App developers are cool, and ios game developers are totally awesome, hip and happening.
Being an app developer might seem to be one of life's most wonderful prospects.
It's not. I've done it, and I know it. Listen to my advice...
Making an app stinks.
Why?
Problem: Your idea is thirteen in a dozen / Your idea is so bad the world is better off without it
There's an App for that...
All obvious and many, many, unobvious ideas already have an app.
When you have an idea, the first thing to do is to go to the App Store and see if there's not already a fantastic app that does exactly that.
Usually there are a whole bunch of them. Download them. Use them. Then ask yourself:
- what would make my app stand out?
- why would anyone download my app instead of one of the others?
- am I able to compete with the other apps out there?
- what have users come to expect from this type of app?
- what is the pricing of the apps out there?
- how much are these apps downloaded? Is there a market?
If there are many strong apps out there, maybe it's better to rethink your idea. Could you modify it to fit a gap in the current offering? If there are no competitors at all then maybe there's a good reason for that! Maybe there's no market for it. Maybe the world's not waiting for a TriTone Fart App. Or maybe you hit gold.
How do you find out? Ask your friends, family and colleges about their opinion. (don't be afraid that they'll run off and steal the idea. Building an app is loads of hard work and most people are lazy)
Do they honestly think it's a good idea? Would they pay for it?
This kills most ideas. If it didn't, carry on...
Tip: Search the App Store for similar apps. Test drive your idea with friends, family and colleagues.
Problem: You never build an App before
It's a chicken-and-egg problem. Your app will stink because you don't have any experience, which you don't have because you never build an app.
The only way to get out of this circle of doom is to build an app and acknowledge that it will stink.
Consider the first app(s) you build as lessons. These will teach you how to build better apps in the future. Apps that don't stink. How to build your first app? Read my next post ;).
Just don't quit your job yet.
Another option is to pay someone to build your app. Yes, this is probably costly. But if you're certain it's going to rain money afterwards then this might be a good option.
Especially if the app will support your business instead of being your business (eg: an app to support your online shop).
Tip: View your first app as a lesson, not a money maker. Pay someone else to build your app.
Problem: 80/20 rule: 20% is fun, 80% is torture.
Actually more like 90/10 or 99/01 ;) The first bout of developing is always great fun. There are high hopes, fun things to do and quick improvements. Then things start to slow down. The whole app needs to be redesigned. The database is too slow and needs to be replaced. The memory consumption is too high. There is the mystery bug that only occurs at midnight on the second Tuesday of June. Etcetera, etcetera.
These things suck the lifeblood out of developers, cause premature aging, balding scalps and random anger bouts.
How do you prevent this?
Planning is the key.
Before you start building your app, write down what it does and how it does it.
Draw out all the different screens and transitions between them.
Draw the menu, the different buttons, the intro screen, etc.
Design the software structure. What classes and functions do you need?
What data will you store? How much will it be? Which storage would suite those needs?
Then, find toolkits and SDK's that could lighten your burden. Paying for these is usually much cheaper than building and testing them yourselves. For example if you're building an app with PDF support, don't build all the rendering yourself. Get PSPDFKit or something.
Tip: Plan the software in advance. Get toolkits to lighten the burden.
Problem: You're a programmer not a graphics wizard
Owning photoshop doesn't make you a designer, just as standing in a garage doesn't make you a car.
You might be able to shurn out a decent piece of code, but that doesn't mean you can also design beautiful graphics.
Unfortunately the first thing we seen about an app are the graphics. If they're bad, the first impression is bad.
If the first impression is bad, I don't download your app. End of story.
Your graphics need to be good. Probably you'll need outside help.
Do you have any friends or relatives with graphical experience? Ask them for help. Don't be shy to pay for it either.
A lot of stock images, buttons, icons and other graphics can be found online. Don't hesitate to pay a few dollars if it is what you're looking for.
Tip: Hire a graphics wizard. Find and buy graphics online.
Problem: You build it, they won't come.
Building a game is a walk in the park compared to getting someone to download your game. Basic problem is that there are thousands and thousands of apps on the App Store and yours is just one of them.
Why would I ever download your app, instead of one of the others? Then again, how am I even going to find your app?
Of course, I your app is great, people will advice it to their friends, blah, blah, blah. But if those people never found your app in the first place, they can't advice it to their friends. So, the hardest part is bootstrapping.
You need to get your initial customers. Where do you find them? Get your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, etc to download your app. That's a start. If you're ashamed of your app, you might as well not publish it, so talk about it whenever you can.
Also write a note to every person in the business. Ask for app reviews from all major sites (see this list: http://maniacdev.com/2012/05/ios-app-review-sites).
But marketing starts before you launch. Start telling the world as you start coding. This means building a network (twitter, facebook) and building a website.
Find more info on launching an app: How NOT to Launch a Game
Tip: Build a website before building your game. Build a network. Ask for reviews. Get the word out. More tips: How NOT to Launch a Game
Problem: You don't have a revenue model.
Products don't just magically make money and apps are no exception.
Just dumping your game on the App Store doesn't make you rich.
There are many, many, many free apps out there on the App Store. Why would I pay for yours?
Is it that good? Can you convince me it is?
You're giving out a free version for trial and a paid version for those who like it. Why won't I just stick with your free version and never download the paid one? Is your app so good / original that I want to keep using it?
Oh, so you're going for the free-with-ads model? Do you know how much that makes? You don't? You'd better find out beforehand!
Just to give you a hint, we had 2737 ad requests for every dollar made. Thus to make 10,000 dollars you need 27.370.000 ad views. How many users do you need to get to that? Thought about it? You didn't? Thought so :D
Then there's In-App Purchase. Seems the highest grossing games jumped on this bandwagon. Want to go for this model? What in-app purchases do you have? Why would I buy them. Personally I hate to pay just to play. Can I play it without paying? What would motivate me to move from playing for free to paying for extra's?
Tip: Figure out your revenue model before starting to build your app. Think about what model would fit your app and users.
Succes & Keep Koding!
Freek Sanders.
MakeMeBlue
Making an app stinks.
Why?
1. Your Idea Stinks
Problem: Your idea is thirteen in a dozen / Your idea is so bad the world is better off without it
There's an App for that...
All obvious and many, many, unobvious ideas already have an app.
When you have an idea, the first thing to do is to go to the App Store and see if there's not already a fantastic app that does exactly that.
Usually there are a whole bunch of them. Download them. Use them. Then ask yourself:
- what would make my app stand out?
- why would anyone download my app instead of one of the others?
- am I able to compete with the other apps out there?
- what have users come to expect from this type of app?
- what is the pricing of the apps out there?
- how much are these apps downloaded? Is there a market?
If there are many strong apps out there, maybe it's better to rethink your idea. Could you modify it to fit a gap in the current offering? If there are no competitors at all then maybe there's a good reason for that! Maybe there's no market for it. Maybe the world's not waiting for a TriTone Fart App. Or maybe you hit gold.
How do you find out? Ask your friends, family and colleges about their opinion. (don't be afraid that they'll run off and steal the idea. Building an app is loads of hard work and most people are lazy)
Do they honestly think it's a good idea? Would they pay for it?
This kills most ideas. If it didn't, carry on...
Tip: Search the App Store for similar apps. Test drive your idea with friends, family and colleagues.
2. Your Skills Stink
Problem: You never build an App before
It's a chicken-and-egg problem. Your app will stink because you don't have any experience, which you don't have because you never build an app.
The only way to get out of this circle of doom is to build an app and acknowledge that it will stink.
Consider the first app(s) you build as lessons. These will teach you how to build better apps in the future. Apps that don't stink. How to build your first app? Read my next post ;).
Just don't quit your job yet.
Another option is to pay someone to build your app. Yes, this is probably costly. But if you're certain it's going to rain money afterwards then this might be a good option.
Especially if the app will support your business instead of being your business (eg: an app to support your online shop).
Tip: View your first app as a lesson, not a money maker. Pay someone else to build your app.
3. Development Stinks
Problem: 80/20 rule: 20% is fun, 80% is torture.
Actually more like 90/10 or 99/01 ;) The first bout of developing is always great fun. There are high hopes, fun things to do and quick improvements. Then things start to slow down. The whole app needs to be redesigned. The database is too slow and needs to be replaced. The memory consumption is too high. There is the mystery bug that only occurs at midnight on the second Tuesday of June. Etcetera, etcetera.
These things suck the lifeblood out of developers, cause premature aging, balding scalps and random anger bouts.
How do you prevent this?
Planning is the key.
Before you start building your app, write down what it does and how it does it.
Draw out all the different screens and transitions between them.
Draw the menu, the different buttons, the intro screen, etc.
Design the software structure. What classes and functions do you need?
What data will you store? How much will it be? Which storage would suite those needs?
Then, find toolkits and SDK's that could lighten your burden. Paying for these is usually much cheaper than building and testing them yourselves. For example if you're building an app with PDF support, don't build all the rendering yourself. Get PSPDFKit or something.
Tip: Plan the software in advance. Get toolkits to lighten the burden.
4. Your Graphics Stink
Problem: You're a programmer not a graphics wizard
Owning photoshop doesn't make you a designer, just as standing in a garage doesn't make you a car.
You might be able to shurn out a decent piece of code, but that doesn't mean you can also design beautiful graphics.
Unfortunately the first thing we seen about an app are the graphics. If they're bad, the first impression is bad.
If the first impression is bad, I don't download your app. End of story.
Your graphics need to be good. Probably you'll need outside help.
Do you have any friends or relatives with graphical experience? Ask them for help. Don't be shy to pay for it either.
A lot of stock images, buttons, icons and other graphics can be found online. Don't hesitate to pay a few dollars if it is what you're looking for.
Tip: Hire a graphics wizard. Find and buy graphics online.
5. Marketing Stinks
Problem: You build it, they won't come.
Building a game is a walk in the park compared to getting someone to download your game. Basic problem is that there are thousands and thousands of apps on the App Store and yours is just one of them.
Why would I ever download your app, instead of one of the others? Then again, how am I even going to find your app?
Of course, I your app is great, people will advice it to their friends, blah, blah, blah. But if those people never found your app in the first place, they can't advice it to their friends. So, the hardest part is bootstrapping.
You need to get your initial customers. Where do you find them? Get your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, etc to download your app. That's a start. If you're ashamed of your app, you might as well not publish it, so talk about it whenever you can.
Also write a note to every person in the business. Ask for app reviews from all major sites (see this list: http://maniacdev.com/2012/05/ios-app-review-sites).
But marketing starts before you launch. Start telling the world as you start coding. This means building a network (twitter, facebook) and building a website.
Find more info on launching an app: How NOT to Launch a Game
Tip: Build a website before building your game. Build a network. Ask for reviews. Get the word out. More tips: How NOT to Launch a Game
6. Making Money Stinks
Problem: You don't have a revenue model.
Products don't just magically make money and apps are no exception.
Just dumping your game on the App Store doesn't make you rich.
There are many, many, many free apps out there on the App Store. Why would I pay for yours?
Is it that good? Can you convince me it is?
You're giving out a free version for trial and a paid version for those who like it. Why won't I just stick with your free version and never download the paid one? Is your app so good / original that I want to keep using it?
Oh, so you're going for the free-with-ads model? Do you know how much that makes? You don't? You'd better find out beforehand!
Just to give you a hint, we had 2737 ad requests for every dollar made. Thus to make 10,000 dollars you need 27.370.000 ad views. How many users do you need to get to that? Thought about it? You didn't? Thought so :D
Then there's In-App Purchase. Seems the highest grossing games jumped on this bandwagon. Want to go for this model? What in-app purchases do you have? Why would I buy them. Personally I hate to pay just to play. Can I play it without paying? What would motivate me to move from playing for free to paying for extra's?
Tip: Figure out your revenue model before starting to build your app. Think about what model would fit your app and users.
Succes & Keep Koding!
Freek Sanders.
MakeMeBlue
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