Developing iPhone apps isn’t rocket science…

I wish there was some decent guidance about developing ‘apps’ for iPhone, BlackBerry and Android platforms, but there seems to be a conspiracy by ‘techies’ to keep the process as mysterious as possible!

We have been working on several in the past few weeks (that aren’t launched yet, so we can’t mention them), but they are the current hot trend.  Figures from last summer reported 50,000 iPhone apps  and by November 2009 this had increased to 100,000!  As a regional PR agency, one of the most useful recent launches for us has been

TheBusinessDesk.com Appwhich arrived in the Apple store just a few weeks ago, but is already proving indispensable.

We thought it might be useful to share some of our recent learning about how to go about developing an iPhone app, and many of these tips also have value for developing BlackBerry apps too.

1. Plan well ahead – Shortlist a few specialist app developers (we have worked with several and know of a few more, if you want recommendations, drop me an email) and get prices to a tight spec, just as with a web developer.  The scope of what you need will greatly affect the price, but £2k is a decent starting point and the sky is the limit if you need all the bells and whistles!  Expect to spend two weeks planning, four weeks developing and two weeks testing, unless you can focus everyone to compress the work needed into less time.
2. Get draft designs – you must really brief the designers well, and be sure you like the draft designs before the build process begins – changing the look of an app can be costly…
3. Manage timings – developing web site and apps usually over run, as you are dealing with managing business people (whoever the client is) and techies, so there are always a few snags and delays
4. Test, test and test again – When you think you have your app designed, test it over and over before submitting it to the Apple store.  You can test apps on your own devices before you launch them with Apple, using a convoluted process of downloading zip folders and pushing files into iTunes on your own PC.  It is well worth doing as you always find more snags the more time and test users you have (10 – 20 is a good test audience) and it saves time and effort if you have all the snags ironed out before you first submit.
5. Register with Apple as an app developer  – I recommend registering as a developer ($99 cost) and setting up your own developer account.  This gives a number of benefits, the main being that your details on the iStore are flexible, and you control the access to stats etc too.  Your app developer will most likely be able to do this for you, steer clear of using their own developer account unless there is good reason.
6. Be prepared to launch PR – When you finally upload the app, there will be a delay of between 24 hours and five days before it is live on the iStore.  You have no control over this, and you must be ready to put any PR plans into action as soon as you see the app is live.  Countless online sites trawl for new apps, and you can’t control who will write about your app first.  It is amazing how many sites download and review even UK only apps, especially in the States, so make sure you make the most of the PR opportunities.
7. Utilise social media and app PR sites – there are a number of good ways to distribute media releases about the launch of apps that cost a little but deliver a lot in terms of online coverage and back links.  PR Web www.prweb.com/ (£110 upwards) is worth a look, as is the cheaper ($30 USD) Mac PR www.macpr.co.uk/

So, don’t be put off developing an app just because you haven’t done it before; you just need common sense and the support of a good designer.  Personally, I think that as long as the app has a purpose and is useful to the user (sounds obvious, but there will be people who develop pointless apps) they are a great way to get huge PR value, and they also to bring a fresh and added value aspect to your web offering. 

The massive rush towards iPhones that started last year when the Vodafone 02 and Orange networks got the handsets is compelling.  I personally think they have been a massive boon to our business at Appeal and we all love them, and I believe they will be the standard business handset in 18 months’ time.

If you think you could grow sales or offer clients an improved experience through an iPhone or BlackBerry app, go for it.  Especially if you are able to get in before the competition…