A: We looked at the price point of similar applications, both in terms of category and quality, to give us an initial guide. We wanted to position Momento at a slightly more premium price point to stand clear of other diary writing apps and indicate a higher quality from the price alone. After careful consideration we decided to test the water with an introductory price of £1.79 ($2.99), falling just under the '£2 ($3) barrier' (which we felt most are willing to part with without too much hesitation). The price proved very effective with plenty of positive feedback from users.
We have experimented with the price on several occasions, both silently and alongside a marketing campaign, and found that the current price of £1.79 ($2.99) works best for us, sustaining strong sales/day. By dropping the price we did see a spike in sales briefly but once they plateaued we actually found our average income from sales was less than when at the higher price point.
Q: How long has your team been developing mobile apps? How long specifically for iPhone? How long did it take you to develop this app? How many iterations have you had?
A: Momento was our first mobile app project. It started out as a side project which we worked on in the evenings and weekends. The first release of Momento took the two of us about 7 months, most of which was as a part time project. This included the time spent learning iOS development and a couple of iterations of the initial build. To date we're on our third iteration of Momento, two in the initial development and a substantial rewrite for v2.
Q: How much do you rely on user feedback to build/refine your app?
A: We have a clear vision for Momento. Feedback is certainly a very useful part of our development, but it isn't what ultimately guides us. We have a feature roadmap and it takes a lot for a new feature to make it on there. The feature requests and suggestions we receive are all carefully considered by our team but they primarily go towards helping us prioritise the features we have planned for the future. Holding back certain features is an essential part of building what we consider to be a clear and simple user experience - especially on a mobile device.
In terms of developing a good user experience, feedback is invaluable. The interface and UX decisions we make are all very carefully considered and multiple iterations tested internally. Once were happy, we then look to feedback from our beta testers and users to help us refine these choices.
Q: What other applications and/or websites influenced your design philosophy?
A: Early versions of Tweetie (now Twitter for iPhone) and Reeder were the two apps which I used as reference — mostly in terms of UX. Most of the design influence came from the real world; looking at various paper journals/diaries, their typography, materials, structure and layout. A MUJI notebook I've had for a few years provided the guiding inspiration for the UI. I loved the minimalistic approach of the book and the colour scheme; neutral off white pages bound simply by thread and a brown mottled card cover.
Q: What has been the most crucial thing you've done from a marketing/advertising perspective to get your app exposure?
A: We're really proud of Momento and that has helped a lot when it comes to marketing. We've been the ones to go out there and talk about our app — not only on the web, but also in person. We've done all our own marketing, attended numerous events around the country and demo'd our app to key influencers which has helped spread the word. Showing someone your product in person has a huge impact over an email. If they like it, they'll remember you and they'll talk about it. One mention by an influential tech pundit in a blog or on Twitter can directly put thousands of eyes on your product, and indirectly tens, if not hundreds of thousands.
I'd also say a big part of our exposure has been down to the design of Momento. The majority of feedback we have received, references in blogs and features online have commented about the design. Good design is crucial and for us it's a core part of our business. A great looking app catches the attention of people immediately. People judge things on how they look and making your product stand out visually is an easy way of getting noticed. It also opens up the opportunity for publicity on design related websites and blogs which actually contribute to a significant proportion of our web traffic.
Q: Would you say that app discovery is a problem for you? For apps in general?
A: Not particularly. I discover most of my apps through recommendations from like minded individuals through word of mouth, both on and offline. Most of those recommendations are apps which end up getting featured by Apple on the App Store or surface to the Top 100. It's very rare I actually search for an app with a generic search term - often I know which app I'm looking for.
Q: What other apps have you developed? How have those done in comparison to Momento?
A: Momento is the only app we have developed — it's our core focus and dedication. We have some great ideas for other apps, but for now our concentration is on fulfilling Momento's potential.
Q: What advice do you have to other developers that are just starting out?
A:
• Keep your app really simple and intuitive.
• Fully understand the problem you're building a solution to.
• What makes great software is the features you leave out. Stick to what is essential.
• Make decisions on behalf of your users to limit the number of settings.
• Start small and build over time. Don't try to do everything at once.
• Good design is essential. Structure and interface makes or breaks an app.
Q: Knowing what you know now about developing a popular app, what's the biggest mistake you think you made as a company? What's the best decision you've made as a company?
A: After our initial release we spent a lot of time working on a number of big new features which took a great deal longer than we expected. The further we developed the app the more significant the changes became. We got to the point where so much of the foundations of Momento had changed, it wasn't possible for us to release small updates to the original version without having to do a lot of re-writing. This lead to users waiting a long time for minor enhancements. With such a small team we should have focussed on releasing small updates more frequently.
The best decision we have made was to focus on one app. It gave us time to carefully craft every aspect of our product. Over the past 12 months we have had some tempting projects and career opportunities offered to us by high profile companies, as well as other ideas we've wanted pursue. Being a part of such a vibrant and exciting industry, especially at this time makes it difficult to stay focussed on one thing but we believe that our dedication to Momento will help us fulfil its true potential.
Q: Now that you're the number one app in the Chomp 55 for January 2011, what are you going to do for an encore?
A: We're working on some really exciting things for Momento which we'll be releasing over the course of this year. Our encore may not be immediate, but we're sure it will be worth the wait!
Q: What was your reaction to the news that Momento was the #1 app via the Chomp 55?
A: In all honesty, one of surprise! January was an exciting month for us with Momento being 'App of the Week' on the App Store, so receiving news of the #1 spot on Chomp finished the month off perfectly.
There you have it! Big thanks to Oliver for agreeing to be in the "Chomp" seat for our developer Q&A.
Stay tuned for the fifth edition of App Search Analytics on March 30th plus more from developers who bring you the Chomp 55 each month. Happy searching!
