So I’ll just lay out the harsh reality: if you have zero programming background and little more than an idea of what you want to do the odds are you will have little luck finding a good developer, let alone making a decent iPhone application without spending way too much money and time.  My advice if you want to execute your idea efficiently would be to first:

1. Think through what the hell it is you want to create – I don’t mean in a half-ass way, I mean really walk through the usage scenarios and create mock-ups of what you want to create. I know this is painful if you don’t come from a programming or engineering background but a must do if you want to be taken seriously by developers
2. Create full specifications of what you need – write down every single thing that you think you will need to be created. Developers are just developers, especially the ones you can afford, and if they could resolve the unknowns of your idea then why would they need you?
3. Think about how much time, money, effort you are willing to put in to the project – odds are your project won’t be done in 1 week, so you need to make sure it is an idea you are comfortable working on and marketing once it is developed
4. Learn what the iPhone SDK can and can’t do – this makes it much easier to know what to ask for and it also helps avoid your getting screwed by inexperienced or dishonest developers

Once you have spent the time to go through these steps you need to decide if you are looking for local or offshore developers.  Offshore will be cheaper but the additional time it takes to create very thorough specs is significant.  The budget question is an important one because odds are you will not find a developer partner who will work for equity alone in the US at least.  See my post on finding the right developer here.  Most important steps I followed before pulling the trigger on the idea were:

1. Check the App Store thoroughly for precedents or competitors to your idea
2. Check whether there are any companies or games that replicate your product on the web (for example in the flash game world)
3. Think about pricing and what you would need to break even.  If you are creating a niche product that will move 20-30 units a day odds are it does not pay to outsource development

Bottom line if you spend the time to walk through all of the design and planning yourself and can be bothered to learn the basics of the SDK you will be in a good position to know how to spot talented developers abroad.  The best way to get developers to respect and want to work with you is to be precise and exact with your idea and your specs from the get go.  If any developers want to chime in as to whether they agree / disagree or have anything to add please do!

Just found a great article about developing an iPhone app from scratch here.  Includes some good resource links at the end of the article.

Even with this basic buggy simplified version I find myself wanting to pick it up and play it.  Either I am obsessed with the idea or it does have some interesting game play already.  I have started to fiddle with the tank, turret and missile speeds amongst other variables and am hoping that upon testing I will just know the ideal setting for optimal game play once I see it.

I am also getting some of the first graphic renderings back and they look great, the team is really good at taking guidance.  The temptation is to try to squeeze in more features and components but I do not want to: A) go outside of what was agreed and B) delay the project by even one day.  Although my game has not been created in the short history of iPhone app development I am still worried that it will be done in the next 4 weeks.

iShoot continues to be number 1 and it is really making me want to get our application out, for some reason I feel that if we could launch the game with them as no. 1 then it could help us.  I know it is not that easy to even get near the top 100, but how do you explain that a pretty simple game (no discredit to Ethan Nicholas) stay no. 1 for 3+ weeks selling at a $2.99 price point?

Update: After having played iShoot I can definitely see the addictive elements like big explosions, nice sound, being able to purchase items and unpredictability of the game terrain.  Thinking about how to incorporate some of these elements into iCombat.  I also think the price point was a very smart move by Ethan as it was not too low nor too high which kept everyone who had bought the game ecstatic that they had finally purchased a game they felt was worth it.  I still haven’t felt good about a single $10+ app I have purchased nor have I really been overwhelmed by what $0.99 gets you.  What do you think was the element that kept iShoot number 1 for so long?

Basecamp screenshot

The team put all of our milestones into the system so now I can go to Basecamp, review the list of upcoming milestones and leave files and comments that I think are useful for the team.   Once you upload or insert a new comment you have the option of notifying specific group members which is great because it avoids spamming those people who are not relevant to the update.

I think this software is really a brilliant way to manage a geographically separated group of people where transparency can obviously be difficult and it is hard to get clarity around what each person is doing.  I seriously recommend Basecamp for anyone collaborating on not just software development, but anything that could require getting a group of people on to the same page.

Level mock-ups

Of course you have to consider user habits, the quality of the enemy AI and so on, and even knowing that and expecting future revisions it is still frustrating how much of a shot in the dark it all is

The question I grappled with most was how will the accelerometer steering affect game play…impossible to really know until we start fiddling with different filters to find the right blend of speed and control.  I definitely want to avoid making a Labyrinth style experience, where the low friction coefficient makes steering so difficult.  Another thing I didn’t really appreciate beforehand was how little real estate an iPhone screen actually has -  you do have to be efficient in your design when it comes to games.

So although I have no proof that this first run of layouts will last or even be playable, I am going to briefly go into how I laid them out because I think it was fairly efficient.  First, I traced the iPhone and screen size in 20 boxes to one of those huge Post-it Easel pads (for those of you like me who don’t work in an office with miles of whiteboards this is a great solution).

Then I started laying out sketches in pencil of the game level walls, enemy starting points, bonus items, etc.  Doing them all on 1 page makes it easy to avoid repetition and to get a united visual view of how the player experience progresses.  I didn’t focus too much on having a perfect arc in difficulty level because I figure I can always change that either A) in the PowerPoint mock-up version or B) when it comes to seeing how the levels play out.

Once I was happy with the levels I just used powerpoint and took a screenshot of the iPhone simulator and used that plus some copied building block graphics off of the web to compose my tanks, walls, background, etc.  While none of these graphics will make it in to the game it helps to have a visualized version so that the functionality can be developed in parallel with the graphics.  One thing that became very obvious once the levels were laid out though was that the AI behind the enemy movement is going to need to be good otherwise the game can easily become unplayably hard or easy.  I am trusting Taras and his team to help offer some insight as to how best create a good user experience.

Once you have a signed NDA and you have sent out your specs and chosen someone to your liking the next step is drafting a contract.  What worked well for me was to create a contract between the developer and myself outlining, via milestones and detailed specs, what was going to be done at each stage.  While it takes a lot more up front work on your end to know exactly what you are looking for, it pays off in the end by having everything out on the table for everyone involved.

Things to consider in terms of a contract with a developer for an iPhone application:

1. Make sure the developer guarantees that they will have a bug-free working version of the application acceptable to Apple in terms of code quality (there are cases where the code is buggy and Apple rejects your application, so you want to make sure the developer stands by their work at least through this initial approval process)
2. That the developer relinquish and assign all worldwide rights and privileges and code to the contractor
3. That there be some sort of penalty for late delivery (to prevent low-ball time estimates just to get your business)
4. That the code and application created be built with proprietary and non conflicted code (you don’t want a previous contractor to recognize or see that their IP has been copied by the developer – this is a logical shortcut some developers might try to take to leverage past projects)
5. Make sure you have a process established in case something goes wrong in one of the steps of delivery (need to have clear plan for payment after a milestone or proceedings to fix flaws within a certain time frame)
6. Define the method and frequency of payment.  Define this early so there are no delays or discussions later

Obviously not all contracts or projects will be so clearly defined so then an hourly wage would be better.  I recommend using oDesk for this as they allow you to monitor work in progress, pay via credit card on line, and even challenge a payment if you feel the work is not executed as agreed.  Not sure how easy contesting a charge is, but again having the possibility of doing this ensures a minimum level of accountability.  All depends what you are looking for.

With regard to the contract, I would recommend you use an experienced lawyer because you want to be certain you are creating a contract that protects your claim to the idea, the code and its implementation, especially if your application does well.  I think anyone willing to go it without a strong contract is risking getting screwed because there is nothing preventing a developer from claiming ownership or filing in the App store under their own certificate if they so choose.

In terms of other legal issues to consider around your idea, make sure that:

1. The name of your application is not trademarked or otherwise reserved
2. The idea and concept you are using is not copyrighted or patented.  The laws around this are inconsistent, divided and are always changing so best to consult with an attorney or at minimum spend the time to educate yourself if you have any concerns
3. Create a legal entity to shield yourself from any sort of liability.  In case there was a trademark or copyright issue you were not aware of, you want to protect your personal assets from any sort of litigation that might result down the line.  This can be done fairly cheaply, just head to LegalZoom to figure out which structure works best.
4. In terms of any music or images or code you use, make sure that it is not protected or under a general public license.  You do not want to face royalty payments for a certain song playing in the background or be forced to share your code because you used a line of code or an image protected under the GNU General Public Use license.

If you want some tips on the contract details and other legal stuff see the Taking Care of the Legal Stuff entry.

I still don’t think it is a bad deal to offer a developer: 1) an application idea, 2) a salary, 3) a flexible schedule, and 4) a portion of the returns.  I wasn’t able to find anyone experienced, however, with enough interest to really dive in to the project.  While I am sure this is a symptom of the high demand for iPhone developers and my lack of being able to find / convince anyone locally (I only posted on Craigslist so wasn’t exactly scouring the city), it was still surprising how few serious inquiries I received.  Let me just add, as someone who is learning the iPhone SDK, I was amazed at how little most developers who reached out to me knew about developing with the iPhone SDK.

One thing I knew was that I didn’t want to create an SDK University where I would pay someone to figure out how to develop my game.  So if you are an outsider like I am to programming, just a warning to be careful about who you consider working with.  By no means is someone good because they can throw some jargon your way, and more importantly all programming languages are NOT the same.  True, a talented developer can pick up a language very quickly, but the reality is there are a ton of less talented developers out there so look for proven experience.

When I looked at local companies all of them had quotes that were either too high or too slow.  Again, it felt like most were traditional web developers trying to branch out into iPhone development on my dime.  This was probably because the professional local iPhone outfits were busy charging 25-30k to advertising and other companies to develop their apps so weren’t interested in my less than straightforward app.  I had heard plenty about the quality of outsourcing development to Eastern Europe so I chose to look internationally and post an add on oDesk.  I had found out about oDesk through a friend who was developing an application and when I visited the site I was extremely impressed with the quality of their services.  Clearly quantifying hours worked, developer ratings, even test skills passed as well as displaying links to portfolios made it easy to filter through applicants.

I posted an add and received about 10 responses within the first several days.  Some were developers just spamming me, others had relevant experience but were divided into a range of ratings from 3.5 to 5 out of 5.  I initially contacted the higher rated ones who had positive feedback on past assignments but with one from the Balkans I found that his English proficiency was far below what would be necessary to communicate effectively.  He clearly was very talented but I got the feeling he was using Google translate to answer my e-mails.  Another team from Pakistan spoke great English and they spent quite a bit of time on chat with me getting to understand the project.  I liked them but their estimate came in at 4 man months – roughly 2-3x longer than anybody else!  The process was tedious between getting NDA’s signed and sending out the specs to receive a quote (see Taking Care of the Legal Stuff entry) but I ended up with a few good options that I felt would work.

I decided on a team of developers from the Ukraine whom I had found worked on an application roughly similar to what I wanted to make.  I contacted them and immediately knew they would be easy to work with.  From their English level too experience with similar projects to their extensive list of published apps I knew they could execute on what they promised.  For more about the process of finalizing the specs and signing up with them see the related entry Contract Signed!.  So far working with them has been great, they are timely and easy to communicate with so we will see what happens.

If you are looking for a developer make sure to:

1. Even if you are not a programmer, spend some time reading about what is possible with the SDK – you’d be surprised what developers try to convince you of (for example, Apple makes it very easy to utilize tools like the Accelerometer – matter of hours or a day to set up but I had one guy tell me that it would take a week!)
2. Find someone who has worked on something similar.  If you are developing a game, someone who has no graphics or game engine experience will slow the entire process down
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for a time and cost quote, and once you get the time estimate have them breakdown how long they see each component taking.  When you have a couple of quotes it makes it easier to figure out their skill / bs level.
4. Don’t hesitate to contact previous application users.  In most cases it will be a dude in a basement like you so no harm in dropping him / her an e-mail asking about their experience.  I actually almost signed with one team before I spoke with someone who had worked with them who told me to steer clear!
5. Think carefully about hourly versus by project.  Both have their benefits and it will largely come down to how specific your plans are.
6. Know exactly what you are looking for.  This was hard for me, but sit down and map the whole damn idea out as well as what will be required before contacting people.  Don’t expect anyone you speak to to have really creative solutions to your important application design questions (i.e. application purpose, business model, pricing, etc).  If they did, they wouldn’t need your ass and if they did have your answers they would cost way way more than you can afford.  If you need someone to figure out the other half of the puzzle then look for a partner, not contracted development.
7. Be realistic about the costs, although outsourcing development is cheaper than doing it in the U.S., it is not going to be free to develop something of quality.  If you are developing the next iFart then maybe, but honestly why bother?  Besides, in my opinion the real opportunity in the App store seems to be the tween category of 2$ to 3$ apps, not the $10 Spore’s of the world and not the $0.99 crap gimmicks that are drowning the App store.

Being new to programming and having just started to learn the iPhone SDK I felt time pressure to get my app idea out to market before someone else beat me to the punch.  I thought about the trade off between time, money and certainty of getting a launchable product and decided that I should invest the money necessary to get a working version into the App Store as quickly as possible.  That way I could also put more time on designing the game as well as the marketing.

I’ll say from my experience so far that outsourced iPhone app development is a big business but seems to have largely remained a practice for the enterprise realm.  Many start-ups and medium sized businesses are outsourcing their work and sometimes probably don’t even know it as it is passed through local development houses.  What I have learned through the various quotes I received was that any type of iPhone app development can run in the tens of thousands of dollars in the US, both because of the demand for developers but also because of what I noticed in several cases was developer inexperience.  Many of the quotes I received were astronomical (in both time and money) and were by development houses that didn’t even have one iPhone application in the App Store.  Bottom line, iPhone application development is far from becoming a commodity so you have to be very careful about whom you hire.

So why has there been little discussion about this topic?  Part of it I’m sure was Apple’s until recent tight NDA keeping discussion on the web muted.  Also, while there is clearly altruism amongst the iPhone developer community in terms of learning (the documentation and forums for learning both Objective C and the iPhone SDK are great), there just doesn’t seem to be such a push to help non-programmers who want to create something.  This is probably because people like me who are trying to create something through an external / outsourced process, try to HIDE IT, as they are worried about sharing credit or appearing as less than a real company.  While I understand this reasoning, I think it’s important to show everyone that dudes like me without programming experience can create something of quality as well.

So I hope this blog is helpful and more importantly I hope that the advice I give actually works out to be a testament to how to create a great application.  If my application bombs, then just do the opposite of everything I write and you should be fine.  And PLEASE share your experience or post any good sources of advice for other readers.