Exclusive iPad Interview With Sort Shots Developer, Christa Taylor

Can you tell our readers how your iPad app was originally thought of, what were your thoughts behind the marketplace, specifically?

The moment Steve Jobs introduced the iPad to the world; we knew we had the perfect medium for Sort Shots. Not only could a user view their images on an amazing display but the limitations of the iPhone version were also eliminated which got us really excited. ‘Bigger is better’ is particularly true when viewing photographs but the quality of the display and its portability is perfect for photo sharing. So we took our original vision of providing users with a quick and efficient method of sharing their images and added a whole new level of functions and features.

Sort Shots initial inspiration originated from my own anguish of friends stopping mid-sentence to find an image relating to a story they were telling. A picture may be worth a thousand words but doesn’t add a lot of benefit when the receiver can’t remember the story because it took so long to find an image so I figured there had to be a better way.

Can you tell us how you came up with the colors and themes ideas, design?

We did not want the design of the app to interfere with the images themselves so we wanted a neutral, clean and simple design.

Who do you see as the main target market for this iPad app, in terms of genre, age?

Anyone who loves photography – young or old and wants to efficiently share their images.

How long did it take from the original planning to the production process of your iPad app?

It took us approx a week to determine the key features we wanted to include in the first iPad Edition with the intent that we would add on additional features once we were approved. We did get the features approved and in for opening day but a lot of endless nights and never-ending workweeks were required to accomplish this. Apple’s turnaround time was really amazing.

How do you predict sales to be, is there a good solid market for this style of app?

The iPad app is perfect for Sort Shots due to its increased screen size – it’s perfect for sharing images.

What has been the hardest obstacle you have had to overcome regarding this iPad app development?

Implementing Folders on the iPad was a bit of a challenge followed by image quality and size. Working within Apple’s limitations on compressing and accessing photos data have been our biggest challenges since then.

Would you consider developing iPad apps for third parties?

No

What have you learnt from the App Store?

You are just one little fish in a great big sea, you need to be persistent and listen to the users. The number of iPad users who have e-mailed us with their feedback and ideas has been a great motivation.

What next, are you developing another iPad app? Would you go for the same genre again, if not which?

Continually improving and implementing various functions within Sort Shots – iPad Edition is our current focus. A lot of users wanted the ability to be able to put their images in a custom sequence so we just finished an update with this functionality. Now, we are focusing on the integration of keywords that will be imported into other photo programs is our next big hurdle.

How do you think the iPad version differs from the iPhone version?

The iPad version is completely different from the iPhone version of Sort Shots. First, we made an entirely new interface that would utilize the larger display. Implementing ‘Folders’ allowed users to import hundreds of photographs from iTunes in just a few minutes. Popular social media sites including Flickr and Picasa were added. Sequencing slideshows for custom sharing of images was also implemented. The iPad app is has an entirely different feel and functionality over the iPhone version.