Looking for a smart phone app developer

[jhynesrockmtn]

The title says it. I run a non profit program and would love to talk to someone about developing an App for our client base. Could have broader interest in our sector which serves approximately 2 million low income clients. Does anyone have any connections they could point me to?

[id10t]

Remote work? PM me details, I can post to a group of students about to graduate with BS in Software Dev - several of them are stellar...

[jhynesrockmtn]

The app will be dealing with sensitive data, personal information and financial. Developer needs to be stable and able to support maintenance and feature development over time. Work could be remote.

We work with disabled folks in the SSA and VA systems and manage their benefits. It's a weird mix of social work and banking. We have looked at simple texting apps that would help with communication but they are expensive and ultimately I would like to progress to putting them in a position of communicating most of their needs through an app vs. calling us or coming into the office.

[stomachmonkey]

So it sounds like you are looking for what is essentially a help desk ticket generator.

Why reinvent the wheel?

Look at desk.com, part of salesforce so likely already meets regulatory requirements for things like HIPPA.

Or Zendesk.

In terms of cost I’d tell them you are a non profit that services veterans.

Providing the software at reduced or free is a write off for them and great PR.

I strongly advocate looking into an existing solution.

I always cringe a bit when people turn to tech in an attempt to modify others behavior.

Often does not work out. I call it the biological factor. Easiest analogy, you can lead a horse to water......

It’s mostly due to, whose problem are you trying to solve, yours or theirs?

If it’s your problem then adoption will be low.

Put another way, you are offering them a solution to a problem that they don’t know even exists.

And because of that they need to have a great user experience from day one.

If it’s buggy, lacks features and does not provide perceived value to the user it will die on the vine.

[RKDinOKC]

Good for thought.

First, having seen SSI and the VA in action with two siblings...All I can say is good luck with your endeavor. The systems you are providing the interface for (especially the VA) are horribly flawed themselves causing most of not all of the problems. Hope your org will be able to at least make it easier to manage.

Secondly, I understand that dealing with this type of stuff is more paperwork management than people management so would recommend customizing a database engine rather than trying to customize a help ticket environment. Personally would contact Filemaker, Inc. The are a very easily customizable and great looking database with and extensive developer network. With Filemaker you could very easily create the app and deploy it over any client's you wanted for both clients and staff. The "app" would be a client with secure acces to the database residing on a server.

Personally have built up similar solutions. One was a worker's union keeping track of and managing grievances. Have also gone to businesses with similar data being managed expensive high maintenance solutions. After showing them the Filemaker environment it was so easy they quickly developed the apps themselves. Maintaining them was also easily making updates and changes in tune with how their business worked and changed. I ended up not doing any programming at all for them, just turned them on to Filemaker.

With a custom app or even a customized canned app you will always looking for a programer to maintain and update your app as the requirements change. With a customized canned app when updates to the canned app comes out it will break your customization. Also with most canned aops you will be forcced into the canned apps way of doing things and have a user training issue. With something easy to develop and maintain like Filemaker it will be no big deal. Your staff will be able to not only develop the system to work the way you do, but they will also be able make any updates and/or changes themselves.

Again, just food for thought.

[Rick Lee]

I used to work for a company that did custom development offshore for $25/hr. They wouldn't touch anything that's less than about $13k, though, and they usually threw out a number like $30k for mobile apps to see if the customer was going to be able to afford them.

I now work for a helpdesk/ticketing provider. So, if you're considering Zendesk, we are very competitive with them at certain levels.

[Wrecked944]

I'm a mobile app developer and I'm currently looking for work. Doing work for a non-profit helping vets would be a great opportunity IMO. I will PM you with a link to my portfolio.