Writing Wrongs: An Indie Tale (Part 1)
In July 2018, just about 2 years ago from the time of writing this, I set out on my app-making journey.
Up until that point I had never really done any platform native app development. I was a (fairly new) web-developer by trade (still am) and I just wanted to try something different. More than anything, I wanted to create.
Mobile technology is something that’s always been compelling to me. I’ve always enjoyed following new models, trying out the latest tech, and pushing the boundaries of what they can do. It’s for this reason that I decided to make my mark on the space (however small) by making an app.
I already had an idea that I had been toying with for a couple of years without ever really moving forward on. And so, it was with this idea and a head void of app development knowledge that I set out to make something happen.
Moving Target
I didn’t exactly set out to fail, but I did and I’m thankful for it. Failing helped define what I view as success. I have a lot of thoughts about “failure” and its relationship to success, but they’re probably worn out and not what I’m aiming for right now.
My goals, both in terms of the ideal app and what I wanted to get out of the process, changed dramatically between the start of this process and where I’m at today.
Had I been able to define my expectations better from the start, I may have been able to take better action towards the ideals that I now hold. I’ll write some more on this at a later time— it should be therapeutic and could help anyone who finds themselves here.
Forward
Now, two years later, I’m going on a journey. I invite anyone reading this to join me. I’m going to take some time to reflect and attempt to candidly unwrap some important failures through the process of writing on my earliest indie iOS app development experiences.
Here’s the synopsis by App Store figures in six charts (7/1/19 - 6/20/20):
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to add color to the story and attempt to distill my experiences into helpful insights. Topics I'll cover will include product development, design, architecture, goal planning, audience, marketting, advertisements, business models, and social media. It should be interesting because I’ve yet to see the true efficacy of anything I’ve taken away into my second attempt.
My second app is a week out from launch. I’m very excited to soon be able to draw comparisons, additional learnings, and define what has explicitly led to improvement.