Sourcebooks Apps 101 - BEA 2012

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Chris Bauerle Director of Sales and Marketing APPS 101: BUILDING APPS 101: BUILDING APPS APPS

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Transcript of Sourcebooks Apps 101 - BEA 2012

Page 1: Sourcebooks Apps 101 - BEA 2012

Chris BauerleDirector of Sales and Marketing

APPS 101: BUILDING APPSAPPS 101: BUILDING APPS

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APPAPPRESEARCHRESEARCH

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ASK QUESTIONSASK QUESTIONS

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QUESTIONS: The ProductQUESTIONS: The Product• What is this app (elevator pitch)?– Application Definition Statement

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A concrete declaration of an app’s main purpose and it’s intended

functionality

Application Definition StatementApplication Definition Statement

- iOS Human Interface Guidelines

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QUESTIONS: The ProductQUESTIONS: The Product• What is this app (elevator pitch)?– Application Definition Statement

• What is its key functionality?• Why is it special?• Who is going to buy it?• Why do they need it?• What are my goals?

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QUESTIONS: The QUESTIONS: The CompetitionCompetition

• How many similar apps are available?• What are the best-selling apps?• What are their features (content &

functionality)?• What makes them special (design,

content, functionality, longevity, name)?

• What do you have that they don’t?

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QUESTIONS: The QUESTIONS: The CompetitionCompetition

• Of very similar apps, how would you rate your potential app?

• What functionality is required by the category?

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QUESTIONS: PriceQUESTIONS: Price• What is the price range in the

category?• What is the relationship between

price and sales rank?• What factors impact price?

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QUESTIONS: PriceQUESTIONS: Price• How many free apps are available?

Are they good?• Is freemium popular in the

category?

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FOCUS GROUPSFOCUS GROUPS• Cheap and easy: TALK to the target

demographic (consumers of the type of app you are developing)

• Park your desires and beliefs• LISTEN – REALLY LISTEN

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FOCUS GROUPS: TopicsFOCUS GROUPS: Topics• Ranking the competition– User experience– Design– Wish list

• Price – what is it worth?

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FOCUS GROUPS: TopicsFOCUS GROUPS: Topics• Your app– Are your competitive

advantages real?– Do they desire your solution?– Is your functionality exciting?– Is your content desirable?– Why will the buy it instead of

the competition?

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ITERATING APP ITERATING APP DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT

• Pre-production adjustments based on feedback

• Modification of early prototypes• Gather feedback on early “builds”

and enhance your product• Listen to reviewers

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SELECTING A SELECTING A DEVELOPERDEVELOPER

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SELECTING A DEVELOPERSELECTING A DEVELOPER• Choosing a developer is largely

based on budget

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SELECTING AN SELECTING AN ESTABLISHED DEVELOPERESTABLISHED DEVELOPER1. Find similar apps that you love2. Identify the “seller” in the app

metadata or click on “Developer Website.”

3. Send an email – compliments go a long way

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CONSIDERATIONS FORCONSIDERATIONS FORESTABLISHED DEVELOPERSESTABLISHED DEVELOPERS• Who are their other clients?• What do their reference say –

sales, collaborative relationship, timeliness, willingness to adapt?

• What’s the cost?• What priority level will you be?• Is revenue share an option?

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SELECTING A SMALL SELECTING A SMALL DEVELOPERDEVELOPER

• Use job boards such guru.com or elance.com

• LinkedIn searches yield smaller firms in specific locales

• Post a “job” – LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, Craigslist

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CONSIDERATIONS FORCONSIDERATIONS FORSMALL DEVELOPERSSMALL DEVELOPERS

• The same criteria as large developers PLUS

• Legal agreements – source code, other IP, vendor terms

• Larger burden on reference checking

• Resources and knowledge for everything you need and more?

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CONSIDERATIONS FORCONSIDERATIONS FORSMALL DEVELOPERSSMALL DEVELOPERS

• Full development lifecycle management vs. simply programming

• Will they be around for bug fixes and updates?

• Structure payment and contracts to insure you get what you need

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A major consideration for working with developers is communication – are you both interpreting the requirements in the same way, are you clearly communicating the level of detail needed by the developer, have you agreed on communication

timelines? Strong communication is essential to success.

On CommunicationOn Communication

- Lynn Dilger, VP-Technology @ Sourcebooks

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FINANCIAL FINANCIAL PLANNINGPLANNING

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START WITH PRICESTART WITH PRICE• The market determines value – not

your costs• What do your competitors apps

cost?• “This is amazing – it has to be worth

more than 99 cents”• Prices can vary based on the

marketplace – Google, Nook, Amazon

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CREATE A SALES CREATE A SALES FORECASTFORECAST

• How many do you expect to sell per month?– Why do you believe that?– Sources for aiding forecasting:• Your previous app sales data• Developer projections• Topappcharts.com

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How much will it cost?How much will it cost?• How much does the development

cost?• How much does the design cost?• How much does the content cost –

either upfront or in royalties?• Ongoing updates and fixes• Creating and maintaining support

website

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Now Build a P&LNow Build a P&L

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The Development The Development ProcessProcess

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DEVELOPMENT PROCESSDEVELOPMENT PROCESS• Finalize the Application

Development Statement• Select your development team(s)• Create wireframes• Create the visual design• The “build”

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CREATING CREATING WIREFRAMESWIREFRAMES

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What is a Wireframe?What is a Wireframe?

A very simple, sometimes hand-drawn

representation of the functionality and structure

of your app

No pictures, graphics, fancy fonts, colors

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You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the

technology - not the other way around.

- Steve Jobs

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WIRE FRAMESWIRE FRAMES

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WIRE FRAMESWIRE FRAMES

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WIRE FRAMESWIRE FRAMES

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OPTIONS FOR CREATING OPTIONS FOR CREATING WIRE FRAMES?WIRE FRAMES?

• Draw them by hand• Use Microsoft Word or

freeware from the internet• Use paid software like

Balsamiq, Axure, or Adobe Creative Suite

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NEXT STEPSNEXT STEPS• Visual Design• The “Build”• Metadata• Launch – uploads, marketing, etc.• Iteration

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Chris BauerleDirector of Sales and Marketing

APPS 101: BUILDING APPSAPPS 101: BUILDING APPS