Harder than it sounds No matter the context for a coding project, always code and test the smallest fraction of your project possible, test it and then add details piece by piece. The first screen you test should have maybe one text field or button or image. It’s easier to debug when you’ve only added… Continue reading K is for Keep it simple

Who knows where it will lead you? Be patient – your first indie app might not be your big success. It might, but if not it’s not a big deal. They say you need to fail to succeed. Ship an app and see where it leads you. I shipped my first apps in 2014. They… Continue reading J is for Journey

Don’t reinvent the wheel As you’re doing every job at your company from design to customer support, you can’t dive too deep into every subject. Take shortcuts when you can. A good way to save time on research or AB testing is to look at what successful apps with funding are doing. Chances are they… Continue reading I is for Imitate

Don’t follow it blindly As an indie developer, you need to be very efficient with your programming. Coding requires either a lot of time or a lot of money. Big companies or startups have the financial means to lose time and money with their apps because they make money through other activities or because they… Continue reading H is for Hype

Or just Apple? Independent app developers often focus on the Apple ecosystem. Apple product users spend more money on apps and it’s easier to maintain an app that runs on Apple hardware alone, as opposed to the many different Android phone manufacturers. I started making apps by learning iOS development and didn’t consider making an… Continue reading G is for Google Play Store

Thinking about user experience in terms of friction It’s been said that Snapchat’s gesture-based design was good for attracting young users as they felt only they could understand the mechanics and grown-ups couldn’t. Still, Snapchat’s UI is very simple or ‘low friction’. You don’t need to go through a lot of screens to perform an… Continue reading F is for Friction

Be ready for your app business to be challenged at any time Having a successful indie app is a fantastic opportunity. It’s also best to know upfront that it’s a fragile business. You are completely dependent on one or two app stores. They can decide to kick your app out at any time, without even… Continue reading E is for Enjoy it while you can

Because, well, you’re probably not a trained designer. If your app is going to bring value to users, a very simple and clean design should do the trick. You still need to show interest in UI design if you’re going to make an indie app as creating a clean design is harder than it looks.… Continue reading D is for Design

Be open minded about how your app is used Some users might be interested in your app for very different reasons than the ones you built it for. This can be an amazing opportunity and it’s very important to look for signs of this phenomenon. It could surface in the app store comments, in support… Continue reading C is for Curious

Balancing discoverability and trademark strength App Store users have a very short attention span when searching for apps. They say your app icon and app name should convey what your app does at first glance. Be careful not to make your app name too descriptive though. Descriptive names can’t be trademarked and it might be… Continue reading B is for Branding