The document outlines the life-cycle of developing an iPhone app, including: thinking of an idea, researching similar apps, brainstorming features, designing prototypes, coding the app using modular and reusable components, testing it on devices, submitting it to the App Store, marketing it, tracking downloads, and potentially monetizing it. It provides examples of the author's own Social Media Cafe Liverpool app, which is an open source project available for others to use and learn from.

1. Life-cycle of an iPhone app
John McKerrell

2. My Experience
Developing professionally for the web for over 10 years
Have been developing for iOS for over 2 years
Have had 50 apps available on the store

3. “...remember the idea,
not the man...” *
Think of something unique
Think of something useful
Think of something fun
*EVEY HAMMOND, V FOR VENDETTA

4. “... but you cannot kiss an idea,
cannot touch it, or hold it ...” *
Remember an idea is worth nothing until it’s
implemented
http://dave.is/businesspeople.html
“the execution and delivery are what’s key” -
Sergey Brin
*EVEY HAMMOND, V FOR VENDETTA

5. An Idea
Build an iPhone app for
Social Media Cafe

6. Research Similar Apps

7. Research Similar Apps

8. Research Similar Apps

9. Research Similar Apps

10. Brainstorm Features

11. Aggregate Thoughts
List of Talks Photos from events
Description of talk Hashtag results
Actions for talk, e.g Facebook & Twitter
video, slides sharing
Information about
events

12. Prioritise
Version 1 Future Versions
List of Talks Information about
events
Description of talk
Photos from events
Actions for talk, e.g
video, slides Hashtag results
Facebook & Twitter
sharing

13. Make Lists

14. Before you start building
Things you will need to build an app
A Mac
Xcode and iOS SDK
(optional) An iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch
(optional) iOS Developer Program membership

15. Before you start
designing
iOS Human Interface Guidelines
HIG provides instructions for common scenarios
Goes into detail on how best to create graphics for
use in app
Gives a set of rules that iOS apps must adhere to

16. Before you start
designing
iOS Human Interface Guidelines
HIG provides instructions for common scenarios
Goes into detail on how best to create graphics for
use in app
Gives a set of rules that iOS apps must adhere to

17. Before you start
designing
iOS Human Interface Guidelines
HIG provides instructions for common scenarios
Goes into detail on how best to create graphics for
use in app
Gives a set of rules that iOS apps must adhere to

18. Before you start
coding
iOS Application Programming Guide
iOS Development Guide
Again gives instructions for common scenarios
Gives some information on best ways to build
apps
Defines rules that iOS apps must adhere to

19. Before you start
coding
iOS Application Programming Guide
iOS Development Guide
Again gives instructions for common scenarios
Gives some information on best ways to build
apps
Defines rules that iOS apps must adhere to

20. Design
Best to either stick with Apple’s UI or choose something
completely different, tend not to mix well
Look at other apps, steal learn from their successes and
mistakes
Free resources are available, icon sets, Photoshop
layouts and more.
http://glyphish.com/
http://www.teehanlax.com/blog/2010/08/12/iphone-4-gui-psd-retina-display/

21. Example: Facebook
Mostly uses iOS UI, or
iOS inspired elements
Colours and graphics
from branding

22. Example: Balloons!
Custom designed
graphics throughout
Still makes use of
standard UI elements
such as buttons and
text boxes

23. Example: Angry Birds
Games tend to use
more innovative and
bespoke UI

24. Coding
Use a modular approach
Especially on this iPhone this is easier because
each screen of information will be based on a
separate “ViewController” that can be re-used
Custom views within the screen can also be
broken out into reusable code
Whole apps can be template-able and reused

25. Coding
Lots of existing Open Source code you can use
Three20
basis for the Facebook app
Tapku
popular Coverflow implementation & more
http://blog.proculo.de/archives/183-Useful-iOS-Libraries-and-Classes.html

26. HierarchyApp
Existing codebase built
by me in June 2010
Provides an interface
onto a collection of
items with similar UI to
the iPod app
Can be configured with
simple settings files

27. HierarchyApp
Provides a very basic
item detail screen
Either list of properties
or displaying an
embedded HTML file
Expectation is this
would be customised
for each app

28. HierarchyApp
Provides a very basic
item detail screen
Either list of properties
or displaying an
embedded HTML file
Expectation is this
would be customised
for each app

29. 7digital.com
Can be customised to
create complicated
apps
Custom lists with more
interesting elements
Custom item detail,
e.g. song player

30. 7digital.com
Can be customised to
create complicated
apps
Custom lists with more
interesting elements
Custom item detail,
e.g. song player

31. SMC Liverpool App
Built on top of
HierarchyApp
Updates content from
internet on startup

32. SMC Liverpool App
Shows list of talks
Talks are categorised
in multiple ways

33. SMC Liverpool App
Can drill down through
multiple filters to find
relevant talks

34. SMC Liverpool App
For each talk app
provides an overview
of the talk and a brief
bio of the speaker

35. SMC Liverpool App
Various actions are
offered, all defined in
the simple datafiles

36. SMC Liverpool App
Links open in
embedded web
browser
Further actions
available to the user
including opening link
in Safari

37. build build build_

38. build build build_

39. finished!

40. finished!... what’s next?

41. Getting onto devices
You did sign up to the iOS Developer Program
didn’t you?

42. Getting onto devices
Collect UDIDs

43. Getting onto devices
Generate Development & Distribution certificates
Install from Xcode directly onto your own device,
allows debugging while the app is running
Ad-hoc installation allows you to email to other
people and let them install via iTunes
Limited to 100 devices per account, per year

44. Getting onto the
App Store
Generate App Store provisioning profile
Log into iTunes Connect and create an entry for
the app
Enter Name, Description, Keywords, etc.
Keywords can only be entered while submitting a
new version of an app, everything else can be
edited any time

46. Getting onto the
App Store
Submission now quite easy, in Xcode:
Build & Archive -> Submit
... unless your app has a space in the name, e.g.
“Chess Viewer”, “Maths GCSE”, “Driving Test”
In this case zip the .app file, remove space from
filename, use Application Loader to submit

47. wait 7-10 days

48. hope

49. Market your app

50. Market your app

51. Apple Approves

52. Track your downloads

53. Track your downloads

54. Chart
Your
Success

56. Make Money!
Apple take a 30% cut in the US but 40% in most
other countries including EU & UK

57. Make Money!

58. Social Media Cafe
Liverpool iPhone App

59. Social Media Cafe
Liverpool iPhone App
...is real...

60. Social Media Cafe
Liverpool iPhone App
...is available...

61. Social Media Cafe
Liverpool iPhone App
NOW!!!
http://is.gd/smclivapp

62. Could this get any better?

63. Open Source!
Social Media Cafe Liverpool iPhone app is open
source, already available from here:
https://github.com/johnmckerrell/smcliv
HierarchyApp is also open source, available here:
https://github.com/johnmckerrell/HierarchyApp
Both licensed under The Artistic License 2.0

64. Interns
I’m looking for interns for the summer
Ruby on Rails
iOS - iPhone & iPad
Lots of interesting projects to work on, should
provide lots of good experience

65. Available for work
I can work for you
john@mckerrell.net
http://johnmckerrell.com/
@mcknut

66. Thank you