Writing
Things we learned while building. Mostly technical, all of it from real work.
Some of the ideas that reach us are not mobile apps. Saying so on day one is cheaper than saying it six months in.
Anyone who quotes a number for this either knows your scope or is planning to invoice you again later. Here is how to tell the difference.
Code complete is not live. Google Play enforces a 14-day wait for new personal accounts, and most people find out on the last day.
Getting into the store is not a distribution plan. Installs do not happen on their own, and that work sits outside the software budget.
You are asking for effort before delivering any value. The person you lose here never comes back.
There are apps with admired design that nobody can use. Only one thing measures the difference: did the user finish what they came to do?
Writing one codebase for two platforms does not halve the cost. Here is where the savings actually are, and where the work still doubles.
Direct access to someone's pocket is granted once. Once it is switched off it does not come back, and most apps spend it in the first week.
Your user is not at a desk. They are standing, in sunlight, wearing gloves, with one hand full. Design that looks good in the office does not survive out there.
The app is in the store. Now what happens when iOS ships a new version, Google adds a requirement, or a certificate expires?
