Download - Defining App Store Success: Or How To Cope with NOT Getting Acquired by Facebook

DEFINING APP STORE SUCCESS or How to Cope with NOT Getting Acquired by Facebook

Ben Johnson @scoober

Ben Johnson works at Raizlabs building great mobile apps for awesome clients.

800 Million iOS Users1 Billion Android Users

300 Million Visits a Week75 Billion Apps Downloaded1.2 Million Apps in the Store

THERE ARE SO MANY APPS

LET’S TALK SUCCESS

(on the App Store)

1. Come up with a cool idea2. Put it on the App Store3. Get acquired (by Facebook, Google, or Apple)

Three Step Process

SUCCESS IS NOT THAT SIMPLE

(except for Instagram, Tumblr, WhatsApp, Waze, Mailbox, Pulse, etc)

1. An app that you’re proud of

2. An app that people find useful

3. An app that makes you a living

4. An app that changes someone's perspective

5. An app that changes someone’s life

Redefining Success

1. An app that you’re proud of

MY FIRST APP

Bowdoin Dining

Find a way to be proud of what you do

2. An app that people find useful

Just because people use it, doesn’t mean its useful…

RECALL

YAHOO NEWS

3. An app that makes you a living

MAGIC WINDOW

4. An app that changes someone’s perspective

FREE TIME

200,000 Downloads

150 Countries

Featured 5 times by Apple in 2011 & 2012

CNN, Lifehacker, TNW, AppAdvice

People spent a cumulative 2 years in the app.

By most measurementsFree Time was not a success

Downloads over Time

Users over Time

Engagement over Time

Revenue over Time

“Free Time will completely change the way you look at your calendar.”

- TNW

SUPER PAC APP

During 120,000 sessions users identified ads 36,000 times and added 38,000 ratings.

“Finally a candle to light the way through dark money political ads.”

5. An app that changes someone’s life

RUNKEEPER

1.5 Million Walks & Runs30 Million Users

Simon is Blind

“If you had asked me three years ago if training alone was possible while being blind I would have said no.”

- Simon Wheatcroft

We can change the world through great software

NOW WHAT

Four Things to Think About

1. Limit Your Focus

Do One Thing Well

2. Design Everything

3. Iterate

4. Animate

TeachYour Users

Data Animation

Set The Mood

Animations that Surprise and Delight

Surprise and Delight

In Conclusion

THANK YOUBen [email protected] @scoober