Mobile app development bootcamp

So I have this idea for an app…

Mobile App Development BootcampBobby Gill – March 13, 2013

The different kinds of apps

What makes a great app?

1. They deliver great user experiences.

2. They give users a reason to come back.

3. They are designed to be easily shared.

1. They are buggy and/or poorly built.

2. They do not scale.

3. They have poorly thought out user experiences.

4. They aren’t useful or interesting.

What makes a bad app?

Great ideas do not make great apps

Mobile web app Native app

vs

2 FLAVORS OF MOBILE APP

THE APPSTER DILEMMA: NATIVE OR WEB?

Hybrid Apps: Best of both worlds?

iOS Android Windows Phone HTML / Hybrid

• ~80% of all app revenue generated on Apple iOS.

• Saturated marketplace, hard to find niche.

• ~60% global smartphone market share and rapidly growing.

• Very difficult to make one app that runs on many phones.

• Strong enterprise pull and relatively sparse app store.

• Nobody has one.

• Write once, run everywhere!

• Can’t do everything a native app can.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT MOBILE PLATFORM

Android vs iOS: marketshare vs revenue

How to make money with an app?

Paid Download Display Advertising

“Freemium”

• Charge from $0.99+ for each download of app.

• Few people buy apps, especially on Android.

• Earn revenue through CPC/CPM/CPC ads shown in the app.

• Very easy to setup.

• Requires scale to be successful.

• Give it away for free, and lure people in for purchases after.

• 90% of app downloads are free.

• Wave of the future!

Trial / Full ModeFree version has ads, while full version doesn’t.

In-App PurchasesAllow purchases of “goods” or in-app “services”

Pay-wallsTease with limited amount of free content, require subscription for more.

Display advertising

CPM - Cost per Thousand Impressions• Earn revenue for each 1000 displays of

an ad.• ~$0.20 - $5.00 CPM

CPC - Cost per Click• Earn revenue based on the user clicking

on an advertisement.

CPA - Cost per Action• Earn revenue based on a user completing

an action (i.e. signing up for a service, filling out a firm, installing program)

Mobile app development process

Build Release Measure

Iterate

2 – 3 MONTHS FOR FIRST RELEASE3-6 WEEKS FOR NEXT RELEASE

Design & Planning

• Mockups are non-functional prototypes of your app designed to illustrate the look and feel of your app.

• Create a mockup before looking for quotes or approaching engineers.

• PowerPoint and Keynote are easy to use and powerful mockup tools.

• Keynotopia.com, Windows8Templates.com, BlackBerry10Templates.com

Build Release MeasureDesign & Planning

Mockups are easy to make and incredibly powerful

3 things to remember when designing your app:

1. Batteries don’t last forever.

2. Data plans aren’t unlimited.

3. Small screens, busy hands, poor eyes, fat fingers.

Build Release MeasureDesign & Planning

Tabs

Navigation Flow

List - Detail

Build Release MeasureDesign & Planning

Use established mobile design metaphors

Build Release MeasureDesign & Planning

Don’t leave your users hanging!

1. Use progress bars.

2. Leverage transitions and overlays.

3. Minimize time to launch app.

Release MeasureDesign & Planning Build

Who will build your app?

CTO / Co-Founder• Optimal solution, find

someone to join your team who knows how to code.

Independent• Single developer working

on a project basis.• Cheaper and riskier than

using a development lab.

App Development Lab

• Firms which specialize in developing apps.

• Contract manufacturing.• Larger the firm, the more

expensive.

Release MeasureDesign & Planning Build

Where to find app developers?

They Make Appshttp://www.theymakeapps.com

ODeskhttp://www.odesk.com

Guruhttp://www.guru.com

Elancehttp://www.elance.com

VWorkerhttp://www.vworker.com

Tips to Offshoring development

Release MeasureDesign & Planning Build

1. Be involved, you are the project manager.

2. Specify everything! Don’t assume things are implied.

3. Easier to work with S. American teams due to time-zones.

4. Remember cultural differences!

Release MeasureDesign & Planning Build

Tips to getting development quotes

1. Use mockups!

2. Be consistent in your description

3. Ask for unbuffered estimates.

Release MeasureDesign & Planning Build

Keeping development costs in check

1. Reduce the number of screens.

2. Eliminate backend web components.

3. Use out-of-box colors, fonts, and controls.

4. Choose a small set of devices to support.

Release MeasureDesign & Planning Build

Testing is an ongoing process

• Use testflight to distribute and test intermediary builds.

• Insist your developers create unit tests.

• Test offline, landscape, 3g scenarios!

MeasureDesign & Planning Build Release

Your app release checklist

1. Incorporate your business.

2. Sign up for developer account.

3. Prepare app icon, screenshots, etc.

4. Finalize app name, description, tag line.

5. Reserve domain, launch support site.

MeasureDesign & Planning Build Release

3 Tips to the apple review process

1. Your app needs to pass the uptight citizens test.

2. Your app can’t be crap.

3. Your app can’t be hacked together.

Design & Planning Build Release Measure

Download metrics tell you how many people tried your app

Design & Planning Build Release Measure

mobile analytics tell you how people use your app

Design & Planning Build Release Measure

Take what your learn and iterate!

Just because you built it, doesn’t mean anyone will use it!

Getting people to use your app is tough!

Marketing your app

1. Create a promotional web site for your app.

2. Write press releases to announce your app.

3. Get your app reviewed.

4. Leverage app promotion sites.

5. Social media out-reach.

6. app focused pr agencies.

7. Paid advertising

Create a website to promote your app

• Wordpress makes it easy to create a dedicated web site for your app.

• Templatic offers a Wordpress theme that makes creating a web site for your app simple

Get your app reviewed• Reviews on the app store and independent review sites are critical to getting

your app noticed.

• Integrate prompts in your app to ask users to review app on app store.

• Independent review sites inundated with review requests, expect to pay.

Site Cost to Review

148apps.com Free

The iPhone App Review Free + Paid ($39 - $270)

The Daily App Show Paid ($55 - $280)

Fresh Apps Paid ($100)

Facebook app advertising

• Studies show the Facebook mobile app ad-unit is one of the best paid advertising channels for apps. (0.74% CTR vs 0.072%)

• Target your audience based on age, gender, location and mobile platform.

• Cost per install typically ranges $2.20 - $5.50

Social media outreach

• Use tools like Tweepi and TweetAdder to target Twitter-users and automate out-reach.

• Integrate your app into Twitter Cards to have your app content featured in-line with tweets.

• Leverage social sharing sites like Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious to promote your app.

Designing viral loops

1.) User snaps a photo with the app

2.) User shares photo to their Facebook or Twitter through the app

3.) Friend sees photo on feed and clicks the link

4.) Web site asks the user to download and try the app.

Every social media share drives new users to the

app

FOR MORE information Visit the Website

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