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A year after its release, in May 2009, Evernote reached a million registered users, and went on to achieve 200 million in 2016. As the world around us becomes more digitally reliant, so, too, will different aspects of our lives, including note-taking.
Note-taking apps have become essential in modern life, but none have done it quite as well as Evernote, and there’s much to be learned from the features and options they offer. Keep reading to see exactly what makes Evernote so special, and how you can build an app like Evernote.
What You’ll Learn In This Post
- What Evernote is
- What makes Evernote so popular
- How to build an Evernote-like app
What Is Evernote?
Evernote is a cloud-based note-taking app, specializing in the organization of notes through a range of recordings. Evernote lets you organize web pages, voice recordings, and images into specialized workbooks. It’s also accessible through multiple platforms, and even includes a tagging system that makes topic-based revision of your notes extremely efficient.
Who Uses Evernote?
While Evernote is used across the world, the note-taking platform is most popular with Japanese companies of a smaller size. Evernote is also especially popular within the computer software industry, potentially because of its capability to store basic code blocks effectively.
1. BIGLOBE Inc.
BIGLOBE Inc. was founded in 2006, and mainly operates in Tokyo. It is an Internet service provider that has expanded its services to offer portal sites and broadband media to individuals and corporations alike.
2. Pushpay
Pushpay is a cloud-based donor management system that’s used by schools, churches, and charities to streamline and collate donations. Some charities in the United States also use Pushpay for its many features, such as event planning, volunteer scheduling, and reporting insights.
3. FREITAG
FREITAG is a Swiss business that began in a small apartment and quickly began working toward making bags out of recycled materials. With an eco-friendly mission, FREITAG boasts a powerful manifesto that ensures they use sustainable materials and pledges to repair them if necessary.
What Features Make Evernote Popular?
Evernote is one of the most successful note-taking apps, and it’s no wonder when you pay attention to its features. Following Evernote’s footsteps and creating an app that is accessible to all is one way you can ensure your app reaches the same success.
Calendar Integration
Evernote allows for Google calendar integration, meaning you can easily access your schedule. Not only can you bring across event details, such as location and persons involved, but you can also set reminders as to whether you need to bring or take notes to and from the meeting. This ability to access your schedule and necessary information all in one place ultimately results in a more stress-free work day.
Mobile Offline Notes
While Evernote is a cloud-based service, desktops and Macs keep a local copy of your files so it can show your notes regardless of an Internet connection. As for mobiles, Evernote will keep notes that were created on your mobile and recently viewed. An Internet connection syncs your notes from all devices, but for those not working in an office setting, having the availability to view these notes offline is extremely helpful.
PDF Annotation
The PDF annotation feature allows you to easily put across your ideas in a visual medium. Being able to leave notes on images for other users means those working in industries like architecture, landscaping, or VFX can easily communicate without a pen and paper.
Tasks
This feature allows you to clearly plan out your actions, and attach required information that might be necessary. For example, if you need to type up a voice recording or write an essay based on some images, then linking information to required tasks will provide an ease of access to the workload.
4 Steps to Build a Note-Taking App Like Evernote Successfully
Building an Evernote-like app doesn’t need to be as daunting as it may seem. Creating a straightforward plan for your target demographic and supported features will help shape the design of your app in the long run.
1. Identify Industry
Ultimately your app is there to support workloads, collaboration and make generic tasks easier. Whether it serves freelance workers, construction companies, or even marketing agencies, selecting a target demographic first will help you decide on the core features your app needs.
You can always expand and update your app to be more inclusive of a wider workforce. However, beginning with a key audience allows you to pinpoint the initial features that will create your unique selling point, and make your service invaluable to individuals.
2. Determine Features
Now that you’ve identified an industry, you can begin to look at how your app could support it. It could be that you focus on the organization of tasks between departments, such as enabling a manager to see the completion of each department’s task on one large project.
On the other hand, you could focus more on the collaboration between staff, and make working together easier. For example, you could make an app that allows for annotation on 3D models, to help artists mark and review their work more seamlessly. If you can find a niche and a workspace that your app could streamline, chances are it’ll be effective for more uses than you’d originally intended.
3. Hire an App Development Agency
Those with extensive app development experience might be able to start work immediately’ however, if you’re not well-versed in app development, you may need to outsource. When outsourcing, you need to consider some important factors to ensure you find the perfect developer for your app.
Portfolio
If a developer has a consistent portfolio of high-quality apps, it’s likely they can provide a service that suits your needs. It’s even better if a developer has built apps similar to yours in the past, so you can rest assured they know how to deliver the features you require.
Clearly Outlined Development Procedure
If the developer has a clearly outlined development procedure, then you can easily track how your app is coming along, and how best to work with your developer. If a developer doesn’t have this, it could demonstrate a lack of transparency and make it difficult to know the efficacy of their development plan.
Post-Release Support Options
Any app, regardless of the developer, will encounter bugs. That’s why it’s essential you find a development agency that offers post-release support, so your app continues to function effectively when released.
4. Deliver Product
Now that your app is functional, you can begin to release it to the stores. You need to maintain your app and ensure any bugs are fixed as swiftly as possible, meanwhile looking out for user reviews and recommendations for further features. With this information, you can make any changes, extra features, or fixes with an update as soon as possible.
You may want to consider how best to market your app, as well. If you’re looking to reach specific industries, you might want to implement paid and targeted advertising. However, you can also create cost-free organic marketing on social media.
Monetizing Your Note-Taking App
Given the upfront costs you’ve had to pay, now is likely the best time to start thinking about monetizing your app, and there are a few effective methods available to you.
Freemium Model
The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business model is a common route to monetizing that has been used by the games, dating, and online streaming industries. You could offer access to your software as a subscription, or even create a tiered subscription that enables more features for a higher cost. You might even decide that you separate business and individual accounts.
One-Time Fee
You can also ask customers for a one-time fee that will give them full access to all of your features. This would mean you get larger lump sums but it could impact your cash flow, as you could end up with infrequent purchases that don’t match your consistent running costs. It might be that as you develop features suited to different individuals, you charge per feature and the user makes a one-off payment for each feature they need.
Idea Maker’s Development Experience
Idea Maker has an expert team of designers and developers that are extremely knowledgeable when it comes to app development. From mobile games to database apps, Idea Maker has a thorough portfolio of quality apps for you to review. For support with development and design, schedule a call with us, and come one step closer to building your dream app.
