I tweeted out a plea for an iPhone app developer two weeks ago, and lo-and-behold was contacted by Social Jitney (see their link on the iHelp page).  After signing a non-disclosure agreement… a MUST HAVE if you want to protect your idea, and therefore any resulting profits, from being taken and redirected by another entity… I disclosed my initial app idea to them.

BUMMER.  Social Jitney indicated my app idea was not doable.  Apparently Apple has set restrictions for areas that are taboo to touch by any app developers, and my idea was within the land of taboo.  DAMN IT.  And naturally, Apple has a policy in place to make sure they, and only they, can capitalize on my brain child.  If I sound bitter, it’s temporary… I LOVE all things Apple and firmly believe in them as a company and a pioneer in consumer technology.  I just wish I could have pioneered this particular app.

REDIRECT.  Fortunately I’m a relatively creative person.  Also fortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it), the iPhone doesn’t currently do or have all of the features I’d like to use.  So now I’m on a new path with a new iPhone app idea which, to my delight, is absolutely not available from any other developers at this time.  Time to get those creative juices flowing again in a new direction.

Caught up?  Good.

This was the most fun part for me… I got to get nitty-gritty-creative with Adobe Photoshop.  I used the post from http://blog.sans-serif.com/?p=6 which gave me the specs for the icons of my app (which means I had to design a logo for it first). 

Draft of an app screen

I also created a template for the full screens of the app:  2′ x 3′, 200 ppi resolution, RGB.  Even though I still haven’t arrived to the part of the process where I’m actually editing these screens for use by a developer, they really helped me to see how my app might look for interactivity.

Again, this might not be something you do as you are in the process of app development… and I am by no means a graphic design guru.  I know enough to feel creative and possibly get myself into deep water, but it is definitely what works for me to get those juices flowing and even to help troubleshoot my app’s potential.

Sketching.  Even if you’re a totally crappy artist/drawer, this part is entirely necessary.  What worked for me was to get one of those little tear-off notepads, about 4.5″ x 5.5″ (not too much bigger than the iPhone’s screen), and start sketching.  I went through about 1/2 of a notepad before coming up with some layouts I really liked.

Start with that anchor of all applications:  the home screen.  Once your app is up and running on your iPhone, what would you like to see?  What do you want to be available?  What is absolutely necessary to make visible, and what is some content you can live with putting on a secondary/sub screen?

OK, sketch out that home screen… which will lead to where?  This is where the tear-off notepad came in most handy for me:  I was able to tear off the home screen, set it in front of me, and then as I came up with the secondary and tertiary screens (and so on), I would lay them to the right of the “home” paper to see if the flow made sense.  Plus having the “home” paper out helped me stay consistent with the screen layouts throughout the “application.”

This was the most fun part for me, but for those who are graphically or artistically challenged, it may be absolutely craptastic.  Therefore I advise to find a method that works best for you – if you’re a Word guru, do your layouts there.  If you like Legos, use those on a flat surface and run rampant.  If you work best with chalkboard, find yourself a classroom or library and go for it.  Just remember that your layouts need to be very user-friendly and easy to navigate, just like all things Apple.  Your app needs to be at home in its iPhone skin, or it won’t be at home anywhere.

Simple – just check! Hop onto iTunes Store, and go to the Apps section and do some searches for your idea. Use keywords. Peruse through the results and check out what’s there and, more specifically, what isn’t. (NOTE: This is also a great way to come up with even more iPhone app ideas, so let your mind freeflow a bit and take a second to jot down an idea if you are noticing a glaring absence of it in the Store.) You can also go to http://www.apple.com/iphone/apps-for-iphone/ if you don’t have iTunes access (although, if you have an iPhone, you should certainly be syncing your phone via iTunes on a regular basis… but I digress).

Not there? GREAT! Charge ahead with your planning and development process, but I’d suggest routinely checking back to see if new results turn up. And if they do… don’t get discouraged! Check that app out, see what works and what doesn’t, and make improvements. It’s the beauty of consumerism – while it’d be great to be the sole supplier of a hot commodity, consumers ALWAYS like having choices before them and absolutely nothing is stopping you from being the best option.

For instance, the initial idea stemmed from a feature I knew I’d use the crap out of were it available, and also regarding a feature I use the most on my iPhone.  Therefore, as time progressed and I began to sketch out my idea on paper, the process was FAR easier than if I was simply trying to materialize my knowledge out of nowhere.

Message being:  don’t try to create an app about how to train for a decathlon if you’re more inclined to play video games every night after work.  Instead, how about creating an app centered around your latest bout with Halo or Call of Duty?

Go with what you know.  It’ll greatly increase your chances to create a well thought out and fully developed app with great potential and utilization.

More to come…

Guess what else?  NO clue what I’m doing.  I have some great initial ideas, none of which seem to be out there yet, and a pretty wide initial audience for marketing once it gets done.  Let’s see, that’s a journey from Point A to, oh, Point Q… leaving about 15-20 points in between I know not of.

I also have some graphic design know-how, but not enough to get paid handsomely for it.  Does that put me a little ahead of other iApp wanna-bes?  Maybe.  And yet, we still have Point Q waaaaaaaay off in the distance.

We’re off, people!  Hopefully this will assist anyone else who wants to make their infamy and quasi-fortune in the blossoming world of smartphone applications.  This is our official welcome to the jungle.

Enjoy!

In fall of 2009, I was walking home when my idea hit me.  I had a great and completely useful idea for how my iPhone’s functionality could be improved.  But wait, rewind a moment…

Earlier, in the summer, my mother had mentioned to me she had read about a couple who developed an iPhone app and were now seeing great profits as a result – they were allegedly getting 500 purchases of their 99-cent app daily – you do the math.  My response?  “Sure Mom, that’s awesome, too bad I have no time to come up with something.”

Fastforward back to my autumnal walk home from work.  (You with me, reader?)  I get a big “ding” of the lightbulb overhead with my idea.  I immediately wonder – could this be something I could make into an app and, just like that couple, start making money from it?

Intrigued, I filed my idea safely into my subconscious and made my way home to spastic children and a waiting spouse.

To be continued…