I was sitting in the grass by the museum on a warm, quiet morning in Chicago. Wearing my ripped jeans and red flannel, I let the inner hipster out and began pondering life, love and what it takes to make a really good app. Right then it hit me, the best apps are like grass...
Grass characteristics:
1. Clean
2. Easy to take care of and use
3. It can be played on/you can have fun on it
4. It is everywhere and it easily grows anywhere
5. It can house beautiful life (flowers, butterflies, etc.)
6. It is occasionally overcome by weeds or bugs
7. It needs constant care/upkeep
8. You need to cut away the excess so it doesn't get out of control
9. People ignore it until they are on it and enjoying it
10. It fills open spaces
11. If trees block the sun, it will die
12. It needs good soil, a good base
13. It serves a purpose; it covers up the dirt to create a place for people to enjoy and do what they love
So, how do we use this while making an app?
Just follow the rules of grass:
1. Make the app clean and as user friendly as possible.
- If the user can't easily figure out how to use it, they won't use it
2. Create an app that is easy for the user to take care of and use.
- Make it easy to create and update profile, post content, find friends, etc.
3. Make it fun!
- If the user doesn't enjoy using it, then it won't last long
4. Make it available everywhere possible and in the best/high traffic areas; give it room to grow.
- Make sure it is easily downloadable and works with all devices
- Create an app that can spread naturally through its users; an app that grows itself
- Give it the best chance to spread and catch on
- Make it unavoidable
5. Allow the app to work with/house other apps and technology.
- The more connections with technology the user already uses the better
- It increases credibility and creates a more robust, fluid app
- You must choose connected technology carefully because there are some bad weeds out there that you do not want associated with your app
6. Make sure to test the app through and through to debug and troubleshoot every possible situation before going live.
- This will setup your app lawn for a long healthy life
7. Consistently and relentlessly look for ways to make the app better and easier to use.
- Update whenever necessary to avoid becoming irrelevant and outdated
8. Cut away any unnecessary items, code, buttons, etc.
- Get rid of clutter, the cleaner the better
- Minimalism is never bad, as long as you are fulfilling a solid consumer need
9. When people see it/play with it, make sure it’s beautiful.
- Wait to go live until its ready to go. The last thing you want to do is push people away with an untested/unfinished, sloppy app
- Make it attractive and crisp right out of the gate
10. Make sure there is room in the market for your app.
- It needs to either fill an open space, or create new space
- Just make sure the app is filling a need and/or solving a problem
11. Similar to 10, make sure the market space your app will be living in is not saturated with giants that will smother your business.
12. Make sure you have a solid financial and human capital base.
- You will need enough resources to create and promote the app so it doesn't dry up
- The app will not market itself, it takes time and enough resources to consistently market the app over an extended period of time. Don't let it die out because you don't have enough funds/resources
13. Make sure your app has a strong consumer purpose and is based in a consumer need to create usable space in an area that would otherwise be a lifeless dirt pile.
When you are producing your new, game-changing, disruptive app, remember to look at nature for the basic blueprints needed to make that app thrive. Make and treat your app like grass, then watch it spread and grow.
- The PopList Humans
@PopListApp
@PopListApp
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