What to Do if You Have an App Idea

If you've ever claimed to yourself ?I have the idea for an app!?, you are in the right place because we do have the answer! Before we get started, you need to understand that the implementation of your application idea is a great process that needs to be carefully elaborated and specifically defined. In the article, you can find the answers to all your doubts of ?what to do if you have an app idea? and all your hesitations of ?is it worth?. There are certain basic steps that will turn your idea app into reality.

What do with an app idea? Make a research!

Every research begins with asking the right questions. It is important to have gradual software specifications for yourself and for your team. Research means searching for information. Do research in the specific category of your app or the overall topic and problem your app has to deal with. Unless you already know something about the niche your app idea is about, it is generally a good plan to start by reading something elementary which covers the whole field so as to get a general overview of the topic. In doing the research you should take some key strategies:

• Detailed reading. In searching for more detailed material, it will be necessary to examine a number of articles,books and interviews on the subject. There is no time to read through this material in the normal fashion, it should be scanned and skimmed. Use the contents and indices of books to find material more quickly.
• Evaluating source material. Learning how to estimate rapidly the relevance and authority, and therefore the usefulness is the most important research skill you should develop. As you do, consider the following: what type of audience is the author addressing, is this source too technical/too advanced or just right for your needs, is the material primary/secondary in nature, does the work add new information to your other sources, does it provide a fresh viewpoint, is the author?s point of view objective and impartial etc.

There are some great books you can find very useful for your app idea and personally for yourself:

• Derek Sivers "Anything you want" (The author talks about 40 lessons he learned since the time he created, started, grew and sold CD Baby)
• Eric Ries "Lean the startup" (Eric tells more about how to use the scientific approach to creating and managing startups and ideas and how to get the ultimate products to customers)
• Nil Eyal "Hooked: How to build a habit-forming products" (Hook cycle consists of four step process which can be used to build customer habits. It is a guide of how to create a product people can't get down. Quite useful and interesting at the same time)
• Chris Brogan "The Impact Equation" ( You will love this book because it will help you to move your app idea through a platform and to create the human element around it.)

MAKE NOTES IN ORDER TO MAKE AN APPLICATION IDEA COME TRUE!

After doing some research, it is important to make some notes of what you have learned and of your app idea itself. Please, spend some time answering the questions below by writing the answers down on your notebook or phone.

• What is your idea for an app in one sentence?
• Who is your target audience? Age? Specific jobs? Countries of residence?
• What specific problem will your app solve?
• What platform will you use? iOS? Android?
• Who are your competitors?
• How will your app look like? (You can draw or just list the functions)
• Why is it important for you?
• What makes you different and why is your product unique?
• Which category does your app refer to?

By answering those questions you will get a more clear vision of your idea to tell others. It is very important to understand why you want to implement your app idea not only because of your personal interest but also because of the societal benefits.

How to start an app? The secret is in Project Management!

Create the detailed list of all the things to be done and create the project timeline with all the deadlines,otherwise your app idea will never get started. Evaluate your competitors and define key strategies they use to attract their audience. Is their design simple?What do their users do? How do they behave? Project management is also includes finding your team that will help you in different areas. It can be a group of professionals or just your friends who are interested and passionate about it. Gather your team and negotiate the idea and clarify the details of the project:

• Functionality (Main features)
• Minimum/Maximum Budget
• Future Design (app name, main colors, user experience etc.)

By building your team you will get new ideas and new perspectives on the same thing. Your team will help you with turning your app idea into reality. It is human nature to look at the things in absolutely different ways, therefore your co-workers will be always the ones who will share new thoughts and new visions in various stages of your journey!

Should you hire someone to build an app? Design and app creation process.

You can invent and choose your app's design yourself or delegate it to company's or freelance designer. When the design is made, you will be provided with several ideas that will be relevant to the content of your app and you will have to select the best for you. If you are a person who ?has an app idea but have no money to waste?, it's better to hire a freelancer; they are usually much cheaper than in-house designers. In this case, try to minimize all possible expenses.

How to implement your app idea? Monetization and Marketing Channels

To have your app monetized, you should carefully research more your competitors. How many reviews and ratings do they have? Is it free or paid? Does the app sell products or service through a website with the app serving as a channel? How does the overall monetization strategy affect the user experience from your perspective?

There are a lot of Marketing Channels through which you can find your users who will be very interested in your app idea and who will install it on their digital devices.

• App store optimization/traffic
• SEO/content marketing/web search traffic
• E-mail marketing
• PR in social mass media by gaining followers
• Paid ads through Instagram/Facebook

What if?

If your MVP test is not successful which is OK to happen there are so many opportunities to go with it. Remember, if you have a great idea you will have a plenty of opportunities to earn some money from them. Or you can change the design or functionality. Never give up! It is important to bare in mind that there is such thing as patenting an idea for an app.