how to build an awesome mobile app
TRANSCRIPT
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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