Mobile App Design Cost: Instagram and Uber Examples
Mobile is no doubt the future and the present. Ever since the first iPhone was introduced and kicked off the era of mobile design, the expense of app design has been a tough challenge for many technology business owners.
Whilst an application’s functionality may draw users in, it is the design itself that keeps them engaged with the app for extended periods of time. With App Store offering more than 1,8 million apps and there are about 2,47 million apps in Google Play, to get a top-class interface, investing money in mobile app design, specifically UI/UX Design is essential.
But how much does mobile app design cost? How does the process of creating an App go and how much time will it require? Savvycom will provide answers to these queries in this article, along with the anticipated app design costs for well-known applications like Instagram and Uber.
1. The Stages of UI/UX Design Process
When evaluating the cost of app design, we must first determine all of the preliminary steps of the development process. But first, choosing a mobile application type will help the process run more smoothly. The three main types are:
- Native Mobile Apps: Such applications can only function quickly and flawlessly on a picked platform as they are built specifically for Android and IOS
- Web Applications: With the mobile browser’s help, these applications can look like the native ones for a lower cost. They can also be combined with several platforms and updated immediately.
- Cross-platform solutions: With the ability to mix the features of native and web apps, these are quick and easy to maintain. Additionally, they are less expensive to build than native mobile apps.
After an app type has been selected, let’s focus on the workflow. While user interfaces (UI) and user experiences (UX) are frequently used to illustrate app design, every software development team or organization approaches its creation in a unique way. The process below is an example workflow that demonstrates how Savvycom creates a design.
Stage #1. Immersive Research
- Market analysis and competitor research. Design specialists examine the market niche in which the upcoming product will run, current trends, and design area trends.
- Audience analysis. With the collected data from audience analysis, the team can determine how to produce a design that is tailored to the demands of the users.
- Brainstorm. Designers and developers will discuss all project-related ideas. After gathering information from the discussion that matches the business objectives, the UI/UX specialists begin developing an app design.
Stage #2. Building up Wireframes
Known as the skeleton of a mobile app, a wireframe is a conceptual layout of all the elements that will be displayed on the app’s screen. It allows users and designers to see how the app will appear in the future and offer amendments. Wireframes often come in two varieties:
- Low-fidelity Wireframe: The first representation of a designer’s idea. It is known as the initial blueprints of app screens that help to give an idea of how an app would look like.
- High-fidelity Wireframe: Similar to the actual product design look and feel. It has detailed information about the app screens.
Stage #3. Prototyping
Prototypes, which serve as the basis for the whole UI development, are model sets of the app’s final look. In other words, a prototype can be viewed as a replica of what the end product would look like.
The prototype will be tested on a select group of individuals in order for developers to collect feedback and make necessary adjustments to the project. Customers can also offer their amendments, give feedback and choose which prototype is the most suitable for their application.
2. App Design Cost by Region
It should be noted that the final cost varies in different countries. Although every IT company evaluates the procedures differently, the majority of businesses use the following evaluation sample:
hourly rate х number of hours spent = application design charge.
The more complex application is, the more time developers need to finish the design project, and likewise with the more simple one. So before the design gets started, observe how much time the development team estimates it will take to complete the project.
For example, a simple app design developed for one particular platform will take about 90 man-hours to complete, equivalent to $4,500 (at a man-hour rate of $50, depending on the location of the staff). Otherwise, developers will need about 150-170 man-hours to create a mobile app design for a more complicated app, which makes it $7,000 to $8,000 for the final cost.
The hourly rate alters in different regions and areas, making it an important factor in choosing the most suitable partner. The costs range by country:
- United States and Canada get $100 – $150/h;
- Australia charges $100 – $149/h;
- Western Europe & UK asks for $50 – $99/h;
- Central Europe at $25 – $49/h;
- India works at $25 – 49/hr
Nevertheless, the best price serves the best quality. So you should investigate the marketplace for a better quality-to-price ratio, and thoroughly review all the firm information. Only then will you be able to prevent unexpected events and the question of how much app design costs won’t be as sharp.
In order to pick a trustworthy partner, there are a few steps to notice:
- Examine the chosen firm’s portfolio as well as app design pricing
- Watch out for the company reviews
- Discuss the company’s previous clients’ collaboration experience.
- Verify confidentiality concerns (signing an NDA, etc.)
3. Uber and Instagram: Design Cost Evaluation
Instagram and Uber are among the most significant mobile applications of the decade thanks to their superb UI/UX designs. In order to understand why these apps are so popular, let’s binge into knowing these giants to figure out the cost of app design.
Uber
Founded in 2009, Uber has revolutionized the way people travel. Began as a huge player in the ride-hailing market, Uber later expanded into other industries such as food delivery, micro-mobility (using bikes and scooters), and peer-to-peer travel networks, helping it gain over 93 million monthly active users in 2022.
What is the secret behind such popularity? Thanks to their smart and straightforward app interface, taxi calling turns into a fun, on-tap thing activity, and the users really enjoy it. Besides, by creating an easy-to-use interface, Uber has made it more simple and time-saving for both passengers and drivers to use. Yet, its complexity lies inside the app. Now, let’s break down Uber to see what makes it one of the best apps of the decade.
- Passenger app:
– Category: Ride-hailing
– Significant features: Geolocation and routing, payment integration, call or text the driver right from the app, ride cost estimation, splitting a fare with companions, etc.
- Driver app:
– Significant features: Driver reports, advanced route optimization, active/inactive option, calling to a passenger from the app, driver destinations, free cancellation within a set period of time, etc.
- For both:
– Monetizing method: charging fees from users.
– Complexity: complex.
– Estimated design time: 418 hours for both iOS (246 hours) and Android (172 hours).
– Estimated design cost by region:
+ US/Canada. $20,900 – $62,700
+ Australia. $20,900 – $62,700
+ Western Europe. $20,900 – $41,800
+ Central Europe. $10,450 – $20,900
+ India $8,360 – $20, 482
In this day and age, the increasing interest in sharing photos and short videos comes with the growing popularity of social networks supporting these features. And Instagram proves to be the most notable example of these apps.
What makes this app stand out within the crowd? Nowadays, attractive UI/UX design is just one of the components that help businesses stay competitive by providing an outstanding user experience. When you look at applications like Instagram, you’ll see that its technically challenging features are wrapped into an easy-to-use sheath thanks to its harmony with the style. Despise bugs, improvements, and crashes, Instagram users still love it. So let’s take a look at the app for more insights.
– Category: Social network.
– Complexity: middling complex.
– Significant features: user accounts, social integration, taking photos/videos, photo/video editor, photo/video editor, geolocation, push notifications, etc.
– Estimated design time: 214,5 hours for IOS and 150h for Android.
– Estimated design cost by region:
+ US/Canada. $18,250 – $54,750
+ Australia. $18,250 – $54,750
+ Western Europe. $18,250 – $36,500
+ Central Europe. $9,125 – $18,250
+ India $5,300 – $17,885
Conclusion
The mobile app design cost might vary greatly. The intricacy of the project, the service provider’s residence place, and the demands and objectives of the customer all factor into the complex process.
There is much more to design than simply sketching the application; it is an essential component of app development. It involves designing screen interactions, developing the user interface and user experience, and ensuring that the customer and development team share the same goals for the project. So understanding the exact cost of designing an app is important before you start developing your mobile app.
If you are not sure about how much amount to invest in your mobile app design, don’t hesitate to book a free consultation with Savvycom today! Our UX/UI design services are offered at a competitive price while maintaining a high level of quality. Thanks to a signed NDA, aside from the good price-to-quality ratio, your ideas are safe with us. We also provide complete transparency during our collaboration and embed the communication process.
