We had a chance to speak to Tho Pham , the App Creator at Tho Pham about Photo Tales - Create photo stories with your kids

Could you share a challenging factor of the development or marketing process?

The challenging factor for me in developing and marketing the app is the fact that I am approaching the entire process as a parent and not a business. From the very beginning of the app creation, my focus was "quality time" with my kids. The app had to be simple to use with children and no interruptions. When you open the app, you will notice no "pop-up" adds. There are no adds anywhere in the app. The only money made from this app is from the purchase of additional stories that you can choose from. I do not try to trick you into buying anything. I even give you the first story free to try to see if you like the app. The marketing process is the same way, I contact schools, learning organizations, and parents groups with a simple email that gives them a description of the app and I invite them to try the app.

Do you plan on releasing your app to other platforms as well?

Ideally, I would like my app to be available on all the platforms, that way every child can have access to my app.

If you could describe your app in ONE word, what would it be and why?

special

Were there any unexpected surprises post-release of your app?

I didn't expect the app to be downloaded worldwide as fast as it did.

What features do you hope to roll out to your app in the future?

I would like to have a "save to file" feature, as well as a "print" feature. I would also like to be able to draw on the entire story and not just the photograph area. I definitely plan to have many more stories as well in the future in many more languages.

What is the coolest or most innovative feature of your app?

The coolest thing about my app is the fact that it allows the user/users to make creative stories. You can make the story the way you want. The illustrations can be whatever imaginative thing you can come up with and photograph. You can choose different word options to make whatever you want for a story. I think that's cool, because what's more fun than creating your own story?

What is your favorite mobile app to date and which have inspired you?

As a parent to little kids, all my apps have been kids apps, so I will have to go with Scribblenauts. I was inspired by Scribblenauts because I noticed that my kids would ask me to spell words with them to reach their goal.

What was your main objective or motivation for creating your mobile app?

My goal for creating the app was to make something fun and educational that I can do with my kids. I remember how much fun it was to read books with my parents, and I wanted my kids to experience that. Unfortunately, kids today have less interest in reading books and more in gadgets like smart phones and tablets. So why not incorporate both those things and make something really special that parents can do with their kids or teachers with their students.

You can view Photo Tales - Create photo stories with your kids here