There’s an app for that(Part 2)
In my last entry, I did some heavy number crunching and lookedat the mega bucks your average app made. I briefly mentioned thoseoccasional overnight successes, which can lead to small time appdevelopers rolling in piles of cash. The question is, what makes aridiculously successful app, ridiculously successful?
It solves an everyday problem: Life ishard sometimes and if common issues could be solved by opening anapp on your smartphone we’d all be better off. Common appslikeflashlight, which simply jam the flash on your phone’s camera on,are real winners. Similarly the big deal with WhatsApp is that it’sa cross-device tool and makes free messaging great. Of course,identifying a common problem and coming up with a fun, easy to usedigital solution is easier said than done.
Valuable information: Information is power, so if yourapp can empower a customer quickly and efficiently then you’re onthe right track. Everyone needs different information; when theirfootball team has scored, if their flight has been delayed or whatthe latest share price of stock X is. An issue here is that most ofthese things have already been developed, it’s up to an appdeveloper to come up with something new andinnovative.
Fun and Memorable: A memorableexperience is often fun, exciting and shared. Translating that to amobile application is no easy task; but it has been done. Yeslaunching birdsat pigs and navigating a bird through narrow pipes may not seemlike world beaters, but they have been. It comes down to a lot ofthings. Is your app attractive? Does your app have an easyinterface and does your app contain any form of bird relatedhumour? Lastly, is your app addictive and does it follow atrend?
Cheap: Verging on a no brainer, the difference it makeswhen you app comes up as ‘FREE’ over ’99p’ is huge. Say you searchfor ‘alarm clock’ on the App Store, how many of us willpick the free version over the ‘4.99- super hologram sparkymagic’ version? A good differentiator is to couple your free appwith a ‘pro’ or ‘premium’ version, that way users can make a choiceand upgrade if they feel your app is worth their time and money. Ifyour app is going to add value, users will likely justify its valueagainst the price they paid for it. If your apps free and delivers,that’s undoubtedly a massive bonus!