Experience in the development of veteran veterans

As you can see, the App Store and Google Play already have more than millions of apps, and the market is congested. However, I still believe that developers can pull the wedge, rely on mobile applications to live a good life, to build their own business.

In fact, since the creation of the mobile App Chat podcast, I have had the opportunity to interview more than 100 entrepreneurs, including Chris Batron (co-founder of Shazam), Paul Haddad (tapbots), Lucy Zhang (Facebook Messenger), and so on.

I learned a lot from these interviews, including how to effectively launch the app business and how to start developing applications.

How can I develop a successful app? I got a lot of interviews with hundreds of top app developers. Below, I have compiled the most valuable 7 points of experience:

1. Yearn, the line must be able to

"Those things that are deeply troubling you will also accomplish you." ”

--ouriel Ohayon,appsfire's CEO and co-founder.

What you have to do is sure that if you are desperate for something to come up in this world, this passion and energy will be incorporated into your application and become the first speed at which it takes off, giving you positive feedback. It is important to think of yourself as the most important user of the app.

I asked Tapbots's developer, Paul Haddad, what his favorite app was, and he told me that his favorite is his own app,tweetbot. He doesn't want to boast. Instead, he sounded serious and said it was one of his most popular apps.

Appsfire's CEO, Ouriel Ohayon, also made the same answer in the interview. Appsfire went through many iterations, and until the whole team used it every day, the right new features were developed, and useless functionality was removed.

Most of the time, we are bent on profit and neglect our heart, but on Tweetbot, you can truly feel Paul's passion and his meticulous detail. What he has developed is something he wants to use every day. This is what each of us should do when we develop our applications.

2. Communicating with real users

As developers, many times we are embarrassed to communicate with the target audience.

Programming is a gift and a curse.

We can create everything we want to see in the world by programming, so it's a gift. However, sometimes we are confined to the code and not to communicate with the real user, it is a curse.

When Jake Fuentes created level, he found two acquaintances and asked if they could keep themselves in the shop. Level is a real-time money-tracking app that tells you how much you can spend this month based on your budget and current spending range.

Jake wants to understand how users make consumer decisions, so that their apps can better meet the needs of their users. When someone is hesitant to face two jeans, he wants to know how the person made the decision to buy or not to buy.

Jake wants to make a app that lets users know how much they should spend in real time. The app doesn't have the same information clutter and redundancy as its competitors. Only by talking to the user does he figure out what information and features need to be presented in the app.

Another way to talk to a real user is to send an ad to each test user on Craigslist. For my upcoming app called Osnap (a fully gesture-based camera app that allows you to take photos anywhere on your screen), I used Google Hangout to get some initial user feedback by contacting someone I found on Craigslist.

I learned through hangout that people in selfies are more inclined to use the rear camera, since the rear camera has a higher resolution than the front camera. Although this is not the real problem I want to solve, but it also let me know that there may be a demand in the market, perhaps I can grasp.

Keep in mind, try to find some test users and get real user feedback.

3. Don't be too mindful of your thoughts

It is common sense that the idea is just a coin that doesn't have much value, and whether it's successful or not is all about execution.

However, no matter how familiar we are, it is easy to get into the idea of what we think. Love makes wisdom faint, so we will not seriously to the competition market research, nor seriously think whether the product is worth doing.

Worse still, even if we are willing to do research, this practice often makes the study subjective, and we choose data that is good for our own ideas.

Most of the time, it is important to have a dissenting person, whose feedback is as precious as the treasure. They allow us to see the inadequacy of our own ideas so that we can make the necessary improvements.

4. To have intangible power

"Passion is a kind of energy. What makes you passionate will also give you strength, and you just need to feel the power. ”

--oprah Winfrey.

Most apps in the App Store don't make much money, so if you decide to make an app, make sure you have enough enthusiasm.

I interviewed more than 100 app developers and few of them were as enthusiastic as they were when they developed the first app. Good adjustment and continuous learning are the magic weapon of success.

Keep in mind that before Angry Birds, Rovio has actually developed 51 games.

People who are known for "overnight fame" are actually mostly engaged in app development for about 10 years, and if you ask any of the top game developers, they will tell you that even if they don't make a penny, they won't stop the game development. They simply love to develop games and play games, that's all.

Without such an intangible motive, all your passions will fall into Ching in case the success comes not as early as imagined.

5. It's never too late

Yes, the Golden Age of App Store is over, but mobile apps still have a bright point. The media may only report an angry bird or temple escape, but there is also a group of independent developers who consider developing apps as their career and life pillar.

I once loved Mochi Bits, which is run by a team of two people, making word games for the app Store, Google play, and Amazon Store. Kyle Yamamoto, one of the founders, put forward an interesting concept-"blue-chip developers"-referring to developers who live on their own apps and don't invest a penny from the outside world.

Solve problems, design carefully, think people think, entrusted.

Do this, the market door will still open for you.

6. The only focus, the ultimate perfection

On the web, the more features a product has, the more it can attract users. On the other hand, in fragmented mobile space, the trend is to reduce functionality and focus as much as possible.

At the time of Songza's debut, there were two competitors in the market, called Pandora and Spotify, respectively. However, Songza brings a disruptive music listening experience.

Songza chooses music for you based on your current activity. In short, Songza gives you the right music at the right time, and it has won the App Store's 2012 Best app Award.

The only focus, the ultimate perfection. This "one" must be a trivial matter that is meaningful to people.

Don't always want to get a Big Mac out. It's not like you're always thinking about things that don't really exist in real life.

The best application must be to solve the real problems in people's lives.

7. Build Your own platform

Everyone who has played a blog knows that it is not easy for others to comment on their app. I now run my own blog and push it to the iphonelife to see hundreds of articles sent every day, but 95% are not.

However, if you build your own platform – whether it's a blog, podcast or video show – you have your own audience, so you can easily promote your next app. You don't have to rely on external factors to promote it.

Besides, you don't have to engage in a crowded community. In fact, a smaller, more active community would be better.

Keep in mind that you have to bring value to your audience, which is paramount. Gary Vaynerchuk The idea in his new book Jab, Jab, Jab, right hook, and he mentions that you have to constantly "poke" your listeners ' hearts with the best content, so that when you need to put a "right hook" on them and ask them to make some kind of return on books, They would be more willing to do it.

Here are some other app developers who have successfully built their own platforms:

• David smith,developing Perspective

• Marco Arment

• Carter Thomas,blue Cloud Solutions

It doesn't matter who you know, the key is who knows you.

If I were to give you one of the most important suggestions, it would be to build a platform that you have a passion to maintain. If you don't like to write, don't choose a blog.

I like to talk, like to interview others, so it is natural to choose the podcast, but you can choose other, for example, if you need to show your latest design, then you can register a dribbble.

If you don't remember anything in this article, be sure to remember that-build your own platform and go now!

Conclusion

I have heard some good advice-"learn from experienced people." ”

There is no shortage of advice on the Internet, but you need to find people who have "crossed the hills" and who have succeeded in the areas where you want to succeed, and the advice they give is the most valuable.

I want to learn from Daniel and make my app career a better place, which is why I built my own podcast.

Experience in the development of veteran veterans