I Have an Idea for an App

Want to make some money on an app?

If you want to develop one, first, you need an idea. The right idea at the right time could potentially make you millions. For example, the Flappy Bird game was a very simple idea, but it quickly became one of the most popular apps of all time.

If you want to be successful, it’s not enough just to say: “I have an idea for an app.” You also need to have the appropriate business model to make sure it’s worth your time.

If you want to make an app, ideally, you should be a developer or have a developer on your staff. With that being said, you don’t necessarily need to have any knowledge about developing to turn a good app idea into something successful. Here are some tips to get your app up and running.

You’ll Need to Sign Up as a Developer

Chances are, you want to distribute your app on either the Android or Apple app store. In order to do this, you’ll need to go through a specific process for each store.

For example, if you want your product to be distributed on the Apple store, you’ll need to sign up for the iOS developer program. This program will cost you $99 a year.

You should also be aware that these distribution networks will want to take a cut of your profits.

Work on Your Idea

Just an idea isn’t enough of a foundation to base an entire app on. In order for things to get serious, you need to come up with a solid plan.

If you don’t know how to code, and you aren’t working with someone who does, you should be aware your options are going to be limited. If you want to make something truly revolutionary, you’re going to need some coding expertise.

Forms-based apps are perhaps the easiest kind of app to create. This kind of app interacts with databases and user-inputted data. If you have no coding experience, it’s probably the easiest kind of app you could create.

Of course, the biggest market for apps is games. There are plenty of tools out there that can help you create a game without any coding knowledge.

You should be aware that the mobile games market is incredibly competitive. There are already countless games out there, so you’ll need to do something special to make yours stand out from the crowd.

If you’re not planning on doing any coding, this will be challenging. You probably won’t make much money from developing a game, but it still could be worth doing for the fun of it.

How to Develop Your Idea

If you don’t know how to code, you have a few options to get your app off the ground. You could, of course, learn to code, but this would take years. Even if you have an amazing idea, it’s probably not going to be relevant by the time you have the technical expertise to pull it off.

Secondly, you could try hiring a developer. There are many app developers out there who can help you to create an app based on your specifications. You could also check out sites such as Upwork, where you’ll find many freelance developers ready to help you with your project.

Use Development Tools

You could also go down the DIY route. There are many development tools out there that don’t require any knowledge of coding in order to use them. There’s still a learning curve, of course, but you should be able to get your app idea up and running reasonably quickly.

Good Barber is a good example of an app production program. Using the program costs $16 a month, but they do have a 30-day free trial available. The great thing about Good Barber is there are some great tutorials available to help you get to grips with the software.

Another option to consider for developing your idea is Appy Pie. This is a good program to get if you want to save some money.

Using Appy Pie is free; the only tradeoff is you have to let them run ads on your app. You can upgrade to their premium service for just $7 a month and they won’t run any ads. They’ll even help you to monetize with iAds and AddMo!

If you want to make a game without needing to spend years studying coding, you could consider GameSalad. This program uses an intuitive drag and drop interface. By using this app, you could easily make a Flappy Birds style game.

Make Graphics

No matter what kind of app you make, you’ll need some graphics. If you want to go down the DIY route, you could try making some of your own by using programs like Photoshop or Illustrator.

Learning how to use these programs can be time-consuming, so you may want to consider hiring a freelance graphic designer. If you only need a few icons designed, it shouldn’t be too expensive.

Test Your App

The testing phase can make or break your app. While you might have a great idea, it’s never going to get off the ground if the app is a buggy mess.

You need to test your application as much as you possibly can to iron out any issues it might have. You should test your app on a wide range of devices. If you test your app on your own phone and on nothing else, there’ll almost certainly be many issues you’re not aware of.