Intel® Developer Zone offers tools and how-to information for cross-platform app development, platform and technology information, code samples, and peer expertise to help developers innovate and succeed. Join our communities for Android, Internet of Things, Intel® RealSense™ Technology, and Windows to download tools, access dev kits, share ideas with like-minded developers, and participate in hackathon’s, contests, roadshows, and local events.
Intel® Black Belt Developers are the most distinguished members of our community. They’ve been recognized for their technical expertise as well as their leadership. We asked a group of Intel® Black Belts to share their thoughts on the biggest business-related mistakes they see developers making—and how they could correct them. Here’s what they had to say:
Be original.
It’s tempting to copy other’s successes, one Black Belt explained. But if you really want to succeed financially, you need to do things that other developers aren’t.
Think about your business plan early.
Many new developers wait until the last moment to think about their business plan and other business aspects, but this approach can backfire. While your technical expertise is great for app development, to convince shareholders and others to fund your project, you or someone on your team needs to understand the business side of things. Considering aspects such as your go-to-market and monetization plans[AK1] early can help you develop a product that truly meets your customers’ needs.
Understand your target audience.
Your design, marketing, and even how you monetize your product should all be geared toward your specific target audience. Whether you’re creating a fun game, a productivity app, or something in between, your audience is unlikely to be "all smartphone users." Be thorough in your market research and get to know your competitors so you can truly understand the subset of users who will be most likely to buy your offering.
Develop your market research questions carefully.
Once you have a sense of your market, it’s important to connect with potential customers to make sure what you’re building will meet their needs . But as one Black Belt reminded us, if you simply offer potential customers a list of great features, they’ll often say they want them all. Instead, ask, "What would you pay for it?" Dig deeper to see if your product or solution solves a pain or a problem, then determine what they will pay to remove that pain.
Follow computer science best practices.
It's important to take the time to do things the right way. Being able to program quickly might get you a job, but you need to be able to adhere to documentation, design, development workflow, communication, security, testing, and other computer science best practices to take responsibility for products and groups.
Pay attention to detail and design.
Great features or original gameplay is not enough. You only have a few screen shots and a couple of lines of text to grab someone’s attention, so think about the overall layout and the way your app is presented in online stores.
Keep it simple.
It's tempting to overbuild a product with too many features that are cool just for devs, but it’s better to keep it simple. Focus on addressing your audience’s main pain points now—you can always add those bells and whistles later.
We also asked our Black Belt panel about the best way to get started on the journey to app or game development. Not surprisingly, their comments boil down to: "Learn and have fun." Here’s what else they had to say:
- Don't worry if you don't have the knowledge that your competitors or senior developers have. Come up with a great and genuine idea and the rest will fall into place.
- Find a Hackathon or Meetup in your area. Sometimes it's a way to get or try out new hardware. You can join someone's team if you’re just starting out and learn from someone a little more seasoned.
- Get a cheap (USD 10) Internet of Things (IoT) development board, a book describing how to use it, and start reading and coding.
- Do it for fun. If you've never done it before, don't let yourself be concerned with profit. Just do it.
- Have fun. Work with a game you already enjoy and look at extending it. Don't worry about perfection to start with. Explore and enjoy.
- Learn from open source code, play with it, mix and mash, have fun!
- Learn things by doing yourself. There are plenty of resources available but the best way to get started is by going through official documentations, webinars, and hands-on labs by the experts.
If you found these tips helpful, be sure to check out our previous posts to learn more about market validation and monetization strategies. We’ll be diving deeper into some of the other issues our Black Belt panel raised in the coming weeks. In the meantime, let us know if any of this advice struck a chord with you!
Is there anything here you wish you’d read a little sooner?
