7 lessons we learned from ios development
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7 Lessons we learned from iOS development by PixoMobile cofounders: Robert Mao & Haitao LiTRANSCRIPT
7 lessons we learned from iOS development
Robert Mao & Haitao LiCo-Founders of PixoMobile
Seattle iOS Developers Meetup 9/25/13
Who we are
Robert Mao: Co Founder of PixoMobile. Former Microsoft Research guy, serial entrepreneur, worked in China, Europe and USA. ([email protected])
Haitao Li: Co Founder of PixoMobile. Former Microsoft guy, developed Internet Explorer, Windows 7 and Windows 8. ([email protected])
Our apps - PhotosPro
- Featured by Apple as “New & Noteworthy”- Widely reported by media and review sites- Peak download per day: 120K- High daily active users
App link: http://pixomobile.com/photospro/
Our apps - Levitagram
- Reached #2 grossing photo app in US Store- Remain on top chart since today- Widely reported by media and review sites
App link: http://pixomobile.com/levitagram/
Our apps - PoshLight
- Our latest app in the AppStore
App link: http://pixomobile.com/poshlight/
Our apps - FaceCraft
- In review, coming soon…
App link: http://pixomobile.com/facecraft/
Most app developers’ #1 headache…
“No one uses my crappy little app !”
What we did it right
Focus on data analytics
Fast execution
Not staying focused while staying focused
Data, data, data!
App analytics Google Analytics
Focus on the user retention User interaction path, is it as you
expected? Drop off rate? Real time analytics is very valuable
Crashlytics You can’t fix every bug
AppAnnie Know your number, know your
competitors number even better Find hype vs reality
Fast, fast, fast!
Fast iteration 2 weeks development cycle Limit everything in 2 weeks, seriously! What if the goal is too big for 2 weeks?
Cut features! K.I.S.S. Is it the right thing to do?! Cut the whole thing!
Can you guys seriously FINISH EVERYTHING in 2 weeks? NO. : ) YES. : )
Lack of resource is your biggest advantage to compete with big players
Other things need to be fast Your code need to run fast Bug fix Customer support (User Voice)
Lesson #1 - Product
Build something your users want to buy not just get interested
Don’t listen to your users (especially early adopter, professionals) … observe them
K.I.S.S - Don’t add up features.
Your idea is not original (enough)… AppAnnie data AppStore reviews
Lesson #2 - Naming
Which of those app name sucks less? Photos Pro PhotosPro PhotosPro: Photos App Reinvented Levitagram: levitation photography for dummies.
There are so many bad named apps in the store, include some ‘famous’ apps
Bad naming patterns Common words Single word Meaningless word
Lesson #2 - Naming
Naming strategy Name after popular app or not? Unique + meaningful Do appstore search AND web search first
Our naming process Brain storm 15~20 names (eliminate obviously bad names) Vote to eliminate to ~5 names (purely personal taste) Ask ‘experts’ to decide for us from name candidates Our experts:
Kids Female friends
Lesson #3 - Design
Icons Are app icons important?
YES, very important How much does it cost ?
For us: $5 ~ $29 Is it worth spending X dollars to ask someone design for it?
NO. Unless you have a great designer friends/partner, or you have too much money to spend
Is it worth bidding on sites like 99 designs? No, you get what you paid for : )
What makes a good App Icon? Unique Easy to remember Not ugly
Lesson #3 - Design
App design K.I.S.S Try no to reinvent the wheel Try the best to follow standard UI guideline
Our practice (may not work for everyone) Prototype with real code. Sketches only, no
mockup, all real code. Implement multiple designs and pick the
best. Reuse the design (and also the code) Don’t listen to ‘experts’, ‘professionals’ or
even ‘users’, instead observe user behavior from analytics
Experiments and analytics on everything
Lesson #4 - Pricing
Don’t be afraid to ask users to pay
Always think of building a paid app even you want it to be free.
Benefits of not being free You can make money You can use ‘free promotion’ You can get free deals from promotion sites You can stay in top chart much longer
0.99 vs 1.99 vs 2.99 vs …
Lesson #5 - Promotion
Most paid promotion are useless Paid review sites Paid ‘expedited’ review sites
Small but focused app review sites can be 10X more effective than big name media (use your time wisely)
Don’t promote it too early (or it’s wasting time, money and resource)
Some focused app promotion sites are extremely effective (however they are very expensive!) But we get it all FREE!
If you have a great app, they will come to you!
Build long term relationship with partners
Lesson #6 - Growth
Retention, engagement is the key to the growth
Without retention, promotion won’t get you the growth
Design a product for growth
Build the viral loop
Lesson #7 – User engagement
Don’t set the user expectation too high Always under promise and over deliver Your name, description and screenshots could make a
difference Review matters, esp. for paid apps
Engage users from all channels User voice, email, facebook pages, instagram…
Bonus lesson
Nothing happens as planned
“No one uses my crappy little app !”
