someone make this for me
May 4, 2013 7:12 AM Subscribe
have you ever used an app development service? any info on cost/percentage they keep/experience in general?
like many of you, i've had app ideas (for android/iphone apps in particular) and no particular programming chops to implement it. have any of you ever taken your ideas to an app development service or company, where they build it for you? (some even market it etc). Wondering what your experience was like, if in retrospect you would have learned how to program and done it yourself, or if you were generally happy with the experience. Also if you can give any idea of the cost and the percentage of profits the company keeps, that would be useful too. Thanks!
like many of you, i've had app ideas (for android/iphone apps in particular) and no particular programming chops to implement it. have any of you ever taken your ideas to an app development service or company, where they build it for you? (some even market it etc). Wondering what your experience was like, if in retrospect you would have learned how to program and done it yourself, or if you were generally happy with the experience. Also if you can give any idea of the cost and the percentage of profits the company keeps, that would be useful too. Thanks!
nthing what Quisp Lover said.
Do you live near a university? You might be better off seeing if you can find a local Computer Science student to write it for you. I guarantee you that some make apps in their spare time.
You could also post in Jobs here on Metafilter.
posted by topoisomerase at 10:42 AM on May 4, 2013
Do you live near a university? You might be better off seeing if you can find a local Computer Science student to write it for you. I guarantee you that some make apps in their spare time.
You could also post in Jobs here on Metafilter.
posted by topoisomerase at 10:42 AM on May 4, 2013
"You might be better off seeing if you can find a local Computer Science student to write it for you. I guarantee you that some make apps in their spare time"
....and likely drive late model Audis.
The scene is so locked up that even the alternative plays (off-shoring, students, etc) are at the saturation point.
posted by Quisp Lover at 10:45 AM on May 4, 2013
....and likely drive late model Audis.
The scene is so locked up that even the alternative plays (off-shoring, students, etc) are at the saturation point.
posted by Quisp Lover at 10:45 AM on May 4, 2013
You will find a company or developer for every price range. A better question is how much do you want to spend. I've worked with international vendors who would end up charging $200k to $300k to port an iOS game to Android (basically completely reimplementing from scratch) and I have worked with domestic companies that do it on spec for a revenue share in the 10% to 30% range. I've done contract work in the $150 to $250 / hr range. As a student I would have done whatever you wanted for $15 to $25 / hr. I've heard of all sorts of arrangements for equity. You will, for the most part, get what you pay for.
There is also more than one way to skin a cat. You should talk to an app developer who you trust and who isn't an idiot about what your idea is and how much work it really requires and what the best approach to use is. There is a long-tail of details you have to deal with to publish a mobile app.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2013
There is also more than one way to skin a cat. You should talk to an app developer who you trust and who isn't an idiot about what your idea is and how much work it really requires and what the best approach to use is. There is a long-tail of details you have to deal with to publish a mobile app.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:58 AM on May 4, 2013
I work in interactive advertising and am also attempting the start up thing. I have experience pricing this sort of stuff out both for work and for myself. PM me if you want to chat!
posted by modernsquid at 11:11 PM on May 4, 2013
posted by modernsquid at 11:11 PM on May 4, 2013
The more you try to learn about app development yourself, the less likely you'll run into problems during the development process when you outsource programming to another person or company (you can find lower cost developers overseas on contractors sites like Elance, Odesk, and Freelancer).
User a professional user interface designer for visual appearance design and interaction design.
Try to sketch out all the screens you want in terms of layout and user interaction.
Make sure you familiarize yourself with all similar existing apps.
Read the Apple iOS Human Interface Guidelines.
Bear in mind that most app developers lose money.
posted by Dansaman at 9:51 PM on May 5, 2013
User a professional user interface designer for visual appearance design and interaction design.
Try to sketch out all the screens you want in terms of layout and user interaction.
Make sure you familiarize yourself with all similar existing apps.
Read the Apple iOS Human Interface Guidelines.
Bear in mind that most app developers lose money.
posted by Dansaman at 9:51 PM on May 5, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
A story: A tech startup two years ago was given $30M in funding to hire a slew of developers, damn the expense. When last I heard, they hadn't hired on more than a handful. Reason: there is a bubble, underreported, in web, app, and web-app programming, such that anyone with the least talent is already saturation-employed at very high salary, plus has a nights/weekends project or two going on the side. It's a gold rush.
Any time a field offers such an easy and immense upside, the folks lingering around the cheesy end of the spectrum tend not to be competent.
Good devs are all making tons in a big company (or, if they're wired that way, in a bright-seeming startup). Creative and resourceful ones are busy developing their own apps. But devs who willingly work in this sort of boiler-room operation would, I'd imagine, tend to be bottom of the barrel. Even if the boiler-room pays them well. Because, again, it's a bubble, so anyone the least bit good can get away with being picky about their employment.
That said, if you want to do this mostly for kicks, and the end result doesn't need to be wonderful, it may be worth a try.
But just bear in mind that trying to ingenuously get in line late for a mad rush like this is akin to trying to score steeply discounted tickets to the hottest and most sold out show in town two hours before showtime. The people offering to assist you are likely not to be trusted.
posted by Quisp Lover at 9:25 AM on May 4, 2013 [2 favorites]