Finding a programmer is easy and finding the right one is not, mostly because non technical buyers are evaluating a skill they cannot observe. The way through is to stop trying to assess technical ability directly and instead assess the things you genuinely can: how someone thinks about your problem, and what a small piece of real work actually produces.
Where to find programmers depends on what you are building
For a small website, a local studio or a freelance designer developer is efficient and appropriately priced. For an app or a web application, a small agency gives you cover and review that one person cannot. For an ongoing product, hiring is usually right, since accumulated knowledge is the thing you most need. For something highly specialised, go where those specialists gather rather than to a general marketplace, because general marketplaces select on price.
How to evaluate without technical knowledge
Ask them to explain your problem back to you, and notice whether their version is clearer than yours. Ask what they would build first and why. Ask what worries them about the project, since a candidate with no concerns has not thought about it. Ask what they would need from you. These reveal comprehension and judgement, which are what actually separate outcomes, and none of them require you to understand code.
Looking for programmers? Buy a small piece of real work before committing
The single most useful thing you can do is pay two candidates for a small, genuine piece of the work. You learn how they ask questions, how they handle ambiguity, whether their estimate meant anything, and what they deliver. It costs a fraction of the mistake it prevents. Anyone unwilling to do paid trial work on reasonable terms is telling you something worth knowing early.
Settle ownership and classification at the start
Paying someone does not give you the copyright: under 17 USC 101 only employee work within the scope of employment is automatically a work made for hire, and commissioned software is not among the categories that can qualify by agreement, so require an express written assignment. And if you will direct daily work, the IRS assesses the substance of the relationship rather than the contract label, with Department of Labor guidance on misclassification worth reading alongside.
Questions people ask about find a programmer
Looking for a programmer: where should we look?
Depends on the work: a local studio or freelancer for a small site, a small agency for an app or web application so you get cover and review, hiring for an ongoing product, and specialist communities rather than general marketplaces for niche work.
How do we evaluate a programmer without technical knowledge?
Ask them to explain your problem back to you, what they would build first and why, what worries them, and what they need from you. A candidate with no concerns has not thought about it.
Do we own the code if we pay for it?
Not automatically. Under 17 USC 101 only employee work within the scope of employment is a work made for hire, and commissioned software is not one of the qualifying categories, so require an express written assignment.