Website Planet had the chance to sit down and chat with Ian Blair, CEO of BuildFire, a mobile app builder powering over 10,000 apps and with a user base spanning from small businesses to Fortune 500 firms.
Let’s introduce BuildFire to our audience. What is it, how does it work, and who are your typical users?
BuildFire is a versatile mobile app development platform that enables businesses and individuals to create, customize, and manage mobile apps without any coding skills required. Our platform is based on a powerful yet user-friendly interface, which features an extensive library of pre-built functionality, and an SDK for custom plugins if you want to add unique features.
Our typical users span a wide range of industries and sizes, from small businesses wanting to expand their digital presence, to Fortune 500 companies aiming for custom-branded employee or customer engagement apps. We also serve many non-profit organizations and educational institutions.
How does your mission differ from the other companies in your niche?
Our mission at BuildFire is to democratize app development by making it accessible and affordable for everyone. While other companies might focus on providing tools for professional developers, we are dedicated to serving both experts and beginners equally. We believe that everyone should have the power to create great mobile apps, regardless of their technical background.
How does BuildFire assist newbies who are just getting started, or complete no-coders?
BuildFire offers a robust platform that doesn’t require coding knowledge to build a functional, attractive app. We’ve invested heavily in making our interface intuitive with a drag-and-drop design system. Additionally, we provide a wide range of tutorials, customer support, and access to a community of other users for peer advice and idea sharing.
When you’re just getting started with BuildFire, the first thing you’ll notice is the straightforward interface that guides you through the process of creating an app. We’ve designed this interface to be intuitive even for someone who has never coded or built an app before.
We provide a variety of pre-built templates that you can choose from. These templates serve as a starting point that you can then customize to fit your specific needs. You can easily add, remove, or modify features with our drag-and-drop functionality.
For each feature, we offer customization options that you can adjust simply by clicking and choosing from the available settings. For example, if you’re adding a contact form to your app, you can choose how many fields to include, what each field is for, and how the submitted data is processed – all without writing a single line of code.
In addition to our easy-to-use platform, we offer a variety of resources to help no-coders get started and grow their skills. We have a comprehensive library of tutorials and articles that explain how to use different features and best practices for app design. We also host webinars and offer one-on-one consultations with our product specialists.
Our customer support team is also always ready to assist. They can help troubleshoot issues, answer questions, and guide users through the app building process.
Overall, our goal is to make sure that anyone, regardless of their tech background, can successfully build and launch an app with BuildFire. We’re constantly refining our platform and resources based on user feedback to make the app creation process as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
What’s the average timeline for developing an app with BuildFire? What factors usually affect that the most?
The timeline can vary greatly depending on the complexity of the app. A simple app can be built and launched within a week, while more complex applications might take several weeks to a few months. The factors that affect this timeline the most are the number and complexity of features, the level of customization required, and the responsiveness of the user during the design process.
Building an app is like building a house – the time it takes largely depends on the size, complexity, and the level of customization you require. A basic app with standard features and minimal customization, something akin to a “pre-fab” house, can be put together in as little as a few days to a week. This would be ideal for someone looking to quickly establish a mobile presence for their brand, or who needs an app for a specific event or short-term project.
However, if you’re looking to create a more sophisticated app with custom features, integrations with other software, and a high degree of personalization, it can take anywhere from several weeks to a few months. This would be the equivalent of a custom-built house, where every detail is carefully designed and constructed to meet your unique requirements.
One major factor that can impact the timeline is the number and complexity of features you want to incorporate. For example, an e-commerce app that requires a secure shopping cart, customer reviews, and inventory management would take more time to build than a simple informational app with static pages.
The level of customization also plays a significant role. If you’re happy using one of our existing templates and just need to tweak colors and fonts to match your brand, you’ll be able to launch much faster than if you want a fully custom design.
Another important factor is the user’s responsiveness during the design and development process. This includes how quickly they can make decisions about design and features, how readily available they are to provide necessary assets and information, and how promptly they can test and provide feedback on the app.
Are there any limitations or constraints to consider in terms of types of apps one can build, and scalability?
BuildFire is designed to be highly versatile, allowing for a wide variety of app types from e-commerce to employee engagement, to event and educational apps. As for scalability, our robust infrastructure can support growth from a few users to millions. That being said, highly specific or complex functionalities may require the use of our SDK or our professional services for custom plugin development.
How does BuildFire differentiate itself from other app development platforms in the market?
BuildFire differentiates itself from other app development platforms in several ways:
- User-Centric Design: Our platform is designed with the user in mind. We’ve focused on making our interface intuitive and easy to use, whether you’re a tech novice or a seasoned pro. From the drag-and-drop feature set to the comprehensive tutorials and customer support, every aspect of BuildFire is geared towards making app development accessible to all.
- Flexibility and Customization: BuildFire offers a unique combination of pre-built and custom features, allowing users to create an app that truly meets their needs. Our vast library of pre-built functionality can cater to a wide range of uses, while our SDK allows for custom plugin development for those needing more specific or complex functionalities.
- Hybrid Model: Unlike many platforms that are either no-code or low-code, BuildFire embraces a hybrid model. This means that we accommodate users who prefer the ease and convenience of a no-code platform, while also providing tools for users who want to delve into the code for deeper customization.
- Customer Support: We pride ourselves on our commitment to customer service. Our support team is always ready to assist users, from answering questions to troubleshooting issues, to helping with the design and development process. We understand that building an app can be a big undertaking, and we strive to make it as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
- Continued Innovation: At BuildFire, we believe in continuous improvement. We’re always working to expand our features, refine our user experience, and integrate with more third-party services. This ensures that our platform stays on the cutting edge and continues to serve our users’ evolving needs.
In a nutshell, BuildFire stands out by offering a user-friendly, flexible platform that can cater to a wide range of needs, backed by outstanding customer service and a commitment to innovation.
Can you share some success stories or examples of organizations that have used BuildFire to develop and maintain mobile apps?
One example is Keller Williams, a large real estate company. They utilized BuildFire’s platform to create their mobile application, KW Command. This app integrates different technologies and services to provide a comprehensive solution for the agents and their clients. It includes features like CRM, a marketing platform, transaction management, and more. This has helped the company to provide a unified technology solution to its agents, empowering them to deliver better service to their clients. BuildFire’s platform has played a crucial role in the development and maintenance of this application, providing a range of tools and services that have helped Keller Williams to create a powerful and useful app.
Another example is benePerks, a company that provides employee benefits administration to small businesses. They recognized the need for a mobile app to stand out in a crowded market and to provide their clients with a more efficient and accessible way to manage their benefits. The benePerks mobile app allows employees to see what types of coverage they have, review their benefits, file claims, and find key contact information directly through the app. This has not only helped the employees of the small businesses they serve but also has allowed benePerks to keep their resources lean.
These two examples illustrate the versatility of BuildFire’s platform and how it can be used to create a wide variety of apps tailored to the needs of different businesses. They demonstrate the success that can be achieved when organizations use BuildFire to develop and maintain their mobile apps.
What improvements have you planned for the BuildFire platform in the next future?
We’re always exploring ways to enhance the platform and offer even more value to our users. In the immediate future, there are a few key areas of focus.
Enhanced Generative AI: This technology allows us to automatically generate app design templates and prefill app content based on the specific industry, target audience, or feature-set that a user is interested in. By analyzing patterns and best practices from successful apps, generative AI can create optimized designs and suggest effective content strategies. This will make it easier for users to create apps that are not only visually appealing but also highly functional and user-friendly.
Expanded Integration Library: We’re also planning to broaden our integration offerings. Integrations with popular third-party services are key to helping users create apps that are fully connected with their existing systems, and we want to make this even easier.
Improved Customization Features: We recognize the importance of enabling users to create apps that perfectly match their brand and serve their specific needs. So, we’re working on providing even more robust tools for customization.
Increased Learning Resources: Lastly, we are dedicated to empowering our users by providing more educational resources such as tutorials, webinars, and case studies. We want to ensure that our users have all the knowledge they need to build successful apps.
