Work Experience as Freelance Android App Developer

Since my first year of college, I had been developing several Android apps, and participating in many Android development events. I started off with simple apps like to-do lists, a note app, a Covid-19 tracker app, and such, and grew into bigger projects by learning constantly. Recently, I had an opportunity to test out the new waters of freelancing, and I was very excited.

The experience was as valuable as it was exciting, and I wanted to share it with you all.

JOURNEY:

1. Finding a client
2. Project scope and prerequisites
3. Working on the project
4. Key takeaways

1. FINDING A CLIENT

I landed my first freelance project through a mutual LinkedIn connection. The client was the owner of a medium-sized business that needed an app for its e-commerce store. We moved to communicating through e-mail where the client got me in touch with their technical, and design teams to discuss the scopes, deliverables, and methodologies of engagement. I studied their overview of the project, and its requirements, and felt confident that I could complete the job.

The next day through a scheduled Zoom call, we had an in-length discussion about the project’s price, scope, requirements, and the terms and conditions of engagement. After it wrapped up, we also finalized the project deliverables and the payment schedule. They agreed to make payments in phases– some advanced fees, some after completion of the UI design, and so on.

2. PROJECT SCOPE AND PREREQUISITES

The project was relatively simple: An e-commerce app that needed a friendly, intuitive UI, along with a scalable backend database, sign-up and login controls. The client had a few technical people of their own to set up shopping algorithms, and their design teams for the splash screen templates. I had collaborate with them to work on the project. They added me to their Slack channel. The app was to be written in Java, and their backend database in Realm.

3. WORKING ON THE PROJECT

The team was a delight to work with. They were very communicative with any changes in the scope, and overall everything went smoothly, albeit with some sleepless nights. There were quite many UI screens to design– login/signup screen, shopping categories screens, wish-list screen, cart screen, payment, checkout, etc. I finished the design of the UI in two days, shared the screens with the design team, and incorporated their feedback about color changes, positioning of buttons, and functionality of the hamburger menu. Then, I designed the functionality of the user registrations and login screens and moved ahead similarly for others with ongoing reviews and gentle negotiations on design vs functionality.

Steps to secure the app’s data (which would contain sensitive customer information like names, phone numbers, addresses, and payment methods) were taken proactively at every step. Scaling the Realm database along with the client’s insistence on some data analytics (which would be used to recommend similar products to the customers) proved to be quite a challenge. Researching about it, and some YouTube tutorials helped with the implementation.

After two weeks, I handed over the finished project to the client, who was happy with my work. I also shared detailed documentation of the app, along with support instructions, and agreements of future upkeep or adding of features. After the client’s acceptance, the final payment was made, and the experience ended on a very happy note. The feeling of relief, satisfaction, and joy was very potent and boosted my confidence. This work truly enlightened me and gave me a deep level of understanding about the technologies I worked with, along with marketing and social skills.

4. KEY TAKEAWAYS

From managing and interpreting client expectations to pricing my deliverables, it was a ride full of happiness, along with its bumpy moments. Some pros and cons of independently working are listed below.

Pros:

• Getting paid for a job well done
• Ability to be secure in your finances
• Knowing your worth, and applying your knowledge to professional scope
• Making connections for future opportunities and expanding your network
• Time management
• Clear, and concise communication skills, along with professional interpersonal skill

Cons:

• Setting up a price for your service and marketing yourself is tough
• Balancing the project along with coursework was hard as they both needed focused commitments
• A lot of things can be lost in translation when the client gives you their expectations. Clients also tend to favor design and aesthetics over functionality, and they may have unrealistic expectations. Asking questions, and clear communication help to steer the process much more smoothly.
• Initially, you might get lowballed by some clients, so doing market research on the current rates in your domain will help you negotiate better.
• Learning something new can be challenging, especially when things work differently in different technical environments, and there aren’t a lot of tutorials to guide you.

These were some lessons I got from my experience, and I wouldn’t trade the difficulties for anything. Never be shy to clarify, and have faith in yourself while judging your abilities realistically.

Good luck, and cheers!