Doug Harper

My notes and key take-aways from last night’s developer meetup. The topic was Mobile App Trends for 2017: Design, Monetization and More.

2016 Trends Review

• China is now the the leading iOS market in terms of Revenue.
• The jury is still out on App Store Search Ads.
• Users are spending more time in Apps, maybe as much as 25% more.
• Games still dominate which could mean there is opportunity in the less popular categories.

Design Trends

App icons are trending toward a white logo with a color gradient background. Popular screenshots usually include a device mockup with some text on top. Several commented that nobody reads the description. Most agreed that a preview video was a good idea.

User Interface

• It’s probably good to stick with the basic native elements provided by Apple in UIKit.
• Blur layers are very fashionable.
• Outline iconography is used often.

Watch the App Store features and Apple’s apps for guidance on design. Keep it simple and focus on what your app does really well, no need to add a bunch of ho-hum features.

Monetization

• Should be considered before you begin coding.
• Ask for reviews or In-app purchases at optimal times in the game/app.
• Study successful apps within your category to see how they are monetizing.
• Reward videos are the hot thing right now.