Table of Contents
How I Developed An App Myself
I am a website designer with no degree! I completed my graphic design course and then proceeded for a website design course at Blue Sky Graphics online courses. In my duration of learning at Blue Sky Graphics I learnt a lot and all from the comfort of my home! Today I’ll tell you what it takes to develop an app yourself as I did thanks to my mentors!
From start to finish, learn how to create an app.
I’ll give you a comprehensive step-by-step guide from concept to execution here. To make things easier, feel free to jump around according to your objectives:
Create an app concept.
If you already have an app idea, you’re good to go. Proceed to the next step!
However, if you’re still struggling to come up with a great app idea, I’ve got a few really good techniques to help you come up with your next hit app idea.
There aren’t any new app concepts. It simply riffs on existing ones.
To begin, keep in mind that there is rarely a completely new idea that emerges from nowhere.
The Remix Method
One way to come up with a great app idea is to put a new spin on an existing one or to try to combine elements from different apps that you enjoy.
This occurs frequently and produces excellent results!
Words with Friends, a popular mobile game from Zynga, is essentially Scrabble but online with social and multiplayer features that allow you to play a long game in short bursts of free time.
This is especially evident with the plethora of dating apps available. Every month, it seems like a new dating app is released that targets a different audience or has a set of features (usually not new) that aren’t found in “other” dating apps.
Here’s how to do it on your own:
Consider a few apps that you frequently use. Is there any way you could combine the most useful features to create a new type of app?
I like this technique because sometimes the simplest ideas yield the best results. These simple ideas are rarely generated during a brainstorming session for app ideas.
Instead, they are the result of a problem that you have encountered in your life. If you have this problem and are looking for a solution, chances are that others do as well.
If an app can solve the problem, that’s a great reason to create one!
Even if you are aware that an app to solve this problem already exists, write down any of these ideas because, as you will see in the next step, there may be an opportunity to create a better app than what currently exists.
Enhance an existing app
Have you ever used an app and thought to yourself, “It would be so much better if this could do X.” If that’s the case, you’ve just sparked the creative spark for a fantastic potential app idea!
There is always room for improvement, so if you thought an app was severely lacking in a useful feature, chances are you weren’t the only one.
If the original app author isn’t constantly updating and improving the app, you have a chance to make an even better app.
Checking the reviews and ratings for the original app is one way to determine whether or not you are correct.
Is everyone upset about the same thing? Is it something else they’re complaining about? Is the app’s creator paying attention to the feedback?
As you will see, listening to user feedback and improving your app based on that feedback is probably the single most important factor in an app’s success.
An app author who is not present is dooming his or her app to a slow death due to user attrition.
The following step is to validate your idea to ensure that it has a chance of succeeding in the app store.
Conduct a competitive market analysis.
Now we need to determine whether the problem that your app solves is already being addressed by other apps.
Don’t be discouraged if you see other apps in the App Store that address the same problem as yours. Remember, there are no new ideas, and there is always room for improvement.
Actually, this can be a good thing because it indicates that your idea is viable and that there is a genuine need for it. That is why there is rivalry!
The key is to determine HOW WELL these other existing apps meet the need.
These apps could be out of date, or the app author may have stopped updating them.
Or perhaps none of them meet the audience’s true needs and desires.
To keep track of your results, you might want to create a matrix or spreadsheet. This research you’re conducting right now will serve as the foundation for deciding which features to include in your own app and which to prioritise first.
What you’re looking for is as follows:
Name of the application
This is mostly for identification and keeping track of the various apps you’ll be looking at. Some people include keywords in the app name as well. As you go through the list of competing apps, look for any specific words that keep appearing in the app’s title and consider using such a keyword for your app title.
Pricing and monetization
Is the app only available for a one-time fee? Is it available for free but monetized in some other way? The importance of this cannot be overstated for two reasons:
How do users feel about the way it’s monetized? Some people, for example, despise advertisements and would rather pay for an app than deal with ad banners within the app.
You may be able to monetize your app in a variety of ways. For example, if your app is good but too expensive, you can find alternative ways to monetize it.
Publisher of mobile applications
Who created the app? Is it a person or a business? (Or is it a one-man operation?)
The goal is to figure out who you’re up against. Large corporations have large marketing budgets and frequently have a team of people working on a single app. It would be difficult to compete head on. I’m not saying don’t compete, but we may need to take a different approach with our app rather than competing feature for feature.
If it’s an individual’s name, it’s usually a single person, which gives us some reassurance if you’re planning to do this on your own.
If the app publisher is a company name, it is sometimes just the company that the individual has registered. Visit the listed company website to see if it is a single person or a large corporation.
You’ll usually find your answer by going to the contact or about page. If there is an entire team listed on the about page or an address for an office building listed on the contact page, it is most likely a large corporation.
I learnt a lot more from my online graphic design course so be sure to enrol at BSG if you’re looking for an amazing course in graphic, web and UX UI design.
