Scarf for iOS - as always dress for the weather

A few days ago we wrote to the editor Igor Lopatin from Rostov-on-Don, who wants to share the history of the creation of your application ScarfHelping always dress for the weather, and do not get sick. About the difficulties he faced, the costs and the process of creation as a whole, Igor tells our special section "Pitch". The floor.

Hello! My name is Igor, I want to tell you about your application "Scarf", an attempt to put an end to the common cold in our country and what came of it.

Small otsutuplenie are generally born the idea of ​​the application

To be honest, I like the winter. Good winter, with snow. Even screenshots of Yandex. Cards, where a nine cork :) I guess the only thing I do not like - is that we have to get sick. For some reason, one or even twice a year, I have to spend at home with the temperature, for a whole week. I hate that every winter we get sick the whole country. I decided to put an end to this. At least he tried ...

In fact, we know this amazing secret of healthy life since childhood. Just have to admit that our grandmothers were right! How many times have we heard from them: "grandchildren, put on a scarf," "Take a hat," "do not forget the gloves?" We seem to have forgotten that the main cause of the common cold disease - is hypothermia.

Actually, from this simple, as a molecule of the virus, the fact, the idea to application "Scarf".

Prototype

Of course, "Scarf" no substitute for your grandmother, but with him you'll always dressed for the weather, which means that you do not face hypothermia. Appendix "Scarf" in view of the temperature outside, the wind and rain will recommend that it is better to put on today and tomorrow. More than 500 fashionable clothing combinations!

And assemble such a "collection" of clothing itself, I was not possible. VKontakte cry among friends - and a couple of hours I negotiate with a girl who is engaged in fashion and all the stylish pieces professionally writes dissertation at Moscow State University on the subject, and in general was a nice person :) As a result of our work to get two plates in Google Docs, for men and women.

This format was chosen. In Google Docs perfectly arranged work together, and all the data can be easily exported to a CSV or TSV. For the server side I have a simple API, which gave the desired clothing options. And that's all. In this preparatory work has been completed and it was necessary to make the application itself.

Application was written for 2 days. I decided to combine business with pleasure and made it to the Hackathon 47hours, which took place in our town. Presentation of the "Scarf" was accepted with enthusiasm. The prize is not won. And it was not the goal. The main thing - to talk about the mission.

App makes it easy and clear to all. All his work is reduced to 3 steps: a request positioning -> getting the weather forecast -> clothing output.

Later added VKontakte and Sharing settings. After tests among friends and acquaintances, it was found that many do not know the names of some of the clothes: Park, duffle coat, Chelsea, etc... We were a novelty. Yes, that really, I did not know some of them. Therefore, adding a search function in Yandex, so you can see pictures or read in the wiki.

In general, after a little refinement, everything worked as expected: Weather forecast was loaded, the parameters are transmitted to the server in response occurred 3 options of fashion clothing combinations. In the settings you can specify your gender, and location automatically or select a city from the list.

What's inside

App for iOS, inside everything is quite simple, and if someone has a desire to make a version for Android or any other platform, write - discuss.

From third-party components used:

• basic framework AFNetworking
• tips Toast
• autocomplete MPGTextField
• OBGradientView gradient
• Google Analytics, Flurry, VKSdk

For weather use API OpenWeatherMap.org. Very convenient to everything is done, you can upload and by the city name, and coordinates, can output data as JSON, XML, HTML, there are Russian. More free - up to 4000k queries per day.

recommendations

Once everything was ready, the idea to not only offer the options of clothes, but also make recommendations depending on the weather, that is to take and do it in human language. As such, if they were told the leading weather :)

For this was invented by an intelligent system of analysis of weather conditions. It analyzes multiple parameters throughout the day, including temperature, wind, precipitation, humidity and forms chelovekoponyatnuyu recommendation. For deeper into the atmosphere, on the basis of the sunrise and sunset times for the background gradient is created.

Design

With a design did not work out all smooth as I would like, in the end, after the designer, almost all, if not all, I had to remake itself. Icons have long suffered, did a bunch of different options ...

This is what remains. There were other options with a scarf and accessories. In the end, I chose the word "scarf" on knitted texture. But I think that the current version is not final.

AppStore, and website promotion

The app is free, in Russian, is available for Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus. Translations into other languages ​​have not yet see the point, because all the recommendations and clothing options chosen for the Russian climatic zones.

For accommodation in the AppStore category "Lifestyle" has been selected, t. To. It is most suitable and is in the top five most popular categories.

For a site registered domain sharf.me and washed it easy Landing. Design downloaded from some website with free templates. I take a screenshot, add text and links to the AppStore.

Progress is not yet engaged in close, only to repost among friends and acquaintances. The plans, advertising on public servers VC related sites and forums, Twitter, Facebook + reviews from bloggers.

Eventually

about a month was spent on everything. It might be faster, but some things do not depend on me. Therefore, it is. Material costs a little, turned out quite the budget:

• 5000 p - design
• 3000 p - clothing catalog
• 1500 r - the domain
• 0 p - website
• 0 p - programming
• 0 p - Developer certificate (has been)
• 0 p - server (has been)
• ? p - Marketing

Already, "Scharf" is actively used, the app in the top 10 in the category of "lifestyle". In the appstore has nice feedback and VKontakte skips rassharennye pictures from within the application. Hopefully, this trend will continue.

In conclusion I want to add that only the virus can resist the virus.
I'm sure that if you advise "Scarf" to your friends, and they were his own, then this free app will download millions! Millions of time will wear a hat, take an umbrella, put on a warm jacket. Wear a scarf, download the "scarf" in your phone, advise "Scarf" close people. And this winter, no one is sick!

Download scarf in the App Store (Free)