Since 2004, Waracle has worked with clients from all over the UK to produce apps for iPhone, web and Google Android. I wanted to share with you some of our experiences and shed some light on the factors that influence the quality of an app. We’ve all seen great apps that are effortless to use and make us more productive people. However, we’ve also seen ‘trash apps’ that tend to break every day and end up costing everyone time and money.

Keep it simple. When considering the development of your app, strip it back to the essentials for Version 1. You can always add bells and whistles later on. In the first instance, you’re trying to validate your concept in the market place. In this case, the app store. Far too often, people have great ideas, but fail to distill them into their purest and most useful form. The best apps do one thing, really well. They serve to enhance our every day lives in a purposeful and meaningful way. This is the only way to create long-term value for you and your customers. For your project, the aim is to come in on time and within your allocated budget. The fewer moving parts and components you create, the smaller the scope will be for uncovering nasty bugs and breaks. You should aim to hit the market early, gather user feedback and aggregate this information to create a bigger and better Version2.

Get the funding and commit. Very often people who have great ideas for iPhone app development approach us. In many cases, the prospective customer wants us to develop the app for free in exchange for a share of the revenue. This is not a model we use and I’ll explain why. To develop the simplest of apps costs thousands of pounds. If you believe in your idea and the fruit of your creativity, you must have the confidence to back it financially. To develop an app requires highly skilled developers, designers, project management and marketing. Having an idea is only the first step in a very long and intensive process of design, development, testing and eventual polishing and deployment to the app store. A good idea is important, in fact it’s essential, but it’s just the start. You have to begin somewhere and that involves a certain degree of commercial and technical risk. If you’ve got the next big idea, you should be prepared to back it whatever the cost. If you don’t have the cash, ask friends, fools and family. You can’t expect us to invest thousands of pounds in your idea, if you cant commit to it yourself.

Work on your value proposition. What is it you’re building? Why should people be interested? There’s a great book called ‘Tribes’ by web marketing guru Seth Godin, if you’re thinking of building an app, check it out. It explains that using the web; anyone can create a tribe of followers who believe in a common purpose or value set. Think about this in the context of your app and try to understand why it’s valuable to others. It’s an exercise in understanding your customer, getting inside their heads and working out what makes them tick. If you can crack that and understand their motivation for using your app, that’s half the battle. A good value proposition should clearly and concisely demonstrate the features and benefits of your technology.

Think about your business model. Everyone has a smart phone these days, be it an iPhone, Blackberry or a Google Android device. We’ve all used apps and reckon we have the next great idea to conquer the app store. The chances are you’ve been seduced by the story of the makers of Angry Birds and want a slice of the action. If you’re bored of your day job, a smash hit on the app store seems like a great way to generate another income stream? Well, possibly. But you have to get the basics right. There are three main reasons why people build apps: to raise the awareness of an existing or new brand, to engage users in some meaningful fashion and to make money. If the latter is your motivation, you need to consider how you’re going to generate some cash. Are you going to sell it for 59p or £5.99? Are you going to distribute it for free and charge people a monthly subscription? Are you going to rely on micro-transactions to make your money? If you expect your app to create revenue, you need to think hard about your business model.

Document your plans and get the right support. We’ve all seen it. When good apps go bad. It starts when the guy who built the original software heads to the beach in Australia for a gap year. In order to maintain or enhance the app, you must understand what the original developer was trying to achieve. You must have a clear idea of the fundamental design, the data structure, the methodologies and technologies that have been utilised. This is a huge part of any project irrespective of the size. Whoever is building the app should clearly demonstrate their workings. That way if they do decide to take an extended holiday or get hit by an articulated lorry, another developer can pick up the ball and carry on regardless. You should ensure that whoever develops your app, is able to support your commercial and technical requirements in the long term. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.