build it out and the timeline which will denote how long it will take to execute the project.
Don’t wait until you’ve gotten into the weeds of your project only to realize that you are in over your head. Make the decision on whether to hire a developer early on in your planning phase. Then, invest the time necessary to find one with whom you feel comfortable working. Your project will go a lot smoother in the long run.
