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Today we talk to Shane Crawford of Blue Lightning Labs about his experience as an indie in the App Store. We talk about the secret to his success, the first-mover advantage, the importance of creating a portfolio of apps, and building a brand for your company. Then Shane shares his thoughts on the new Kids section of the App Store, his experience with the App Store’s education volume purchase program, and his path to programming via home improvement and electrical engineering. We close with the realization that helped Shane take a leap of faith to quit his job and go indie, and his advice to others who are considering taking that same leap.
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Today we take a look at design trends in iOS and how developers and designers should react to them. We consider trends in iOS 7 like flat design and deference to content, and discuss how they will affect our upcoming app re-designs. We also talk about where to draw design inspiration and showing restraint when adopting new design trends in our own apps. We close with a few predictions about what third-party iOS 7 apps will look like in six months. Continue reading →

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Lots of indie developers depend on revenue from multiple apps to keep their ship afloat. But when you have several apps, all in need of your attention, how do you decide what to do next? How do you keep all the balls in the air? In this episode we compare notes on preparing (or not) product road maps, factoring in user feedback when deciding upon new features, and the panic mode that many developers find themselves in now that the release of iOS 7 is in sight. We consider when it makes sense to hire help to develop multiple products in parallel, and how to manage (and avoid) rapid-fire context switches between different products. Finally, we discuss when it makes sense to retire a product, and optimizing your product portfolio to create synergy among your products. Continue reading →

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This week we discuss accessible apps and technologies like VoiceOver. We start by first considering what exactly it means for an app to be “accessible” and why we as business owners should care about it. Then we dive into Apple’s VoiceOver technology, discussing what it is, how hard (or easy) it is to implement, and how to test with it. Finally, we consider the costs and benefits to our businesses that come from making our products as accessible as possible. Continue reading →

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Working from home is an experience that most indies have enjoyed… or suffered through. In this episode, we talk about the ups and downs of working from home and explore some of the workspace options that exist for independent developers. Along the way, we discuss time management, the importance of routine, keeping motivated, and strategies for keeping work time and family time separate. Continue reading →