Getting an app idea is easy.
How many times have you found yourself looking at something – an event, an issue, or simply a situation and – thinking how easy it would have been if there was an app for that?
Such instances have led to the creation of many millions of apps that are operating in the stores today.
But how to put a filter on your closet full of ideas? How do you validate your product ideas’ feasibility? How do you answer ‘Is my app idea any good?’
This is where your search ends – the search to know the right app ideation process.
Let’s start the article by discussing what to do with an app idea by getting acquainted with the seven stages of the app idea validation process – something that sets the basis of any and every mobile application development company process.
The Seven Stages of Mobile App Idea Validation
Validating an app idea to ensure that it fits with your future goal is something that cannot simply be attended to in some pointers. There are three seven different parts and rather phases attached to it.
Here are the seven steps to verify your app idea –
Phase 1: Finding an app idea
The first step is to find an idea to turn it into a mobile application in order to validate it. Until and unless you have a few innovative app ideas on you, checking up on its viability will be out of the question. But how do you get an idea? Where should you head out for inspiration?
While it is true that some of the best performing applications today were inspired by real-life challenges, it will be a little boastful to assume that the same would happen to you, and you too will get a real-life problem’s solution, although it’d be awesome if you do!
But in case you don’t, here are the ways you can gather some inspiration for your mobility business:
-
Monitor the app stores thoroughly
Start by making a list of your most preferred app categories where you would like to make an entry eventually. Once you have a list ready, review the top applications in there. See what features they have, what is missing, what innovative features you can offer in your application, etc.
-
Go beyond app stores to app review and listing websites
After you have studied the top-ranking apps in the stores thoroughly, move on to looking into the app rating and review websites – the ones which contain the details of the new launches and businesses entering the domain you’re interested in. The ratings and reviews will help you understand your new competitors and tailor your product as per the needs of your target audience. It will also help you see if you can take these businesses on mobile.
-
Attend meetups
The next activity that you can do to get ideas when you are at a stage of a blank slate is attending meetups and conferences where entrepreneurs meet to discuss their ideas and find potential people who might be interested in backing their ideas.
These meetups are more often than not a well of information and ideas waiting to be brought to the mobility space.
-
Check who is getting funded
The last tried and tested way that helps in getting inspiration is seeing who is getting funded – knowing the industries and business models that are now getting attention will give you a clear notion of app idea testing and where the future lies. A piece of information that you will be able to use to place yourself in it.
Phase 2: Researching the viability
Once you have a basic idea of what app category and type you would be interested in to enter the mobility domain with, the next stage comes – checking whether the idea validation framework is even viable in itself. This is one of the most crucial steps.
Everything from your business’s future to the justification of how much your app costs depends on the amount of research you put into checking your application’s validity in the market.
This phase is what our article is based on. So, we will be looking at it in much detail sometime later.
Phase 3: Analyzing the market fit
The next step before you enter the mobile app development process cycle would be to analyze what the market would demand from your application.
This stage would mainly deal with two things – your app’s feature set and its business model. Make a note of your competitors’ features and see which all you can combine and put in your one application.
Phase 4: Creating MVP
When you know about your rivals by analyzing the existing applications, acquiring the genuine need of your target audience by studying the market, and hearing the problem areas of the users,; you are totally clear in your mind about the application that you will create and features that you will add.
After getting to know the basics and the requirements, you need to consider making a minimum viable product. Make a completely functional MVP and send it out for testing with just the main features to see how it functions in the real world. It will also give users an opportunity to participate in MVP development. Users can leave comments and feedback about their experience with your app, telling what functionality they would like you to add to your product.
At the very start of your product development process, you have enormous flexibility, so you are able to continue tweaking until you receive the ideal response. For a successful MVP development, hire a product development agency that can help bring your app idea to life.
Phase 5: Creating a digital prototype
When you are finished with all the phases, then you have a reasonable idea of what you are going to create and thus now it’s time for the formation of a mobile app digital prototype. Models characterize the flow of design and how it will function before the development of the application. When your prototype is prepared, you can do iterations to test the effectiveness of your mobile app and roll out the necessary changes in the design stage to avoid iterating the complete application development cycle and saving time too.
Phase 6: Finalizing design creation
After all the phases are finished and all things arranged, you are simply required to draft the last mobile application design, and voila! Your application is in the market providing you profits. The design needs approval by the customers who will utilize it, however, a design sprint can help you in such cases if getting customer approval is hard for you. Start by testing the design by three or four users, getting feedback from them, and executing on the feedback. After this, you can dispatch a beta version by permitting only a few customers to join and sign up, and get insights about their experience to make the end result and launch your application.
Read more about fund my app idea