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Fastest way to Soft Proof/Put out a App?

LamboKing

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I want to put out a app which end goal would help others connect better than most of the apps I see today.

It's a just a basic ui and design, but the end goal and usability is as simple as twitter or pof.

I'm wondering, what's the fastest/quickest way I could test or put it out? My intentions is to find if there is a strong need/demand, and then adjust accordingly.

Just wondering how much would it cost (App Store dev license, aws for storage, google play dev account, etc). I can design a great ui model, but programming wise, I'd have to get help.

Just wondering how to go about it, and market to get it out?

Thanks in advance!
 
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MisterBHZ

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Best way to test things out would be to get the app finished & ready to go.

Offer it for free & see if people download it.

If people start downloading it then you know its something that people actually want.

You will have to put on your marketing hat so that you can get peoples attention. And then, get people to spread the word after you get their attention.

From there, you can find ways to monetize it.
 

LamboKing

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Best way to test things out would be to get the app finished & ready to go.

Offer it for free & see if people download it.

If people start downloading it then you know its something that people actually want.

You will have to put on your marketing hat so that you can get peoples attention. And then, get people to spread the word after you get their attention.

From there, you can find ways to monetize it.

How much of an investment would I have to make to do that? And could placing an ad at the bottom of the screen be a revenue model for now?
 

Hadrian

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I want to put out a app which end goal would help others connect better than most of the apps I see today.

It's a just a basic ui and design, but the end goal and usability is as simple as twitter or pof.

I'm wondering, what's the fastest/quickest way I could test or put it out? My intentions is to find if there is a strong need/demand, and then adjust accordingly.

Just wondering how much would it cost (App Store dev license, aws for storage, google play dev account, etc). I can design a great ui model, but programming wise, I'd have to get help.

Just wondering how to go about it, and market to get it out?

Thanks in advance!


Hi there!

Hadrian here with some advice as I set up an app company a while back and learned a few hard lessons. While I'm still a noob myself I do know enough to tell you that an app like that will require a backend so you're looking at 5k straight away and that figure will probably rise substantially as a social networking app needs a really nice UI and UX (User Interface and Experience). These cost money to do right! And if it does take off you'll have to factor in Server costs etc.

The best advice is to try to make a web based app first... far less expensive and you could test it out with a sample audience. Follow MJ's advice on the MVP in Unscripted ! If you are going all out then go iOS first.. as its one standard code and platform! Avoid Android as there are about 5 million devices.. and Android users don't like paying for stuff generally! iOS users will pay far more easily if the product is good! Apple dev. license €100 annually, Android: €25, Amazon: Free! :)

The Hard Truth: Making an app is about 10% of the work! Marketing it is the other 90%. No matter how good it is!

Ps the easiest way to do an app is actually an iOS Sticker app... you can do it all through the Free Mac Software Xcode! The second way is to buy some code on Flippa etc. and reskin it!

Hope this helps a little....

Hadrian
 
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jramos02

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@LamboKing as @Hadrian suggested above, your best bet might be to create a web app first. Probably cheaper and easier to get up and running quickly.

Another option is to create a prototype. If you are good with the UI and design, you could create an Invision Prototype and use something like UserTesting.com to have people check it out and give you feedback.

Now, this will give you general feedback on the UI and how things work, but people might also let you know how they feel about the product overall. Could be an easy and quick way to validate the general idea.

You won't really have full on feedback or an idea if you are on the right track or not until you actually release.

I have some vast experience in apps as my current career/role, so happy to help as needed!
 

Hadrian

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Good Call on the Prototype JRamos! I use Proto.io myself to make interactive prototypes you can practice with on your phone or send to pthers to play with!
 

maverick

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Find a customer that has a problem that your solution will solve. Then sketch out an idea using whatever you have (e.g. draw it on a napkin / use invisionapp / do an interpretive dance). Understand how big the problem is and what it's worth to the customer to solve.

TLDR: Talk to your audience before you craft a solution
 

GoGetter24

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Basically he said he nerded out on the first app he made, by making it without market confirmation of any kind.

So for the second one, he didn't even make an app, he just made a 3 page landing page funnel about the non-existing new app, with the last page being 'We're still working on it' and an email opt-in, which he then drove traffic to. He got "hurry up" confirmation, and also personally emailed those who opted-in, asking them "what would you want it to do?" etc.

He then made it and now he's a millionaire.
 
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maverick

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Basically he said he nerded out on the first app he made, by making it without market confirmation of any kind.

So for the second one, he didn't even make an app, he just made a 3 page landing page funnel about the non-existing new app, with the last page being 'We're still working on it' and an email opt-in, which he then drove traffic to. He got "hurry up" confirmation, and also personally emailed those who opted-in, asking them "what would you want it to do?" etc.

He then made it and now he's a millionaire.
This is part of the story yes. However, if you read this businessinsider coverage, you will see that he identified a problem that he encountered many times. This gave him some insight into the customer (=himself) and the problem. Based on that, he put together the landing page to validate that there were indeed more customers such as himself.

You don't have a business without sales. I learnt this the hard way. The route should be:
FIND CUSTOMERS => BUILD => SCALE
Instead of:
BUILD => FIND CUSTOMERS => SCALE

What that means is, you need to find a way to attract paying customers and then scale that. Go through the following set of videos to fully understand the process:
http://www.startupsecrets.com/

Never fall for the unicorn marketing stories. It took Dropbox 10 years of growth to where they are today.
 

Worldisyours

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great topic. I think apps and websites that geenrate income are awesome ways to a good business.

Finding the need in the market and executing a good product and then reaching people is all tough but doable.

Would love to learn more
 
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