how to build an awesome mobile app

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How to build an awesome mobile app

Me

• Yossi Mlynsky (JNB)

• Founder of Alt Tab Mobile

• Experienced Product Manager with Engineering background

• I Work with startups to help them design, build and launch awesome mobile apps

• Prev. Macquarie Bank, BT Financial

Cookoo: Instagram for food and recipes

21 Questions: Turn based social app for

iPhone

Question?

• Who has already built their own app?

• Who is currently building their own app?

• Who wants to build their own app?

Step 1: What is your app going to do?

What to do?

• List the functionality

• Prioritize it

• Cut the list

• Cut it again!

Get Inspired

• Look at the market leaders

• Not competitors…inspiration

• There is a reason things are done a certain way

Wireframes

• Break up the functionality into screens

• Lets see what it is going to look like

What to do?

• Limit the functionality for each screen

• Best apps only have a few options of things to do per screen

• You don’t need to do everything in your app

What to do?

• Limit the functionality for each screen

• Best apps only have a few options of things to do per screen

• You don’t need to do everything in your app

Vine

Documentation

• Document how the app is going to work

• Don’t just start coding • Things will evolve, but this is the

single most important step in the process

• TIP: Always create a Product Document for your app

Product Document

Step 2: How to design your mobile app

Mobile design is different

• Very different to web design

• Your users are on the go and want things fast

• Keep it simple

Keep it in line

• In line with industry and OS standards

• TIP: www.pttrns.com

Step 3: How to Engineer your app

Technology options

• Native vs. HTML

• iOS, Android and the rest

• There are pros and cons

• Depends on the exact app you are trying to build and the audience

• Also, depends on budget

RESTful Web Services

• Well structured code for future • Easy for the mobile team to understand the

code • Keep as much logic as possible on on the

server side • Eg. /v1/Users • /v1/Users/Self/Apps • TIP: Checkout the Foursquare API

Amazon Web Services

• Keep it in the cloud

• Scalable

• Don’t reinvent the wheel

Step 4: Tools & Processes

The right stuff

Start with the right stuff.

• Documentation

• User Interface Design

Now you are ready to code

The right way

• Manageable chunks of work

• 2 week iterations

• How much can your team get done in that time?

• TIP: Use a tool like Asana (www.asana.com)

End of an iteration

• Testing • TIP: Release app using TestFlight

(www.testflight.com) • Any feedback or bugs move into

the next iteration • Keep on going until the app is

ready

Launch your awesome app!

• Time to release to the App Store or Google Play

Questions?

• Reach out

• Yossi – 082 087 0067

• yossi@alttabmobile.com