App Design Strategies

Create a Statement for the app

Create an application definition statement early in your development effort to help you turn an idea and a list of features into a coherent product that people want to own. Throughout development, use the definition statement to decide if potential features and behaviors make sense. Take the following steps to create a solid application definition statement.

Create a list of features for the app

For example, imagine that your initial idea is to develop an app that helps people shop for groceries. As you think about this activity, you come up with a list of related tasks (potential features) that users might be interested in, such as:

• Creating lists

• Getting recipes

• Comparing prices

• Locating stores

• Annotating recipes

• Getting and using coupons

• Viewing cooking demos

• Exploring different cuisines

• Finding ingredient substitutions

Who are the users?

Apart from the likelihood that your users are mobile and that they expect beautiful graphics, simple interactions, and high performance, what distinguishes them? In the context of the app you’re planning, what is most important to your users? Using the grocery-shopping example, you might ask whether your users:

• Usually cook at home or prefer ready-made meals

• Are committed coupon-users or think that coupons aren’t worth the effort

• Enjoy hunting for speciality ingredients or seldom venture beyond the basics

• Follow recipes strictly or use recipes as inspiration

• Buy small amounts frequently or buy in bulk infrequently

• Want to keep several in-progress lists for different purposes or just want to remember a few things to buy on the way home

• Insist on specific brands or make do with the most convenient alternatives

• Tend to buy a similar set of items on each shopping trip or buy items listed in a recipe