How to stop failing at making apps
This article is dedicated to anyone who hopes to monetize off of the app craze. The first thing to do is forget all about monetizing. I’m serious. Good. When making apps try to remember it’s not about the app itself at all. It’s about utility. This article is meant as a step back from the do’s don’ts and is intended to help you with your future decisions.
- There are no users
What I mean by this is to stop assuming users will bring you any money or help you with your marketing. As Seth Godin puts it, what you want is “nerds”. You want somebody that will do the preaching for you for free. They get you the users; not ads, not promos, not nothing. But how do you enchant someone?
2. Utility doesn’t mean what it used to
How in God’s name is Yo valued at $10M? For those unfamiliar, Yo lets you send a static “yo” notification to your friends. That’s right. While you’re having boardroom talks about your next killer app, someone is getting attention from VCs and users for an app that does just one thing. And that’s an important thing to remember.
3. UX is as important as designers say it is
Why small apps are great is that they’re extremely easy to jump into. They also don’t require long tutorials and they’re fast to download on phones. But small isn’t always good. It’s about being as big as you need to be and not a fingernail bigger. That doesn’t mean you can’t build under the hood, though.
4. Don’t be afraid to hide features
When launching an app, you need to people to jump onboard ASAP. That’s why you put your core features on display and hide some of them in the interface. Power users will like that because it gives them a feeling of accomplishment when they discover a new feature. And you love power users because they’re likely to be your most loyal fans.
5. When you need to make an app
When you find a gap in utility, fill it. It’s about accuracy and grace. It’s not about brute force and shoveling money into whatever. But how do you do that?
6. My proposed model
You can work with whatever dev team/company you want. Just work Agile and structure your strategy on Agile principles. Many large companies adopt Agile, but it’s a great fit for bootstrapped projects, too.
Your cycle has to look like this: build “releasable” app version, test it on a public, learn, rebuild the app. You can’t risk all your money on “the one build to rule them all”. It doesn’t exist.
In summary
Apps can be fun. Sometimes they can bring a lot of utility to the table and Agile isn’t necessarily your cookie-cutter strategy, but it’s a great place to start. With the right people, a plan that takes feedback loops into account and the willingness to learn and improve, your business goals can be attained. But be patient and stop thinking about what you need. Always think about why people need whatever it is you’re offering them.
