Branding, Digital, Startup

10 Brilliant Mobile App Ideas For 2021

Written by Paul Anderson

Going digital has been a crucial move for some companies, others have taken their time considering it, but without a doubt this 2020’s has brought some huge changes in the way we communicate and do business.

With more than 3 billion smartphone users around the world and over 68% of them using apps on a daily basis, it’s no surprise that apps are said to be taking over the world. 

Here Are Some Of The Best Mobile App Ideas That You Can Make A Reality This Year.

1. Augmented Reality Marketplace

With the constant release of better software and more powerful hardware, augmented reality has been gaining ground during the last couple of years. By blending the real world with interactive digital elements, users are able to live an amazing experience (Pokemon GO and skywatching apps are some good examples)

There’s almost an unlimited amount of applications for augmented reality. From tracking stars and constellations in real time to seeing more information about historical places. However, even with all of its potential it is something that many marketplaces have failed to take advantage of. Imagine being able to try on clothes and jewelry through augmented reality. Definitely a cool app idea for ecommerce stores.

2. A.I To Understand Your Dog’s Barking

unrecognizable woman taking a picture with mobile phone of cute small jack russell dog at home

This is probably the best app idea ever, at least for dog lovers. With the advances in technology and animal psychology, many people can now understand what certain sounds mean. If you own a dog you know that they don’t always bark the same way.

There’s happy barking, angry barking, warning and so on. Now imagine being able to use A.I Learning Capabilities to eventually interpret what your dog wants to say. It’s like a translating app but for animals. Who knows? Maybe one day, we will be able to speak with dogs.

3. A Coaching App For Sport Players

Unusual 3d illustration

Whether you’re into badminton, pickleball or tennis, having a personal coach to help you is the best way to improve. Taking advantage of the technology that already exists could take this to the next level. 

A coaching app that uses the camera to analyze your moves would be a great way of improving your moves while keeping expenses to a minimum and allowing you to use your time freely. Using the smartphone’s camera to record and analyze your areas of improvement, not only you’ll be able to see yourself as you play (which is already a good feedback in itself) but you would also get suggestions based on that.

4. Meetup/Dating App For 10-Person groups 

Couple in love and a group of friends

Dating apps can be exciting and fun. Many times, you have the opportunity to meet some great people, make friends, and in some cases meet your future partner. However, meeting up with a group of no more than 10 people can make things even more exciting.

The app can offer features like selecting the amount of people involved and the meetup would only take place when that number is met. For example, it could allow meetups only if there is an equal number of women and men or whatever suits the need of the users.

5. Live Music In Real Time With Musicians Around The World.

African-american musician playing guitar during online concert at home isolated and quarantined

The internet and social platforms have made it possible for people all over the world to connect. In fact, this connectivity has allowed musicians to work together despite of the distance, but although there is a good number of platforms that allow for this to happen there’s actually no platform dedicated to collaboration in live concerts in a completely online environment.

To put this in perspective, a band could be able to play a concert despite the lockdown or play with other musicians despite the distance. A dedicated live music app would surely help musicians and entertain their fans at the same time.

6. Order Online Coronavirus Test.

Coronavirus COVID-2019 test concept

Coronavirus struck the world and forced a change in the way we live our lives. Being the #1 health concern right now, there are a lot of opportunities to help people. For people at risk, going out to the hospital and to the doctor is simply not a good choice. But being able to order a test kit online could change that.

It could be just like Postmates to get the test back to the lab right after. Uber/Lyft drivers, are you ready to be an essential worker? ;-)

Although people, companies and governments alike are still trying to adapt to this threat, the concept of ordering these tests online can greatly improve the quality of life for a lot of people. This one’s definitely a game changer. 

7. An App With All The Fun Games From Jimmy Fallon’s Show

Jimmy Fallon is undeniably an entertainer. Whether you watch his show or not it’s probable that you have already seen some of his viral videos. Most of these videos are usually about his famous guests playing bizarre and hilarious games (games that many people consider playing in their own homes).

Party apps and gaming apps are one thing, but a party app themed on some of the most beloved Jimmy Fallon’s games would be a huge success. If you do a little research you’ll find that there are at least 20 different games that people tend to play and the right app would be the perfect tool to bring those games out to the world.

8. Dating App Based on Performance

Loving young couple with mobile phone lying on sofa at home

Almost everyone is familiar with dating apps, or at least with the concept. The vast majority of these apps offer the same experience; you like or unlike people, you get a match or you don’t and that’s it. However, since this is all about human interaction there will always be room for improvement.

A dating app in which you can give a rating based on performance would be amazing. This would address the most common issues that you find in dating apps which is that you can’t really know what to expect from the other person. On top of that, imagine that you’re rated 8/10 and you could limit your dating options only to people with an equal or better performance rating. Maybe this would be the perfect dating app.

9. DeepFake Filter For Social Networks.

DeepFake technology has taken the world by surprise many times since its first use. The technology itself is great and has a lot of uses in the film and entertainment industry but the problem is that it’s not limited to those industries. 

Very often, people also use it to hide their identities in social networks and that’s alarming. Sometimes you can quickly tell that there’s something wrong with a picture but there are times in which even a video can appear completely legitimate. A DeepFake filter has great potential because more than just entertaining it can protect people and their privacy. This kind of positive impact on people’s lives is what can make apps become successful.

EDIT: A pretty good app that transforms any animated gif with your face is in the AppStore. It’s called “Reface”.

10. Win Prizes By Watching Commercial Videos

Lotto Slot Machine Jackpot Win Concept

There are tons of apps in which you get some rewards for watching ads and performing certain tasks. Most of these apps aren’t really that great and rewards are usually tokens or points that you can exchange after you accumulate some.

To make it more interesting and take it to the next level you can actually change the dynamics of it. Instead of being rewarded for watching an ad, you can let your users choose what kind of ad they want to see and instead of rewarding them with points you could reward someone with a product as if it was a rafle. This is a good example of taking a good concept and making it more exciting.

These Ideas Have More Potential Than Ever Before

From simple games to productivity suites and even healthcare software, mobile apps can entertain as well solve lots of problems for people. Sometimes ideas seem to come out of nowhere, but the best app ideas come from the market needs. 

The world has greatly changed in just a few months and some unique opportunities are arising. So, it’s safe to say that “now or never” has never been more accurate.

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Development, Digital, Marketing

What is Product-Market Fit?

Written by Paul Anderson

Start-up culture does not seem to get old. In fact, experts say after the dot-com bubble’s rise and fall, we might be looking at the beginning of a new age of start-ups in this decade.

Start-ups are no walk in the park. There are tons of obstacles for any company trying to make it in the market. Initially, every start-up would have to go at least 1000 days without a paycheck while still gambling on initial investments and further funding.

Releasing a new product is always a gamble. Many companies dedicate themselves to releasing products without really getting an idea of the market. This notion aligns with the 1000 days no pay agenda. Businesses assume that the product they release might not be  really exciting the market at the moment, but are convinced without much market research that over time they would eventually make it big.

This is where the product market fit comes into the picture. This is a well known modern management and market analysis concept in the start-up world. It is popularly used by many major companies but somehow hasn’t caught enough attention in the business world yet.

This model shows start-ups the relevance of their product through the reaction of consumers. It helps business owners achieve a shift in their perspective about their product, while giving them new ideas for business growth.

Business Meeting on Marketing

What really is Product Market fit?

The stage at which the start-up successfully identifies its market or target customer base, and releases a product that caters to their exact need. In other words, you would know when the start-up has been successful at achieving the product market fit when :

●       You hear talk about the product, through word of mouth.

●       When the reviews on the product are positive and indicate its popularity

●       You release the product and it gets sold out in no time.

When the product is positively accepted and popular amongst the target audience, the next move would be to scale up and grasp the attention of a larger market.

How can you measure product market fit?

Measuring product market fit is a little convoluted. There is no single metric that tells you the magnitude of how well your business has committed to the model and achieved it. But there are a handful of signs that can give you a brief idea of whether you are moving in the right direction or not.

  1. To figure out your position in the product market, you need to conduct plenty of surveys. When you survey potential customers by giving them a chance to use your product, does their reaction seem like they will be willing to switch to your product? This may sound a little strange, but customer reaction says a lot.
  1. Have the customers rejected similar products from other brands or companies similar to yours? If they have, are they willing to try your product at all?
  1. Do users understand what makes your product unique in comparison to others? Are they genuinely interested in knowing how you stand out and what more your products have to offer?
  1. Have a look at the retention rates to gauge whether the users will be willing to stick around.
  1. When you showcase your products to the users, do they compare it to similar ranking products of other brands or lower grade products.

The above signs are both quantitative and qualitative metrics. There are still many ways you can figure out the success of your start-up in accordance with the product market fit model:

  1. Churn rate
  2. Market share
  3. Growth rate
  4. NPS score
  5. Word of mouth (popularity and influence of the product)
  6. Calls and positive inquiries from media companies and industry analysts
  7. The overall popularity and coverage of your product in the media and on other social media sources.

Common misconceptions about product market fit

Many business owners are heavily misinformed about the model and at times do not really know what is product market fit. They are under the impression that they perform well despite low sales and bad reviews? Here are a few common misconceptions people have about product market fit.

1. First to market does not matter

First to market is a very important factor in the long run. It always leads to better and large scaled product sales. Though some might discredit this fact, arguing that Facebook, for instance, was not the first social media platform but it still found the product market fit.

However, Facebook took the most compelling features of tech and was sold in a manner that took the world by storm. So, in a way, it was first of its kind. Once you achieve the product market fit, it is very hard to break out of it. Almost all of the products will satisfy the model thereafter.

2. Once you are successful in the product market fit, you will not have to beat competition

Competition is what makes companies great. Although reaching a product market fit can set your company on a new and better path, there will still be a lot of competition. You will have to keep bringing out products that outperform your competitors.

3. Discrete product release is better

Product market fit is all about the outreach and acceptance of customers. You have to bring out products in an extravagant manner. This sends out the message that you are in it to win it. Discretion is not always the best choice, but if funding is a problem, one should consider cheaper alternatives that still are a little loud.

Conclusion

In the early stages of a start-up, earning money in a short period of time is very tempting. However, to create a successful and lasting business, you also have to realize that short term revenue is not the way to go.

Investing in outreach and understanding your products’ place in the customers’ lives is necessary. There is always room for better resources and methods to produce a lasting and widely accepted product. So, shift your focus there.

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Smiling businesspeople with sticky notes
Design, Digital, Startup

How to run a successful Impact Mapping session

Written by Harold H.

Software development is complex. We might think we know upfront what the final product will look like. The graphic designers put hard work providing the mock-ups and even a prototype on Sketch or Adobe AD. Maybe you hired developers telling them that you wanted pixel-perfect development. The story map is precisely defined. Everything is ready for a few development cycles. What could go wrong?
Remember that in any project, and with any new product, there are the things that you know, the ones that you know you don’t know and the ones that you don’t know that you don’t know. So you have to be prepared to re-negotiate the scope at any time. What tools do you have to do so efficiently? Impact Mapping is a great one.

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