There are not to many people out there that have the opportunity to use as many iPhone Apps as I have. I consider myself lucky but at the same time I feel I have a responsibility to provide more then just short app reviews. In using many of these apps I have found many short comings. These are things issues that I believe hurt the bottom line of many developers. I decided to put together a list of items I think all app developers should consider before deploying their app to iTunes for purchase.
1. Make sure you in it for the long run.
Just like music artists come and go we are going to see app developers come and go. We all have a few favorites that came onto the charts full swing and then disappeared after their short lived fame. There are many third party apps out there that are dependent upon a website or a service to function. These websites and services usually do upgrades and provide more functionality. If you develop an app for one of these services you need to make sure that you are going to provide updates to your app that are timely with the website or service’s updates. If you fail to do so then you open yourself up to be taken over by someone else who is developing an all.
I have noticed in my own usage as well as the usage of others that apps don’t stay installed to long unless they provide value to our lives. My iPhone’s Dashboard is just like my computer’s desktop, I will remove icons if I feel I am not using them. I have removed apps that cost me as much as $19.99 from my iPhone and replaced them with free apps that I felt accomplished what I needed them to. When you develop an app you are entering into a community of people who have similar interests. We all love our device and have different aspects of our lives that could be improved upon by your apps. You will never know how you are doing if you do not take part in this community. Here are a few ways to take part in a community of iPhone users.
1. Join an iPhone users forum.
2. Read comments on reviews of your apps on websites like this one.
3. Get your app reviewed so you can get reviews of your app.
Developers, another great way to find out who is talking about your app is to set up a Google Alert. A Google Alert will email you links to any website that includes the name of the search term you give it. I have one set up for “Jerad Hill” and “iPhone App Podcast”. This way I can visit the websites that are talking about me and join in on the conversation. Visit http://www.google.com/alerts to get that set up.
2. Provide all of the features, or wait to launch it:
I have downloaded many apps that have been lacking features that I believe would not be hard to implement. As an example, and this is only an example, that I was developing an app for viewing Flickr images. If my App offered users to search only using one of the many ways that you can search Flickr if you are on their website don’t you think my app would not be complete? Another app developer could easily develop an app providing all search functionality for Flickr thus putting me way behind. If I updated my app it would not matter as much. If I charged for my app, people who purchased it would be upset, especially if the other app developer offers the app for free.
App Developers need to step back and take a look at how their app is going to be used and by who. Just because I am a Flickr user and love the service does not mean everybody does. If you create a camera app and only allow it to submit images to Flickr then you have missed the bus. You should implement as many services as you can into that app and allow the user to choose which to upload to, as I have seen some apps do.
If you catch my drift, it’s all about offering as many options as possible. Give your users a variety of ways to do something so that the next developer does not come along and do what you should have.
3. Settle on a price
If you are going to charge for your app then set the price and leave it. When apps start out high and then go on sale you are punching the customers you already have right in the balls. I have bought apps for $9.99 just to have them discounted to $2.99. In my opinion that tells me that you have no business sense what so ever. Those who start out an app at a low price and then raise it are using good judgment. Put the apps in the hands of the users and then raise the price. Raising your prices slowly not only shows people that your app is getting better but also it is getting more popular. There are so many apps in the app store now that if you set your pricing wrong from the get go, you may never be found or make it into the top 25 in the iTunes App Store. It is getting much harder so as an app developer you must get it right the first time.
I recommend that you have people in the iPhone community test your app and help you price it. I know many app developers are one-man-shows, it is hard to get good feedback when you do not have a team testing the waters for you. Let the people out there with a voice get to know your app and help with logistics and marketing.
4. Don’t Imitate, Innovate
On the internet you can find more copies and imitations of software and solutions than anywhere else in the world. Developers and designers seem to believe that if they add one simple feature then it warrants them creating their over version. That is becoming the case with the Apps for the iPhone. If you really want to get noticed then be the first to do something, not the fifth.
In Closing:
I think the biggest problem out there in the iPhone/iPod Touch Development world is that there is no easy way to beta test your app. Apple offers Adhoc app installs (which is a pain in my arse) but that is not very easy for the average user to take part in. In software development you should be able to generate an application and easily send it to users so they can test it. That is not the case with the iPhone.
As I’m sure the months and years to come will bring many changes to the way Apps are developed and deployed to end users for now it is a fight to produce a good app and get it noticed. That is why this website exists and others like it.
If you have suggestions of your own, please comment below.
