Don’t worry, I’m not turning the crowdSPRING blog into smut. This sounds dirtier than it is. If you’re disappointed, you probably know where to turn on the internet to get find what you were looking for. If, dear reader, you find yourself not discouraged, read on.
Juicy Bits, quite simply, creates awesome apps for iOS (iPhone, iPad and iTouch) systems. Though I’ve already promised my first iOS app download to these guys, Juicy Bits definitely has laid claim to second and third app purchase. I’d choose Spy Pix, which allows users to build in decoy pictures to photo albums and send encoded messages via email. I’d also be sure to nab 3D Camera. All you have to do is take a right and left angle photo and then choose how you want to view your 3D photo. They’ll even hook you up with 3D glasses to make viewing more fun.
You get the picture (ha!). Mike took some time to explain the actual creation of Juicy Bits, not just the cool services they provide:
How would you explain what you do to somebody’s grandmother?
Fortunately, the popularity of the iPhone and iPad has made this much easier. Apple has also done a great job making sure that everyone knows what an “app” is. So: Juicy Bits makes apps.
What made you use crowdSPRING?
I’m a geek who has a passion for good design; I’m not a designer (there, I’ve admitted it!). I created a very basic Juicy Bits logo for the public web site, but I was never completely happy with it. I first heard about crowdSPRING in a 2008 TechCrunch article, and I thought it was such a great idea, that I bookmarked the site for future use. When I started to consider the logo redesign, I looked through many of the crowdSPRING projects and saw that there were many excellent designers submitting work. That’s when I decided to give it a try.
What was your biggest learning curve/experience?
This is a tough one. Juicy Bits is the culmination of years of experience, and it takes advantage of almost everything I’ve learned. As a result, it fits me like a glove. Maybe the biggest thing I’ve learned is that you can’t fixate on the competition when you’re selling apps for a dollar or two. People don’t check Consumer Reports or do a lot of research when deciding to purchase something that inexpensive. Most of the purchase decision is based on visibility and impulse.
What’s the craziest story you have from starting your own business?
This is the second time I’ve started my own business, and most of the crazy stuff happened the first time around. But, it has been crazy to hear from people about how they use Juicy Bits apps. For example, I’ve had the opportunity to talk with folks from Pixar, Hasbro, Kodak, NVIDIA, and many more. Some of them are fans of the apps, and others write to talk about possible business opportunities. Apple created a large cardboard version of one of the app icons and featured it in the window of their physical stores. That was definitely crazy cool to see. (more…)
