New App idea.....whats next.

Triumph 11

Hi all. I have an idea for an app but haven't a clue about what I should do next. I've spoken to a few people and they all think its a great idea. I have looked online but the only sites I have seen have asked for me to tell them what my idea is...... This may be the norm, but what comeback if any do I have if they develop it themselves. If anyone knows what I should do, some advice on it would be great. Cheers.

Graham

Triumph 11 wrote: »

I have an idea for an app but haven't a clue about what I should do next.

Learn to code or pay someone else to develop it for you.

Triumph 11 wrote: »

I have looked online but the only sites I have seen have asked for me to tell them what my idea is.

It's quite usual when giving someone a quote for building an app, how else would they be able to quote.

Triumph 11 wrote: »

what comeback if any do I have if they develop it themselves.

Pretty much no comeback but the chances of it actually happening are so very remote that I wouldn't worry about it.

What should you do next:
Search this forum for 'idea', read through the answers everyone else got to the same question.
Google search 'I have an idea for an app'.

That may come across as a bit harsh but nobody (paid developers included) is really going to take your idea seriously unless you demonstrate you've thought your idea through fully and done your research.

Maximus Alexander

Without meaning to be harsh, it's very unlikely that nobody has thought of your idea before. Ideas are ten a penny, nobody is looking to steal it. As above, developers ask you what the idea is because they can't quote you or offer advice if they don't know what kind of work is involved. Developers want to get paid, not take a gamble on stealing your idea, spending time building it, and then potentially never seeing a return.

Mr. CooL ICE

Man has great idea for app

Graham

LordChessington wrote: »

Man has great idea for app

I'm trying to get the point from that link, you could take many:

1) Man with no experience gets an App successfully built.
2) Man with no experience gets an App built, nobody uses it.
3) Man with no experience gets an app built, attracts a few users and is on the verge of launching it into a global marketplace for Menu apps.

The most shocking takeaway from that advertorial for me is the fact that a mobile developer actually agreed to build an app for a friend.

Maximus Alexander

Graham wrote: »

I'm trying to get the point from that link, you could take many:

1) Man with no experience gets an App successfully built.
2) Man with no experience gets an App built, nobody uses it.
3) Man with no experience gets an app built, attracts a few users and is on the verge of launching it into a global marketplace for Menu apps.

The most shocking takeaway from that advertorial for me is the fact that a mobile developer actually agreed to build an app for a friend.

I took from it that the app wasn't made, that he probably hadn't even asked his friend to build it yet, and that he wasn't even entirely sure what the app would actually do.

All he knew was the name and that it would somehow help you choose a restaurant. I think it was a great bit of satire.

Graham

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

I took from it that the app wasn't made, that he probably hadn't even asked his friend to build it yet, and that he wasn't even entirely sure what the app would actually do.

All he knew was the name and that it would somehow help you choose a restaurant. I think it was a great bit of satire.

I went back and read it again and I'm still none the wiser.

If it is satire (and that's a strong possibility), it's not exaggerated enough as the entire scenario is quite plausible apart from the notion a developer would work for free

Considering this is the week where an App that does nothing but send 'YO' messages raised $1,000,000 anythings possible.

Mr. CooL ICE

WWN is a satirical site, much like The Onion. I know I wasn't being helpful, but it pokes fun at people who have misconceptions about app creation which I can relate to. As a (admittedly average) developer, friends of mine have come to me in the past with app ideas and they just think like this:

1) Get idea for app
2) ???
3) Profit!!!

Like starting a business, having an idea and getting somebody else to do it won't be enough. You really have to do some research or feasibility study to ensure investment of time, effort and money is worth your while.

Graham

LordChessington wrote: »

1) Get idea for app
2) ???
3) Profit!!!

If you do a quick survey of the 'I have an idea for an app' posts, here's the top contenders for 2) ??? in no particular order:

1. Find a developer who's willing to work for the glory of adding another app to his portfolio.
2. Find a developer to work for minuscule equity.
3. Crowdsource the idea.
4. Find an angel investor.
5. Talk to venture capital funds.
6. Dragons Den

Did I miss any?

The Corinthian

Graham wrote: »

Considering this is the week where an App that does nothing but send 'YO' messages raised $1,000,000 anythings possible.

This is also the week that someone won the Lotto in Canada, and that really encompasses the flawed thinking when people cite such examples.

Bringing out an app on the basis that you're going to be the next 'Yo' or whatever is essentially the same as playing the Lotto. No matter what your idea is, whether it becomes a runaway success is a matter of many factors, to the point that the idea is essentially irrelevant and the whole thing is a game of chance, with roughly the same odds as the Lotto. Sure, you could make it big, but all things considered, you're better off getting a job in McDonalds in terms of making money.

Unfortunately, the reality of the app market is that it's a far more complex and tougher 'bread and butter' slog to make a living. And one which is getting harder by the day to achieve - I don't think I've ever witnessed a market that has so much pressure to rapidly innovate on all levels as this.

With those odds, why do people seem to bank on such unrealistic expectations? I suppose there's the appeal of the 'get rich quick' approach to business - becoming quickly wealthy with little or no effort is naturally an attractive proposition. But ultimately, because people often believe that the odds will smile on them because they're different; special - an egocentric fetish that we're all prone to in life and that normally is tempered with maturity.

Thing is, they are different. Just like everybody else.

Graham

The Corinthian wrote: »

With those odds, why do people seem to bank on such unrealistic expectations? I suppose there's the appeal of the 'get rich quick' approach to business - becoming quickly wealthy with little or no effort is naturally an attractive proposition. But ultimately, because people often believe that the odds will smile on them because they're different; special - an egocentric fetish that we're all prone to in life and that normally is tempered with maturity.

Thing is, they are different. Just like everybody else.

There go my plans for an app "Like Yo with a twist".

Oi for iPhone was going to provide for my retirement

rep man

I just got an app developed by outsourcing it to Odesk. it cost about €400 all in, including testing.If you're looking at developing your idea I'd recommend this way. Very happy with with and now it's promotion. btw, it's not really an app store app, more geared for retail.

Graham

rep man wrote: »

I just got an app developed by outsourcing it to Odesk. it cost about €400 all in, including testing.If you're looking at developing your idea I'd recommend this way. Very happy with with and now it's promotion. btw, it's not really an app store app, more geared for retail.

Getting your research/spec together is even more important when off-shoring work unless you like pouring money into a black hole.

Rep man, you did well getting an app successfully built with such a tight budget. I'm guessing it's a stand alone app.

rep man

Graham wrote: »

Getting your research/spec together is even more important when off-shoring work unless you like pouring money into a black hole.

Rep man, you did well getting an app successfully built with such a tight budget. I'm guessing it's a stand alone app.

@Graham; Yea stand alone. Good deals to be had if outsourced. I guess the advice would be, be as descriptive as possible, diagrams etc, so easy to unforsee issues or things you didn't know at the beginning that you actually did need by the end, but a cost effective exercise.

b.gud

Anyone who has an idea for an app should have a look at this
http://howmuchtomakeanapp.com

The total it gives you might not be appropriate to Ireland but it'll give you an idea. Either way it actually gives you a few questions which you need to be able to answer. If you're answering I don't know to any of the questions then you're not ready to talk to a developer unless it's in a consultation capacity in which case you should be paying him/her for their time

The Corinthian

b.gud wrote: »

The total it gives you might not be appropriate to Ireland but it'll give you an idea.

TBH, I don't know why there is such a narrow focus on getting the app built. If it in any way is targeted at the consumer, for sale on the various app stores, it is as important, if not more so, that any would-be app entrepreneur has their e-marketing strategy in order. Instead, there appears to be some strange presumption that if you build it, they will come.

They don't you know. I was at a Google I/O thing last night here and chatting to one of the other guests and he mentioned that up to 50% of apps on the Google Play store don't have any downloads. Only something like 10% have even 1,000.

The app stores are a veritable graveyard of often excellently developed apps that no one ever downloads.

Maximus Alexander

The Corinthian wrote: »

They don't you know. I was at a Google I/O thing last night here and chatting to one of the other guests and he mentioned that up to 50% of apps on the Google Play store don't have any downloads. Only something like 10% have even 1,000.

The app stores are a veritable graveyard of often excellently developed apps that no one ever downloads.

Woohoo, that means I have two apps that are at least in the top 10%! :pac:

b.gud

The Corinthian wrote: »

TBH, I don't know why there is such a narrow focus on getting the app built. If it in any way is targeted at the consumer, for sale on the various app stores, it is as important, if not more so, that any would-be app entrepreneur has their e-marketing strategy in order. Instead, there appears to be some strange presumption that if you build it, they will come.

They don't you know. I was at a Google I/O thing last night here and chatting to one of the other guests and he mentioned that up to 50% of apps on the Google Play store don't have any downloads. Only something like 10% have even 1,000.

The app stores are a veritable graveyard of often excellently developed apps that no one ever downloads.

Yes I agree you most definitely need to have a plan to market and get your app out there. I was talking purely from a building the app point of view, which is I assume, but obviously may be wrong, what a lot of people who come to this part of boards are thinking about.

Out of curiosity are you at IO in San Fran or one of the IO events in EU/UK

The Corinthian

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Woohoo, that means I have two apps that are at least in the top 10%! :pac:

TBH, what he quoted me didn't really sound right to me either, but I do think it safe to say that the vast majority of apps might as well be invisible.

b.gud wrote: »

Yes I agree you most definitely need to have a plan to market and get your app out there. I was talking purely from a building the app point of view, which is I assume, but obviously may be wrong, what a lot of people who come to this part of boards are thinking about.

We both know that none of these people have even thought that far.

Out of curiosity are you at IO in San Fran or one of the IO events in EU/UK

Zurich.

b.gud

The Corinthian wrote: »

We both know that none of these people have even thought that far.

Yup, LordChessingtons post, quoted below, from the previous page kinda sums up the stage a lot of people who come here with an idea are at.

LordChessington wrote: »

1) Get idea for app
2) ???
3) Profit!!!

The Corinthian wrote: »

Zurich.

Nice I'd say that it'll be interesting, enjoy!

The Corinthian

b.gud wrote: »

Nice I'd say that it'll be interesting, enjoy!

It was a bit of a damp squib, much like the keynote speech.