How to succeed the App Store? Interview with creator CamOnRoad

Not so long ago I was talking about an unusual Russian development CamOnRoad -videoregistratore and navigator in one. Among the representatives of similar applications in the App Store, and if there are analogues, that is clearly not up to the functionality of the program. In this regard, I turned to the developer requesting an interview. What came out of it - see below.

Greetings!
Before you begin, introduce yourself to our readers. If you want, you can talk a little bit about yourself.

My name is Sergey, I'm 34 years. The last 4 years I have been developing their own IT-projects with the support of my friends and associates. Before that I worked in large Russian IT-companies, where he was about the same, but in the B2B market.

Fine! Let us now turn directly to the actual issues. How the idea was born on the application?

Everything is quite banal. A couple of years ago there was a conflict situation on the road, which was resolved safely, but there was the idea of ​​buying a DVR in the car. I started watching the hardware and realized that my smartphone significantly outperforms them in terms of functionality and does not require any additional costs other than the purchase of the car holder. At that time, applications for these purposes it was quite small and most of them were from Korea. We decided to do their own.

During development it dawned that combine DVR with car navigation, using augmented reality - this is a very promising and no one has ever done this.

How difficult was the way from the idea to the start of the project?

The road was not difficult, since at that time the team was assembled and we have been developing mobile applications for the benefit of other companies. When once the project has been delivered, we just started doing CamOnRoad, and not to take the next.

Perhaps for such an application as you need a big team of developers. One responsible for navigation, others - for the implementation of augmented reality, the third - for the video. What is the staff involved in the development at the moment? And how much it has changed in size for all time?

Now 8 people working on the project, including me. It Backend / Frontend-developer, designer, software quality engineers, two Android-Developer and two iOS-developer. When we have outgrown 50,000 active users, we have doubled our mobile development team (before that was one developer in each direction), and took on the quality of the software engineer's job. It was the spring of 2014.

Your application is available for two operating systems: iOS and Android. Whether the issue is scheduled for smartphones based on Windows, and if not, why not?

We plan to release version of the application for WinPhone, but the exact date I can not name. Most likely, this will happen when we find a sustainable monetization model for other platforms, as this is due to a certain increase in costs.

Is it difficult to roll out your application in the Russian App Store, to be noticed?

Advertisement is possible, but requires some experience. Now the competition in each category is large enough to make the application popular with absolutely no financial investments in the promotion of very few people can. While 2-3 years ago it was still possible.
Much decide the correct choice of subjects, titles and keywords in the description. Do not pursue the purchase of plant and reviews - this is an expensive channel. If you have a good app - look for places where your potential users on the network, and you get them for next to nothing.

How very different development under the two platforms? How often do you face problems implementing the functionality of the application? And which of the systems is more difficult to realize ideas?

Development differs significantly. iOS - a closed system with a large number of limitations, but low fragmentation devices. Android allows for richer functionality with less effort, but the fragmentation of devices is huge. Test and debug the release on Android take half the time of its development.

Your app is free, there are only built-in purchase to increase disk space in the cloud. Why did you decide not to take the money for the application itself, even a "khalyavnykh" 2 GB would be enough for the average user?

The app is free - the principled position of our team. The more our customers on the road, the safer is the traffic and disciplined drivers.

You yourself use CamOnRoad, when you sit behind the wheel? What other advantages of the application before a classic DVR except the price?

I use every time. In fact, it is somewhat addictive. If the phone is not in the holder - you feel uncomfortable and unsafe. The advantages are many: navigation based on augmented reality, warning of automatic speed cameras, entry into the cloud, the ability to send a video link from the accident to the insurance company in two clicks, you can also share the route with a friend, if you go to one place, and he does not know the address, there is a statistics of your visits per day (can be compared to what the route from home to work faster).

In addition CamOnRoad do you have any other projects you are working on?

Yes. Another project we are engaged in the construction of navigation systems indoors. Details can be found on the site www.indoornavi.ru/. But this project has been the development of a separate team.

In addition to application development, what are you doing in "everyday life" or CamOnRoad - this is a hobby and a job? (Well, you know how it usually happens: the day he is an ordinary designer in the company "XYZ Ltd", but only the night comes - he is reincarnated in the application programmer :))

Work on the project took most of the time, but when it is possible to find free time, it is a sport, music and travel. But with the current exchange rates for the latter in question =)

What are the disadvantages (if they exist, of course) you can see in the application of those that have long wanted to remove or alter?

Not quite satisfied with the quality of the navigation and predicting traffic jams. Above this functionality, we are hard at work. It should be understood that in this part we catch up with the players have already taken place, such as Yandex, for example, SitiGid. But we are working hard to improve the quality of navigation and preparing a bomb. We really hope that the new features will be a breakthrough in this area. A cork - is a matter of the number of active users.

What advice would you give to those who have just started their way a developer?

Be flexible and not be afraid to make mistakes. The only way to beat the big, unwieldy companies that these errors, this risk can not afford, and therefore can not make a breakthrough.

And finally, a little quiz:

iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus?

For CamOnRoad - iPhone 6 Plus, of course =)

iPad Air 2 and iPad mini Retina 3?

iPad mini Retina 3, but then why iPhone 6 Plus? =)

Mac or Windows?

Mac

Android or iOS?

Now I try to Android

Tim Cook and Larry Page?

Well, after kaminauta Tim in Russia politically correct pick Larry =)

Thanks for answers! I wish the successful development of the project and new, creative and ambitious people in the team!