Implementing your app

Finally, we get to do some coding. Start up Visual Studio or Unity, and create that project. Build the frameworks you need, lay out the foundation of your app, and create item 1 on your list. Test it, play with it, and see that it does what it needs to do.

Once you have done that, you might get a feeling of the time it will take to implement the next item on the list, and thus how long, more or less, it might take to build all the features you have described in the last step.

Set a time goal for yourself. For instance, you might decide that you want your first version in the store three weeks from now. Now, you can estimate which items will fit in that schedule and which won't. Work on those features until your deadline has passed, and deploy to the store.

Once the first users start to use your app, you can implement the next batch of features. Update the app as soon as possible with new features and bug fixes. Also, take note of the feedback you are getting from your users--they will tell you what they like and do not like in your app. This might have an impact on your feature list, so pay close attention to that!

These steps are valid for both mobile apps as well as HoloLens apps. The best way to learn all these principles is by doing them. So, I invite you do tag along as I show you how to design a great app called RockOn, an app that helps stage directors prepare for the best possible rock show. In subsequent chapters, we will actually build this app, so it is time we start designing for it!