Exclusive Interview With Slider Dice, iPhone App Developer Tim Weigel
I love this app! It is described in the literature as ‘almost as good as Checkers’, well I have to disagree, I think it is better. I will be reviewing this app shortly but I also wanted to find out more about the background and the developer behind it. Read this exclusive interview now…
The Beginning
Thanks for agreeing to the interview Tim, can you start by telling our readers how your app was originally thought of, what were your thoughts behind the marketplace, specifically?
Sure Joanne, Slider Dice is one result of a lifetime of playing table games and card games with family and friend, and experimenting with ways to create fun games.
Design
Can you tell us how you came up with the colors and themes ideas, design?
It is based from the actual Slider Dice board. We went with a playful font and tried to keep colors simple to avoid distraction. Making the game intuitive was a goal as well. Due to the fact that young people would be using this app we had to make it easy to learn the game. We incorporated a video tutorial, visual clues to show where the sliders can move, and textual cues to guide the user.
Target Market
Who do you see as the main target market for this app?
Slider Dice can be enjoyed by the young and old.
Production
How long did it take from the original planning to the production process of your app?
About two years.
Sales
How do you view your sales, is there a good solid market for this style of app?
We believe so, because people like an easy to learn game. You can play a complete game while you are standing in line anywhere. A perfect time killer!
Obstacles
What has been the hardest obstacle you have had to overcome regarding this app development?
Marketing and promotion. Ever since apps have been developed for the Iphone/Ipad platform there has been a rush to market these apps. So to distinguish yourself from the competition is a challenge.
Third Parties
Would you consider developing apps for third parties?
Yes.
App Store
What have your learnt from the App Store since you launched your app?
Predevelopment is crucial. People have short attention spans so the app has to capture the user from the get go. If not, they become frustrated and give up. So we try to cut those issues off "at the pass" during predevelopment.
Apple Support
Have Apple supported you well with your app?
Once they approve it, yes. That can be a challenge too because Apple is protective of their user’s experience. Heck, they haven’t even approved Adobe Flash yet and it has been on the internet for some time.
The Future
What next, are you developing another app? Would you go for the same genre again, if not which?
We have two more apps that will be available for iPhone-iPad users within the next few months.
Apple iPad
The Apple iPad – what are your thoughts about it and how does your app integrate?
Love the iPad. Slider Dice integrates well because of the larger view displayed in the iPad.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: [email protected]
