I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
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I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
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Re: I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
#2[deleted]
Re: I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
#3I donno but I think this is Question one:
Does something like this exist already and are people actually paying to use it? (Unless of course you're selling a (great looking) service for all the other questions).
Re: I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
#4Start doing something is definitely the most important step, but unless you know whether a) the idea will make money and b) how you're going to market it, chances are your effort will be wasted.
Part of me thinks that the ideal is if you have any idea in an already busy market. That way you know that the core idea makes money, and you can pick up marketing ideas for your future competitors.
Re: I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
#5I'm all for people learning to program so they can build something they're excited about, but this seems disingenuous. For most people it'll take months or more to go from zero coding experience to building an MVP of their 'killer app' idea. Posts like this make it sound like it's just working through a checklist.
If someone's not excited about the actual process of learning to code, a)they'll probably get discouraged quickly and b)there's probably a more efficient way for them to get a prototype of their app than learning to code from scratch.
Re: I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
#6I donno but I think this is Question one: Does something like this exist already and are people actually paying to use it? (Unless of course you're selling a (great looking) service for all the other questions).
Lots of people do not know what they want. Hardly anyone knew they "wanted" FB because nobody actually thought they'd be needing it. Less alone pay for it.
If it's really "killer" (not as in: "I'm creating a social app where people hunting cows with bows can use their smarthpone to share videos of arrows piercing bows in real-time") then people may not know they'll actually want this.
I don't disagree that having other buying apps using your idea is good in that it shows there's a market.
But then you don't "Have a great idea". Because you're idea simply is "My idea is to copy another product".
Not that I have anything against it: it's what I do for a living : )
Re: I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
#7I'm all for people learning to program so they can build something they're excited about, but this seems disingenuous. For most people it'll take months or more to go from zero coding experience to building an MVP of their 'killer app' idea. Posts like this make it sound like it's just working through a checklist. If someone's not excited about the actual process of learning to code, a)they'll probably get discourage…
I can't disagree with your points, but if someone is motivated and wants to learn, getting started can be overwhelming, especially if you don't have any programming experience. This post is intended to help guide people at the very beginning of their learning, though it's totally valid to point out that it's a journey, not a quick fix.
At Treehouse our mission is to make software development approachable to all, and our courses are designed to teach people from the ground up. Of course it will be harder for people who have never written a line of code, but with desire, determination, and the help of the supportive community we're building then hopefully they can accomplish their goals more efficiently and cost-effectively than before.
For further reading about teaching a beginner to code, check out this article: http://cacm.acm.org/blogs/blog-cacm/156836-teaching-programm...
Re: I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
#8I donno but I think this is Question one: Does something like this exist already and are people actually paying to use it? (Unless of course you're selling a (great looking) service for all the other questions).
Sometimes your "killer" idea might be selfish or for a really small niche, too. It may not be a successful business venture, but it could be the killer app for you, friends and family, or specific types of users. For example, in another blog post of mind somebody older commented on his desire to have an app that simply uses the camera to automatically enlarge what he's looking at to help him read. And if you're interested in learning or building things then perhaps working on your own personal project will be super rewarding.
Re: I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
#9you forgot the most important step: be realistic! programming that app is gonna take months away from your spare time (if you really are starting from scratch) and your chances of actually producing a killer app are marginal. you gotta be aware that there are countless hours of unpaid work ahead of you, for which the revenue of your app is not going to account for.
I don't wanna sound like a disgruntled developer (I really am not), but it's important to know that most likely your expectations on this app are heavily biased - especially when you lack developer skills. when you decide to enter the app business, you have to be aware that you are competing in what is probably one of the most competitive markets in the world, with very smart people from all over the world trying to monetize their apps. if this doesn't curb your enthusiasm then have a go at it - godspeed!
Re: I Have an Idea for a Killer App, but Where Do I Start?
#10I'm a huge advocate for the Lean Startup approach, which is more often than not the best approach for deciding whether or not to develop a mobile application. That being said, I think it's a bit of a stretch to expect a blog from a company that provides training for learning coding to write about the customer development process.