How iJuror Became A Top App For Lawyers On The App Store

Scott Falbo has created over 100 iOS apps over the past seven years. Scott released iJuror in 2010 to help lawyers with jury selection. I interviewed Scott to understand how he thinks about monetization and user acquisition for iJuror.

Inspiration for iJuror

Murtza: What excites you most about developing mobile apps?

Scott: I think the most exciting part is that I can literally spend an afternoon on the computer and create something that can have a positive impact on the lives of others. It's an amazing time that we live in where almost anyone with a computer can affect another person thousands of miles away.

Murtza: What was the inspiration behind iJuror?

Scott: Just as the iPad was coming out I was at a party with my wife where other attorneys were present. I overheard some conversation about the Microsoft Word templates and sticky notes that were used in the juror selection process and how tedious this process tended to be. In my head the idea dawned for an app leveraging the new iPad to improve the juror selection process for attorneys. A few months later iJuror was available on the iTunes App Store.

User Acquisition Strategy for iJuror

Murtza: How did you market iJuror when you first launched it?

Scott: When iJuror first launched I contacted legal technology bloggers and they were happy to write about iJuror. iJuror was one of the first (if not the first) iPad app designed for attorneys and it had a unique value proposition.

Murtza: In iJuror's first year on the App Store, what single user acquisition strategy worked best?

Scott: I've found that developing relationships with legal technology writers worked really well. The novelty of the iPad and the use in the legal space converged to create quite a bit of buzz.

Murtza: What user acquisition strategies have not worked?

Scott: I've found that paid acquisition on social media was not very successful. Attorneys seem to trust information that is in publications they are familiar with and word of mouth is very important.

Murtza: How has your marketing strategy for iJuror evolved since you launched iJuror?

Scott: Since iJuror has launched I've no longer used paid acquisition on social networks and have focused on cross promotion within my other apps. For example iJuror and iBillable Hours both include links to the other app and if a user finds value in one app they are more likely to download the other app.

Monetization Strategy for iJuror

Murtza: How do you make money with iJuror?

Scott: iJuror is a paid app at this time and will continue to be so for the near term. In the past I experimented with In App Purchases but they did not seem to work well in this market. The simplicity of the one time purchase is something that is appreciated by busy legal professionals that don't have the time to be frustrated by In App Purchases.

Murtza: How did you choose the $19.99 price point?

Scott: iJuror has fluctuated in price between $9.99 and $29.99 during the years. It was initially $9.99 and I experimented with raising the price to $19.99 and noticed that demand didn’t change so I kept it at $19.99 for some time. Then I tested out changing the price to $29.99 and noticed demand dropped so I moved the price point back to $19.99. One thing that would be great is if Apple made it easier to A/B test prices but that’s wishful thinking.

Future of iJuror

Murtza: You created a spinoff version of iJuror called “iJuror - Stickies”. What was the strategy there?

Scott: iJuror Stickies was created as a simplified, customizable version of iJuror. The app was designed to be much more focused on text and allow attorneys to type whatever notes they’d like rather than using iJuror’s drag and drop interface

Murtza: What's next for iJuror?

Scott: This year I’m evaluating refreshing the look and feel of iJuror to be closer to the flat design that is currently popular. I’ve planned on doing this for some time but customers really seem to like the current look & feel so I’m definitely weighing my options without alienating any supporters that iJuror has had for years.