Designing an iPhone/Web App but can't program...

[dsmrolla06]

I'm designing a mobile and web app that will be a study tool for college students. I am designing it for the iPhone and iPod to start out on, however I don't have any programming experience.


The first iteration of the app will be fairly basic. The application is built on slides, like you would have in Power Point, but the slides can have an unlimited number of sides to them. In effect creating two axis' of movement for slides instead of one like in Power Point or key note. So for instance a flash card would be a slide with two sides. Slides are then contained within 'Sets', or a deck of slides. These sets are then organized by folders.


Now for the development of the application, I have posted the job on ELance and have received several proposals with most in the range of $2-4k, which is fairly close to the budget I anticipated for launching it. The problem I am concerned with however is what direction should I take after it is launched to continue development? The first version is going to be a free application but the cost will add up quickly when it comes time to develop the other features and services that will bring in the money.


Any thoughts, criticism or advice?

Here's a sample from one of the mock ups i created:

[ensign_lee]

So...how are you going to tailor this to an individual course?

I would assume that kids using this would be using it to cram? How would they put in stuff that would be on the exam?

[kfaess]

I'm not sure I really understand your idea.. what is the point of having slides within slides?

I do like the idea of being able to customize a "playlist" of slides to flip through and study, which it seems like this app can do.

I also like the idea of being able to study using your phone. Think about if you're on the bus/train, in a boring lecture, etc.. and want to better use your time. Bust out the phone and do a little studying.

One other thing to consider, not all classes can be studied for using flashcards. I don't see this as a problem really since most can.

[dsmrolla06]

I'm not sure I really understand your idea.. what is the point of having slides within slides?

I do like the idea of being able to customize a "playlist" of slides to flip through and study, which it seems like this app can do.

I also like the idea of being able to study using your phone. Think about if you're on the bus/train, in a boring lecture, etc.. and want to better use your time. Bust out the phone and do a little studying.

One other thing to consider, not all classes can be studied for using flashcards. I don't see this as a problem really since most can.

There's no slides within slides. You can put a folder within a folder in which the sets go into. The very reason I came up with it was because I saw a flashcard app and thought about how much time I spend on it doing useless shit.

All of the content is user generated, so you would make the slides, sets, and folders. Also I developed the dual axis slide system if you will, to counter the fact that flashcards just arent always that great for studying. Sometimes you just want information on it where a just a single sided slide would be better. This is really up to the user how they want to make them.

Again this application is going to be fairly basic and straightforward to start, I just want to get it out there and get some momentum. The next step is a web app where you have an account and can make your slides and so forth on there with more detail and then download them to the phone. From there I want to have peer sharing so you can share sets with each other.

I have a lot more to it than that, including a business model which is different from whats out there (quizlet and flashcardexchange are the closest competitors) but I won't go into too much detail yet.

Couple more samples of slide creation and viewing. Swiping vertically will switch between slides





Just copy the image location if you want to see them in more detail. I didn't want to have a ridiculously sized image on here.

[ensign_lee]

Just an idea, you've prob thought of it, but you should definitely have a way to sync your program with a computer to enter in the info.

I know I would NEVER have the patience to type in my notes on an iphone keyboard. Real keyboard? Maybe. But I'd smash my head into my table before I tried writing anything over 4 lines on an iphone.

[dsmrolla06]

Just an idea, you've prob thought of it, but you should definitely have a way to sync your program with a computer to enter in the info.

I know I would NEVER have the patience to type in my notes on an iphone keyboard. Real keyboard? Maybe. But I'd smash my head into my table before I tried writing anything over 4 lines on an iphone.

That's what the web app is going to be for, which is the next stage. Would also like a way to import power point docs and have it formatted to the application, but that's a little more ways off.

[kiwiMark]

need a way to import/export sets of flash cards too, so the nerdy kids can get rich selling flash cards to everyone else in the class

[dsmrolla06]

need a way to import/export sets of flash cards too, so the nerdy kids can get rich selling flash cards to everyone else in the class

Peer sharing of sets of slides is planned after the web app. You're pretty cloe to the mark of my plan with the nerdy kids selling their cards to everyone else in class.

[bigred]

Needs more porn imo

[dsmrolla06]

You can add images. So you can make your own guess the porn star game.

[Ash256]

So in terms of intended purpose, the "slides" are not so much slides on a slideshow but bubbles in a mind map?

[BennyLaRue]

There must be an app that helps you make apps.

[bigred]

There must be an app that helps you make apps.

First we need an app to find that app! I smell a business venture...

[BennyLaRue]

First we need an app to find that app! I smell a business venture...

Is there an app that can help with the prospectus?

[dsmrolla06]

So in terms of intended purpose, the "slides" are not so much slides on a slideshow but bubbles in a mind map?

They are slides, those were two different image files I didnt seperate, I can see where it looked confusing.

Slide 1 > Side 2 > Side 3 > Side 4
Slide 2 > Side 2
Slide 3 > Side 2 > Slide 3
Slide 4
Slide 5 > Side 2

It would look like that. To change to the next slide you swipe vertically. To change sides is a horizontal movement and the dots at the bottom (like on your home screen on the iphone) indicate which side its on out of how many.

[oskar]

I don't think you quite understand the iphone app market. If this is about profit: get someone to program a mouse that farts when you touch it's belly and giggles if you shake it, and you will make millions.

[dsmrolla06]

Thats not really my style, but the iphone app is just the launching pad for it. I intend for it to be much more robust than that.

[ensign_lee]

When you're choosing a programmer for the iphone app, probably best to think long term and find one that can help you with the rest of hte development along hte way.

It is a TON easier to work with one company, ideally one person / team of people to develop EVERYTHING rather than part shit out. You're going to lose a lot in the translation every time you bring new people in.

[dsmrolla06]

When you're choosing a programmer for the iphone app, probably best to think long term and find one that can help you with the rest of hte development along hte way.

It is a TON easier to work with one company, ideally one person / team of people to develop EVERYTHING rather than part shit out. You're going to lose a lot in the translation every time you bring new people in.

I hear you. Price definitely is a big concern though. It's not so much the issue of just getting it out there, but how to keep going on from there with getting money for the rest of the development I want to do. It gets a lot more expensive fast.

Ive always been somewhat nerdy... why didn't I fall into programming, I coulda been a minillionaire by now.

[ensign_lee]

Yeah, I hear you. I mean, ideally, you'd find some college undergrad to work with you, but sometimes you just have to pony up the $$$.

I'm just saying that in the end, I think it will cost you far less to go with one comapny and stick with them rather than start with one, move to another, another, etc.

I'm working for a software consultantcy firm right now and you have no idea how many hours are charged to figuring out wtf a client meant when they said "do X", and communicating that to 5 different people along the way. At $120/hr, it gets expensive. FAST. And could have been easily avoided by not sending different bits of the issue to several different people.

Also, if you can, try to choose a smaller company. You'll run into the above situation a lot less.

[dsmrolla06]

Ya im going through elance right now looking for a developer. Outsourcing it that way is going to be way cheaper. I have a friend right now that's interested in investing some money, maybe a couple grand, but he doesn't seem to be motivated or share the drive that I have for it so I'm not sure it's worth the time or the loss of stake in the company in the long run.

The first version of the app I can pay for myself which I'm expecting to be 2-2.5k. From there I'm not quite sure where to go as the web app for it could be easily 10k even through elance. So I need to figure out a way to get funding through bank, investor what have you or figure out how to get the app making money sooner. And I agree, ideally I would find a web developer/programmer to partner with.

[ensign_lee]

I agree with you on the several k in investment. Definitely too small of an investment unless coming up with a few k for yu is REALLY hard.

[dsmrolla06]

Well the idea is for him to be founding it with me. I suppose it's a little hard for him to do anything at this stage since he really isn't one to design or anything like that. He'd be more of on the business end of things, finances, networking etc. I think I've also settled on a designer as well. $2175 for the first version of the app doing everything I wanted it to do.

I also put up a super basic webpage for now. I'm going to work on making that look a little better and do a blog in the next couple weeks.

http://floopt.com

That's my company name were launching the app under, not the app name itself.

[bigred]

I heard if you talk bad on text books, Amazon hires goons and they rough up a relative and ship you their finger as a warning. Don't worry though, it's Amazon; shipping is free.