Lessons learned3yearsappstore

transcript

Lessons Learned from 3 Years on the App Store

Mohammad Azam

Wednesday, November 20, 13

Mohammad Azam

• Manager Consultant at Sogeti

Mohammad Azam

• Founder of HighOnCoding

Mohammad Azam

• Creator of AzamSharp YouTube Channel (over 5500 subscribers)

Mohammad Azam

• Creator of AzamSharp YouTube Channel (over 5500 subscribers)

• Microsoft MVP (2007 - 2011)

ABC POP

Mathemachicken

Math Speeder

Kinder Pop

My Chandas

Vegetable Tree

Featured on App Store 2013

Daily5

Featured on App Store 2013

Agenda

Why iOS?

Investment

DesignImplementation

Tools/FrameworksTesting

Marketing

Customer Service iOS 7

updatesLegal

Why iOS?

• iOS apps make more money as compared to any other platform

Why iOS?

• Users upgrade to new platform almost instantly (iOS 7 already have > 80% adoption rate)

Why iOS?

• Mac (Once you go Mac you don’t go back)

Why iOS?

• Mac (Once you go Mac you don’t go back)

• It’s a lot of FUN!

Investment

$1200 - $2000

Investment

$1200 - $2000$99 per year Apple Developer Program Membership

• Get Inspired Don’t Cheat

• Follow your passion

• Don’t suffer from ABD (Already Been Done) syndrome

• Use your memories/culture to your advantage (Mathemachicken was inspired from my visit to a poultry farm)

• Make an app about a subject you want to learn

Tools and Frameworks

Objective-C

Xamarin

Ruby Motion

Appcode

Objective-C

XamarinC#

Appcode

Objective-C

Appcode

Objective-C

Appcode

Objective-C

Appcode

Objective-C

Design

• Design represents how the app feels

Design

• Paper and pencil

Design

• Design time > development time

Design

• Less features is better than more features!

Design

• Less features is better than more features!

Think about how the user will interact with the application!

Design of a cycling app is different than a financial app!

Implementation

• Set a goal

Implementation

• Set a goal

• Don’t take shortcuts!

Implementation

• Set a goal

• Don’t reinvent the wheel!

Implementation

• Set a goal

• Ask for help when needed!

Implementation

• Set a goal

• Ask for help when needed!

• Backup your code!

• Achieving smaller goals will give you confidence to move forward

• Give yourself a deadline!

• Remove all distractions

• Sacrifice Breaking Bad!

Shortcuts

• Shortcuts will later bite you in the a$$

Shortcuts

• Don’t write crappy code!

Shortcuts

• Don’t write crappy code!

ABC POP iPhone game quickly became hard to maintain because of ugly code!

Reinventing Wheel

• Before creating a custom control check out CocoaControls

Reinventing Wheel

• Before creating a custom control check out CocoaControls

• Before manually managing dependencies check out Cocoapods

Ask for help

• Accept that you don’t know everything

Ask for help

• Accept that you don’t know everything

• Use StackOverFlow to ask your questions

Backup your code

• 3, 2, 1 (3 copies of the item, 2 on a different medium, 1 offsite)

Icon is a pathway to your app, keep it clean and beautiful!

If I have a budget of $200 for the app I will spend all on the app icon!

and I did!

Icons by Developer

Icons by Designer

• The narrower the audience, the higher the price

• Ads degrade the app!

• Real money is in In-App purchase. And even more money is in consumable In-App purchase (Candy Crush uses the consumable model and

generates 530K ... a day)

• Real money is in In-App purchase. And even more money is in consumable In-App purchase (Candy Crush uses the consumable model and

generates 530K ... a day)

Build the pricing model around the app not the other way!

Bird Watching Apps

Vegetable Tree

Vegetable Tree• Initial Price: $1.99

• Price changed: $2.99

Find the high end of your app price! You already know the bottom end!

Marketing

Marketing• Pre-release

• Promo codes

• Ad space

• Promo codes

• Ad space

• Blogging

• Promo codes

• Ad space

• Blogging

• Social Media

• Promo codes

• Ad space

• Blogging

• Social Media

• Set a release date for your app!

• Promo codes

• Ad space

• Blogging

• Social Media

• Set a release date for your app!

• Getting featured by Apple

Pre-release

• Create a teaser trailer (Checkmark app, Perfect Weather)

Pre-release

• Write about the design and development process

Pre-release

• Create a website for your app

Pre-release

• Create a website for your app

• Create high quality screenshots (placeit.breezi.com)

Promo codes

• You get 100 promo codes per version of the app

Promo codes

• You cannot review the app when using the promo code

Promo codes

• Distribute to reviewers, bloggers etc

Promo codes

• Distribute to reviewers, bloggers etc

• Giveaway promo codes on Twitter or Facebook as a prize

Ad Space

Blogging

Blogging• Blog about the process of your app development

• Write about how you found a solution to a complicated problem

A developer made $6000+ in sales by blogging about his experience of how standup desk has changed his life. He sold thousands of his fitness apps!

Social Media

• Follow tags related to your app on Twitter and Facebook

Social Media

• Communicate with the leaders and tell them about your app

Social Media

• Communicate with the leaders and tell them about your app

• Take part in discussion boards related to your app

Release Date

• Never release your app automatically!

Release Date

• Release date generates excitement

Release Date

• Release date generates excitement

• Custom release date will help you plan your marketing strategies

Getting Featured by Apple

Getting Featured by AppleCreate a great app!

Create an app that features Apple’s new API

Newsstand

NewsstandGame Center

AirDrop

Blue ToothAirDrop

Blue Tooth

AirDrop

Duke Nukem

Duke NukemDuke Nukem 3D was released in 1996

Duke Nukem Forever was released

15 years later

Make sure you are not creating Duke Nukem forever!

Updates

Updates• Updates are important

• App that do not update, do not exist

• Create an update schedule

Updates gives your app free marketing opportunity!

Vegetable Tree

• Form an LLC

• Pay for the assets (images, sounds, artwork)

• Form an LLC

Protect your ass

• Form an LLC

Protect your assets!

Testing

• Test your app!

Testing

• Test your app!

• TEST IT ON THE DEVICE, TEST IT ON THE DEVICE, TEST IT ON THE DEVICE, TEST IT ON THE DEVICE

Testing

• Test your app!

• Form a team of beta testers

Testing

• Test your app!

• Form a team of beta testers

• Use TestFlight to distribute your builds

Customer Service

• Treat your customers with respect

Customer Service

• Customer service can increase your app ranking

Customer Service

• Customer service can increase your app ranking

Almost all the 5 star reviews of Vegetable Tree app are because of excellent customer service

iOS has the same look and feel since its release

Until Now!Wednesday, November 20, 13

iOS 7Wednesday, November 20, 13

Chaos in the App Store

• All the apps with heavy textures will look obsolete!

• Opportunity to penetrate into your desired market

Since, the release of the iOS SDK this is the best opportunity for any developer to seize the moment!

Apple Weather App

Reminders App

Apple App Store App

Apple Calendar App

Vegetable Tree

Resources

• AzamSharp YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/azamsharp)

Resources

• iOS Programming by Big Nerd Ranch (Book)

Resources

• iOS Programming by Big Nerd Ranch (Book)

• http://www.raywenderlich.com/

Contact

Contact• azamsharp@gmail.com

• @azamsharp

• www.azamsharp.com

• @azamsharp

• www.highoncoding.com

• @azamsharp

• www.highoncoding.com

Thank you!See you in the app store!

Lessons learned3yearsappstore

Technology