1. This document is offered compliments of
BSP Media Group. www.bspmediagroup.com
All rights reserved.

2. How to build an
awesome mobile app

3. • Yossi Mlynsky (JNB)
• Founder of Alt Tab Mobile
• Experienced Product Manager with
Engineering background
• I Work with startups to help them design,
build and launch awesome mobile apps
• Prev. Macquarie Bank, BT Financial
Me

4. Cookoo: Instagram for food and recipes

5. 21 Questions: Turn based social app for
iPhone

6. • Who has already built their own app?
• Who is currently building their own
app?
• Who wants to build their own app?
Question?

7. Step 1: What is your app
going to do?

8. • List the functionality
• Prioritize it
• Cut the list
• Cut it again!
What to do?

9. • Look at the market leaders
• Not
competitors…inspiration
• There is a reason things are
done a certain way
Get Inspired

10. • Break up the
functionality
into screens
• Lets see
what it is
going to look
like
Wireframes

11. • Limit the functionality for
each screen
• Best apps only have a few
options of things to do per
screen
• You don’t need to do
everything in your app
What to do?

12. • Limit the functionality for
each screen
• Best apps only have a few
options of things to do per
screen
• You don’t need to do
everything in your app
What to do?

13. Vine

14. • Document how the app is going to
work
• Don’t just start coding
• Things will evolve, but this is the
single most important step in the
process
• TIP: Always create a Product
Document for your app
Documentation

15. Product Document

16. Step 2: How to design your
mobile app

17. • Very different to web design
• Your users are on the go and
want things fast
• Keep it simple
Mobile design is different

18. • In line with industry and OS
standards
• TIP: www.pttrns.com
Keep it in line

20. Step 3: How to
Engineer your app

21. • Native vs. HTML
• iOS, Android and the rest
• There are pros and cons
• Depends on the exact app you are
trying to build and the audience
• Also, depends on budget
Technology options

22. • Well structured code for future
• Easy for the mobile team to understand the
code
• Keep as much logic as possible on on the
server side
• Eg. /v1/Users
• /v1/Users/Self/Apps
• TIP: Checkout the Foursquare API
RESTful Web Services

23. • Keep it in the cloud
• Scalable
• Don’t reinvent the wheel
Amazon Web Services

24. Step 4: Tools &
Processes

25. Start with the right stuff.
• Documentation
• User Interface Design
Now you are ready to code
The right stuff

26. • Manageable chunks of work
• 2 week iterations
• How much can your team get
done in that time?
• TIP: Use a tool like Asana
(www.asana.com)
The right way

27. • Testing
• TIP: Release app using TestFlight
(www.testflight.com)
• Any feedback or bugs move into
the next iteration
• Keep on going until the app is
ready
End of an iteration

28. • Time to release to the App
Store or Google Play
Launch your awesome app!

29. • Reach out
• Yossi – 082 087 0067
• yossi@alttabmobile.com
Questions?