Choosing an Education Software Development Company: 10 tips
Could you have imagined ten years ago that learning would take place through AR/VR technologies?
Digital transformation has left no industry untouched. From Finance to Healthcare to eCommerce, every industry has been revolutionized by digital transformation. The Education industry is no exception.
Learning isn’t confined to the four walls of a classroom anymore. Digital transformation has made the technology available at our fingertips. And educational institutions are reaping its benefits.
Educators have access to tools and software like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet to deliver lessons and interact with students in real-time. Students also get to take advantage of personalized lessons, interactive video tests, and AI-based learning.
With digital transformation modernizing every industry, educational institutions can no longer restrict themselves to traditional learning methods. Online learning is growing at a quick pace. To keep up with it, educational institutions are compelled to invest in education software development.
As a result, they are exploring the possibility of collaborating with an education software development company to accelerate their digital transformation process. The initial step is choosing an experienced partner, which needs careful screening.
If you choose an inexperienced company for developing education software, you might encounter challenges like delayed product delivery, high development costs, or poor performance.
Hence, before collaborating with an education software development company, you should thoroughly assess their experience, adaptability, and skill set, among other things.
If you are considering developing educational software but don’t know how to find the best software development company, you are in the right place.
In this post, we have listed some parameters that will help you choose the best company for developing profitable educational software. But before we move on to that, let us understand the benefits of hiring an education software development company for your EdTech idea.
Benefits of Education Software Development
- It Enhances the Learning Experience
Education software uses virtual simulation, gamification, and multimedia content which enhances the learning experience for students.
- It Facilitates Personalized Learning
Using data analytics and AI technologies, education software can assess the performance and learning preferences of students to offer personalized learning.
- It Improves Efficiency
Education software development streamlines administration and automates procedures to generate data-driven insights and improve efficiency.
- It Improves Student-Teacher Collaboration
Online education software can be accessed by students and teachers from any location. Educators can assist students through Learning Management Systems and in-home activities, improving collaboration.
How to Choose an Education Software Development Company
Software development is a gradual process. Imagine you are building a multi-story house. You begin by determining the layout of your ground floor and slowly build up to the top floor.
Similarly, before you begin searching for a software development company, you need to understand what you need your education software to do.
You must ask yourself who your target audience is. Is it teachers or students? Or is it both? What services will your software offer them? What are your budget constraints? Within how much time do you want your software to be developed? How complex would your software be?
Once you have defined the objectives and goals of your software, follow this checklist to determine the ideal company offering the best education software development services to partner with.
Evaluate the Company’s Skills and Experience
A company can offer accurate outcomes only if it possesses extensive skills and experience. It must be able to anticipate your needs and deliver solutions. Several challenges surface during software development, Some of those are:
- Personalization: To create an exceptional educational experience, personalized learning plans, and adaptive learning platforms are necessary. Your software must find the most effective way to offer a personalized learning experience.
- Accessibility: Your software must be accessible to all stakeholders involved. It should include assistive technology such as screen readers, speech-to-text programs, etc. However, these are expensive and lack technical and instructional support.
- Security: Security is an ever-changing complex challenge in the education industry. Your online education software must protect customers from malicious attacks and data thefts.
Therefore, the education software development company you select hire must be able to tackle these challenges. Look for a company that is not only familiar with these challenges but also has the skills and expertise to effectively navigate them.
Study Its Portfolio
A company portfolio includes products and services that the company has created and delivered successfully. It highlights the company’s skills and accomplishments. Company portfolios can be in the form of case studies or other digital media.
Browsing a company’s portfolio helps you understand what differentiates it from its competitors. A company with a strong portfolio of successfully managing software development projects is a better candidate for collaboration.
Examine Its Tech Stack
Each industry needs a different tech stack, depending on the complexity and features of the software. By assessing the tech stack that the company uses, you can estimate its competence. A good software development company will always use the latest tech stack.
Prefer a company experienced in using popular tech stack in the education industry. This includes technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Big Data, etc. that are most used in developing online education software.
Review Client Testimonials
Any partnership requires trust. And client reviews and testimonials are a great way to judge a software development company’s credibility.
Client reviews are useful in determining how the company tackles bottlenecks. It gives you an idea of their conduct and proficiency with their clients. You can refer to websites like Clutch, GoodFirms, etc. for client feedback.
Ascertain if They Sign a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA)
NDA is a document signed between you and the software development company. It prohibits the software company from leaking any sensitive information shared by you. This protects your software product’s privacy.
A good company will understand data privacy and confidentiality and encourage you to sign an NDA.
Find Out if They Develop Cloud-Supported Software
Data is a topmost priority for any business. Losing data can pose a threat to privacy and records. Cloud-based technology solves this issue. With the cloud, it becomes easy to collect, store, and save data at a centralized location. Educators can easily access this data and use it at any given time.
Software development companies that develop cloud-friendly software should be favored.
Consider the Customer Service Policies
You have completed developing your online learning software. But what if you encounter bugs or detect technical errors in it at a later stage? Ensuring post-development support for your application is important.
The education software development company you partner with must offer post-development support, maintenance, and backup. It should be able to assist you in resolving issues that occur in the software after its launch.
It is important that your vendor has a competent support team to tackle any challenges that may arise.
Analyze Its Flexibility
When building education software, scalability is necessary. Your software needs to accommodate the projected number of users while functioning smoothly. Otherwise, it would result in a negative user experience. Scalability also ensures that your online education software can keep up with changing industry trends and demands.
Choose a vendor that can offer software flexibility and seamless performance, even during peak times like the enrollment period.
Be Informed of Its Transparency Policy
Effective communication between vendor and client is important. You should be informed about all progress during the software development process.
Being able to track the progress of education software development projects is crucial. Good communication maintains clarity, reduces friction, and speeds up software development. At the same time, being able to track your software development’s progress allows you to be in the loop at every stage of the development process.
Review Its Security Policy
Education software contains a lot of sensitive data about students and educators. Hence, security is a crucial element. It helps maintain data security within the software at all stages and prevents data from being stolen or compromised.
Select a vendor who has expertise in building secure software. Ensure they can guide you on safeguarding your data if someone attempts to hack it.
Partner With the Best Education Software Development Company
Finding an education software development company isn’t just about finding someone who can write a few lines of code; it is about finding someone who can understand your business domain and develop tailored solutions.
The software development company you collaborate with must have a deep understanding of your target audience, the goals of your software, and the latest industry trends. They should follow industry best practices such as incorporating UI/UX design, development, testing, and deployment to build reliable and secure software.
TRooTech Business Solutions has a robust team of software consultants, developers, and engineers providing education software development services.
Our team works collaboratively with you to streamline and digitalize key aspects of your education software idea to provide you with a competitive edge. We combine the latest tech stack with best practices to build education software of any size and complexity.
