A lot of us have been there. You’ve had a eureka moment. A time when we turn to our a friend or colleague and say ‘wouldn’t it be great if there was an app which did…[insert awesome idea here]?’.

Maybe you want an app which everyone talks about and no-one can live without. Maybe you want it to be a bestseller, which will get you top ratings and a magazine cover for ‘App of the Year’. Or something which will net you mega-bucks and make you a gazillionaire.

But you need some help turning your idea into reality.

Here at BuUuk we take great ideas and turn them into outstanding mobile apps. But what exactly do we need from you to get the ball rolling?

More than you think, as Norman, our Head of Business Development, explains.

“Often people approach us with a very vague idea and just want to know how much it will cost. Or they’ll compare their idea to an existing app and ask how much it would be to make something similar.

They don’t really give us any clear information about what the app does or how it will work. That makes it pretty impossible to give accurate advice, both in terms of costs and time scales.”

So, what are Norman’s top tips for preparing to engage an app designer and/or developer?

1. Make sure your idea is really clear.
   We know this sounds like a bit of a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how difficult it can be to stay focussed on your idea! If you don’t have a clear idea of what your app does or how it should work and keep changing your mind, it can quickly becoming expensive and time-consuming, as you go through multiple iterations. Think about what makes your app unique – why would people use your app over something similar? Does it fill a gap? Check out other apps on the market and see if your idea does something different or better than what’s already out there.
2. Find out what other people think.
   Try out your idea out on family, friends and colleagues. Is it something that they would use? How often? Talk to them about it in detail to get a sense of the user journey – how they would interact with each screen, what information or options they need at each stage.
3. Document, document, document.
   Put things down on paper – literally. Think about how the app feels to use, rather than what it looks like. Sketch out the user journey – what does each screen show and what information is available – and bring it along to the initial meeting. This is such a huge help – sometimes the biggest challenge is translating what’s in a client’s head into a functional app. It also helps your designers and developers get an idea for the scale of the app, and will allow them to give you more accurate costings and realistic time frames.

Once you’ve got your app designed, you’ll need a prototype to start user testing. Check out Nav’s great top tips for building prototypes.