1100 Users, What I Learned from My First App and More
If you are interested in mobile app development but don’t know where to start, this article is for you. It’s full of tips, examples and notes of encouragement from real life experience.
1. Look at your own life when coming up with your idea
Your app idea doesn’t have to be “brilliant”. In fact, most downloaded apps focus on very basic needs. After I became a mom, I was thinking every day during my baby’s supplementary food process, “What am I going to feed my baby today?” I got tired of my own mixed notes and I said:
“Why not a simple and reliable baby recipe app?”
Thus Minik Tarifler was born.
Maybe it’ll inspire you:
- Breastfeeding tracker for new parents
- Reading diary for bookworms
- Daily coffee recipes app
If you want ideas: What is the most difficult part of your day? Try to make it easier. That’s what I did.
2. Start with a Small Version, Not Big Dreams
My first version only had the ability to list recipes and add them to favorites. No photos, no comments, no filtering. But it worked.
For Inspiration:
- English app that shows 1 word every day
- Simple tracker that tracks a child’s water intake
- One-page “Quote of the Day” app
Focus on the basic function first. You can add the rest later.
3. Which Technology Should I Start With?
I started with Flutter because I could write one code for both Android and iOS, I could easily shape interfaces and get help from the community. But it’s not which language you choose, it’s what you do.
Take a look at these:
- No-code tools (Glide, Adalo)
- React Native → Suitable for those with web experience
- Swift/Kotlin → For Native apps
Start where you know. You’ll learn what you don’t know on the way. That’s what I did.
4. If You Don’t Have Time, Make Time
I stole 30 minutes in some moments of the day due to motherhood, housework, lack of sleep. I woke up early in the morning, wrote in the afternoon during nap time. Sometimes I was coding at 1 a.m.
You can try the following:
- 06:30 to 07:00 in the morning
- Only 1 task a day (e.g. “add login button”)
- Weekly mini task lists with Notion
It’s not about writing code, it’s about taking steps. Move forward every day, even if it’s just one line. But don’t feel guilty for the times you can’t.
5. Development without Feedback!
In the first release users said the login screen was long. It wasn’t a downer, it was a developer. The app took shape thanks to those comments.
Where Can You Get Feedback?
- WhatsApp groups
- Reddit (e.g. r/FlutterDev)
- Comments under Medium posts
Feedback illuminates your path. Don’t be afraid, share. Sometimes even people you think are irrelevant can teach you something. How do I know? 🤭
6. Don’t be intimidated by the publishing part
Uploading an app to the Google Play Store was not as complicated as I thought. Within 1 day, Tiny Recipes was live. Although it is said that iOS is a bit more challenging, it will be possible somehow (One day it will be there, and soon).
To summarize, if I reached 1100 users today, it was because I published it.
I did the following:
- Write a simple and friendly app description
- Create 3–4 beautiful promotional visuals with Canva
- Sign up for Google Console, install the APK
No one can hear it unless you publish it. If you’ve finished, share it. It’s not a place to test you.
7. Be Inspired, Don’t Imitate
The apps I was inspired by gave me a lot of ideas: How did they categorize, how did user comments look, what was missing? All data for improvement.
For example, an idea:
- Houseplant watering reminder
- Mood diary
- Minimal personal budget tracking app
- “What should I cook today?” list
- “My baby is growing” development diary
Develop, not imitate. Every app can be a spark of an idea.
In a nutshell: Your Stubbornness Works Better Than Your Code Knowledge
I was not born a software developer, no one was. I am learning, and I still have a long way to go. When I first started coding, I couldn’t have guessed that I would end up here, but I had an idea. By learning a little more every day, with little sleep and a lot of persistence, I made an application that has reached 1100 people today.
You can do it too. Write your idea, lay the foundation, share it. Get feedback, improve it.
Because this path cannot be walked alone. But you get stronger with every step. We can meet in the comments if you want.
Thank you.
Selin.
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