May 10, 2011
Innovative
The very first iPhone App I purchased was Red Laser from Occipital. Why did I shell out nearly 3 dollars 
for an app?
Honestly? Because I thought it was so Innovative that I just had to have it.
It spoke to me. It said. “Hey Joe!”
“This is the future!”
“This is the direction…. do you get it?”
“Do you see where we’re headed?”
And I thought “YEAH!!” How cool is that? I can walk into any store… point my iPhone at a UPC code and, almost instantly, have real-time information about the product including competitive pricing in my area.
“Of course I GET IT!” And of course I bought it!
I know what you’re thinking… most of this functionality isn’t new. Bar-code scanners have been around for a long, long time.
So why is this innovative?
Let’s take a look Innovative using the 3 characteristics John Geleynse talked about in his session on building great iPhone apps.
Revolutionary – I’ve never seen this before!
I’m not sure if the very first words out of my mouth were “I’ve never seen this before” when I first was introduced to the Red Laser App, but I can guarantee that’s exactly what I was thinking.
The functionality wasn’t new, but the bar had been lowered so deeply that the Package was Revolutionary!
A little professional background: I had an occasion about 5 or 6 years ago to design a remote solution for a, start-up, logistical company. We used Windows Mobile 5.0, a separate blue-tooth scanner, a separate blue-tooth gps, gobs of creative thinking, and a deep pool of blood, sweat and tears, to do exactly what this little app was doing for $2.99. The functionality wasn’t new, but the bar had been lowered so deeply that the Package was Revolutionary!
There’s a brainstorming jump off point!!!Given all the pre-wired tools in the iPhone: real-time location information, up-to-date contacts, camera, video camera, microphone, and all the low level mechanics already packaged for you as services… what can you package differently? … even if it’s been done before…with this new pocket sized super-gadget?
Insprirational – WOW! I can use this for …
Ok… Again, I can’t guarantee that the second sentence out of my mouth was “Wow! I can use this for…”, but I can assure you my mind started humming with the buzz of possibilities right away: Personal uses, BUSINESS USES!
This one little $2.99 app immediately opened up a world of I could use this fors .. and I’m still thinking up new ones!
What kinds of apps can you envision that are Inspirational? The kind of thing that makes a person look at the app and inspires the person to imagine realities that were only dreams before. How could you make someone say, “Wow! I could use this for…”
Fresh – What a great idea? Why did’t I think of that!
On this point, I can tell you exactly what I said. I said, I did think of that! I spent a mountain of energy piecing together several different pieces of hardware and spliced them together with a gargantuan coding effort… It worked, but my results were not as neat, tidy, and elegant as this simple $2.99 app!
Now I have to ask myself… Why didn’t I realize I could do this with an iPhone the first second I saw an iPhone?
Ok… Now here’s your second challenge. Spend the rest of the day dreaming up an app that is truly Innovative! As a starting point, think about the incredible universe of tools the iPhone puts in your pocket. Can you package them together in a unique fashion that would result in a truly Innovative App.
If you want your new app to break out from the crowd, it has to be Innovative.
You can do this!
1 (877) Joe Moniz
