Perhaps one of the reasons why so many of us are almost continuously glued to our phone is simple – our reliance on various apps to execute the various first world needs and problems that we have.
From more conventional purposes like messaging and ordering food, to more niche ones that cater to specific interests (like stargazing apps), it can sometimes feel like there’s an app for everything.
Not surprising, given that there are over 6.5 million apps available across all the platforms currently.
But often times, we find ourselves in situations when there isn’t any app that can help us.
“Eh there should be an app for this!”
We set out and asked Singaporeans about some of the pain points they wish a theoretical app could address, and who knows – one of these might just make an app developer the next unicorn!
18 Singaporeans On Their Dream Apps
1. For A Personal Stylist That Doesn’t Cost A Cent
“One that will help me get dressed in the morning, cause I always like choose like one item that I want to wear then I don’t know what to pair it with so I end up wasting time Googling what looks good. But that takes sooooo much time.”
2. For Easy Price Comparisons
“An app that compares how much a product costs in places like Watsons vs. Guardian then shows you which is nearer to you! Because shops like Watsons and Guardian are always near-ish each other, and I never know which shop has cheaper product.”
3. For Finding Supermarket Deals And Where Cheapest Avocados Are
“Very auntie, but one that highlights the sales going on at supermarkets like Fairprice, Cold Storage etc. The prices of various items in supermarkets can differ greatly, so it’d be nice to know where I can get more value from.”
4. For Calorie Counting From A Photo
“I think there are current ones out there that give you a guide for basic food items (for example this one), but they’re usually for food that isn’t local. Let me know how many calories the curry chicken in my nasi padang will give me then I’ll be impressed.”
5. For The Best Mic Drops
“An app that generates the best comebacks in any given situation.”
6. For A Personal Tailor Who Makes Shopping Irrelevant
“An app that lets you take a photo, and auto measures your dimensions, and tailors clothes for you. Because going out shopping is really too tiring and time consuming.”
7. For An Itinerary Planner That Will Give You The Best Holiday
“Planning a travel itinerary can be tricky. Perhaps one that generates an itinerary (with timetable, costs there etc.) for you based on your interests, and also recommendations by locals that you can add to the list.”
8. For All The Times Travelling = Bringing A Few Adaptors
“An app that tells you which particular adaptor you need for your travel destination, and mails one to your hotel by the time you arrive if you need it.”
9. For The Times When People Are Just Tiring To Be Around
“Sound bites that instead of having to speak to people, I can press a button that say “go away” in a politically correct-ish tone. Politically correct-ish because I’d use it at work. Or a phrase generator so I can quickly escape from awkward networking encounters.”
10. For Group Plans That Are Taking Longer Than Needed
“An app that lets your groups make plans – so there’s a calendar of everyone’s available dates to see which overlaps as “good to go”. Then there’s also a “IOU” tab, which also lets you pay who you owe over the app. Using a Chope-like database, the app will also suggest places to go based on the most centralised location of all your work places.”
11. For The Times When Everyone Is Kaypoh But The Phone Is Too Tiny
“You know when someone wants to show a group of people something on your phone but then EVERYONE ends up gathering around the same small screen? I think it’ll be interesting to have an app that can mirror phone screens to everyone else’s. Like maybe have a code that everyone can access to or something like that.”
12. For The Foodies Who Are Also Forgetful
“There are always places I see on various sites that I’m interested to try out, but for some reason, they end up slipping my mind whenever I’m out for dinner! Maybe if there’s an app that curates all these articles and gives me a simple “tap to bookmark”.”
13. For The Regular Ride-Hailer Who Can Never Be Found
“One that will immediately tell you the postal code that you’re at currently. Especially helpful when I want to hire a car but don’t know the exact postal code that I am at. Manual inputs of location are best chances of drivers finding their riders.”
14. For The One Who Prefers Hailing A Motorike To A Car
“I would love if we have a GrabBike service, or a GrabBike-like app for Singapore. I know that it’s already available in other countries, but why not here!”
15. For The Spendthrift Who Needs Serious Intervention
“This is potentially very dangerous – having something that is connected to all your cashflows and money reserves (even that 30 cents pack of tissue you bought) for instantaneous tracking of your daily expenses.”
16. For The Bad Breakup
“An app that immediately gets rid of all traces of your ex from your phone, computer and social media accounts. Of course, you get to choose which ones you want to keep before they’re sent into oblivion. Preferably along with your ex.”
17. For The Impatient And Hungry
“No one likes to be hangry so an app to check queues at popular eating places, and how much waiting time is needed.”
18. For The Voracious Reader Who’s Also A Rebel
“An app that bypasses the 15 article limit that a particular newspaper decided to impose on us.”
Your Turn, App Developers
If you’re an app developer reading this and are currently stuck in a rut on what to develop, this list of ideas might be good for you.
But if you do have a solution ready, it might be a good time to ramp up on your advertising.
