Is That a Good Price (Cloud)

Having a plan is essential when building an app so that you have some direction about what to build. When I start an app, I usually start with:

1. Defining the core features
2. Planning the workflow of the app
3. Sketching the different pages
4. Identifying the resources
5. Building the APIs
6. Implementing the pages

Defining the Core Features

What are 1-3 features that must exist to solve the problem?

It's important to start with a small list of features so that you can finish your minimum viable product (MVP) fast and launch. Then, you can iterate and improve as you gain feedback.

If you want, you can also jot down the additional features you want to implement so you don't forget, but make sure to limit the scope of your first iteration to the 1-3 features.

Planning the Workflow of the App

What are the different pages of your app and how will the user navigate between them?

Doing this will give you a rough idea of how your app will work and a foundation for what you need to build.

Sketching the Different Pages

Since you have a list of pages from the previous step, you can now work on sketching the pages. The most important thing is to get an idea about what the major elements of a page will include.

What buttons should exist on the page? What images should be displayed? Where should the content be? What inputs are needed?

If you can, take your sketch and fully design the pages. The designs will give you exact specifications for what you need to build and is much easier and faster to iterate on than updating code.

Identifying the Resources

What objects will I be working with in my app?

Once you have an idea about the user flows and what each page roughly looks like, you'll have a better idea about what objects you'll need to hold the data across the pages.

Define the objects and properties for each object. For example, if you need to show a timestamp for an object on the page, your object will need a timestamp property.

Building the APIs

Once you have your objects, you can create RESTful APIs for each of the objects. Make sure the API you make is sufficient for the the pages you'll be building.

If you don't want to build an API from scratch, there are plenty of tools to develop rapidly like Django REST Framework (DRF) or full on back end servers that give you all the APIs you need like Appwrite.

Implementing the Pages

The last step is to build your app. If you need to create a mobile app, I highly suggest using Flutter as it's a great way to build apps for both iOS and Android. Hopefully, after the prep work from the previous steps, you'll have a clear direction about how to actually implement everything. If needed, break down your tasks and focus on a page or a small part of a page at a time.

It was another weekend of running errands as I trekked up and down the aisles of Costco with a list of things to buy in hand. As I turned the corner, I looked up and saw a sign:

Langers Mango Nectar
$2.00 off
Price at the register: $5.99

I loved mango nectar! And it was on sale! But...is that a good price? How much was it last time? I never remember! And so, that's how Is That a Good Price (ITAGP) was born.

I'm a firm believer in focusing on solving problems and the rest will follow. If I have this problem, surely there must be others too. Since I was going to be solving my own problem, I would, at the very least, have one happy customer.