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Slide 1: MOBILE APP DESIGN PRINCIPLES Presented by Jim Heising, CEO
Slide 2: THE STORY OF A REALLY STUPID IDEA THAT BEGAN OVER A DRINK ( OR TWO )…
Slide 3: AND TURNED INTO A SUCCESSFUL BRAND.
Slide 4: SUCCESS OF A STUPID IDEA •  •  •  •  •  Initial investment of 1 weekend of time Generates sizeable amount of income iTunes staff pick numerous times Top paid app in photography category Press coverage –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  Wired Fortune Esquire And more… Chris Daughtry Rick McCallum Philip Bloom Heather Graham Ellen Degeneres •  Celebrity endorsements •  Rabid fans who generate viral content •  Private labeling and follow-on projects
Slide 5: THE EVOLUTION OF AN APP PLATFORM
Slide 6: IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME…
Slide 7: A MOBILE APP PLATFORM DESIGNED TO REDUCE THE COST, TIME, & RISK OF MOBILE APP DEVELOPMENT.
Slide 8: WHAT WE LEARNED… ANYONE CAN BUILD AN APP. NOT EVERYONE CAN BUILD A BEAUTIFUL & ENJOYABLE APP.
Slide 9: THINK “FAST FOOD” – SIMPLE, CHEAP AND ADDICTING.
Slide 10: APPS YOU COULD JUST EAT •  Do one thing, and do it really well •  Doesn’t have to mean low quality –  Think Red Mill Burgers •  Find that “special sauce” –  But don’t take months to develop it •  Always ask, “can I repurpose/re-use this?”
Slide 12: FEATURES ARE YOUR WORST ENEMY.
Slide 13: AVOID THE “FEATURE CREEP” •  Users don’t spend time discovering features –  Average user session length is 6.6 minutes (Source: Flurry Analytics) •  Don’t give your users something to complain about! –  Users don’t complain about lack of features. –  Users complain about features that don’t work. •  Remember, it’s a small device. People don’t expect it to solve world hunger.
Slide 14: DEVELOP A UNIQUE POINT OF VIEW AND KEEP IT FRESH.
Slide 15: SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN, CLEAN •  Users are drawn to unique design •  Users get tired of seeing the same old thing •  Don’t use Apple supplied UI elements as a crutch –  They are starting to look dated •  Build reusable design elements
Slide 17: MAKE IT SOCIAL.
Slide 18: GOING VIRAL •  Give your users a way to share their app •  Give your users a way to show off their skills •  Ask yourself, is this something groups of people can use together? •  Embrace cross promotion
Slide 19: UNDERSTAND HOW USERS BUY, RATE AND RECOMMEND APPS.
Slide 20: A BOOK BY ITS COVER •  Screenshots and ratings are everything –  But a good screenshot can trump a bad rating •  Screenshots: –  Can I tell a visually stunning story in 1 image? –  Stay away from collages –  Quality is instantly recognizable •  Ratings: –  Don’t give users things to complain about –  Don’t release buggy apps –  Don’t oversell
Slide 21: WHICH ONE WOULD YOU BUY?
Slide 22: REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE TRYING TO IMPRESS.
Slide 23: DESIGN FOR “THE MAN” •  Apple can make or break you •  Showcase the unique features of their platform •  Think “how would this look in a commercial?” •  Apple puts unique and clean design on a high pedestal
Slide 24: THINK HOLISTICALLY
Slide 25: BUILDING AN APP IS JUST THE BEGINNING
Slide 26: LEVERAGE PLATFORMS. (LIKE INSERT SHAMELESS PLUG HERE)
Slide 27: RED FOUNDRY •  You CAN be a designer and a developer •  Spend more time designing and less time developing •  Try a lot of things in a small amount of time •  Let us think about device specific issues and inconsistencies