Exclusive Interview With The Developers of The Excellent iOS App – Perfect People

Please explain how your app was originally thought of and what were your thoughts behind the marketplace, specifically?

The original idea behind Perfect People was to give players the experience of living a lifetime in under 10 minutes.  We believe people that enjoy playing life simulation games such as The Sims will enjoy getting the same rewards with much less work!

Please explain the design, how you came up with the colors and themes.

Originally, we made a text version of the game in order to prove out the basic game mechanics.  Once that was in place, we went through a number of screen layouts until we settled on a design where all the buttons were along the bottom and all the action on top.  We tried to use a lot of bright colors to give the game that happy feel.

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

The target market for the game is girls between the ages of 8 and 13. However, after seeing the response, we’ve found out that this game has been attracting all kinds of different people, including boys, adults, and teens that are casual game players.

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

The game design took about two months.  Vikas Deo, the graphics and sound designer, spent another few months designing and redesigning the interface.  During that time, I learned how to build software for the iPhone.  After that it took another two months to build out the game, the sounds and music, and complete the testing.

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

This is a game that we’ve always wanted to make.  If someone from the future came and told us that the game would have no sales, we would have still made it for ourselves.  Fortunately, the market has been reacting well to our game.  Always nice to see love and money come together!

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

The most difficult part of the game was designing the user interface. Although both of us had made games before, neither of us had any experience designing software for a touch screen device.

Would you consider developing apps for third parties?

No thank you!  Making apps for a third party group has everything to do with making money and nothing to do with making one’s own games.  We like to spend our time making our games.  If, for any reason we need more money, we go to that real life game called the stock market and take it from there!

What have you learnt from the App Store?

A game called 30-second life came out a few months before our game.  They were able to move to the top of the charts very quickly.  The game is very interesting and entertaining.  From watching how well their app has done, we realized that a very direct name can be very helpful!

Have Apple supported you well with your App development?

Yes, Apple has been very helpful with our development process.  We’ve also found that iTunes Connect gives great sales info.

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

Yes, we are in the process of deciding which game to work on next.  One thought is to make a game using the characters from Perfect People.  Maybe Athletic Ava and Jumping Jack could be in a soccer/futbol game.  Another possibility is to make a stock market game based on the trading game in Perfect People.  We’re also thinking about making an educational game.

Have you considered developing apps on other platforms such as Android? If so, what has the experience been like?

We are currently focusing on Apple’s IOS platform.

What do you think about TheAppWhisperer.com? Have we helped you? Would you recommend us?  Have we been supportive?

We’ve enjoyed reading the reviews from TheAppWhisperer.  We also like the additional touch of
having these developer interviews!  You’ve been quite helpful and supportive.  Thanks!