(A note to begin: I'm hoping to continue this conversation on the Business Model Hub but while I'm waiting to have my admission approved, I thought I would start the conversation now while it was still hot in my head)
Until recently, I spent the majority of my time working on App projects for clients. I learned quite a bit being immersed in the mobile app space, such as:
- IA is incredibly important to mobile app work, and needs to directly feed into the design language that is used
– You need to come to a consensus as a team and with the client on: What is it? Who is it for? What is the unique value prop? And why would someone download it and keep using it?
- You need to figure out what space your app will play in: is it utility? Is it entertainment? etc.
– It needs to have a purpose
- You need to define measures of success for the app (that are realistic)
- and you need to apply "Luke Wroblewski" like scrutiny to the features you try and cram into the app: how do they hit on your biz objectives? How do they deliver on the purpose? How do they address a consumer need?
But, what I took away from my mobile work the most was that in many cases, app creators need to think of their app as a business model.
Now, I only went down this path originally because I had been exposed to Alex Osterwalder's work with the
Business Model Canvas. When used properly, it allows you to see the full picture of the business that you are creating. It's simple and brilliant. While working away on mobile projects, I kept coming back to Alex's canvas and thinking how helpful the tool could be to those who create apps for a living or clients who build apps for their brands, primarily as a way to:
1. See the full picture of their app (revenue streams, costs, key integration partners, customer segments, etc)
2. Keep track of all the little things that need to be tracked down (synonymous with a checklist)
3. And "under" and "over" invest where appropriate when it comes to producing an innovative app offering
I naturally wanted to tweak the canvas and include areas for content, such as: App UX Guiding Principles, Design Tactics, etc. But I've hesitated. I've hesitated because I had an interesting conversation with Alan
@thinksmith about my idea, and as he rightly pointed out, it's the product that is the business model, not the channel.
I was satisfied with the answer at the time, but now I'm not sure. For some app creators, their app (the channel) is their business. So, does it help for app creators to think of their app as a business model? Does it necessitate the customization of the canvas to fit the new type of work that is inherent of app development projects?
I'm hoping those who read this can chime in with their two cents, and that we can carry this conversation over to the business model hub.
