So you came up with an app idea and you think it’s pretty good so you decided to pursue it into an actual app that you can sell on an app store. When you start to look into the actual development you realize there are an overwhelming amount of steps that you need to take to finish the app and actually get it in the app store to sell. What do you do?
Often times having a good idea and actually turning the idea into an actual app is hard because of the steps involved. Complicate that with all of the questions you might have if you have and what occurs is most people don’t follow through and give up on the idea and move on. It doesn’t need to be that way.
Creating an app is just like any other projects that you may have been involved in. What you need to do is break down what needs to be done into manageable steps. First document what you want to do. Start with big blocks like write requirements, find developer, code app, test, put in app store, market (you may have additional or less large scale steps). Next, breakdown each of these large steps into more manageable smaller steps. For instance for find a developer you may have 1. Write a description of the developer you’re looking for, then 2. Put up an advertisement in Elance, 3. Evaluate responses, 4. Choose developer.
It’s always a good idea when you do these individual steps to put whom will do this and when this step will be completed by. If you don’t know now when it will be done, take an educated guess and if your are outsourcing your coding, then ask the developer how long it may take him to do each of the functions your app will perform. Bu doing this you will have a decent timeline on how long the project will take from start to finish.
I recommend that you print out the list and read it daily. You should try to stay focused on the goal of your app daily until it is done. Even if it just means spending 5 mins and writing an email, you should strive to do at least one thing daily to get your closer to your goal.
Another good thing to do is to tell your friends and family about the app that you are developing and encourage them to ask you questions about it at least weekly. Post something up on Facebook if you use that social networking site and post updates. I have found if you know people are going to ask you about it then you will work harder and stay focused because you want to tell them what you have learned. It’s actually pretty incredible when you have support of family and friends behind you. They want to see you succeed and will help you get there. Even if they are not technical sometimes all you need are some encouraging words to get you through to the end and reach your goal.
Hopefully this will help you a bit when you have an idea and what to create an app around it. No it’s not an each or fast process and you will make mistakes but it’s all a learning curve. Don’t fear the unknown, and don’t let the thought of hundreds of steps stop you. You can do this and I am here to help you!
