99 pages of apps
What should happen if one should fall?
98 pages of apps on the wall
Between the 250k+ iOS apps, 100k+ android apps, and the plethora of browser based apps, we are overwhelmed with choices. The need may arise for us to install or bookmark (little difference) only a minuscule fraction of the what's available. I prefer to cluster Internet apps together, characterized as any program which relies heavily on an Internet backend. One would imagine the market for apps has been saturated and thus commoditized, but this is not entirely true.
Welcome to the Jungle
The flood of apps is saturated with limited quality and ultra simple tools. But the diversity and level of specialization benefits the client (us) by providing a rich set of options at minimal cost per user. There is a thriving ecosystem of competitive Internet apps where the makers of dominant designs are highly rewarded. Ongoing marketing research coupled with efficient and effective solutions are what differentiates success (adoption) from failure (apathy). Delivering desired apps results in explosive network growth, powered by a wave of praise from peers with little barrier to entry.
If you're fascinated by network app design like myself, look to provide high value with an elegant interface* to only a handful of folks. I've made the mistake of building for other companies that don't perceive a problem (ad tool), just for myself (social browser), and asked Tyler to develop for unknown markets (garage sales). This time I'm going to spend more time understanding how a tool can best fulfill a need and discuss it with others before I spend time Macgyvering it together. I'm also taking my sweet time reading over documentation for how to best put it all together.
Notes:
*= elegant translates as simple for non UI/UX pros like me with plenty of user observation. I'll be leaning on Michelle for feedback for my next app if I can get past rapid and continual database merging