web design portfolio
web design portfolio
So you’re a young, up and coming industrialist, who has read about the likes of Chad Mureta, and now you want to get into the mobile app development industry but you are not sure how to get your developers struggling to get into the top 5% of app stores.
1. Native vs Cross-Platform Development
Competition in the app business today is so fierce, you have to develop no less than the possible best and most fluid app ever to stay in the game. Fact of the matter is every web design portfolio has its own single set of required coding skills. You’ll want to develop your app in Objective C if you’re looking to develop for iOS, or Java and XML if you’re going for Android development. coding it right will allow for high performance and latest API support. If this is your first time, I would advise you to start small, test it out on a single stage, and then look to SaS sites for multi-platform app development
2. Choose Your First Platform Wisely
There are only 3 stores to sell your app: Google Play, App Store or Windows Store. Decide in whose hands you want to put the fate of your app by answer these questions.
1. Want to Get Rich?
The revenue generated at the Apple App Store to Google Play is at a ratio of 8 to 1. Apple does pay more for top developers who build their apps to be sold, not downloaded for free. The Windows 8 Store is still small in terms of its revenue, but it allows apps to run at the same time on a PC, tablet and smartphone – more mediums, more downloads.
2. Paid or Free (with ads)?
The mainstream of Android apps from Google Play is free and reliant on monetizing through advertising. You may even make more money than you would from selling your app upfront. As for Windows, there aren’t many ad networks which support Windows 8’s funky ad formats. So you’ll probably want to sell your app for a fixed price.
3. Want to Play or Get Real Quick?
The Apple App Store does have notoriety as a hard nut to crack, especially for new developers – more reluctant to promote the new guy. If you want to produce a decent amount of downloads in a faster time frame, go for Android.
App Shopping
That said, Google Play is starting to grow at a much faster rate than its archenemy, and is starting to challenge Apple in the overall revenue category. As for Windows 8, developers are not flocking to it, probably due to some inherent problems but pioneer developers from every successful app market always reap great benefits. We’ll see if we can call the Windows 8 Store a ‘successful app market’ in the future.
3. Designing For success
It isn’t hard to tackle the designs for an app, here are 6 things you should pay attention to when designing a mobile app:
Less is more – This principle should really be augmented, since you’re designing for small screens.
Pixel-perfect graphics – Don’t be lazy just because the screen is smaller and you think you can get away with mistakes.
Big buttons, big fonts, Icon Matter – In judgment to the specific screen size you’re developing for.
Of Flaws and Features – Stay away from the idea of “It’s not a flaw, it’s a feature”. Be professional about it.
Icons matter – It’s the first thing your customers see. Make the design fit the overall theme of the app.
Test your design – Test it on every known screen size (ldpi, mdpi, hdpi, xhdpi). It should appear the same all across the board. Design it yourself, get an experienced designer or use touchstone icons such as those offered by Glyphish then edit them as much as possible.
4. Client Retention Secrets
Next we open up the black book of Client Retention Secrets:
(Again) Be Professional – Users love to use simple, professional apps. Have the best possible app in your niche.
Balance monetization and annoying your paymasters – Don’t annoy your users with too many ads or in-app purchases when going for free apps with ads. Also changing your monetization scheme during an update will make you lose users.
Be transparent when using ads – Write about every monetization plan or in-app purchases you’re using in your app’s description page. Users will see from the permissions needed anyway.
Update often, but not without a reason – Constant improvements keep users. Also start working on an update when the number of users, or ratings, are dropping.
Support and Respond – Support as many devices and device screens. Respond to your users feedback via e-mail or comments. If your app requires users to log into an account, use Facebook Login. It’s simpler.
5. Marketing (Magic) Tricks
At the app store: Presentation is essential. Screenshots for your app make a huge difference. The first three screenshots should highlight your app’s best instances!