There are approximately 2.5 billion smartphones circling the globe, and that number is expected to increase by the end of 2019. With smartphones come apps, and most everyone has an app they absolutely cannot live without. Apps like Snapchat, Instagram, IFart™ and the French Girls App are shaking things up in the app world. Ever wonder where these app designers get their inspiration from?

If you’re trying to come up with your next big app idea, inspiration can come from anywhere. If you’re not sure where to start, use these proven methods to drum up innovation and create that next big app for 2019.

Find Inspiration No Matter Where You Look

Start brainstorming–this might sound simple, but not everyone understands the importance of doing this. Start by polling your friends to get ideas–you can even poll social media. Tell them you’re thinking of developing an app and start asking their opinion. If there are any common threads in their answers, it might be in your best interest to focus on these.

Do your research–doing this will tell you what exists on the market currently, and in your specific space. Your idea may be one that has unfortunately flooded the market. Through careful research, you can identify things like this well in advance and retool if you need to.

Identify gaps–is there an unserved population you’d like to help, or a problem you’d like your app to solve? Your research may identify areas where gaps exist, helping you to better your focus on the type of app you’d like to create. If you’d rather improve upon an existing app, take a look at various apps to find ways you can make them better, and develop better versions of them.

Decide on a platform–this will determine how your app is built, so you’ll want to determine whether the app will be for Android, iOS, or both. Work with an Android or iOS development firm like Appek, that will bring your ideas to life and actually make you some money. 

What do Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and even Albert Einstein all have in common? They all failed at first, and failed many times before they got things right. Your first idea, and even subsequent ideas may not be good–that’s perfectly normal. Good ideas take time.

It is also important to understand that if your app idea is any good, it may get stolen. This happens all the time–just look at sites like Groupon and Amazon that have all been copied.

And once inspo does hit, contact the developers at Appek to talk about your idea. We’ve designed apps that have generated millions of downloads, some going on to be some of the most popular on the market. Our designers work through a rigorous 4-step process to ensure your app is exceptionally designed and executed.

Start putting pen to paper. You might just develop the next Fruit Ninja or Angry Birds.