There are applications out there that can make you want to look at them for hours. They are beautiful, smooth, amazing pieces of art that seem like they were made by fairies, not programmers. They are easy to use, fantastic to recommend. They’re 100% perfect and you want your business to have one just the same – but different.
Here is your first hiccup: does your business idea resemble the one for the app in any way? Most of the time, you can find some logical connection between the fancy app you really like and the actual idea you’re trying to implement. Still, saying they “match” should be the work of a team of designers and business analysts.
Having a vision is a wonderful thing, but you need to understand that your dreams might not match the reality of the situation. You want something complex and filled with all kinds of tech; you want something that uses blockchain, or AI, or IoT or whatever buzzword somebody mentioned. What you need, on the other hand, is a two-part web app with a login form.
Naturally, once you have an idea, it’s hard to give up on it. Some people prefer thinking big and then working their way down to the MVP (Minimum viable
Whatever your style and whichever order you choose, you need to remember that the app you’re building needs to match your product and the audience it’s made for. This is easiest done in 2 very simple and clear steps:
1.Aligning your vision with the needs of the market
Call it market research, call it analytics, call it strategy: no matter how you name it, the first step consists of making the right application (or applications). This is a process that can take a pretty long time, but it’s crucial for any further development.
First you need a problem. Once you’ve found one that exists, you try and brainstorm potential ways to solve it. As soon as you have a bunch of ideas on paper, all you’re left with is figuring out which one to work on as your solution.
Now, at this point there are a lot of things that can go wrong. There could be better solutions out there or companies that already solved the problem the same way you’re trying to. You need to be fast and make your move before somebody else swoops in and gets all the credit.
If you have a problem clearly in mind and know exactly what kind of app you need to fix it, you only have one thing left to do: actually develop the app itself.
2.Deciding on your MVP
MVP - or Minimum Viable Product – is the first version of your app or software that you are aiming to get out on the market. Your overall plan can be for something complex and mind-twisting, but your MVP is exactly the thing that you need to get to your audience before your competitors and get them on board.
This no-frills version of your idea should be your first strategy, for multiple reasons. Not only is it faster and easier (ie. cheaper ) to make, it’s also a fantastic way of focusing your vision on the actually must-have elements rather than the fun-cool-wow factors.
With these two steps, you are sure to get your product out to those who need it with laser precision. Get ready, get set…
