How to Make a Droid App From Scratch

So you want to make a Droid app and think you have some pretty good ideas for what you want to make. You just might. I don't want to dampen that enthusiasm. I do want to see if I can help you channel that into a successful way of thinking about your project.

First of all, it is not going to get done in a day or so. If you do, the app will stink - I guarantee it. There is a process, both in your thoughts and in your actions that should result in you having an app to present to the App Store. Second, you are more likely to "kill it" by making a lot of apps and having some pretty good ones than to put all your effort into one or three and wait then to see what kind of money they make for you. You will make better money over the long run if you have a lot of little streams of income than if you try three or four, get bummed out and quit. The thing is, the more apps you write, the better apps you will write because you will have the experience gained from all you wrote before.

While you are thinking about that, if you are deadly serious about writing apps, you should get an Android phone. When you have that, you can try out some apps to see what they do and get some idea of the ways they were programmed to interact with the user. These will be details you will find valuable when you face all the choices you will be making in this pursuit.

You will then need to get the Android SDK - the basic app writing program.

Now you get to the beef of the matter: what will your app do for the subscriber? Ideally, you are the market. If you are a typical member of the market you are seeking to reach, then you can plan the processes you want in the app to solve the problem you have. Before you begin roughing in an app, though, you should see if there already is one out there that does what you want done. Going head to head with a good, popular app is not ideal.

If you do find there are apps written to solve your problem, you should see if they have a good user interface and are pleasant to use. There are apps out there that have little competition but are still going un-downloaded and/or unsold. If they have functions that seem clunky or are difficult to use, or they do more than is necessary, becoming too complex for normal use, then you may have a legitimate improvement for the offering.

I suggest that you find others with your need to brainstorm with and discuss how you are going to solve this problem. To make it work, you can set up the "app" on letter sized paper, like an oversized scale model. You should write on it with a marker, crayon, or other clear and somewhat broad-tipped marking device. The android screen is small, so you will be limited in the amount of information you can put there. Having a gross tip will help you make sure you don't put more than practical information on each page.

Make each page a "screen shot" of what your app will do. For this choice, the page then will look like this. For that choice (have your tester poke the page there) the page then will come up looking like "this." This way you will suss out lack of functionality issues, unclear instructions within the program, or non-intuitive interface issues.

Bear in mind, the touch screen on a Droid not only responds to touch, it responds to movement as well as speed of movement also. Think of issues like view, zoom, and pan. Remember the finger is a blunt instrument as well and make sure the buttons are not too fine to hit easily with a finger.
This and many other topics are discussed on my blog, "Apple and Android App Questions and Answers," which is designed to enable you to learn how to make a droid app from active developers. I look forward to seeing you add to the discussion by posting any relevant question or answer to an existing question.