4 Ways to Generate New App Ideas From Existing Ones
Apps, both mobile and web are a huge deal nowadays. Coming up with new and creative ideas is hard. At the time of writing, there are 2.2M+ apps on Apple App Store. Surely everything good has already been done and there’s no new ideas around hmmm?
Nope! There are plenty of ways to bring out a unique idea from existing ones. Here are 4.
Target new customers with existing awesome ideas
Existing App + New Customer Segment = New Awesome Idea
Take an existing idea and pivot it to meet the needs of a different niche. This forces the creative senses to formulate ideas that are pretty out of the box.
For example, Netflix for schools. Students could watch lecture videos for a given subject, and teachers can collect analytics on how the students are progressing. Using this data, the curriculum can be modified for a better learning experience.
Try App Idea Generator for some inspiration.
Introduce limits to existing applications
Take an existing idea that allows users to do everything and introduce creative restrictions on it. For example, Vine used to let users upload video clips but only under 6 seconds; Tophatter allows for 90 second auctions; Snapchat’s hook is having photos delete themselves after first look.
Redesign an existing app with frustrating UI/UX
UI/UX is essential when it comes to usability of an application. There are plenty of useful applications with horrid design language.
Follow designers on Behance, Uplabs, or Dribbble, inspiration and revive a dead app. According to Reddit, Skype is a good example of horrible design.
Look for recurring problems
Be social. Talk and listen to everyone’s problems around you. If similar pain points keep turning up over and over, that is a strong indication of a gap in the market. For example, Businesses often hire staff to maintain social media presence; Buffer automates social media management for individuals and businesses.
Many of the products Product Hunt nail down recurring problems in a very unique and creative fashion. Definitely worth a look for inspiration!
Avoid telling yourself something’s already been done before. Focus your creative energy on making that “done” idea unique.
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