Got a great app idea?
It seems like every day the tech news is full of examples of people who came out of nowhere and had a great app idea and blew it up. achieve monumental levels of success. . Every time you see this kind of success story, you might think, “I have an idea for an app, but I don’t have the programming skills to make it happen.”
While many people might give up, they don’t. there’s no reason why you can’t bring your app idea to life. And it doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. There are actually many ways to learn how to build an app with no experience, and not all of them involve as much time, money, or work as you might expect. Read on for some tips on what to do with an app idea.
Externalize it.
If you want to get started with your app right away and don’t have time to learn how to code it yourself, there is a way to do it. There are plenty of independent app developers, both online and offsite. But how to find a good one? If you want to have a positive experience, it’s important to properly vet potential app development freelancers to ensure that whichever one you hire is a good fit. Here are some tips to get it right:
- Try looking for an offline app builder or developer first. Ask your friends for recommendations, or perhaps if you live near a university, ask a professor in the computer science department for a recommendation. This can also save you some money as students will be eager for the real life experience.
- Online there are many good places like Elance or Upwork where you can hire a programmer to create a application. . These are legitimate sites that will be great for protecting your arrangement.
- Whoever you hire, look at their past work, ask for examples of their skills, and talk to them about their vision through wireframing and see their thoughts on how to make it happen.
- Make sure you have a written contract or agreement before you start. This could cover things like royalties or what might happen in the event of an incomplete project. You can also talk about iOS vs. Android apps at this point in the conversation.
There are many advantages to doing things this way. One big advantage is that you don’t have to learn the necessary programming knowledge, which is much easier for you and has the potential for much faster turnaround. On the other hand, this will cost you more, because of the cost of the work, and (although unlikely) there’s a chance the freelancer will also ask for residuals for any money earned from the app, and offers the downside of having to rely on someone more to carry out your vision; this can lead to creative conflicts or even a delayed timeline.
Use a drag and drop program.
Another way to create your application without having to learn to code is to use a program that will write the code for you. These types of “drag and drop” solutions make it easy for anyone to put together a basic application and are easily found online. It’s worth checking reviews and ratings before diving into a particular program, but some good options include AppyPie, GoodBarber, and MobileRoadie.
The benefits of going this route to building your app are that, as well With Using a freelancer, you don’t have to learn to code, but unlike the freelancer option, you can have more creative control. You also don’t have to pay someone else to write the code, and while the service may cost money, you won’t have to deal with contracts or royalties.
The drawbacks of this method are that there may still be a learning curve, which will affect your answer, and you are limited to what the program offers, which means that you may not get exactly the same level of creative freedom. or the ability to customize that you could get by writing the code yourself.
Learn how to create an app idea yourself.
Of course, the only real way to ensure that you have complete control and ownership over your app is to create your own app. And it may be easier than you think to get the skills you need to make it happen. You can learn to code at a traditional university, online, or with a more specialized immersive bootcamp.
The obvious benefit of this route is that you will learn skills that you will have forever and that will continue to serve you well in upgrading your application, or create more in the future. You’ll also have more creative scope and sole ownership of your app, both in terms of money and vision.
On the other hand, this route will likely cost you more money than the alternatives, but it will be a finite number of payments (as opposed to a potential monthly fee for an app builder or repeated payments to freelancers for upgrades). ). The return on investment is also much higher than if you were to spend your money, for example, on a freelancer, since you will continue to benefit from your new skills and knowledge.
Of course, another drawback with this method of creating your application is that you will have to work hard to learn to code. In general, though, it’s not as difficult as you might think to get the skills needed to bring your dream app idea to life; and if you’re willing to put in the effort to learn programming, you’ll have them forever.
That’s something that will benefit you in the long run, even if your first try at an app fails.
Other The benefit of doing it yourself is that you might find some app marketing inspiration in the process. And the next time inspiration strikes, you’ll no longer find yourself saying, “I have a good idea for an app, but I don’t know how to code.”
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