Finding the perfect app idea is like digging the earth to find diamonds. It’s rarely happens that you stumble across diamonds, and you have to actually convert the precious stones into diamonds by polishing them because they don’t exist on their own. Similarly, you can’t chance upon a perfect app idea but you can strategically optimize the idea sourcing process to eventually come to possibly the perfect app idea.
The process of finding such an idea is, however, as complicated as getting finished diamonds. You first need to carry out market research and collect all the stats and data. The data that is of importance here is: type of apps which are most/least popular, type of apps that have received the most/least downloads, category of apps which is most/least competitive, category of apps which is most/least lucrative and areas in specific markets which still have issues unaddressed by apps. It is also important to have your own app idea, no matter how inconsequential, and put it in one of these categories. Once you have all the statistics and data in your hands, it’s time to get going.
The three distinct strategies that can help you to arrive at your final app idea are:
- Finding a problem, and providing a solution for it through your app
- Filling any feature void in the market through your app
- Sourcing pain points from experts of niche markets, and resolving them through your app
Note: It is important to remember that although fundamentally the first two strategies are different, they are implemented in a similar manner
# 1. & 2. Problem and its Solution or Filling the Void
With your own app idea, you would want to determine whether developing that app would fill any existent void in the app market or would it provide solution to an existing problem. If the answer is yes, go forth with the idea, but if the answer is no for both these options then there is an alternative. Now, since your app idea is something that has already done before by somebody, it’s time to think whether you can surpass the existing apps in terms of functionality and bring something new to the table. If you think your app idea can bring a breath of air to that market and add more values to the users, then go ahead with it with full conviction.
If you don’t have an app idea of your own, and want to use the market research data to zero in on the app, then you have some choices to make. Determine the parameters that you would consider to narrow down to your app category: revenue, popularity or competition. So, you can either target the most lucrative category, the most/least popular category or the least competitive category – whichever you feel will fetch immediate results.
You can also choose a hybrid parameter like ‘number of free downloads required to hit top 25 per category’ and then go with the category that has the least number of downloads. This will ensure that your app will receive maximum exposure and recognition in a relatively short time. Once you have decided your priority, it’s time to dig deep. As you did earlier, you now need to search for any existent void/problems in that app category or think whether you can bring something special to the existing set of apps in the category. Choose the app idea that suits your requirements the best.
# 3. Sourcing pain points from experts, then devising an app solution
There is another possible way to source your perfect app idea. Target any industry that has a high potential and speak to the experts in that industry and get their opinions. Source all the pain points in the market from them, then provide a viable app solution to the most pressing problem and ask whether they would be willing to pay for such apps. If all goes well, proceed with that idea as it will qualify your audience and guarantee users for your app. All that remains now is, just building an app that does full justice to the solution.
The aforementioned points confirm the fact that by using proper methodologies you can come up with a near-perfect app idea. While a perfect app idea isn’t a guarantee of the would-be app’s success, it ensures that the customer’s needs are satisfied and paves the way for the app’s possible popularity growth.
Images: ”Woman using her Mobile Phone in the street, night light Background/ Shutterstock.com“
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