In recent months thousands of Facebook users have been looking for a better way to share their experiences with friends and family. One of the companies people have started turning to is Compass.to a mobile app that lets you share the things you love with the world around you. Today we are lucky enough to present to you an interview with Steve Nitzschner, Co-Founder and CXO of Compass.To, where he answers some of the questions all app developers are thinking about, he discussed things such as what inspired him to create Compass.to, how to choose the right marketing strategy, as well as sharing some insight for those wanting to get started on the path of app development.

Mobile Orchard: Please tell our readers a little about Compass.to

Steve: Well, Compass.to and the iPhone app which is available soon, is the first of a release of tools around “celebrating life”.

MO:  Can you maybe start by sharing with us how you got into iPhone app development?

S: Since we grew up with UI/UX and code pieces, we see ourselves in the post digital area. This means we do not think about technology, instead we think about philosophies around technology, and then take it from there.

MO: What made you decide to create the app for iOS instead of Android?

S: I could say that if you want to be successful you need to  first release your app on the iOS App Store. But the simple answer is that we love the operating system, however we do feel that Apple needs to improve iOS if they want to remain a market leader. However we haven’t forgotten about the other platforms. actually we’re currently working on Android and Windows Phone apps. Naturally, both will receive a slightly different experience.

MO: Did you have a special process for getting from idea to the final app?

S: Play, play, play. Scribble, scribble, scribble. Long nights, a few (dozen) bottles of wine and understanding what annoys us when we think about the current online social network and technology approaches. Then instead of simply creating an app we sat down and really though hard about what was missing and then we created an app that filled all those voids.

MO: Do you think there is a formula for launching a successful app on the app store?

S: Back in 2009, yes there might have been a formula for releasing a successful app, however today I don’t really believe there is such a thing as a formula for success. There are numerous ways of launching a successful app on the App Store, these include things such as working with app store agencies and app marketing strategies. In our case we’ve been working with 1,100 beta testers in New York and Europe, for us the most critical part of creating Compass.to was getting it onto other people’s device.

MO: Do you think it is better to focus on iPhone exclusive apps or should you make them work both on iPhone and iPad?

S: In our case we decided to focus on the iPhone, the reason for this being the nature of our app, since we are a location based app it just made much more sense to release it on the iPhone. In some ways you can say that people tend to use the iPad when they are in “couch mode” in other words most people use their iPad while at home, while they tend to take their iPhone with them everywhere.

MO: What is the marketing strategy for the app?

S: There is no particular strategy. Instead we’re working with like-minded audiences. We’ve been building this for ourselves first, and for friends. It’s a community thing. Our community consists of artists, DJs, painters, architects, musicians, photographers (from portrait to war photography). Some might call this creative peer groups. We experience our community as a spearhead of a digital generation loving technology but more than this: valuing real-life, again!

MO: Lately there has been a trend towards freemium apps do you see Compass.to moving in that direction in the future?

S: We’re moving towards generating benefits in everyday life. Everything that is valuable to maximize our everyday life without interrupting life or a good conversation with friends is important to us. Whatever it takes, we’ll head into this direction. Whether it’s free, freemium, advertising driven or whatever.

However before starting to worry about monetization firstly make a good product, nurture it and make it as good as possible, then one day you will start generating an income. (a good advice of Andy Palmer who helped us with some great advices during our concept phase. Andy, a big thank you for that!)

MO: Do you have any words of advice for someone just starting out in App development?

S: Sure, develop a good motto for your app. Write this motto in capital letters on your wall, start scribbling and playing around with it. Then spend at least 90 days with the idea, if after this time period you still think the idea is valuable, go ahead and code your pie.

MO: What resources do you recommend for novice developers?

S: Read the biographies of Oscar Wilde, Nietzsche, Mark Twain, Woody Allen, Steve Jobs (among others). If you’ve done this part, go ahead with programs such as Microsoft Biz Park, a service for startup companies, and other similar services. Even though I am not a big fan of them, if you are stuck you can always use an accelerator program.

Last week we had a chance to interview the guys from ustwo, to discuss their latest book “Pixel Perfect Precision Handbook”  You can download it here, And of course be sure to follow @pppustwo on Twitter for all the latest pixel news and advice!

• iBook iPad Download (18mb)
• iBook Desktop Download (17mb)
• PDF Download (17mb)
• Extras (Scripts, Resources etc., 8mb)

Without further ado, here is the interview:

What’s the main reason you released this book?

We’ve been working on it for a few years now internally with the aim of improving the quality of interface design across the board – especially for those new to the profession. In our experience this kind of practice isn’t really taught on university courses, so when we take graduates on we tend to spend a lot of time bringing them up to speed – any designer’s induction here includes having a run through session with me on the book. So based on great feedback internally we decided it was about time we shared the Pixel Perfect Precision message with the world!

How long did it take to produce it and how many people were involved?

The 1.1 release launched recently coincided with its third birthday and it’s just been me over those three years with some help from then-Lead Intern™ Daniel – who helped out with a lot of prototyping on the first iBooks version last year.

What other resources would you recommend to mobile developers?

First port of call should be looking through the relevant guidelines for the platform you’re developing for. I also pick up a lot of info on Twitter, following people like Marc Edwards (@marcedwards) (who’s also involved with the Iterate Podcast (@iteratetv)), as well as other companies in our field like Fjord and Teehan+Lax. The Verge is great for info on the latest technology, and Designers & Books for some tree-based recommendations!

Why did you write it in iBooks compared to some other platform?

The original handbook was produced in Keynote and distributed as a PDF. Halfway through a redesign we heard that Apple had dropped iBooks Author on the world and we were immediately interested in what it was all about. Initially it was just a learning exercise to see what the platform could do, but as it started to develop we realised that the iPad was a great distribution platform for the book – unlike a PDF the iBook could be completely pixel perfect! It was also incredibly quick to implement once we’d settled on the style (there’s more about that in the 1.1 release blog post http://www.ustwo.co.uk/blog/the-ustwo-pixel-perfect-precision-handbook-1-1-and-how-it-was-made/) as it’s possible to copy and paste between Keynote and iBooks Author. Conveniently you can also export a PDF from iBooks Author so it’s in a more universal format.

What do you think are some of the biggest mistakes people make with regards to aligning?

Not setting up a grid to start with! Even just a handful of guides on the page to define where the margins are would help, but instead a lot of people still line stuff up by eye. As the designer creates more pages these errors can add up, causing buttons and other components to jump around as the user navigates through the interface, creating a jarring experience.

A big problem for a lot of people is that colors look different on different screens, do you think this could be avoided by focusing on color consistency?

I don’t think we’ll ever be able to solve the problem of screens rendering colours differently so the best thing to do is have some test devices that you can preview designs on. If we’re creating an app we’ll try it across a range of iPhones and iPods to see how things come out, as well as high-end and low-end Android devices if it’s heading for that platform as well.

It’s also really important to consider how accessible your designs are for those with visual impairments such as colour blindness. By running a colour contrast check on your design through a site such as http://snook.ca/technical/colour_contrast/colour.html really helps. Linking up with the original question, by getting the contrast right you also go some way to making your designs usable on lower quality displays.

Do you think some developers get overwhelmed with Photoshop because they don’t follow simple rules?

I’d say Photoshop is a product that’s very easy to get overwhelmed with just because there’s so much it can do! On a day-to-day basis I’m probably only using 10% of its features, but to someone who’s new to the app – it must be difficult to know which ones are relevant and where they’re located. In the toolbar for example there’s 20+ features, of which I’ll just use the marquee and shape layers/paths most of the time.

With retina screens becoming more popular do you think pixelated images will be a thing of the past?

We’re getting very close to the point where we won’t notice the individual pixels on a screen, that’s a given.

What interests me more is how that’s going to affect the tools we’re using – for example, will we go back to desktop publishing style apps where we no longer worry about pixels and resolutions, instead simply setting up a page in the correct proportions and getting on with it?

But then, how will we marry that with the massive range of screen sizes and proportions that are out there right now? There are lots of questions that need answering, but I’m excited to see what’s coming in the future. I’ve written quite an in-depth blog post on the subject which is worth a read if you’re interested in this discussion http://www.ustwo.co.uk/blog/the-death-of-the-pixel/

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Pay attention to the little details as well as the big idea of your designs and don’t trip over at the final hurdle! Oh, and follow @pppustwo for the latest tips and tricks.

With more than 600,000 Apps available in the App Store it can be extremely hard to get your app noticed. Recently John Casey wrote a very interesting article titled “The Art of Launching an App“ in it he describes the app world like a giant forest filled with millions of trees.

Today we are lucky enough to present to you an exclusive interview with John Casey where he answers some of the questions on all developers minds, he discussed things such as developers needing to treat their app launch more as a product launch, the importance of spending enough time testing your app, as well as the dangers of only positive reviews.

1) You mentioned that app developers are a lot like independent filmmakers, can you explain?

First, having worked with both developers and filmmakers, love them both!  They are alike in expressing their passion and creativity, and to some extent how they treat their marketing endeavors.  Both groups create these wonderful vivid and engaging products, and then in some cases, just push them out to the masses, without much thought as to how to market them effectively.  The founder of Jumping Pages, Rania Ajami, a kids mobile app developer, is also a filmmaker, and she, like other smart filmmakers and developers, makes sure to integrate a thoughtful marketing strategy, with an eye towards a successful launch that reaches and excites key demographics.  The promotional step is becoming a paramount requisite in both the ever changing film-making and app development communities.

2) Why is it becoming more necessary for app developers to treat their productions like a retail product?  

I have experience working for four major retailers, so I see an evolving symmetry taking place in the app world.  Venues like the iTunes store are quickly becoming preferred online shopping destinations, so developers should be treating their apps like they were putting a product on a shelf at a retail store.  Now, what do I mean by that?  Generally, big-box retailers like Wal-Mart and Target aren’t going to promote your product.  So, if you make detergent, for example, your product goes on the shelf with the rest of the other detergent brands.  It’s up to you, as the detergent manufacturer, to “scream” louder than the other brands and get the buyers attention.  As apps become more mainstream and face more competition in the online market places, it behooves the developer to cleverly market the product, via a strong retail-like strategy, in order to stand-out on the iTunes “shelf”.

3) At what point in the production process should an app developer begin to form a marketing strategy?  

There are three points at which a marketing strategy can be formed.  Preferably and first, a strategy should be conceptualized during the initial production process, so that the app can include components that can be used to facilitate a broader marketing campaign.  Secondly, for Jumping Pages, we incorporated a new narrator for the David & Goliath story at the end of the production process, and re-calibrated our marketing strategy around the narrator, and moved our launch date to provide for a successful implementation of the strategy.  Finally, apps are adaptable in the way they can be updated, changed, and enhanced at any time.  Thus, for many developers who aren’t seeing movement from their existing apps on the iTunes store, it’s never too late to re-examine the landscape, devise ideas for a re-launch via a strategic publicity campaign, and incorporate slight changes to the app that will accommodate an agreed upon marketing strategy.

4) Why is it important for developers to be cognizant of apps as new mediums for brand awareness?

TV, radio, newspaper, magazines, even the film industry, these traditional forms of media are all seeing the affect of lagging ad sales, ratings, circulations, purchases and attendance.  And as such, brands that would traditionally advertise or purchase product or brand placement opportunities with these outlets are furiously searching for alternate and more creative ways to spread awareness about their brand or products via new media.  App downloads are off the charts, and people are spending more and more time using these apps. Why not capitalize on these facts?  It just makes sense for brands to start using apps as an additional medium to engage their audiences, provide entertainment/value, and promote themselves.  Thus, app developers should take a look at their apps, and start to think about them as venues for brand or product placement.

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We are happy to introduce our new guest blogger Andreas Kambanis of iPhone App Rockstar.

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If there was a video titled ìStuff iPhone developers say one of the typical phrases would be I saw it in the featured apps. We are used to hearing about app success stories post launch, but we rarely get a chance to glimpse inside the pre-launch stages that decide whether an app is a runaway success, or doomed to gather rust in the unvisited depths of the app store.

With that in mind, I wanted to dive in to a story that is unfolding as you read this sentence. The story of the Leap app. An app which I predict, will soon be hitting the big time in the app store.

I reached out to the Leap founder to discuss the pre-launch strategies that they are using to guarantee that they crush it with their app launch. What follows is an shortened transcription of the interview, along with some additional notes.

First of all a little background..

Leap is an app that allows you to create challenges with your Facebook friends. You document these challenges by taking pictures and you earn points on your progress.

The team behind it consists of James Dickerson, who is the co-founder I spoke to, Nick Cramer is the designer and Ryan Tinker is the developer.

Q: How are you generating interest before your launch?

James Dickerson: Our landing page is very important for collecting user information. We built our own custom page since we have a designer and a coder but you can easily use Launch Rock. Which a lot of start-ups are using.

What we’ve done is identify niches that we want to focus on for our launch. We’ve contacted various health blogs and people in the health community. Told them about our app and directed them to our page. They agreed to share Leap with their users once the app is ready. We are going to have a nice base of people to get the app once it is launched.

We focused on the health community and then we focused on the tech community. We ordered out a list of 50 blogs from small, medium and large. It’s much easier to get attention from the small blogs first, before moving on to the big guys.

We’ve drafted up a sample email with screenshots of the app, a picture of the team and a 5-10 sentence description of the application. Then we emailed them and said weíd love to be featured in the blog, here’s some content you can use, then it doesn’t take them much time to create an article about your app.

Once you start getting some traction on the small blogs, you can use that as a good example to pitch medium size blogs and then the bigger ones.

Key takeaways: You need a page that collects users information prior to your launch. When your app finally makes it in to the app store, you then have a list of interested users to help you hit the ground running. These initial users will help boost your app through the ranks and vastly improve its chances of being featured by Apple. Setting up a landing page is easy using a service such as Launch Rock or Launch Effect App.

To build your list of interested users donít just head straight for the huge app blogs. Pick blogs within the niche that your app targets, start small and work your way up. The Leap app currently has an email list of over 800 people who are interested in downloading the app when it launches.

Q: How do you make your message stand out?

JD: If you think about most of the submissions, somebody is probably just typing in a short couple of sentences, a website and being pretty self promoting. If you take the time to craft a nice email, link to a couple of examples where the application has been featured before and convey the message that the readers will be interested in it and itís something new and different I think it will stand out from the other submissions.

Key takeaways: Rather than sending off a generic email, take the time to craft something a little more personal and think about what you can offer the blogger or journalist, as opposed to just what they can offer you.

Q: What has the response been like?

JD: A great response from some of the bloggers. In fact, one of the bloggers is a New York Times best selling author who focuses on health challenges for his readership. I reached out to him and said there’s no app out there thatís allowing your readers to do these challenges together and I think your community would really love this. I didnít try to pitch him right away, I just said let me know if youíd like any more information. Low and behold that worked really well and it was a big win for us.

Key takeaways: I’ve personally seen a far bigger jump in downloads when mentioned in a popular blog, as opposed to getting a two page spread in a huge cycling magazine. Others are reporting the same thing and this example by James shows how following this pre-launch strategy can get your app in front of some really big audiences.

Q: Let’s zoom ahead a little to the launch day. Have you set an exact day for launch and what will you be doing on that day?

When the app is completed we are going to set a day to let everyone know it is ready. Once we’ve got that date set we are going to target the big dogs such as TechCrunch and VentureBeat. Weíll probably give them a week and a half to two weeks notice.

On the launch day itself weíll be using Mixpanel that we have hooked in to the site and the app, so that we can monitor live how many people are using the app. We really want to be talking to users and asking them what can be improved.

Weíll probably have some friends come over, get them to download the app and see how they interact with it.

Key takeaways: As you reach your launch day, step things up a few notches and contact the bigger players. With all the proof you’ll have from the smaller blogs, they’ll be more likely to feature you. When the launch day comes around try to spot any potential problems as they arise by interacting with your eyes on social networks.

Also, make sure you are enlisting your friends and looking over their shoulder to see how they use the app. You’ll gain really valuable feedback for your next version.

Those interested in reading the full interview can find it here.

Mobile Orchard: First, tell us about Sourcebits, what do you guys do?

Sourcebits: Sourcebits is the largest, world-renowned developer of apps for iPhone and Android. Besides this, we also develop applications and games for Palm, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7. Along with mobile development, we also have an equally competent web development team, which have the experience and expertise to bring your web presence to life. We have years of experience developing for clients from, the Fortune 500 to some great start-ups.In short, we’re a company that believes if you can dream it, you can build it.

MO: How did you get started developing for the iPhone and iPad?

Sourcebits: The process for starting the company was actually a bit more roundabout than you would expect. I’m personally trained as a radiologist and first started dabbling in development with Osirix, a popular open-source radiology software program for the Mac. I started Sourcebits almost immediately after graduation and once Apple announced the iPhone SDK we knew that’s where we wanted to be. After seeing the iPhone’s success firsthand we adopted a similar attitude toward the iPad, shifting a great deal of staff and resources toward the tablet in order to be among the first companies supporting it. Seeing as how both devices have come to dominate their respective industries we think we’ve made the right decisions.

MO: If you had to choose one, which would you rather develop for, iOS or Android? Why?

Sourcebits: Though both platforms provide some great development opportunities, I would prefer iOS development for various reasons: First of all, there’s a larger user base for iOS devices, so from a business standpoint it makes sense to focus our efforts there. Also, iOS is somewhat fun to develop for because the tools are very developer-friendly and easy to work with. The advantages of the iOS tools are pretty tremendous in terms of UX design and general reliability vs Eclipse.

MO: What is the Android development process like compared to the iOS?

Sourcebits: There are some significant differences between Android development and iOS development. Android tries to model an app as a loosely-coupled set of Services, Activities, and Content Providers, while iOS sandboxes each app like a traditional OS. Also, the iOS Interface builder for building UI elements really speeds up the entire process as compared to Android, where you have to manually edit the XML files. One major advantage of Android development is that Android applications rely on automatic memory management handled by garbage collector. You still have to handle memory leaks at times, but it’s much easier than handling memory management issues for iOS.

MO: Is there anything Android does that you would like to see in iOS or vice versa?

Sourcebits: There are a few features on Android which I would really love to see on iOS. Android has Hot Spot capability and Wi-Fi can be shared with up to 8 devices, but there’s nothing really similar on iOS. It would be really great if Apple would support this feature in iOS 4.3.

Also, the notification mode is arguably better on Android devices as compared to iOS. In Android, all notifications are neatly organized in an expandable menu. So, whenever any of these notifications appear, they are quickly displayed for some time in a small strip that always stays at the top of the screen. iOS 4 still follows pop-up notifications, which may occasionally interfere with whatever apps you’re running at the time.

There are also some iOS features which are missing on Android. For example, iOS has Unified Inbox which combines multiple e-mail accounts, a sorely lacking option on Android. There’s also native support for video chat on iOS, which you can only do with add-on apps on Android. Even though those apps work in a pinch, they aren’t as seamless and feature-rich as Face Time. Most importantly, iOS apps are generally well-designed and often have much better UI as compared to Android apps.

MO: Which platform is better for a beginner?

Sourcebits: Both platforms have their pros and cons. Android is open source, and hence you can start Android development on any system. On the other hand, you need to have a Mac to start iPhone development. This might be a hindrance to young developers or those who don’t have access to Mac machines. Also, Objective-C has a steep learning curve as compared to Java, but it’s really worth an effort as it opens the door to Mac and all iOS devices. Those who have the time or resources would be wise to dive right into iOS, but Android can be more newcomer-friendly.

MO: Do you have any other tips for the novice app developer?

Sourcebits: New developers should understand that it’s necessary to spend a considerable amount of time in designing your app. There are millions of apps on the App store, but only those with good design and functionality really make a difference. Also, make sure that you release the app without any bugs or missing features. Customers always have a multitude of choices on the app store, so you really have to work hard to stand out. Hence, your app will be soon dumped if it’s not perfect for the user.

MO: How long does it normally take from beginning to app store for your apps?

Sourcebits: It depends on the kind of app we are developing. Normally, iPhone and iPad applications take anywhere around 2 to 3 months whereas games take a little more time. Everything boils down to the complexity of the application. The most important thing is that we take a sufficient amount of time to lovingly design and perfect each app we release.

MO: What is your favorite app?

Sourcebits: Our famous in-house game, Robokill, is still my favorite across all iOS devices. It’s perhaps the best dual stick shooter game available on the App Store. In fact, the game has received some highly positive reviews on App store and by various gaming blogs across the globe. It’s highly addictive gameplay will surely keep on going for hours! Oh apologies for the shameless plug

MO: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and good luck on your future projects.

I recently had the opportunity to interview the guys from Sketch & Scotch, developers of the Comic Strip app.

Mobile Orchard: Please tell us about Sketch and Scotch. How did the company start?

Sketch & Scotch: The three of us (Jon Demidio, Simon Chao, Q. Lam) met at work. We quickly discovered that we had an affinity for technology, design, and cool innovative ideas. We’re also big Apple geeks. After a couple years of talking various ideas and products at the poker table, we decided to put our money where our mouths were. The goal of Sketch & Scotch for us is to actually deliver on our ideas and not just talk about them. We officially formed Sketch & Scotch in the summer of 2010.

MO: How many iOS apps have you released?

S&S: So far we have released ComicStrip and have a few other ideas in the works as well as constantly striving to improve ComicStrip.

MO: Where did you get the idea for ComicStrip?

S&S: Being in our late 20′s and early 30′s we remembered the good old days of reading comic books and seeing how much those few words in a caption adds to the overall story of the comic.

We also noticed that a lot of applications were being developed around sharing memories specifically through photos. For us it was a natural fit. What better way to tell your story than in a format that everyone recognized and that almost everyone has a fond memory of.

MO: How long did it take for you from the time you came up with the idea to it being accepted in the app store?

S&S: After a few start and stops, I’d say it took us about 7-8 months starting from story boarding through development and submission to Apple working on the app in the evenings and on the weekends.

MO: What was the approval process like for the app store?

S&S: The approval process for us went by without a hitch. Apple has very carefully implemented a thorough process and provided all the tools necessary. It took our app a little over a week to get approved. Having heard and read some of the horror stories out there we were a bit nervous heading into it but looking back, we had nothing to worry about.

MO: Any changes you would like to see in this process?

S&S: I can’t really see any major process improvements that I’d want changed. I believe that as long as you’re within the guidelines that Apple provides, you shouldn’t have a problem getting your app approved.

MO: Do you plan to start developing for the iPad?

S&S: The initial release of ComicStrip is universal so it works on iPad as it exists. We wanted to provide the extra flexibility and value to our customers from the beginning. Having said that we do think there are some interesting ways we can take advantage of the iPad with ComicStrip.

Right now it’s a matter of prioritizing where we should focus our energy but we definitely want to work on iPad specific development going forward.

MO: What advice would you give to someone interested in getting into app development for iOS?

S&S: Get started, the tools are free! One of the things that helped us tremendously is simply starting out with a pen and paper. Sketch out your idea and ask why you would want to use the application. Research the store for similar ideas and find applications that inspire you or that you admire to help you narrow your focus. Don’t get too caught up in the technology or solution,
make sure your application does what it does intuitively and elegantly.

MO: What tools do you use in the app development process?

S&S: Xcode is a great tool set for developers. For the design, Adobe’s Photoshop and Fireworks were used predominantly. We also used Google Docs often to share documents between us.

MO: Any tips or advice you would like to give to new developers on marketing their app?

S&S: We haven’t marketed our app very much in the traditional sense, however, what has helped us tremendously is the power of our social network. Facebook and twitter served us tremendously well. Your friends and family are more often than not more excited about your apps then you are so make sure you let them know. It’s not really a tip but we have found that Apple itself is the best marketing you could ever get. We were fortunate to have our app mentioned in the Apple store in the U.S. and U.K.

MO: What is your favorite app?

S&S: Our favorite apps are Reeder, Flipboard, and Facebook.

The guys from Sketch & Scotch were nice enough to give us some promo codes to give to our readers. The first five people to comment requesting the app will get one. Good luck!

Mobile Orchard: Tells us about yourself and your company.

Chad Podoski: Shacked is a two person iOS focused dev shop I founded after leaving a local tech startup here in Honolulu, HI.  Shacked is going through a transition at the moment, with my initial co-founder moving on to take a position at Microsoft on the new Windows Phone platform team.  My new partner, Jason Skicewicz, is a server side expert, specializing in Python/Django development, which nicely complements my skill set on the mobile side.  I am really excited about the opportunities it opens up for Shacked to make some stellar products that leverage server side computing and cloud storage.  This also gives us the ability to develop apps for all the major mobile app platforms, iOS, Android, and Windows Phone tied together with a common server side component.

I am an University of Florida alumni (Go Gators!) with a couple degrees in computer engineering.  After college, I moved to Oregon and worked at Nike world headquarters (can you say rock climbing for your lunch break) as a Java/Oracle developer for a few years, before moving on to Hawaii to work for a Mac photo management app startup, Blue Lava Technologies, founded by the creator of Tetris.  Their main product, the Mac desktop app iLovePhotos , was a great idea that unfortunately suffered from really bad timing.  iLovePhotos was an iPhoto alternative whos primary purpose was organizing and sharing photos based on the people in the photos.  We launched in August of ’08. iPhoto ’09 with Faces came out the following January.  Despite the failure, the startup experience I gained was invaluable.  It really opened my eyes to entrepeneurship, startups in general, startup financing, taking a product from concept to deliverable, not to mention causing me to transition over to Mac and Objective-C from the Windows based world and Java development.

MO: How did you get into iPad app development?

CP: iOS development was an easy transition from the Mac app development I was doing previously.  The iPad was announced a couple months after I started doing Shacked full-time.  Being an avid photographer myself, the moment I saw the iPad, the concept for Flickpad came to mind.  As we have seen, the iPad has opened up amazing new ways to interact with digital media.  Flickpad was my solution for keeping up with the massive amount of photos that are shared with each of us on any given day.

MO: Do you also create apps for the iPhone?

CP: Shacked’s first app was an iPhone app called The Now.  I have always been interested in the concept of mindfulness, and living more fully in the present.  The Now was my attempt to create an iPhone app to help me achieve that personally.  It is a pretty simple idea really, make use of the push notification system on the iPhone to periodically snap people back to the present moment, via some poignant quote or relevant exercise.  While it has seen limited commercial success compared to Flickpad, it still holds a special place for me as my first app in the app store.

MO: How does iPhone and iPad development differ?

CP: On the coding side, there are not really a ton of differences that come to mind.  It is on the design side that you really have to change the way you think.  The iPad definitely opens up more possibilities for creative interfaces, but it is also a pitfall that can easily result in overly complex design, and as a result, a poorly received app.

MO: What are some of your favorite development tools?

CP: Most of the tools I use are pretty standard, Xcode, Interface Builder, and Photoshop primarily.  I am a huge fan of utilities and plug-ins though.  Cocoa Browser Air is an alterative to the Xcode documentation browser (which I find horrid) that I have used for a long time. Visor, a quake style drop down terminal is super handy.  Completion Dictionary is an XCode code sense alternative that I have been using since XCode 2.*.  TotalFinder is a Finder hack that gives you a tabbed Finder. It is amazing and totally worth the money.  Finally, I have really enjoyed using the ALT fork of Notational Velocity by Brett Terpstra, as a great alternative to TextEdit, as well as heavy todo management apps.

MO: Best thing about developing for iOS?

CP: Apple sometimes gets a bad rap for being closed, versus say Google and the Android platform.  While I feel the difference in openness of the two platforms is smaller than it is made out to be in the press, Apple’s control of the entire iOS development ecosystem does make for an really enjoyable platform to develop on.  You can just tell that extensive thought has been put into every tool (XCode, Interface Builder, Instruments), not only how they are designed but also how well they all fit together.  I think that attention to detail can’t help but bleed through in the apps independent developers like myself produce for the platform.  Also, Objective-C is a great language to develop in.

MO: Worst thing about developing for iOS?

CP: Inconsistencies in the API, extensibility limitation in some of the UI controls, and ‘standards’ that are set in terms of UI controls in core Apple products that can’t be replicated without rolling your own or using private classes.  To Apple’s credit, I don’t think these are intentional, I just don’t think they have the bandwidth to do it in as timely a manner as independent developer’s would like.  In almost all cases, future SDKs and OSs have added the functionality and UI flexibility, but by that time, new UI ‘standards’ have been set.  Frustrating, but at the same time it is also part of the fun of the platform, the evolution of UI design.  While still valuable as an indicator of solid baseline design, I tend to think the HIG became pretty irrelevant with the Delicious Monster generation.

MO: What are the challenges of developing for the iPad?

CP: I think the challenges are the same as for any software product.  Ideas are cheap, it is execution and persistence that count.  Additionally, in making apps for Mac, or iOS in particular, stellar design is key.  Finally, there are so many apps in the app store, marketing is huge.  In an upcoming guest post for Mobile Orchard, I plan on documenting my marketing efforts with Flickpad, what worked and what didn’t.  Hopefully it will help other devs navigate the app marketing gauntlet.

MO: What advice do you have for someone wanting to start developing for the iPad?

CP: Apps with limited and focused functionality with stellar design are the easiest to sell and market.  Don’t overlook the opportunity for free, ad revenue driven apps with focused functionality, as well as in-app purchase opportunities.  Integrating multiple ad networks via AdWhirl opens up some great opportunities, not only for ad revenue but also cross app promotion.  Network, network, network.  Start early trying to develop relationships with reviewers and influencers in the iOS app space.  It is hard to be noticed with all the noise in the app store, every little bit helps.  Finally, don’t delude yourself that all you have to do it code a great app.  In the end, depending on the idea, all the supporting activities (app website design, marketing, support, maintanence) will probably end up taking more time than the actual development.

MO: New projects in the works?

CP: I have a couple apps that are really close to being ready for release, both photo related.  Additionally, I have two new app ideas that are just starting that I think could turn out to be really big, both have a small Hawaii influence.  Nothing ready to announce though, stay tuned.

MO: Where did your app idea come from?

CP: If you haven’t noticed already, all my apps to date have pretty much been apps that I built for myself.  Flickpad solved a need I had related to keeping up with all the photos people were sharing with me on Facebook and Flickr.  The Now was a tool to help better appreciate the subtleties of life.  My up coming apps are starting to shift more towards solving other peoples problems and targeting app areas that haven’t seem to have been addressed yet in the app store.  Also, as mentioned above, I am starting to explore app ideas that are Hawaii related.

MO: How long did it take to develop your app?

CP: Flickpad v1.0 was developed over 4-6 weeks of intense coding and design.  To date though, i think I have put roughly 4+ solid months of work into Flickpad.  The integration of Flickr in version 2 of Flickpad alone took close to another 6 weeks of work.  The Now was my first iOS app and I released an open source push notification framework for Urban Airship along side it, but I think it took about 6 weeks of work total.  I have since changed it to use Local Push Notifications introduced in iOS 4, which would have greatly simplified the original implemention.  If I were to do it know, I think it would be a 2 week app.

MO: What is your favorite iPad app?

CP: Besides Flickpad of course , my current favorites are VLC, Plex, and Instapaper.  Playing MKV episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba via VLC  on a recent road trip with my 1 year old son saved my sanity.  The whole transcoding thing for getting videos in the default iOS video app is a nightmare.  Guess it is not an issue if you buy everything from iTunes.  Plex for iPad is amazing for navigating my Mac Mini/Drobo/Samsung LED home theather setup.  Instapaper is great to read intersting articles I saved for later.  Great functionality, design, not to mention supporting a great indie developer.

MO: Anything else you would like to add?

CP: Just a mahalo to all the Flickpad users out there, as well as Mobile Orchard for the interview opportunity.  Also, if there are any talented indie iOS designers out there reading this and looking for partnership opportunities, drop me a line.

MO: Thanks for your time.

I hope that you found this interview informative. Please make sure you check out Flickpad as well as upcoming app releases from Shacked. Don’t forget about our Flickpad Giveaway.

Mobile Orchard: Tell us a little about your company, User Kind, and background in UX design.

Cory Shaw: User Kind is a one-man company where I help clients design a great user experience and develop fun projects like AppifyWP and CrowdTubeTV (with dev Derrick Petzold) in my spare time.

My background as a UX designer spans from working for travel companies like Orbitz.com to building facial recognition photo tagging software at a startup, and everything in-between. I’ve always enjoyed making complex things easy to use, especially when I can touch every aspect of the product development life cycle. After 3 corporate jobs and 2 start-ups, I decided it was time to do my own thing, and User Kind was born.

MO: How has your business changed in regards to designing interfaces for mobile apps?

CS: It seems like people are starting to tackle big problems in mobile apps, things like music production (Korg iMS-20 for iPad) and booking travel (Kayak). These types of apps tend to have more complex interfaces and a lot of screens/states, so it becomes more important to have someone thinking about the UX to ensure that it’s easy to use. So far I’ve only worked on a couple of simple UIs for iPhone apps, but I fully expect within a few years it’ll be the brunt of my business.

MO: What is AppifyWP?

CS: AppifyWP is one the most elegant themes for mobile app developers so they can build a stunning site to promote their apps without all the hassle of designing and coding a website.

MO: Why did you decide to create it?

CS: I wanted to combine my passions of design, WordPress, mobile apps, and jQuery into something people would find useful. After seeing what some friends had to go though to get a site up and running for their app, I knew I could make it easier.

Design and front-end web development aren’t a strength for a lot of app developers. The last thing you want to do after finishing your app is spend a few sleepless nights hacking together a website that probably doesn’t market your app as well as it could.

I designed AppifyWP with that in mind and cater every ounce of it towards the app developer.

MO: What are your future plans for AppifyWP?

CS: I’m currently working on a template for Mac App Store apps, and I’m planning to support android apps, different layout templates, and I’d like to create a version of the theme that supports multiple apps for those with several under their belt.

MO: How is your theme superior to others marketed to iPhone and iPad devs?

CS: I think it excels in the design and the options. I really wanted to push WordPress to see how it could accommodate a single page layout which is all an app developer really needs. I spent a lot of time on all the little details of the design and making sure that it was scalable to fit a wide variety of colors and customizations. I wanted it to be a design that developers could embrace and make their own without having to hack under the hood.

The options page lets you add things like your app store URL, your app screenshots, and a bunch of other options specifically catered to app developers, and spits out magic after you hit the save button. Maximum output from minimum input is where AppifyWP really shines.

MO: What other products or services do you offer to mobile app developers?

CS: Currently AppifyWP is the only product I offer, but it’s really just the beginning. I feel like I’ve struck a chord with it so I’m sure it wont be the last thing I offer to app developers. On the service side, I love working with people to design a great user experience, and I’m really anxious to get involved with app developers to deliver something amazing. If I can help, please let me know!

MO: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Good luck with AppifyWP and your future projects.

Mobile Orchard: Won’t great apps market themselves?

Matthew Palmer: While it’s very important to have a quality app, even the world’s best app can’t sell itself. There are over 300,000 apps in the App Store today, making it difficult for you to stand out. To generate sales of your app, you need to overcome two challenges: getting people to find you and, once they know about you, convincing them that your app is worth downloading or paying for. Knowing how to successfully market your app can help you boost your sales by tackling both challenges.

MO: What are common mistakes made in app marketing?

MP: For many developers, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the great features you added to your app. After all, I’m sure you’ve spent untold hours getting your app just right. But a common mistake I’ve seen when selling your app is focusing on the app itself and not the person who will buy it.
Try putting yourself in your customer’s shoes… so, instead of thinking “how can I sell my app?”, think “why would someone want to buy my app?” Customers will gladly pay for your app, but only when they understand what benefit they’ll get out of it, such as saving money, saving time, or just having fun.

MO: I have no money for marketing my app, do you have any suggestions to market my app for free?

MP: One of the advantages of promoting your iPhone app online is that many of the best strategies also happen to be free. Social media, for example. Every minute of every day, people are talking about apps on Twitter, Facebook, and more. So why shouldn’t they be talking about yours? In addition to making your own profile on these sites, try to reach out with communities that already exist around what your app is about (such as wine or sports) or who your app is for (like moms or students).

MO: My app has been in the App Store for several months and I have never marketed it. Would it be a waste of time and money for me to start now?

MP: I’m a firm believer that it’s never too late (or too early!) to start marketing your app. Here’s why: there was probably a lot of excitement around your app when it was brand new. But now that it’s been in the App Store for a while, it might start to be showing its age.
Shoppers love to find the latest apps, and often overlook wonderful apps that have been around for a while. You can freshen things up and revitalize your sales with some marketing. What’s unique about your app? How has it helped people who used it? These could all be perfect jumping off points for some promotion.

MO: What is the best way to find quality sites to review my app?

MP: Searching for “iphone app reviews” in Google brings up pages of results, so it can be tough to know where to start. If your app is new, you might want to start with smaller review sites to get some practice at sparking the interest of a site reviewer.
Review sites receive a large number of requests every day, so making yours stand out can be a challenge. By targeting smaller review sites first, you can perfect your pitch before approaching the most popular sites. Then, you can seek out some of the most popular sites such as 148Apps, MacWorld, AppSafari, TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog), or others.

MO: Does having a free version really help me sell more of my app’s paid version?

MP: Offering a free “lite” version of your app can certainly help you boost awareness of your app and increase your sales. It is really the best of both worlds: people love free apps (who doesn’t?), so your “lite” version makes it extremely easy for them to try it out at no charge. Then, when they want additional levels in your game or extra features in your utility app, they can pay to upgrade.
However, deciding to offer a free version of your app should be something you carefully think out. What features will you offer in the free vs. the paid version? Does the lite app offer real value or is it just an empty advertisement? Are you giving too much away in the lite app? Are the extra features in the paid app worth the money upgrade?

MO: What areas, from the app website to its description to the app icon, are important but commonly overlooked by developers?

MP: Every app in the App Store shows off their screenshots, but what many developers overlook is the power of video to sell their app. You can make a video of your app in action to show off its best features and quickly show customers why it’s a “must have”. Unfortunately, you can’t play your video in the App Store, but I’d recommend featuring it on your app’s website and YouTube. A short video can help your app stand out from your competition and quickly convince shoppers to buy your app.

MO: Can you recommend any books on marketing that will help me with my promotion plans?

MP: Yes, there are many helpful resources online and offline to give you ideas on marketing your app. Two books that give a good overview of app promotion are “iPhone & iPad Apps Marketing” and “Get Rich with Apps”. While there are many excellent books on marketing in general, these two books can give you strategies just for selling your iPhone or iPad app.

MO: Should I introduce my app at .99 and adjust from there or is there a better pricing strategy?

MP: Figuring out what to charge for your app is a top question app developers have. One trouble with starting out charging just 99 cents is that it is difficult to raise your price later. Customers start expecting that your app will be 99 cents and an increase may be harder for them to accept.
Before you decide on a price, take a look at what other apps like yours are selling for. Does your app have additional features you can charge more for? Or, can you undercut your competition with a lower price?
If you are deciding between two possible prices, you might want to start with the higher one and offer a sale later on. The limited-time discount can drive more people to buy your app now. However, with a 99 cent price tag, you are somewhat locked in: it may be difficult to raise your price and you are not able to offer a sale (unless you make it free).

MO: What is your best app marketing tip?

MP: If I could offer just one piece of advice, it’s just do it! Give it a try. Especially with apps and marketing online, nothing is written in stone. You can try new features in your app or revise your description in the App Store. An app that isn’t in the App Store will make you nothing, but if you’re out there and spreading the word, you can start building up sales and getting new customers.

MO: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our readers’ questions.

Please feel free to ask additional question in the comments and we will see if Matthew can answer them.

Mobile Orchard: Tells us about yourself and your company.

Ben: Doug and I have been friends for years, working on various projects for television and film. When we weren’t working, we ate a lot of dinners, dreaming about ways to bring our creative visions to life. During many great meals of sushi and chicken piccata, we discussed developing a new kind of interactive book for kids.

Our company is called Amazing Books. We recognized that this simple title tells it all. It’s our mission to create the most enjoyable, highest quality interactive multimedia books available today. Our first series of books reinvents the classic pop-up book, allowing the user to participate in the flow of the animation on every page. With the ability to see the action in 3d by using any pair of red and blue glasses, the characters and scenes literally pop off the page.

MO: What made you get into iPhone app development?

Doug: Ben and I did some research and we quickly recognized that the iPhone and especially the iPad presented the most robust and unique set of tools to bring the vision of what we saw in our heads into reality. The ability to interact with your fingers on the screen without having to use a touch pad or mouse, was key to letting anyone from a 2 year old to an adult become immersed in the story and animations without any artificial barrier.

Ben: We immediately realized that the format of our book app would allow us to create multiple stories and styles of books very quickly while keeping quality at the highest level. Additionally the technology would allow updates with new features and a wonderful pipeline of user feedback.

MO: How did you come up with the idea for your Amazing Books app?

Doug: While I was animating a scene on my computer at home for a short movie I was starting, I began checking my work. This procedure involved looking at a series of frames of my animations and flipping back and forth between them very quickly in something called a flip book. My then 5 year old daughter came in the room and saw me checking my work. She quickly said, “Hey Dad, that looks like fun! Can I try it?” So I let her sit down and scrub the animation back and forth. She continued the actions for a few minutes, laughing hysterically as she controlled the character as it walked, tripped and fell, then she reversed the animation and did it again. So I thought to myself: Hmmm…. I bet a lot of kids would like the chance to do this with stories that they read. Thus the idea of Flomotion was born.

MO: How long did it take for you to get your first app from idea to the App Store?

Doug: It took about 3 months from that initial dinner I had with Ben when I first pitched him the idea, to the time our first book, The Three Little Pigs 3D, appeared in the iTunes market. But in reality it took me years to develop the skill sets I would need to get the project done. These skills included writing the stories, designing and modeling the characters, working with our outstanding voice talent, and benefiting from the amazing contributions from our legendary musical supervisor, Richard M. Sherman. Learning the ins and outs of stereoscopic technology was also a creative challenge I readily embraced.

Ben: I used the techniques I had developed for years to constantly push the app into as many hands as possible, both at its concept stage, as well as after it was completed. You can have the best idea in the world, but if no one sees it, it won’t be brought to fruition. I researched PR firms, blogs, websites and press releases to find the best possible avenues to spread the word of what we were attempting to do. Doug and I definitely want to thank Ted, Lisa and Will, our friends at Ionic Media who have been so helpful setting the social networking foundation for what we hope will be a long term and sustained marketing push as we grow.

MO: What was it like when you sold your first app?

Doug: Its was a thrilling experience. To see your work appreciated and enjoyed by other people is a fantastic feeling. I have many other stories and characters I have developed over my years in the entertainment industry, and most of those characters are sitting on my hard drive at home, where no one ever sees them. I have happily worked on some movies and commercials, working on the visions of others. But nothing can compare to spending each day bringing your own creations to life.

Ben: It’s wonderful. To have both of our first apps be so prominently featured by Apple is a great motivational factor that drives us to make more books, different types and styles as well. Our second series that will be available in late Nov., is our first in a series of travel books for kids. My First Trip to Washington D.C. uses beautiful high resolution photographs and new characters, combined with a multitude of fun facts and traveling ideas that can prepare any kid for a big city vacation. It will also be available in Stereoscopic versions for the iPad as well.

Doug: You haven’t really seen a dollar bill until you see George Washington pop right off the bill and land in your lap the way it does in our book!

Ben: Seriously.. Its amazing!

MO: What are are the challenges of developing for the iPhone?

Ben: I would say the biggest challenge we faced was finding a great programmer for our iPad app. The iPad is so new that it was surprisingly difficult to get just the right fit we were looking for in a coding partner.

MO: If you knew then what you know now what would you do differently on your first app?

Ben: To be honest, I would say that Doug and I used every negative experience we had on previous projects to avoid the pitfalls we encountered before. The lessons to constantly keep in mind as you develop projects like this are, 1. Try your best to balance the ideas you want to put into your app with the strengths you have. 2. Sit down before you start and list every contact you have developed over the years, every asset you can bring to the table, the time you can spend on development and most importantly your finances. If you do that, the goals you can realistically accomplish become quite clear when it’s all laid out in front of you.

MO: What advice would you give someone wanting to develop for iOS?

Doug: If you are an independent developer like we are, it’s probably better to get a good first version of your app out, done and in the market, rather than spend forever tinkering with every possible feature you can imagine. Five years later, you still won’t be done. Apple has a wonderful system for updates, and really seems to aid in the process.

MO: Any marketing advice for someone having a tough go at marketing their app?

Ben: Again, it’s just as crucial if not more so to make a plan to market your app. If you can afford a PR company, that’s great and they will help a lot. But if you can’t, there are blogs and websites and forums that you will need to spend time reaching out to, and keeping up with. Setting up your Twitter and Facebook pages are great assets to getting your brand out there. Most importantly, keep updating. Keep spreading the word. Eventually you will get noticed and hopefully it’s the spark that lights the flame.

MO: Thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. Best of luck to you with your apps.