App Developer’s Corner: Jen Gordon, Owner of Clever Twist

Today’s App Developer’s Corner features Jen Gordon, owner of Clever Twist, an interactive design studio specializing in iPhone application design and development. Here’s what Jen had to say about what it takes to design for both aesthetics and functionality in iPhone applications, and the time she spends to market them successfully.

Tell us a little about yourself, and your company.

Clever Twist is a small design studio in Atlanta specializing in iPhone app/mobile app design and development.

How did your interest in developing mobile apps come about?

Clever Twist started out as an experiment during a slow spell in my freelancing business last fall. For the past six years I’ve worked full time as a freelance art director/web designer and stayed almost too busy. The break gave me a minute to step back and think “what does my future hold in the design field? Am I going to continue designing websites forever or am I going to jump into all this mobile excitement?” So I just went for it, designing utiltity apps and games, first for myself and now for clients!

What experience did you and your team have coming into iphone app development?

Several years of web design and art direction with a emphasis on usability made the transition easy. I’ve always been interested in figuring out simpler ways to accomplish a task or solve a problem. Designing for iPhone adds a fun layer with the accelerometer, swiping motions etc. I enjoy letting my imagination run wild then reign it in with the limitations mobile presents.

How did A Clever Twist start as a company, and how did you go from concept, to creating an actual business?

Clever Twist was established as a Corporation before I began designing iPhone apps. I wish I could say there was the “Grand Plan” that was “Executed Flawlessly” that led to a fabulous “Profit and Loss for 2008″, but that hasn’t happened. Frankly I’ve been making a lot of short term goals that all push me forward to my long term goal of making a profitable business selling our house apps.

What has been the most successful strategy/avenue for promoting and increasing visibility for your apps and your company?

The most successful strategy has been the most difficult and it’s what I’m doing right now – PR. Talking about Clever Twist, sharing the knowledge we’ve collected over the past year, engaging with the community – that’s made the biggest impact. It does take a LOT of time and you have to REALLY enjoy what you’re doing to spend the kind of time it takes to do it right.

How has Pinch helped with app development, promotion, and marketing?

Pinch has been a great way for me to see what’s happening on a given day and determine if marketing/PR strategies are producing results. It’s also interesting to see stats on Jailbroken phones or cracked apps. I found out exactly when my game Popper was cracked!

Do you have any other advice you’ve learned that you’d like to share?

For those just starting out, I’d refer them to an article I wrote for Smashing Magazine that compiles a lot of lessons learned.

Jen was able to take her website design expertise and establish herself in the mobile world, adapting her skills to a new industry. And again, like many of our previous developer profiles have intimated, the work isn’t over once the app is finished.

Read the Clever Twist blog for more information, latest developments, and helpful tips on developing your own iPhone application. And if you would like to track how your marketing strategies translate into resulting user behavior,
register for an account at Pinch Media and let us know if you have any questions getting started.

-Katherine Pan