How is a Mobile Engineer different from other types of engineers?

Mobile Engineers are responsible for developing mobile applications and mobile web products. Their area of expertise or interest centers around creating new features, understanding their user base, and debugging potential issues that come with moving from a desktop to a mobile product.

‍

What are some of the main responsibilities of a Mobile Engineer?

Maintaining a secure environment: It’s important for a Mobile Engineer to have experience with user security, and an understanding of best security practices. For example – a Mobile Engineer may need to build additional layers of protection for users in an application, like if a password is forgotten, or develop infrastructure that decreases the odds of a hack (or makes a hack unsuccessful).
Experience developing apps and launching them on the App store: Does your Mobile Engineering candidate have experience developing apps and launching them? Have they successfully created apps that meet the specifications of the app store?
Helping companies determine which features or products will perform the best on mobile: Are there certain features that will perform better on mobile than others? A Mobile Engineer may be responsible for helping companies decide what parts of their product may be better suited for mobile too.
The ability to build in security measures: A Blockchain Engineer will also need to think through the different security measures that need to go into maintaining or building blockchain products. Site Reliability Engineers or DevOps Engineers can also be helpful in this process.

‍

What are some important skills a Mobile Engineer needs to have?

A strong eye for design and aesthetics: Although a Mobile Engineer is not a designer and doesn’t write copy or produce graphics for the mobile applications they work on, they will need to be well-versed in design and know if an application was built correctly according to the wireframes and plans. Questions on product design? Check out our product design page.
An understanding of best practices for mobile: A Mobile Engineer should understand best practices and the latest mobile technology – for example, what are the latest tools to use if building a mobile application? What affects load time? What are the latest features other, competing products are offering?
Native Android and/or iOS development experience: A successful Mobile Engineer should be familiar with standard Android and iOS applications.
An understanding of the customer: A Mobile Engineer should have an interest in understanding the customer, or end-user, of the applications they build.
An interest in accessibility: The best products are accessible to all users, and can be used by people who have varying levels of tech-savvy.

‍

What's the difference between a Mobile Engineer and a Mobile Designer?

A Mobile Engineer and a Mobile Designer play unique roles in creating mobile apps, but they focus on different parts of the job. A Mobile Engineer is like a builder who uses coding languages to construct the app, making sure it works smoothly on devices like smartphones and tablets. They deal with the app's behind-the-scenes features, like making sure it loads fast and doesn't crash.

On the other hand, a Mobile Designer is more like an artist, concentrating on how the app looks and feels to the user. They design the app's layout, choose colors, and make sure everything is easy to find and use. While Engineers focus on the app's technical side, Designers focus on the user's experience, but both need to work together closely to make a great app.

‍