Challenges for App Developers Po Chi Wu, Ph.D. Adjunct Professor School of Bus. & Mgt. School of Engineering HKUST

How will your app get noticed? What is the aim of the app? Who is my target user group? What functionality will the app have? How novel is the app? What is the market opportunity? How will the app make money? What is the Unique Value Proposition?

Screen real estate On what devices will the app run? What conditions will the OS impose? What kinds of bugs are likely to occur? Test, test, test. Responsive Design methodology

Interactivity How can the app respond to the user’s actions? How might you integrate device sensors? What might be a comprehensive app/user experience? How can you integrate tangible interactions, e.g., shaking?

KISS Principle How can your app be self-explanatory? How can explanations be simple & clear to user? What are native UI elements in each OS (familiar to users)? How will those UI elements influence your choice of icons?

Performance vs battery life Integrate the development team at prototyping stage Device backward compatibility Test, test, test.

Mobile content management Bandwidth challenge for reliable delivery of rich content App stores, e.g., Google Play, require new versions to update

Connecting with the user How will your app make a positive first impression? What impressions do your competitors’ apps make? What do users like – find interesting? The devil is in the details. Ask, ask, ask.

Promoting & marketing Success = 90% marketing + 10% development What are useful tools and platforms that simplify your efforts? Seek professional help?

App store lack of transparency What is the market size for specific categories of apps? Which categories of apps are trending globally? Trust your gut? Research, research, research.