Making Apps - Workshop on App Development and Marketing

Here is a presentation I gave at the App Development and Marketing Master Class at The Coalition in March 2014.

The presentation aims to help you figure out how to decide what to build, finalize a feature set, hire design and development teams and taking your app to the store.

1. Most probably you don’t need an app

2. Decide what to build

• Create a long list of ideas
• Keep your mind open
• Exercise your idea muscle
• Let your ideas have sex

3. Is the app worth making?

• Will you use it all the time?
• Are there other people doing the same thing?
• Researched the top 300 people in your category?
• Can you get x signups on your landing page?
• Can you find enough beta testers who care?

4. Do one thing well

• Make a list of features that you want
• Order features by priority
• Remove the bottom half of the feature list
• Keep removing features till it hurts

5. Timelines?

• Wireframes and Design take between 2-3 months
• Development takes between 4 to 26 weeks
• Testing & QA takes 40% of the development time
• Polishing takes 60% of the development time
• Go Live takes about 2 weeks
• Priority Support is required for about 4-6 weeks

6. Get Started

• Decide metrics for happiness
• Create a landing page and start talking to clients
• Hire a team to do wireframes only
• Wireframes are visual documentation
• Wireframe everything including errors (use Sketch)
• Don’t get estimates till you freeze wireframes
• Don’t make a free app, make money

7. Making Money

• Free Apps
• Free Apps with In App Purchase
• Paid Apps
• Paid Apps with In App Purchase
• Consumable Purchases
• Non Consumable Purchases
• Subscriptions
• Ads

8. Design Pays

• Great design pays for itself
• Compete with the best apps
• Pick designers who know the medium
• Where to find designers

9. Handling Developers

• Get a feel for the quality
• Involve developers early. Really early if possible.
• Complete APIs before the app needs it
• Explain functionality in videos not calls
• Get on a call at least twice a week
• Communicate frequently, use the test build. Be engaged.
• Give them time to do things right
• Know what will break.

10. Testing & QA

• Software is never perfect
• Automated vs Manual (auto is 30% more)
• Use a bug tracking tool (we use github)
• Try as many devices as you can (hint 1000s)
• Get as many beta testers as you can
• Pitch to your beta testers

11. Go back to the drawing board

• Third time’s a charm

12. How much does it cost?

• Usually between three and fifty lakhs ($60,000 - $100,000)

13. It’s a Long Way to the Top, If You Wanna Rock ’n’ Roll - AC/DC