I’ve done all the preliminary work of researching and writing the text for an app and website combination, and am now ready (or so I think) to have it programmed and brought to market. All static elements and menus of the website have been laid out in HTML/CSS by a professional graphic designer, and all desired functionality has been written out.
I have a tiny bit of experience in website development—my wife and I run an editorial/graphic design consultancy and we’ve built some basic websites for clients. We’re comfortable working with HTML and have built very simple PHP/MySQL functionality into clients’ sites (e.g. document libraries and form-based surveys). When things go beyond our rudimentary knowledge, we’ve turned to services such as E-Lance and V-Worker to hire professionals, as we intend to do here.
So I need to get up to speed on two things, really: technology and publishing.
Before I start drafting an RFP or bid for a programmer, I’ll want to get up to speed from a project-management perspective on the technology side of things. What languages are out there; what skills, certifications, or experience to look for; how to account for an eventual port to OSX, etc. Not so much to do anything myself, but to be able to draft a complete, coherent bid that won’t frustrate the programmers responding to it.
Then there’s the publishing side of things. I’ve minimal experience as a user of Google Play, Amazon and GetJar. Um, full stop there. I don’t know if there are other outlets or how these compare, and have no idea what it takes to get listed with them. I can, of course, go to their basic help pages and follow directions, but I’m hoping there are blogs and other resources out there to help smooth the process and offer guided learning.
So—is there a guidance site or resource for people who want to publish just one app?