Coming Up With An Idea For Your App

If you are not going to have one Eureka moment, then how do you come up with good ideas for your app?

Clearly there has to be some methods or processes which one can follow to get a good idea for their app.

As a developer it is hard to think of ideas because apps which other people will like are not obvious to you. We are not the audience for our apps.

So how can you come up with a good idea?

Fortunately, there are some ways to come with a good idea for your app…

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Scratch Your Own Itch

This is the easiest way to come up with a good idea for your app.

Make something that you want.

Have an app that you wanted to create for your own use? Do it.

And then generalize it for others. Make it easy for others to use.

Contrary to your thinking, something that you find useful might be useful for others too. Just make it easy to use and launch it in the app store to get feedback.

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Mix And Match

Is there anything you like to do apart from coding? Do you a hobby? Are you a student? Do you have any other interests?

Say, you are a gamer, why not create a game? Or why not create an app which keep tracks of your gaming progress? Or which notifies you whenever you have been playing a game for long?

See what you find interesting other than creating an app and create an app about that.

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Can You Do It Better?

This one I find personally interesting.

There must be some app which you have used and thought to yourself “They should fix this!”

Now if you have said this enough number of times while using a single app then that is your green signal. It’s your time to create the same app with the added features which you think it should have.

Here you have to be careful, points to keep in mind :

1. Never copy the app. Don’t. It’s not cool.
2. Don’t pick a complicated app. It’s foolish to pick an app which has teams of people creating it. Start with something simple.
3. Create it in your own way and add features that you find lacking or the ones you think most users asking for.

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People Are Telling You Something

This is an additional method based on the previous one. But this could give you new ideas.

Here’s how it works : Have you ever searched for an app that shows up on top of search results but has awful reviews? This kind of app has lots of downloads but also has lots of reviews asking for bug fixes and/or features.

One more quality this app has is : it’s unique. It’s one-of-a-kind app.

This is one of the best ways to come up with an idea. Because you already have an audience.

So, when you these three qualities for an app : High downloads, low ratings and uniqueness.

That is an app which people need so badly, that they are using it even when it is crap.

This is your chance. You should create that app.

Again, don’t copy. Give it your own flavor.

Make sure it works (better).

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Think Inside Your Box

This could be your last but most sure-shot way to come with an app idea.

This is more of a process rather than a guiding point.

You must have some limits in what you can create. There must be some constraints, right?

Write down the things you can code. Images, text, video or more. Whatever you can do, just lay out your own limits.

This is your box.

Take this box and try to think of something which fits in your box.

Let me explain : Say, you can’t create a video based app. Cool! Now video app ideas are out.

Create an image based app.

Now what can be image based app idea? It could be an image sharing app, an image taking app with lots of filters ( people want this; thanks to instagram), an app for writing on images, creating posters (?).

I can go on and on. But you get the point.

Constraints force you to be more creative. ^[1]

Create your own box and come up with an idea which fits it.

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Coming up with an idea isn’t a talent. It’s a skill.

The more you exercise your idea muscle the more it grows. Remember, you have to come up with crappy idea before you can come with good ones.

It’s a process.

You have to get started to get more ideas.

You have to implement ideas and get feedback to get good ideas.

And repeat!

A final note :

Just get started with whichever idea you have. The good ideas will follow.

All the best! 🙂

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References : [1] : https://www.fastcompany.com/3067925/how-constraints-force-your-brain-to-be-more-creative