We are pleased to announce that the PencilBot series of ESL language learning apps are now pending Apple approval for inclusion on the App Store.  We are hopeful that the approval process will be quick and these fantastic apps will be available worldwide later this week. Our partnership with Edutainment Resources, Inc., the company behind PencilBot, has been a successful example of our Start to Market approach to iPhone development which we developed because we are strong believers that the success of an app can’t be on engineering merits alone.

• User Experience Design - finding the right balance between the iPhone’s natural user interface with app specific innovations
• App Store Analytics - market trends and competitive intelligence
• App Store Optimization (ASO) - enhancing store placement
• Marketing Strategy - extend an app’s presence beyond the App Store
• Rapid, High Quality Development - save time and preserve quality through iterative development

We believe that each aspect of Start to Market is vital to differentiating on the App Store. As important though is our belief that this approach to iPhone development doesn’t work without a strong client relationship.

With PencilBot project, the relationship with ERI began seeking to understand their vision for the iPhone version of PencilBot. Next, we conducted a design and strategy session in Denver. Tangibly we came away from the session with key user experience decisions made, a pricing strategy defined for the apps, the groundwork for a marketing strategy, and finally a plan for developing the first three apps in a rapid, high-quality fashion. Most importantly, we left the session feeling like one team — not two separate companies.

As development kicked off in full, we worked together to enhance our marketing strategy based upon App Store market trends. Even as the apps passed quality assurance and were submitted to Apple, our work with ERI hasn’t stopped. We have been collaborating closely on the international launch strategy and initial planning for subsequent work together.

Hundreds of app ideas are pitched to us each week. The lesson from entrepreneurship is that good ideas are a dime a dozen. Execution is everything. What are you doing to execute on your vision and make your app idea reality?

With Start to Market, Double Encore is helping clients execute in full, not in part. Do you want your app to be just another good idea lost in the weeds of the App Store?