12 Ways to Generate New App Ideas and 25 App Ideas You Can Steal

Introduction: let’s get started!

This article is going to help you create your App.

The top 5 tips are designed to help get you in touch with your creativity. Tips 6 to 12 will provide a useful framework for you to start creating your App, giving you a ton of resources to help you meet your goals. Finally, I’m going to give you 25 awesome app ideas that you’re welcome to steal.

Creating App’s isn’t easy. There’s a long road between the moment of innovation and the moment of completion. But, before you can even start to walk that road, you need to first generate some good ideas.

Creativity is behind all great app ideas. Everyone has it and everyone wants more of it. But what is creativity? How does it work and how can you tap into yours more easily?

We often think of science and creativity as being separate, and this leads to app designers thinking of themselves more as engineers and product designers rather than creatives.

To generate new app ideas, and to produce a great App, you need to figure out a way to balance creative thinking with logical thought processes.

Image credit – Black Swan Data.

The science of creativity.

In a society where technology is rapidly advancing, creativity and innovation are in high demand. To meet that demand, you’re going to have to get in touch with your inner creative.

There’s no clear-cut formula for coming up with ideas. Everyone’s different and your ideas could come from anywhere at any time.

The good news is that creativity is more of a skill than a talent, which means that rather than waiting for it for miraculously appear, you can learn how to develop it.

Whether you’re inspired by the artworks of great painters, or by Einstein’s theories about the universe, doesn’t matter. What underpins all great creations is the imagination.

Imagination fuels human progression, it propels us forward.

Scientists have studied the process of creative imagination and have come up with some insights that may help you when it comes to tapping into your creativity.

Here’s everything the experts have gathered on stimulating creativity so far.

1 – You can tap into your Creative imagination by surrounding yourself with creative people.

Some people are more creative than others, that’s a given. But did you know that it’s possible to boost your creativity just by being around more creative people?

Research suggests that creativity works like a muscle. The more you engage your creativity, the more creative you become.

Studies have found that children with creative parents think more creatively. This research was based on the principle that creativity is less of a genetic trait (though genetics do play a small role) and more of skill that can be learned.

Similar studies involving adolescents have demonstrated that increased exposure to creative people can help you to develop your own creativity.

So, if you want to create an awesome app, surround yourself with creative people. Embrace creativity in as many forms as you can and as much as you can. Finger-painting anyone?

2 – You can engage your fantastical imagination by daydreaming.

Exploring the realm of fantasy could be the key to your next big idea. Daydreaming often gets a bad rep, probably because it’s associated with escaping reality.

But scientists have discovered that engaging with fantasy can increase your ability to come up with creative solutions.

Image credit – Bachelor’s degree online.

You can harness the power of your fantastical imagination to help you create your app by visualising yourself nailing the creative process.

The ability to absorb yourself in your idea and become completely immersed in your project could be the key to generating that great idea you’ve been looking for.

3 – You can stimulate your episodic imagination by visualising.

When I talk about visualising, I’m not talking about the “seeing yourself achieving your goal” idea that’s promoted by pretty much every self-help book.

In fact, scientific research suggests that all those self-help books actually have it backwards.

One study split a class of students into two groups and had one half visualise themselves getting good test results. The other half visualized themselves studying heavily.

Care to hazard a guess at who did better on the test?

The second group significantly outperformed the first. The study found that visualisation is an effective tool to improve performance, but that, for the best results, you should focus your mental energies on the process rather than the outcome.

See yourself going through the motions of creating your app. Visualise yourself at every stage in the creative process. Watch yourself in your mind’s eye as you learn, grow and overcome obstacles.

4 – You can connect to your creativity by being more childish.

Image credit – The Conversation

If you’re thinking that up to now a lot of these ideas sound a bit childish then you’re definitely on to something!

The fact is, that when it comes to creativity, children just might be our greatest teachers.

So what are the qualities that children have that keep them so in touch with their creativity?

Children are fearless. Children aren’t burdened with the same fears and anxieties that hold us back as adults. They don’t worry about getting things wrong or embarrassing themselves.

As adults, we should understand that ideas evolve, so we shouldn’t be afraid to share them! Speak your ideas out loud, even if you haven’t thought them through properly yet.

Children embrace curiosity. Children certainly don’t hold back when it comes to asking questions to improve their understanding, so we shouldn’t either!

Don’t be afraid to ask for opinions, clarification, advice or feedback from colleagues mentors and friends throughout your creative journey.

Children try new things. Ever noticed how children are always eager to try something new? There’s nothing more exciting as a child than learning a new game or exploring somewhere you’ve never been before.

New experiences breed new ideas. Mixing it up in your adult life and seeking new exciting paths to explore can do wonders for your creative thought processes.

Think about how you can create an environment that encourages fearlessness and freedom of expression when you’re planning your next creative meeting.

5. Use a word association game to come up with as many ideas as possible.

You don’t always have to come up with something completely new and original to be creative. Lots of creative ideas take items or concepts that already exist and put them together in unique ways to make something new.

If your ideas seem unoriginal or uninspired then try playing a word game. You never know, you might have one half of a brilliant idea already!

Word association can be a sophisticated idea sorting technique that can help you form unusual creative associations.

Japanese toy developer Shimpei Takahashi uses this technique to come up with amazing toy designs. I like how through word association, (he combined the words “Guitar” and “toothbrush”) he came up with the idea for a fun toy that makes children love brushing their teeth.

Check out his Ted Talk here to learn how it works:

https://www.ted.com/talks/shimpei_takahashi_play_this_game_to_come_up_with_original_ideas?language=en&utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Not that wordy? There are plenty of other exercises and techniques you can use to stimulate ideas.

6. Analyse your company and your values.

Companies change. Like people, they grow and evolve. A useful way to begin generating ideas is to take stock of where your company is right now and how far you have come.

Looking back over the companies journey, and your own gives you confidence and can provide useful insights that may spark ideas.

What values does your company champion? What strategies do you employ? If the company were a person, how would you describe them?

Ultimately, Apps are about helping people (or at least they should be). So how can you help?

Observe your customers and your colleagues, encourage them to share their experiences, their observations and their pain points. Actively seeking out opinions provides new perspectives, but it also has the added benefit of making everyone around you feel valued. No brainer, right?

Never underestimate the value of feedback. Seriously, that stuff is like gold dust when it comes to creating an App. To get the best possible ideas, you want to talk to as many people as possible about what you’re trying to achieve and encourage them to make a contribution.

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the business. Is there an App idea that could help you to capitalise on a strength or overcome any weaknesses?

What are the company’s goals moving forward? What’s needed to achieve them?

Is your company looking to build more active relationships, speed up a process, or solve a particular problem?

Perhaps you’re focused on retention right now, or customer experience.

Using your company’s values and goals as a framework for your App idea can be an effective way to get started.

Questions to help keep you on track:

• What are the company’s core values?
• What are the company’s current goals?
• How can I characterize our journey so far?
• What can I learn from our strategic approach?
• How can I help people?
• What can I learn from my colleagues?
• What can I learn from our customers or clients?
• How can I encourage people to contribute?
• How can I make this a team effort?
• What are the company’s strengths and weaknesses
• Can these strength or weaknesses be used to my advantage?

7. Analyse your customers and their values.

With all the data gathering software available nowadays, it’s never been easier to get into the mind of your consumers.

This is great news for App developers as it provides a rich base of knowledge to work from.

If you want to create a truly great App, then you need to analyse your customers’ behaviour. Listen to them. Find out what they want and what they need. What do they complain about and why?

How do your customers engage with your company? What type of content are they drawn to? What digital paths do they follow? How do they navigate your content?

Simply talking to your consumers can reveal a wealth of insight that will get the ideas flowing in no time.

There are a number of ways you can encourage feedback. You could send out surveys or questionnaires (with or without incentives). You could do it by email or on social media. You could create a database. Having a feedback mechanism built into your app is also a fantastic idea. You can even just phone your customers up and ask them for their opinions.

Asking for feedback is a great way to make your customers feel valued. And given that feeling unappreciated is the main reason customers give for choosing to go elsewhere, It also makes great sense to do this from a customer service perspective.

Useful questions to ask yourself:

• Do I have effective systems in place to gather relevant data?
• How well am I engaging with customers or clients?
• What makes my customers tick?
• What values do my consumers uphold?
• How does my audience engage with the company?
• How easy is it for people to give me feedback?
• Do I have effective feedback mechanisms in place?
• Could these feedback channels be improved?
• What can I learn from the existing feedback?

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8. Go over your business plan.

Stifle that groan! Granted, it’s a bit old school approach, but your company’s business plan is an important strategic tool that can be very useful when it comes to generating app ideas.

A good business plan will have long and short-term objectives laid out. This means that you can easily identify specific steps that have been taken (or need to be taken) that could be incorporated into an App to get your company closer to its goals.

A business plan is also a useful reminder of your companies core values and mission statement, which will help you stay focused.

Use the core values and growth strategies of your company as inspiration and also as a framework in which to formulate your ideas.

Helpful questions to ask:

• What problems have we overcome in the past?
• How did we solve these problems?
• What strategies worked and why?
• What strategies failed and why?
• How could an App add value to the business?

9. Examine your marketing strategies.

There’s no surer way to put a smile on your boss’s face (and yours) than by helping them out with their digital marketing.

Marketing strategies are constantly changing, which is great for app makers as it creates an environment that’s ripe for innovation.

Could you create an App that generates more leads? How about one that can track or improve SEO, social media engagement or conversion optimisation?

What about creating something that helps optimise content marketing?

The possibilities for digital marketing apps are endless. Take a good look at your current marketing strategies, trends and any relevant data and use this as a basis for improvement.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Where are we putting most of our marketing efforts?
• What’s working well for us at the moment?
• What’s not working and why?
• Are there any areas which are currently being neglected?
• How will new technologies affect our marketing strategies in the future?
• How can we prepare for and adapt to rapid changes?

10. Analyse industry trends for inspiration.

What’s happening right now in your industry? What are you moving towards and away from? What are your customers’ needs and how are their expectations evolving?

When it comes to App creation, keeping yourself up to date can pay dividends. But staying up to date in an industry that’s constantly changing isn’t always easy.

If you want to come up with a brilliant app idea that is right on point then you need to keep a very close eye on what’s trending and use any information you gather as inspiration for your design.

So how do you stay on trend?

Well, the good news is, there is a wealth of valuable information and statistics available to you. Use them!

Compile a list of the best and brightest minds in your industry. Stalk them. Read their blogs follow them on social media, absorb what they know.

Read trade journals, join forums, listen to podcasts and watch YouTube videos (relevant ones, not cats attacking flip flops).

Familiarise yourself with the current tools for web analytics. You can track how your customers are interacting with your website, this is very useful information when it comes to generating ideas for Apps.

Monitoring both your business and your industry helps you to stay ahead of the curve. There are some great websites that can help you do this. Sites like Springwise and Trendwatching can provide useful insights for example.

Check out Nichehunt for product and marketing trends, Prophet for the latest info on brand strategy, and Google Trends for, well pretty much everything.

If you’re aware of the latest challenges, ideas and evolutions that impact your field, you should have no problem generating relevant and timely app ideas that everyone will respond to and love.

Ask yourself:

• What current trends are relevant to my industry?
• Am I up to date with relevant trends?
• Do I understand my customers’ expectations and how (and why) they are changing?
• Who are the leaders in my industry and what can I learn from them?
• Where are the gaps in my information?
• Which analytics tools can help me fill in any information gaps?

More useful websites for keeping up to date with trends:

Below is a list of 17 top international websites (in no particular order) that you may find useful, feel free to peruse them at your leisure. I’ve included a brief explanation of each.

Springwise – Explores promising ideas, concepts and business ventures from around the globe.

Trendwatching – Provides a wealth of information relating to consumer trends and innovations.

Trend Hunter – A huge collection of Ideas, insights, and reports, crowdsourced by 217,000 people.

Trends@alltop – allows you to access top news and information in real-time and from trusted sources.

David Report – An influential blog covering everything from architecture to food and music. A great place to go to keep up to date if your business is design or culture related.

NOTCOT – Presents quirky, visual or amusing ideas. Great for keeping track of what’s going on in the design world.

CoolBusinessIdeas – Pretty much does what it says on the tin. It’s a blog that follows new and cool ideas in various industries.

PSFK – A site dedicated to the future of retail. They focus on insights and analysis relating to customer experience. A useful resource for designers, digital marketers and anyone in the Tech industry.

MoreInspiration – list of innovations, organised by industry.

Trendcentral – A collection of all things trending in the lifestyle and entertainment world. At the time of writing, current trends include kilt wearing drummers and a donkey that thinks he’s a dog.

World future Society – If you’re into science, politics and meaningful dialogue then this website should appeal. Enter this rabbit hole if you’re seriously curious about the future.

JWT Intelligence – To forecast trends, these smart folks look for changes in the global zeitgeist. They issue trend reports-a-plenty covering tech, lifestyle, health, culture, and retail.

TED – You’ve probably heard of Ted already but this list wouldn’t be complete without it. ‘Ted’ stands for technology, entertainment, and design. If you want to hear about innovations from the best and brightest in your field, look no further.

Lidewij Edelkoort – Lidewij is a professional trend forecaster and expert for leading companies in the textile, fashion, interior design, beauty, and wellbeing industries. She is the founder of the company Trend Union.

Copenhagen Institute for futures studies – CIFS Is an independent organisation specialising in futuristic corporate and organisation research. They advise Fortune 500 companies and Government Ministries.

Cool Hunting – Cool Hunting is the output of a team of writers obsessed with innovations Relating to design, culture, and technology.

Mashable – Mashable is the go-to site for keeping informed of the latest news and trends in entertainment, tech, culture, and science.

11. Analyse your competition.

The world’s best athletes, entrepreneurs and executives all understand the value of analysing their competition.

Like you, your competitors’ are doing everything they can to stay relevant and to stand out. So why not use that to your advantage?

It’s not about copying them. It’s about understanding them, and getting to grips with why they do the things they do.

If you’re willing to snoop, there’s so much you can learn from looking closely at the products and strategies of your competitors.

Maybe you’ll see something they’ve missed. Perhaps you can identify an element of their approach that you can refine to fit in better with your own strategy.

Look at the things users say about your competitors. Use this information to develop your product. See complaints about usability? Perhaps you could focus on creating a better user experience? Find out what works and what doesn’t, then do something similar or better. With a bit of digging, you can get great ideas for your App just from analysing your competitors feedback.

Takeaway:

Don’t be afraid to stand on the shoulders of giants. There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from other people’s ideas and making or implementing something better. Originality is great, but in some cases, trying to be completely original is simply unrealistic.

Ask yourself:

• What strategies are my competitors’ using?
• What’s working well for them and why?
• What isn’t working for them now (or hasn’t in the past) and why?
• Can I capitalise on anything they’ve missed?
• What resources are my competitors taking advantage of?
• What can I learn from the feedback they’re getting?

12. Break out of your industry bubble.

Jason Way Photography | Getty Images

Inspiration can come from anywhere. While there are many benefits to staying focused on the industry in which you’re working, sometimes you just get stuck in a soul-destroying creative rut of sameness.

If you want your idea to stand out from the crowd, then try exploring other industries for inspiration. Borrowing ideas and studying strategies from unrelated industries can enhance and enrich your App, giving you a fresh perspective and opening you up to new concepts.

Here’s a brief list of industries you might want to consider and ideas of what you might learn:

• Want to make your app more engaging? Take a look at the gaming or movie industry to see how they create immersive experiences.
• Beautiful design at the top of your wish list? Look to the graphic design industry for ideas you can emulate.
• Need to create a buzz around your idea? Study the entertainment and fashion gurus to see how the pros do it.
• Need to tell a compelling story? Check out the top writers in the industry and learn how.
• Need to explain something complicated in a simple way? Learn about teaching methods from the education industry.
• Want to inspire people? Pick up tops tips from the pros in the self-improvement industry.

Whatever you want to achieve, there’s an industry out there that specialises in doing it. All you have to do is find it, keep an open mind and be willing to learn.

Ask yourself:

• What, in broad terms, am I trying to achieve?
• Given my goals, what industries might provide useful insights?
• What in more narrow terms am I trying to achieve?
• Is there an industry that specialises or excels in this area?
• Is there a gap in my knowledge that I could fill by looking outside my industry?

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App ideas for the making:

Following is a list of 25 ideas that are ripe for the making. Feel free to use them, build on them, or let them inspire you.

1. Great minds think alike.

Think of this app idea as a thought collaboration tool. The app would connect people who are thinking about a project or an issue along the same lines. This would be a great platform for like-minded creatives to meet, or for scientists to work through a problem together.

So many people use Quora to gain and share knowledge, but an app would take this to the next level, allowing for personal interaction and therefore, a much richer experience.

2. Change my perspective:

Imagine an App that helps you to gain another perspective. You would share your thoughts and views on an issue (or perhaps on a situation that you’re struggling with) and get advice from others who see things differently.

Getting a different perspective, whether it’s a family, business, relationship or friendship related matter, can help us to understand other people’s motivations and actions. This could be very beneficial for people from a psychological point of view.

3. A sports app that lets you rent equipment and find people to play with.

Ever seen an empty field and wished you had a football, some badminton rackets or hockey equipment? Or maybe you have sports equipment but don’t have enough people to make up a team?

This app would connect people with local businesses that can supply sports equipment for hire. It would also let you get the word out in the local community to attract players. This would help people to keep fit, and have the added benefit of connecting people within the community to play any number of games or sports.

4. What’s the best way to spend my money?

Got some spare cash? Confused about what to do with it? Specify an amount and let the app tell you the best way to spend it.

You could have a list of categories, like experiences, products, helping people etc, or include requirements (such as the best way to invest for example). Many businesses would be lining up at the door to be included on this one!

5. Wedding planner app.

Help love’s path to run smoothly and take the stress out of the wedding planning process by creating an organisational wedding planner app. Your app could help connect the happy couple with relevant local businesses such as florists, musicians, cake-makers, dress shops, caterers, jewellers, venues and more.

It could so help them to stay organised, keeping track of appointments such as meetings with officials, menu or cake tasting sessions and venue viewings. You could add a seating chart and provide a way for them to keep track of guests RSVPs.

You could also add a social aspect that lets family and friends share their excitement in the build-up to the wedding.

6. Buy and sell used items for free!

In a world where buying and selling used items means you’re likely to pay a 10% charge, an app that lets you buy and sell your used items for free would be a welcome idea.

You could set the app up to accommodate buyers and sellers, or even do away with currency completely and set it up so that people can offer their items in exchange for something else they need or want.

Obviously, there would need to be a mechanism in place to match items of similar value or allow users to accept or deny proposals. This idea is sure to attract a lot of users because everyone likes something for free!

7. Skill Swap.

Do you have a practical skill that others could benefit from? Maybe you’re a dab hand when it comes to DIY or a bit of a whizz in the kitchen? This app would allow people to swap their skills so you could help someone fix their washing machine in exchange for a home-cooked meal for example.

The app would encourage people in the local community to share and exchange their skills. You could even incorporate a teaching and learning element (music lessons in exchange for help writing a book).

Specific jobs could be advertised, or people could swap based on the amount of time they’re willing to spend.

8. Report crimes/scammers in real time and provide hotspot info for tourists.

Scammers are a huge problem for travellers. Imagine an app that allows travellers and tourists to report scams or crimes as they happen.

Users could provide information on the locations of crimes and give details of how scams are being carried out. This would help protect other tourists from falling victim to common scams and could potentially reduce crime rates.

9. Debate Wars!

Some people love a good argument. Why not create an app that pairs people together who love to debate and who have opposing views. The app could facilitate challenging debates which would occur in real-time, kind of like a video chat.

There are also lots of careers like law, politics, and management, where debating is an important skill. Your app could also be designed to help people in this these industries practice debating so that they can hone and develop their skills.

The downside of this idea is that it has the potential to attract trolls. You would, therefore, need to have systems in place to ensure that users are genuine and to prevent anyone from misusing the app.

10. Kindness generator.

How about an app that helps to spread kindness in the world? This app could connect people who need help with people who want to be kind. The app could provide users with opportunities to feel great about themselves by doing good deeds.

The app could encourage local people to help one another by mowing a lawn, washing a car or helping someone move house for example.

There could be systems in place to offer help to the elderly, the poor, or anyone who needs help for whatever reason.

Education could also be a good area to explore for this. Plenty of teachers have time off in the summer and may be willing to volunteer some of their free time to help children learn to read or write for instance.

11. Skill-matching hire a Freelancer app.

On sites like Upwork and People per Hour, skilled freelancers who are new to the platform need to spend a lot of time and energy in order to build up a reputation and feedback.

Even skilled freelancers who have clients elsewhere can struggle to get momentum on these platforms because of a lack of feedback when they first join.

An app that assesses freelancers skills, provides a rating and perhaps makes recommendations based on aptitude, could help to reassure potential clients that freelancers have the skills necessary to deliver on their project, regardless of feedback.

12. Real-time translation for social media interactions.

Imagine if your WhatsApp conversation could include everyone, regardless of what language they speak. Social media platforms are great for bringing people together, but they are still somewhat lacking in the language and translation department.

An app that performs real-time (or almost real-time) translations could significantly break down language barriers and allow people to communicate more effectively.

13. Make photos special again – a nostalgic photography experience.

These days, we take photos for granted. But wouldn’t it be cool if there was an app that let you experience photography in a new (but also not so new) way?

The app could allow you to set up an event, like a birthday party for example. Each guest is then given a limited number of photos that they can take using the app. The app is designed in a way so that the user’s experience of taking the pictures mimics the use of vintage cameras.

You wouldn’t be able to see as well so you would have to work really hard to get good photos. Also, since the number of photos would be limited, it would encourage people to get creative with what they choose to capture.

To add to the experience, the photos could be stored and only revealed (to everyone who attended the event) a week or so later.

14. Thing finder.

Are you one of those people that always losing things? Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app that could help you find misplaced things around the house?

Maybe it could be designed to function as a mental map, storing the locations of various items that it’s important for you to keep track of. Or it could be designed to help you keep track of everyday items, like car keys or sunglasses, that you feel you are likely to lose.

How many times has a family member asked you where you put something? Mark the locations of items on the app and share the information with other household members.

Looking for things is frustrating and people spend a lot of time trying to find lost items. So an app that helps to cut down the time spent searching for lost stuff would be welcome in any household.

15. Choose your table visual reservation system.

This is an idea for pubs, restaurants and food establishments.

A lot of people are fussy about where they sit, some people like to be near the door, others like to be close to the kitchen (there’s a restaurant I go to that has a giant fish tank that I always want to sit next to).

You might be dining with someone disabled, in which case you want to be in an accessible location, or you could be going on a date, which means it’s important to you to bag the best table in the restaurant.

Creating an app that shows people a graphic representation of the inside of a restaurant and allows them to select their own table based on their preferences solves all of these problems.

The app could monitor and show availability for each individual table, and could easily be linked up with an existing booking system.

16. Lie tracker!

Politicians lie all the time. Imagine having an app that lets you keep track of their webs of deceit! This app could be used to rate politicians on their honesty or lack of it.

The app could check each politician’s corporate associations and highlight any conflict of interest.

It could also track their political history, and maybe record, analyse and cross-reference speeches with relevant statistics.

17. Crowd Avoider.

We have apps that tell us when there’s too much traffic, so why not create one that tells us when there are too many people.

A lot of people hate crowds, preferring to visit places during the quieter periods. This app could monitor crowd congestion in public places. An app like this could be useful in summer when deciding which park to go to, or in winter when deciding the best time to do your Christmas shopping.

The app could monitor and display crowd densities in real-time using a map.

18. Goal tracker.

Part organisation and part inspiration, this App would allow you to set and plot out exactly how to achieve your goals.

The goal could be absolutely anything. Fitness and diet, career-related, learning a new skill (like a language or a musical instrument), saving money, or it might be a more unusual goal, like moving to another country, or becoming more confident for example.

Whatever the goal, the app would monitor your progress, encouraging you to realise how far you have come and to give yourself a pat on the back each time you reach a milestone.

Based on your progress, the App could predict how long it will take you to reach your goal, and suggest ways that you could achieve your goal more quickly and efficiently.

19. What should I wear?

This app would make outfit suggestions based on occasion, situation, personality, and personal style.

It would be great if you could input the items you already own and get suggestions based on those, or the app could suggest suitable items to buy based on a given price range and list of favourite places to shop.

An app like this would need to consider current fashion trends. It would also be nice to be able to put in details about your body type, shape, height, weight etc, to get recommendations that are truly tailored to the individual.

20. Icebreaker app for parties and gatherings.

This would be a great app for any social gathering from dating events to business conferences.

Each person attending the event would input a few details about themselves (and a photo of themselves taken at the event) on the app.

They could provide brief information about their likes and dislikes, passions, experiences, and goals or just interesting facts about themselves. Before you approach someone, you can check out their details on the app and use these as a conversation starter.

So many awkward conversations could be avoided with the use of an app like this!

Instead of grasping for common ground with someone you know nothing about, you could start up a meaningful conversation right away, and be sure that the person you’re speaking to is interested in what you’re saying.

Or you could use the information on the app to seek out people who seem interesting or who seem to be on the same wavelength as you.

21. Read me a story.

AI / Mobile machine learning could make this one possible.

It’s about time that text to voice had an update. How about an app that lets you input text and have it read to you in a storyteller style?

The app would perform an analysis to identify the appropriate category for the text being entered. It would then select a suitable voice and reading style based on the genre and the user’s preferences.

The app could also be designed to allow users to include their own voice. This would be a great way for parents to “read” to their children.

22. What’s for dinner?

It’s all very well having access to 1000’s of recipes online. But what usually happens is that you find a recipe you love and then find that you’re short by one or two ingredients.

This idea is for an app that recommends recipes based on the ingredients you already have.

You could either type in 5 or 6 ingredients you have and look for recipes that way or choose to provide an extensive list of everything you have in your fridge and cupboards, (keeping it updated might be an issue though).

The app could also take into account the user’s preferences, so if you like Thai food, you will get more Thai recipe recommendations, or Thai recipes will be more visible to you.

The app could also be organised in a way that allows users to choose recipes based on preparation time and ease of cooking for example.

23. Financial manager and adviser.

Managing household finances can be a nightmare. Bills are due on different dates, amounts go up and down, and spending can vary greatly from month to month.

Keeping track of all this financial activity can be extremely difficult and time-consuming.

Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app that allowed you to manage your monthly ingoings and outgoings all in one place? I’d certainly use it!

The app could track your bills and your income, including credit cards, loan payments, income tax and more, making suggestions to save you money or improve your financial situation.

The app could also track how much you are spending in certain areas, giving you a clearer idea of where your money goes and allowing you to make changes if necessary.

24. Pair and prioritise.

A lot of people struggle with prioritising. If you want to be productive, you need to recognise what’s most important to you.

Your brain can also play tricks on you, making you think that you’re being productive when actually you’re just keeping yourself busy.

This app would help you figure out what’s truly important to you by pairing to-do tasks and asking you to pick one or the other.

The user would compare each task and decide which one is of the most benefit to them.

Once all the tasks on a person’s to-do list have been compared and prioritised you’re ready to get to work completing the tasks on the list in order.

25. Dog health app.

This app would focus on your dog’s health and wellbeing. It would monitor activity, food intake and health parameters such as heart rate for example.

You could also log the number and length of walks through GPS.

The app would also take into account breed-related health issues.

An app like this could also allow pet owners to connect with vets to receive advice and guidance, or even help in the case of an emergency.

It could do this by facilitating the sharing of photos with relevant professionals to get feedback and perhaps help avoid unnecessary visits to the vet.

The app could also provide users with access to high-quality journal articles about relevant aspects of pet care.

Let’s wrap this up.

Congratulations on reading this far, that was a lot of information to take in!

I hope that you find the time to explore all of the resources I have shared and that they help you along on your creative journey.

Hopefully, you now feel much more confident about the whole app generation process and you are now buzzing with creative ideas.

Creating an app doesn’t need to be frustrating, in fact, if you follow the advice in this article, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be a whole lot of fun!

Seeing your creative ideas come to life is a great feeling. But sadly, some ideas never make it that far.

Don’t let your fantastic idea fall by the wayside! In 2018, making an app isn’t as difficult as you might think.

Using AppInstitute’s App Builder, you’ll be able to create your own app – without writing a single line of code. Whilst you might not be able to put together some of these more complex app ideas – our platform allows you to create a fantastic app for your business without technical skills or a huge budget.

So, there’s no really no excuse for not bringing your idea to completion.

Don’t hesitate, don’t be afraid and don’t hold back.

I wish you the very best of luck on your creative journey.

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