Idea to iPhone. The essential guide to creating your first app for the iPhone and iPad
John Wiley and Sons Ltd, April 2013, Pages: 312
Learn to build apps from scratch without any programming experience!
Do you have a great idea for an app but have no idea where to begin? Then this is the book for you. Even if you have no programming experience, this easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide teaches you exactly what you need to know to bring your app idea to life without a lot of cash or coding. Packed with tips and tricks to get you started, this book shows you - start to finish - how to take your idea and turn it into a fully working, functional app.
- Walks you through getting started, designing your app, and developing your idea
- Helps you launch your app and then promote it
- Reassures you that no programming experience is needed in order to create a fully functional app
Idea to iPhone is an easy-to-read book that shows you how to get your idea from your head to the iTunes store!
Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1 Kicking Off Your App Adventure 9 Eliminating Doubts and Debunking Myths 10 “I’m not a developer or even the slightest bit techy” 12 “I don’t have the money to create an app” 12 “The app market is saturated I don’t stand a chance” 14 “I don’t have the time” 14 “I’m not artistic, and I don’t know how to use design software” 14 “I don’t live in a tech center” 14 “What if I fail?” 15 Financing Your App with Your Time and Talent 15 You need less money than you may think 16 You have more to off er than you know 16 Keep doing what you do best 17 Filling in the missing skills 18 The Journey Ahead 18 The Mobile World We Live In 19 Apps must be understood in 15 seconds or less 20 We see only part of the screen and it’s blurry 21 Think thumb, not fingers 22 What You Need to Know About Working with Apple 23 Apple may take months to answer a question 23 Handling rejection 24 How to grab Apple’s attention 24 How iTunes helps (or hurts) sales 25 Getting paid by Apple 26 Getting Organized and Setting Up Shop 27 Learning how to talk the talk 27 Getting the right Mac and iDevice 29 iDevice 29 Mac computer 30 Downloading the software 30 Developer tools 30 Design tools 31 Tools to manage your team and project 31 Registering as an Apple Developer 32 Purchasing the iOS Development Program membership 32 Snagging the best domain names 33 One Small Step to One Giant Leap 33 CHAPTER 2 Shaping Ideas into Apps People Want 35 Your Target Audience: Finding Your Tribe 36 Go tribal 36 Find your proxy 38 Making the most of your research 40 Creating Apps Th at People Really Want 40 Strategy 1: Fix a problem 41 Strategy 2: Amuse, charm and captivate 41 Strategy 3: Connect us with people and places 42 Ingredients for Magnificent App Ideas 42 Don’t be afraid of crazy ideas 43 Let your passions inspire you 43 Add a dash of personality 44 Spice it up with surprises 45 Mix in some viral goodness 46 A Brief Introduction to Integrating with Facebook 49 Which Device Is Right for My App? iPhone, iPad, or Both 51 Th e benefi ts of targeting both iPhone and iPad 52 Why the iPhone’s smaller touchscreen might be best 54 Why the iPad’s extended views are the way to go 54 Doing Your Research 56 Making a (Mission) Statement 57 Avoiding Scope Creep: The $120 Bottle of Shampoo 58 Prioritize your features 59 Save some killer features for updates 60 Avoiding headaches: Features to leave out 61 Avoid features that require you to own a server 62 Avoid features that require moderating 62 Avoid anything that requires a Terms of Service agreement 64 Keeping Your Idea Confidential and Protected 64 Testing Your Idea’s Pull Power in Th ree Easy Steps 65 Step 1: Create a site for your app 65 Step 2: Run an ad campaign 65 Step 3: Watch it for a week 66 What to make of the test results 67 Kicking Off Your Marketing Campaign 67 You’re not just creating an app; you’re putting on a show 68 Your tribe already loves you; they just don’t know it yet 68 Jumping on the social media bus 69 Concocting an enticing teaser video 70 Try for some humor 71 Keep it clean and simple 72 When friends refuse to be actors 72 Where to share your masterpiece 72 Growing your audience with a teaser site 73 CHAPTER 3 Designing Luxurious and Stunning Apps 77 Getting the Ballpoint Rolling 78 Understanding the Navigation Models 80 Nested dolls 80 Tab bar 81 Breaking the tab bar ceiling 82 Swiping tabs 83 Slide–out navigation 84 Bento box 85 The sliding cards 87 Immersive designs 88 Navigation found on the iPad 90 Layered navigation 90 Sidebar navigation 91 Button and Tab Combo Navigation 91 Taking a Peek at the Standard Controls 92 The bars 92 The status bar 93 The navigation bar 93 The toolbar 94 The table view 95 Inputs and outputs 97 Stealing Good Stuff 100 Finding design inspiration 100 Building your collection 101 Creating Natural Flow in Your App 101 Map out the flow with boxes and arrows 102 Turn the fl ow into a story 104 Shifting Your Ideas into a Killer Design 104 How anyone can design like a pro 104 Why prototyping is the best thing since sliced bread 105 Start by sketching 106 Creating paper prototypes in a flash 106 Test, edit, repeat… 107 Creating working prototypes: No coding required 108 Putting Your Designs to the Test 110 Capture useful feedback 111 The “Get it?” test 111 The key task test 112 Five–second test 113 Edit, edit, and edit again 113 From Mockup to Masterpiece 114 Preparing your designs for Retina Display 114 Building designs that scale using Photoshop 116 Creating your layout 117 Shortcuts to layouts 118 Stealing some templates 118 Making each image 118 Naming files 119 Creating Designs That Really Stand Out 119 The importance of pixel perfect design 119 Make it subtly real 120 Make it easy and effortless: The ABC’s of design 121 The power of contrast 122 Repetition and grouping 122 Give it some space 123 Same, same, same 124 Make it delightful 125 Tuck it away 126 Be careful with the interruptions 126 Making That Critical First Impression Count 127 What you need to know about icon design 127 Shortcuts to creating an icon 129 It’s all in the name 130 Launch screens of love 132 Outsourcing to a Professional 137 Finding a good great designer 137 What the designer needs from you 138 What you need from your designer139 Signing the contract 139 Doing without the designer 140 Marketing Ideas Checklist 141 CHAPTER 4 Developing and Testing Your App 143 Finding Dependable and Talented Developers 144 Reaching out to the iOS community 145 Where to scout out the talent 145 Making the most of Elancecom and other sites 147 Search for the developer you want 148 Post your project and let the developer fi nd you 150 Find other places to circulate your job description 151 Selecting the Best Developer for Your App Project 152 The developer review checklist 152 Interviewing prospective developers 154 Questions to ask 154 How to review the developer’s prior work 156 Where to find honest feedback on a developer’s skills157 Understanding that cheap can be expensive in the long run 158 Comparing apples to apples 158 When can work start? 159 When will I get my app? 160 Test–drive with a mini project 160 Learning to trust your gut 160 Signing the contract 161 Working with Developers 162 The secrets to keeping your developers happy 162 1 Listen to them 162 2 Don’t keep changing your mind 162 3 Be specific 162 4 Have realistic deadlines 162 5 Check in but don’t micro–manage163 6 Make decisions quickly 163 7 Don’t use any four–letter words 163 Be nice and be boring 163 Money as a motivator 163 It’s more than a short courtship 164 Kicking Off Development 164 Creating a spec that says it all 164 Remember to include the kitchen sink 166 A six–year old can understand it 168 What your developer needs from you 168 What you can expect from your developer 168 Issues, Bugs, and Tweaks: Testing Your App 170 Have you downloaded the SDK and Xcode? 170 The absolute beginner’s guide to Xcode 171 Setting up your device for testing 175 Taking a look at Apple’s iOS Provisioning Portal 179 Adding in Game Center, Push Notifi cations, or In–App Purchases 180 Find bugs and create buzz by enlisting your tribe 181 Distributing your app using Test Flight 181 Keeping track of bugs 182 Breaking the news to your developers 184 Tweaking design after development: Don’t do it 184 When It’s All Gone Wrong 185 What to do if your developer disappears 185 Knowing when to fire your developer 185 Knowing When to Go Live 186 Marketing Ideas Checklist 186 CHAPTER 5 Raising the Curtains and Going Live 189 The Ultimate App Submission Cheat Sheet 190 Selecting a Powerful Launch Date 191 At Least One Month Before Submitting Your App 191 Get set up on Apple’s iTunes Connect 192 Prepare for customer care 194 Select a support site 194 Add a contact link in your app 195 Offer an FAQ
Page 195 Identify launch tricks you must start now 195 Make the most of promotion codes 197 Prepare your website for the red carpet 198 Recognize the beauty of a great newsletter 199 Build your press kit 200 Produce a viral video 201 At Least One Week Before Submitting Your App 201 How people really scan the iTunes store 202 The formula for an effective product description 203 The perfect elevator pitch 204 Reaffirmations, reviews, ratings, and rewards 204 Craft an awe–inspiring benefits list 205 Share upcoming enhancements 206 Add in a personal note 206 How to design screen shots that sell 206 An entire story with five images 206 Screen shots that say it all 207 Improve discovery with the right keywords 210 Submitting Your App for Approval 211 Complete the app details on iTunes Connect 211 Set up certificates, App IDs, and profiles 212 Create the distribution build yourself 213 Let your developer create the distribution build for you 214 Countdown to App Approval 214 Prepare your message 215 Close shop 216 Backstage sneak peek event 217 Announce your launch date 217 3…2…1…Launch! 217 Double–check the important stuff 217 Roll out your new site 218 Blog your big news 218 Get the word out on social media 218 Ready, set, email! 218 Get fans in on the fun 219 Keeping Track of Sales 219 Add a free analytic service 219 What Apple tells you and doesn’t tell you 219 Building Customer Love 220 Answer emails early, often, and sincerely 220 Be real and they will reward you 220 CHAPTER 6 Promoting Your App and Making a Profit 223 The Art of Attracting Attention and Creating Hype 224 Give people a story to tell 225 Pull on the heart strings 225 Build identity 226 Make it cute as kittens 227 Make us laugh 228 Create nostalgia 229 Try taboo, unusual, or outrageous 230 Monitoring buzz to create more interest 230 The $5 Marketing Plan 231 Have a sale 232 Give out promo codes 232 Promote your app inside your app 233 Build in social and sharing features 233 Request a review 233 Tell a friend 234 Reward handsomely 234 Teach to reach 235 Write, write, write 235 Reveal your secrets 235 Praise other apps 236 Create videos and presentations 236 Share everything 236 Share customers 236 Share your brand 236 Put your name on everything 240 Hit the streets 240 Speak Out 240 Pull a stunt 241 Promotion Tactics That Don’t Work 241 Press releases are spam 241 Think before leaping into banner ads 241 Never slam competitors’ apps 242 Creating a Compelling Website 242 Registering a domain name 243 Purchasing web hosting 243 Tips for creating a memorable teaser site 243 Should you use a landing
Page service? 244 Collecting names and addresses 244 Tips for an effective app website 245 Tips for a Successful Email Campaign 247 Repeat after me: no spam! 247 And you are? 247 Boring subject lines actually work better 248 Use space wisely 248 Make it quick and reward them 248 Use images sparingly 248 Make it easy to share 249 Answer replies 249 Making Money from Your App 250 Pricing your app in the paid model 250 When to give it away for free 251 How the free–to–paid model might be the ticket 251 The difference between free and lite 251 The latest fad: In–app purchases 252 Making money with iAd and other advertising options 253 Think outside the app 253 The Generosity Principle 254 Donate to a charity 254 Find a launch sponsor 254 Create a promotion 254 Order some business cards and freebies 255 CHAPTER 7 Maintaining Your App and Going the Distance 259 Working on Your Business as Well as Your App 260 Tweaking Your Way to the Top 260 The boomerang theory 261 The addicts model 261 It’s an easy sale booster 262 What to Tackle First 264 Feedback and reviews 264 Fix the bugs first 265 Improve usability 266 Examine the analytics 266 Localize the description on iTunes 266 Localize your app to expand your market 267 Adding New Features to an App 268 Rocking the boat 269 Taking your time to release 271 Should you create a whole new app instead? 272 Managing Your App on iTunes Connect 272 Keeping your app fresh and current 273 Submitting new updates 273 Understanding software versioning 273 Major updates 274 Minor updates 274 Revisions and bug fixes 274 Keeping Up with Apple and iOS Releases 274 What new iOS updates mean for your app 275 Porting your app to a new iDevice 276 Expanding to Android 278 The Law of the Vital Few 278 Let Your Inspiration Guide You 279 Index
Carla White
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