The app industry is ever-growing, and it’s relatively simple to break into. While those started the most successful apps with a unique idea and direct access to capital (such as Supercell), those qualities aren’t strictly required. Here we will focus on how to make an app without any coding skills or prior development experience.
Step One: Brainstorming and Research
If you remember nothing else from this article, remember this: If you don’t have something original and compelling, your app won’t make it past Step Two. Remember that even if nobody has done exactly what you propose before (and they likely haven’t), someone has probably thought of something very similar. Asking questions of family and friends can be helpful at this stage, as they won’t be afraid to tell you the truth about what they think of your idea. Take a moment here to ensure that nobody else has thought of something similar or could potentially do it better/faster/cheaper.
If someone else could do it well, consider doing something different instead.
Step Two: Make a Prototype
It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you should aim for something that lets people experience your app without having to download or install anything on their device. This might mean creating an outline in PowerPoint or Keynote, recording yourself playing through all possible aspects of the proposed app using emulators, building a wireframe mockup, or even putting together a video prototype. Several apps are available that allow you to build working prototypes for little or no cost, but try not to spend more than an hour or two on this step. Whatever you do should only take a few minutes of the person’s time, and it should allow them to experience your app as if it were installed on their device. This is a crucial first impression, so make sure it looks polished enough that people don’t think that you’re half-assing it.
Step Three: Sell Yourself
In order for anyone else to care about your app idea, they must understand why your app will be profitable and why they would want to use it themselves. Assuming that you don’t get to work with the money directly, your best-case scenario is persuading some experienced individual to take on a mentor role and help guide your efforts. This means that, aside from having an original and compelling idea, you need to be able to demonstrate that you can do everything necessary (or at least most of it) on your own.
Step Four: Start Asking Around
Once again, assuming that you don’t get to work with the money directly, someone else will have to handle this for you. The more people who are how to make an app, either financially or emotionally (i.e., friends and family), the better chance of success. If possible, try pitching your idea simultaneously to multiple sources of potential capital (e.g., friends and family, angel investors, crowdfunding sites ).
Conclusion
This is just a brief overview of making an app but should give you the necessary framework for doing so. The key here is simple but difficult: think about what you have access to, who might care about your idea, and what skills you can bring to bear on it. Then, if nothing else seems promising, go back to brainstorming and try again.