introducing our all-new Online Design Manager / ODM Studio (for mobile apps)
introducing our all-new Online Design Manager
ThinΛpp
Smarter Mobile App Solutions
We make it easy, affordable and enjoyable to make high-quality, custom mobile apps.
The 5 cent version of this article:
We’re pretty sure we offer the best bang for buck value of
any mobile app development company in the world. We also think we’re the most transparent
and honest. We’re doing things nobody else simply will to offer a better experience, product and price.
You can quickly click around our site to see real examples of recent mobile apps we’ve made, as well
as our pricing, tools, processes and philosophies - all out in the open. Best of all, we’re not all talk.
We can make a pretty nice mobile app - start to finish - in about 72 hours or less (and that includes
48 hours of App Store Approval time). Need more proof?
Continue reading...
First, What Makes Us Different
Unlike most mobile app development companies, we didn’t start out that way. ThinΛpp was actually founded by a group of Tech Entrepreneurs (who had founded various web-based solutions, services, communities, etc) who constantly needed mobile apps to progress their own respective tech ventures and aspirations. By nature, we were accustomed to fixing, improving and streamlining processes - that’s how you build good tech ventures that can compete. And, after constantly getting astronomical quotes for what we felt were simple mobile app needs, we decided to further delve into how we could improve the mobile app creation process for ourselves.Once we realized just how bad, inefficient, non-transparent and over-priced the mobile app industry really was - we knew that to create a better solution for ourselves, we were probably going to end up sharing that solution with others.
What We Did First
First, we actually decided to try to side-step the problem completely. We knew that there was less of a learning curve with Web Apps and even though most of the world doesn’t really understand what Web Apps even are, we felt that they could be a really great alternative for us. (Note: A Web App is basically a mobile app that is written in easier, web-based languages and that you don’t have to download from an App Store.)
We quickly put a Web App solution into place that not only helped us, but that our more corporate clients found valuable too. And, within 6 months, due to a flurry of projects that we got as a result of clients seeing our first prototype, we went from a $20,000 Web App Platform to a $50,000 one (now, a $70k platform today).
Not only could 90% of people not even tell the difference between our Web Apps and mobile apps, but most were in complete awe of the simple fact that we could also quickly make their mobile site go from what you see in the image example to a completely full-screen mobile experience with their own custom App Icon.
In fact, our solution was so good that we briefly even thought about taking both Apple and Google on to challenge the dominance of their “native” mobile apps - but then we came to our senses. Rather than be David trying to take on 2 Goliaths, we saw the benefits of simply improving the entire mobile app creation process instead.
Our Process, Approach & Technology
So one of the most important things we first decided was, we wanted to start by simply filling the gaps (or weaknesses) of Web Apps to Mobile Apps. We felt that by improving our Web App with native mobile technology we could make ourselves less dependent on expensive, inefficient mobile app developers, as well as the high costs of maintaining mobile apps due to the constant changes in the entire native coding language ecosystem, which are being driven in large part by the insane level of competing that Google and Apple are doing with each other right now for control of the Mobile App Industry. The end result would be a sort of App “Wrapper” - mostly our Web App Technology with a few features that were advantages exclusive to Mobile Apps.So, we quickly began hiring mobile app developers and working on a variety of basic app features to get us more familiar with the entire process. Our first goal was to create basic Apps in both Apple/iOS and Google/Android, so we could see the process from start to finish.
What we found is that the underlying app coding languages were not all that different (or difficult) compared to what we had become accustomed to making web solutions and web apps. However, the overall process was much more intricate, tedious and convoluted. In fact, it took us awhile to get from point A (the start) to point B (a fully completed App) initially, but once we did we were able to quickly see immediate solutions that could help speed the process up, as well as make it easier for others (not to mention ourselves).
Jumping ahead to today...what we’ve come up with is this - the process of creating a mobile app has 3 parts:
1. The Design Phase
2. The Build Phase
3. The Submission Phase
Thankfully, we have a world-class background in design and stay on top of the latest industry standards, so we were able to quickly adapt to various mobile app-specific design practices and guidelines. Once we did that, we needed to tackle the issue of where do we house all these designs - and what we came up with was the ODM.
Online Design Manager Studio (ODM)
Taking into account the overwhelming amount of information needed to actually get an App into the App Store or Google Play and based on our own previous project experience, we realized there needed to be some sort of online tool or interface where everything could be sort of managed. Not just for us, but for our clients/customers as well. Most people don’t know all the information required (and it changes often) - so, to give them an email, paper or PDF list would just seem too overwhelming and disconnected from envisioning the end goal of an actual Mobile App.So we designed the ODM where clients (or we) could upload all their different designs, logos, inspirations, notes, preferences, etc. at their convenience (with the ability to save and come back later). This would also serve as a sort of guide (for our Design Team) for how an App Project should actually be designed from a taste point of view. It contains everything needed for a mobile app - in one, simple page.
Our Mobile App Versions Approach
While we were perfecting the process, we quickly evolved the base App and now have 3 stable versions/generations, with a 4th and 5th in final production and soon to be released.We also realized that similar to Apple (and how they release iPhones and iPads), what would be really valuable is if a Mobile App company had a similar approach to developing new versions, features and updates. So we have adopted a development approach where we continually add new features, test and then deploy as new versions.
App Review Time - Go Live
And, thankfully due to Apple and Google competing like crazy for App dominance - we are able to get new Apps (and new versions) live very, very quickly. Google usually takes about a couple hours to several hours. And, in some exciting news, on October 5th of this very year Apple went live with App Store Search, which basically means their App Store business model basically went from less apps with more quality to the more apps we have the more we’ll make from the sheer supply and demand of people competing (with ads) to get their Apps seen more - and hence downloaded more. That, alone caused Apple to change its own review time (ie. in approving Apps) from an average of weeks to months - to, wait for it...48 hours. Of course that comes with some caveats, which we’ve figured out and implemented into our strategies so that we can get our clients’ apps consistently approved and live within that 48 hour window.Crowd Upgrades Tool for New Features
In addition, based on many talks with various clients who all seemed to need very similar (if not identical) app features, we also realized the need for a way for these clients to sort of pool their money together to not have to spend thousands just for one feature. So, that realization led to our Crowd Upgrades feature/tool, which is similar to Kickstarter - instead of funding a “project” - members are funding a mobile app feature.If the feature is successfully funded, only then are the payments (usually $35 or more) requested at which point we immediately begin developing it. We feel it offers infinite value to our product and service, as our customers’ will always be able to not only keep their Apps up to date (affordably), but they’ll always be able to pay the least amount possible while still getting high-end mobile development. Click here to learn more about Crowd Upgrades »
The World’s First Mobile App Community & Ecosystem
You add it all together - and what you get is the world’s first and only mobile app ecosystem. Why should customers over-pay for features that should and could be made for less - or that developers make over and over again for various clients anyway? And, why can’t the process be easier? It can. And, now it is. ThinΛpp is changing the way Apps are made. Work with us and you’ll be amazed how easy it is to get an App designed, built and live! Check out some of our recent work or learn more about our ΛppWraprs.1-844-484-4627 (1-844-4THINAPP) or contact@getthinapp.com