How to create app ideas Blake McNeill - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

How to create app ideas

Blake McNeill

mcneillb@zingpow.caSlide2

Calgary Public Library

Reasons to become a member

Free for Calgary Citizens

Access to print and digital books, music, movies, magazines, and more

Learning and research resources

Learn a new language with

Rosetta Stone Library Solution

.

Research your next big purchase with

Consumer Reports

.

Explore your family tree with

Ancestry Library Edition

.

Get handpicked books for your child with

Beanstack

.

Access free online tutoring for students grades 2 to 12 with

Brainfuse

or

Solero

.

Take an online course, on just about anything, with

Gale Courses

.

Explore, learn and have fun at Library programs for all ages

Free

meeting rooms

Up to $5 of

free printing

per month

Two hours per day of

computer use

Free

Wifi

Register online

to get your free library cardSlide3

Blake McNeill

First started coding late 70’s with punch cards and FORTRAN

Serial Idea guy at a number of

startups

Independent software developer

AOFWin

/

IPRWin

TimeWin

Link Logger

Windows Mobile Apps

Microsoft App Store

Microsoft MVP 2003 – 2016 in multiple areas

Passionate farmer of Ideas, fan of creativity and fearless researcherSlide4

Agenda

Why

Overview

The 4 people who live in your head

The Explorer

The Artist

The Judge

The Warrior

Their potential flaws

Ideas

The last original idea

Sources of ideas

Questionable Ideas

Big/Small Ideas

$

Tupid

Idea$Slide5

Why

2015 App Revenues over $41 Billion

2016 App Revenues over $50 Billion

2020 App Revenues forecasted to be over $101 Billion

Lets say Microsoft’s slice is now 2% so that is still over $1 Billion

One platform, one store

Desktop

Surface

Hub

Xbox

Hololens

etcSlide6

Overview

The Problem

I don’t have any ideas for apps!

I hope to help you understand and unlock your creativity so you can generate ideas for apps.Slide7

Overview

The Problem

What is Software

Bill Gates thought/thinks software is the key component to computing and where the money is.

Why is software so important

Software is how we bottle and share expertise, how I can repeatedly solve a problem

Users want/need that expertise

Users don’t want to become experts themselves or at least in that domain

You become their expert and solve their problems, write the software to package your expertise

“Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think.” – Thomas A. EdisonSlide8

who lives in your head – The Idea Makers

I’ve always been interested in Psychology and especially Cognitive Psychology.

Favorite books on creativity

Dr. Roger von

Oech’s

A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative

Kick In The Seat of the Pants

Donald A. Norman

The Design of Everyday Things

Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the MachineSlide9

who lives in your head

Dr. Roger von

Oech’s

idea is that there are four people who live in your head and are responsible for creating and realizing IdeasSlide10

The Explorer

The explorer is your role for searching

for informationSlide11

The ExplorerSlide12

The ExplorerSlide13

The Explorer

Flexibility

What do I need

to start my journey ?

Courage

OpennessSlide14

The Explorer

Expect the unexpected!!

One thing can lead to something completely different

If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail – Heraclitus, PhilosopherSlide15

The Explorer

There comes a point in the history of every project when it becomes necessary to shoot the engineers and start productionSlide16

The Artist

The artist is your role for transforming information into new ideas

Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun

Pablo PicassoSlide17

The ArtistSlide18

The Artist

Pablo Picasso is widely quoted as having said that “

good artists

 borrow, 

great artists steal

.”

Steve Jobs famously said in 1996: "Picasso had a saying -- 'good artists copy; great artists steal' -- and we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas."Slide19

The Artist

Becoming a prisoner of familiarity

Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist after he grows up

Picasso

What is the greatest danger your artist face?Slide20

Flowers Are Red – Harry Chapin

The little boy went first day of school

He got some crayons and he started to draw

He put colors all over the paper

For colors was what he saw

And the teacher said, "What you

doin

' young man?"

"I'm

paintin

' flowers" he said

She said, "It's not the time for art young man

And anyway flowers are green and red"

"There's a time for everything young man

And a way it should be done

You've got to show concern for everyone else

For you're not the only one"

And she said, "Flowers are red young man

And green leaves are green

There's no need to see flowers any other way

Than they way they always have been seen"

But the little boy said

"There are so many colors in the rainbow

So many colors in the morning sun

So many colors in the flower and I see every one"

Well the teacher said, "You're sassy

There's ways that things should be

And you'll paint flowers the way they are

So repeat after me"

And she said, "Flowers are red, young man

And green leaves are green

There's no need to see flowers any other way

Than they way they always have been seen"

But the little boy said

"There are so many colors in the rainbow

So many colors in the morning sun

So many colors in the flower and I see every one"

The teacher put him in a corner

She said, "It's for your own good

And you won't come out 'til you get it right

And are responding like you should"

Well finally he got lonely

Frightened thoughts filled his head

And he went up to the teacher

And this is what he said

And he said

"Flowers are red, and green leaves are green

There's no need to see flowers any other way

Than the way they always have been seen"

Time went by like it always does

And they moved to another town

And the little boy went to another school

And this is what he found

The teacher there was

smilin

'

She said, "Painting should be fun

And there are so many colors in a flower

So let's use every one"

But that little boy painted flowers

In neat rows of green and red

And when the teacher asked him why

This is what he said

And he said

"Flowers are red, and green leaves are green

There's no need to see flowers any other way

Than the way they always have been seen"Slide21

The Judge

The judge is your role for evaluating an idea and deciding what to do with it

Implement

Modify

Discard

Is the idea an aha!

Or

an uh-oh?

judgeSlide22

The Judge

Critical enough

To give the warrior an idea worth fighting for

Open enough

You don’t stifle your artist’s imagination

The Judge’s ScaleSlide23

The JudgeSlide24

The JudgeSlide25

The JudgeSlide26

The Judge

Do I need an army of warriors?

Is this the right kind of battle for the warrior (

ie

never bring a rifle to a tank battle)?

Is the warrior equipped for this kind of battle or can they be so equipped?Slide27

The Warrior

The warrior is your role for carrying your idea from the world “what if” to the world of action, or in this case the Coder

WARRIORSlide28

The Warrior

Who are my greatest enemies ?

Fear

Lack

of ConfidenceSlide29

The Warrior

Fear

Be bold - what qualities do you have that will enable you to implement your idea?

Put together your plan - what is your strategy to reach your objective?

Put a fire in your belly - what motivates you to reach your goal?

Put a lion in your heart - what are you willing to sacrifice? What are the consequences of failure?Slide30

The Warrior

Get going - what excuses may prevent you from getting started?

Capitalize on your resources - who are five people who can help you realize your idea?

Sharpen your sword - what skills can you develop to implement your idea?

Know what you are selling - what is your idea’s “product of the product?”

Strengthen your shield - what type of criticism do you expect to receive? How can you deflect it?Slide31

The Warrior

Fear

Follow through - what obstacles might get in the way? How will you get around them?

Use your energy wisely - what are some needless battles you can avoid?

Get up when you get knocked down - how persistent are you?

Savor your victories and learn from your defeats - what did you accomplish? What did you learn?Slide32

Fear

When your are searching for new information … be an explorer

When your are turning your resources into new ideas … be an artist

Things To Remember If You Want To Be Creative Slide33

Fear

Things To Remember If You Want To Be Creative

When your are evaluating the merits of an idea… be a judge

When your are carrying your idea into action… be a warriorSlide34

Fear

Timing is essential

It is important to keep all of your roles

in good shape

There are a fair amount of shifting back and forth

between the rolesSlide35

How can I make sure that the kick I took wont wear off and I do not need one again?

By using the thought monitor

Thought MonitorSlide36

Look at the shoe picture

Ask your self these questions

* Am I getting lazy?

* Am I too busy?

* Am I losing focus?

* Am I becoming arrogant?

* Am I getting timid?

If you answer “yes” to any one of them, that is your warning

to kick that attitude

Use this thought monitor once a day and you wont have to

worry about getting your ends reversed Slide37

Common Problems

Judge Negative, Not Now, No Way

Wait for a list of developed ideas before ruling

Sometimes its not a go/no go ruling its filling in the blanks so a ruling can be made

Don’t starve or over protect your Warrior, or fear failure and reject everythingSlide38

Common Problems

Unconfident Warrior

Don’t let lack of knowledge paralyze you, you can gain knowledge

No one knows everything, no matter how many acronyms they use

Most technology is BS with no proof, just personal fanboys, but be passionate about what you know

Use what you know, or learn what you need

Don’t get distracted

Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt, but nothing gets done

“It takes 100 people at Microsoft to know everything about Windows or 1 Blake – Give yourself some slack” – Sami

Laiho

Ignite 2016Slide39

Common Problems

Don’t know where to start Exploring

No matter where you go, there you are, so start here and work your way out

If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research

Lazy Artist

Professional artists don’t take days off, force yourself to create even when you don’t want to or feel up to it.

Art iterates and goes through a number of phases before the final master piece is started

Unconfident Artist

"I am always doing 

what I can't do yet

 in order to learn how to do it.“ - Vincent van GoghSlide40

Ideas

Last Original Idea

Has long since been forgotten about 10,000 years ago

Every idea is a divertive of another idea

Why humans learned to communicate, so we could share ideas and expand on them.

Sir Isaac Newton -

If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

What can be original is the combination of existing ideas

Watch James Burke – Connections Series

Everything we buy today, isn’t new, its just an iteration of something discovered a long time ago.

What have you bought that was truly original?

The mouse trap might have been original, but there is always a market for a better mouse trap or a market segment for a different mouse trap (

eg

the humane trap)Slide41

Ideas

There are no bad ideas, just that some are better then others

“I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” - Thomas A. Edison

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” -

Thomas A. Edison

Pablo Picasso is widely quoted as having said that “good artists borrow, great artists steal.”

Steve Jobs famously said in 1996: "Picasso had a saying -- 'good artists copy; great artists steal' -- and we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.“ and Steve Jobs never had a truly ‘original’ idea in his life.Slide42

Ideas

Who invented the Smart Phone?

Wasn’t Apple or Android but yet they exist

Who invented the tablet?

Wasn’t Apple

Who invented the first car?

Insert Name of Car Manufacturer here but yet they exist

Karl Benz in is credited with the first modern car in 1886 but it was a powered horseless carriage, which admits it was a divertive work.

Leonardo da Vinci had sketched a horseless, mechanized cart in the early 1500s

In 1769, a Frenchman named Nicholas-Joseph

Cugnot

built a self-propelled vehicle with a steam engine. The cart moved at a walking pace and was abandoned

Sometime between 1832 and 1839, Robert Anderson of Scotland invented the first electric carriage, which used a rechargeable battery that powered a small electric motor. The vehicles were heavy, expensive and required frequent recharging. They were abandoned in favor of gasoline-powered engines.Slide43

Ideas

An improvement or different feature(s), whatever is all you need

Product quality (reliability, aesthetics, relevancy)

Delivery (quick and efficient)

Flexibility (ease of use, integration, compatibility)

Service (so many products & apps suck at this)

Quick reaction to trends (is there an upcoming trend that the incumbent is missing)

Sustainability (can you help people become greener?)

Cost (Cost is not price. Is your cost structure lower than the competitor? You could probably outlive them)

Finding the perfect app idea is like digging the earth to find diamonds WRONG!!! It can be just another rock, different in some better way (or not).Slide44

Sources of Ideas

What do you want?

Be your own customer

Anyone else who shares that need?

What do they want?

Find a customer with a need

Don’t forget foreign customers, for example existing solutions might not work under their conditions

Observe people and see what they struggle with that you think you can solve

Social Media can be mined for ideas like this

I hate…

This sucks!

I wish…

Did someone else deliver a solution that failed or could be improved upon?

Empathy is key here as you have to understand their world and bottle your expertise accordingly, but remember you are the ‘expert’Slide45

Being the Expert

The Customer is always right?

Maybe, maybe not. Are they more of an expert then you?

If you are the expert and they aren’t, then likely they are wrong.

I like blue but my customers like red, limit your battles to battles that really matter.

If it was easy, it would have been done by now.

Being an expert requires effort!!!

“We often miss opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work” - Thomas A. Edison Slide46

Sources of Ideas

Sites listing App Ideas

https://www.reddit.com/r/AppIdeas/

https://github.com/tastejs/awesome-app-ideas

http://www.ideaswatch.com/startup-ideas/app#

http://www.preapps.com/app-ideas

Do you have a hobby/skill/talent/passion you can ‘bottle’ that other people want?Slide47

Sources of Ideas

Leverage the App Gap

What apps do they have that we don’t

Build a better or different version of an app

App Annie’s Rankings

https://www.appannie.com/apps/windows-phone/top/

https://www.appannie.com/apps/ios/top/

https://www.appannie.com/apps/google-play/top/Slide48

Questionable Ideas

Filling the Void

Existing Voids maybe OK

Creating a Void

Costly to create an impression of a void (Marketing

etc

)

Avoid the solution looking for a problem

It might be ground breaking but its also very high risk

Most visionaries aren’t

True visionaries didn’t start as visionaries

If your business plans requires you to be Bill Gates, prepare for disappointment!!

Toss anything that requires more then you have.Slide49

Golden Rule of Ideas

Never ever let an idea escape!!!!

Capture it, write it down in enough detail that it becomes a seed you can plant when the time is right.

Always be ready to capture an idea, as ideas come anytime anywhere.

I use OneNote so I can save and access all of my ideas. Its on my Phone, Laptop, everywhere. Years ago I carried a

daytimer

/notebook that I could write ideas down in.

I also use Mind Mapping software to capture the idea with enough detail that I can come back to it later without losing the essence of what struck me initially about the idea and build upon ideas as I get further ideas and insights.

Careful who you share ideas with, there are ‘givers’, ‘takers’ and ‘matchers’ just as there are ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ people.Slide50

Big/small ideas

Lots of small ideas can add up to a pretty successful app business.

Most successful app developers have lots of apps that make some money rather then one single app that hits the motherlode or they did a bunch of apps before hitting the motherlode

Means they were able to learn, refine and practice what makes a profitable app

If you believe in Fail Early, Fail Fast and Fail Often go small apps with volume

80% of the solution takes 20% of the time usually equals 80% of the revenue

Getting version 1’s out lets customer tell you what version 2 should be,

ie

let them do the idea work.

The bigger the net you cast, the more fish you catch

Generate lots of ideas and harvest the best ideas for the best results.

How much money do you need?

Big Ideas are usually difficult, long and expensive!!Slide51

Big/small ideas

Anyone know who this is??

Atley

Hunter (MVP Toronto)

500+ Apps

CodeCreators

has 136 apps and 29 games listed when I wrote this talk, likely more when I present it and even more by the time I’m done this talk



Every app is actually very simple, yet

often very effective

But

Atley

has been learning from every app how to make the next app even more successful

Most people dream of the success he has had writing appsSlide52

$tupid

idea$

Even stupid ideas can payoff

iFart

was making almost $10,000 a day for its developer

Christmas day it made almost $30,000

Made almost $500,000 for Joel

Comm

POU feed a virtual pet rock

$356,000 a month

Yo

– allows you to send a ‘

Yo

’

Raised a Million Dollars in seed money

Shakedown - Shake your phone to earn points

99 Cents to protect your points for a limited time

Ethan – Text Ethan

Now on version 6

Million Dollar Homepage

Sold pixels on a webpage for $1 a pixel to advertisers

Mass Messaging system that only allows very short messages of 140 Characters

Twitter has a market cap over $12 BillionSlide53

Conclusion

I hope you have a better understanding of the components of creativity

Explorer

Artist

Judge

Warrior

I hope I have given you some ideas as to where to start looking for ideas

I hope I have shattered the concept of the immaculate idea

Start with a small simple idea so you can learn the process of building and submitting an app to the storeSlide54

Now is the Beginning

Questions

Comments

Suggestions

General Abuse

Shall we create and flesh out an idea? (time dependent of course)

What would you like next on your journey to be an App Developer?

mcneillb@zingpow.ca

@

mcneillb