Dogtown Media Talks Tech Economy and Open Government at Appcon 2016
To say that 2016 has been an exciting time for mobile app developers would be a dramatic understatement. On the one hand, top-down initiatives like 18F are making incredible strides towards a more digital-savvy government. It’s no surprise that politicians care about mobile tech — the mobile ecosystem is driving the American workforce like no […]
When It Comes to Freemium, the User Isn’t Always Right
That first wave of media attention when you launch a startup is always a gratifying feeling for first-time iPhone and Android app developers. Even if it’s a struggle to keep up with on the software side, the tidal wave of data from a spike in downloads can offer enormous value. As with every part of […]
How the Psychology of First Impressions Defines Startups
Making an app is, in many ways, like preparing a good meal — long hours of preparation for something consumed in the blink of an eye. Mobile app developers and UI designers labor endlessly on the home screens and initial on-boarding experience because the data shows that users judge whether or not to abandon an […]
3 Growth Hacking Tips to Grow Your Mobile App Startup
Growth hacking has quickly become a popular buzzword in the startup community. Unfortunately, it’s not necessarily become popular for all the right reasons. Before we get into our tips, let’s dispel the biggest myth many mobile app developers have about growth hacking: the idea that it’s “easy.” When an iPhone app developer hears the word […]
OSX Vs. iOS: What Merging Ui Standards Mean for Developers
More swiping. Bigger buttons. Tighter integration with mobile operating systems. OSX has been on a collision course with its mobile counterparts for years. Not all iPhone app developers are on board with the “simplification” of the desktop experience, but there are obvious UI wins for non-technical users who’ll never touch Xcode or Terminal. Why this […]
Surprising Startup Lessons from Con Artists & Salespeople
No matter how altruistic your startup’s goal, the only feature that ultimately matters for iPhone app developers is this: persuasion. Startup companies solve a lot of problems, but users have good reason to be resistant. “Another button on my phone?” “Another notification stream to worry about?” iPhone app developers struggle every day to overcome the […]
3 Design Challenges Faced by UI-free Chat App Developers
For many mobile app developers, designing simple chat bots is just a step on the path to mastering your programming language of choice. Base-level “artificial intelligence” in the form of task-oriented bots has been a feature of computer science since the beginning. (Just take a look at Twitter, where over 23 million user accounts are […]
How to Write a Tech Press Release That Actually Gets Read
Press releases may be the dinosaurs of growth hacking, but that doesn’t mean they’re going anywhere soon. For iPhone app developers and startup founders, writing stellar press releases is a critical business skill. Having your app featured in Tech Crunch, Venture Beat and the like can drive huge download numbers and brand recognition. The question […]
4 Slackbots to Supercharge Your Startup’s Productivity
If you’re involved at a tech startup or iPhone app development company, chances are you’re at least passingly familiar with Slack, the email-replacing communication and productivity suite for team projects. It’s the backbone of our daily communication here at Dogtown Media. What makes Slack special for app developers is the company’s approach to the tool […]
How to Build Secure Mobile Apps That Keep User Data Safe
VR may have ruled the product side of this year’s SXSW Interactive, but security was the public issue most on the minds of iPhone app developers. The recent Apple vs. FBI court case over encryption very much drew security to center stage, with President Obama commenting that “this notion that somehow our data is different […]