Creating Apps: The Guide for Ordinary People

People love apps and “There should be an app for that!” is a phrase we have all said or heard. Many would like to see their unique and creative ideas take a place in the App Store and reach an audience of fellow app-lovers.
How can someone with no technical skills enter this exciting new market and create their first app?
This book is a guide for creative people who have the ideas and the desire to build apps, but are not programmers.

How? You can do it by outsourcing the technical tasks and concentrating your efforts on managing the rest of the process: from fleshing out the concept, to the design and marketing. There are many things to consider to create a winning app.

What will you learn?

- How to plan and manage an app development project.
Project planning is essential in order to break down your app development into manageable pieces-even if your plan is just an outline. This step-by-step plan will let you get started immediately and learn as you go.

-What it takes to make your app competitive in a crowded market.
The beauty of apps is in their function and the way they present visually on such a small device. Understand the elements of a good design that will make your app stand out from the rest. Learn how to outline of the basic information you need to communicate your idea to a programmer simply, yet thoroughly.

-How to make basic decisions if you have no technical know-how at all. You do not have to be a programmer to understand the elements of app development as you would any other product development. A brief and simple overview of the technical environment for apps is presented in a clear and easy-to-understand language.

-Where to find resources to build your app. Learn the many alternatives available to you, how to choose the right one for your app and how to communicate with them effectively.

-How to understand the revenue models - A chapter is devoted to helping you understand the benefits of charging for your app or offering it for free.

-The marketing options available. Your best marketing begins in the App Store with the icon and continues long after your first sale. Learn how to present your app to full advantage in the App Store and how to maintain momentum after it’s published.

App development is achievable, even if you have no experience—even if you are not a technical person. Understanding the process is the key to a successful app development and this guide will cover that process from start to finish.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 - Apps for Everyone
Chapter 2 - How to Start
Chapter 3 - Preliminary Choices
Chapter 4 - Creating a Winning App
Chapter 5 - A Design Document Tells All
Chapter 6 – Development Options
Chapter 7 - Other People’s Stuff
Chapter 8 - Get Paid or Give it Away
Chapter 9 - The Submission Process
Chapter 10 - The App Showdown
Chapter 11 - After the Fact
Appendix

About the Author
Jacqueline D. Anderson was an app-lover from the moment she bought her first iPhone. She has a B.A. degree in Art from Smith College and has worked as a programmer, business analyst, and project manager throughout her career. She is now an independent consultant for software implementations. The fact that she is no longer a programmer did not stop her from attempting to publish her first app and she is convinced that this is something anyone can do— if they gather as much information as possible before starting, and then take it one step at a time.