Developing a new product without performing market research will end up being a disaster more often that it will end up being a success. The most common reason for this is that the market just isn’t interested in what you are offering. The MVP approach to app development basically involves designing a prototype rather than investing large sums of time and money into a fully developed app. This basically enables you to gain feedback on your idea, without the consequences of developing something that isn’t needed.
In this article we’re going to explain how to successfully use the MVP approach in app development.
Simplify
The first thing you’re going to want to do is simplify the process. This is not the time to include all the bells and whistles you want your final app to contain. Instead, think about the most important features that will give your app a successful launch and focus on these. It can help to list all of the features and give them a number of importance from 1-10. Consider how valuable the feature will be to the user and also how complex it will be to incorporate in your design. You can then focus on including only the most important features as part of your app.
Choose a Good Company to Outsource To
Unless you personally have experience in mobile app development, you’re going to want to hire a company who can prototype your MVP. Competition in both the Apple store and the Google Play store is huge, so you want to make sure to work with a company that won’t create a buggy, glitchy mess. Not only will this tank your app the second it’s released, but it will cast your company in a negative light as well.
Ideally, you want to work with a team that has worked on prototypes before, and that has the experience required to create a successful app. A new company may be cheaper, but that’s likely for a reason. Mistakes aren’t forgivable in this industry and could end up killing your startup, even if the idea is a successful one, so don’t risk it.
Leave Time for Troubleshooting
Finally, you don’t want to release your MVP app before you’ve had time to thoroughly test it and troubleshoot any issues it has. Because of this, it’s vital that you leave your company, and your developers, enough time between completing the app and launching it to deal with any issues. You can run a small beta launch of the app prior to launching it to the masses. Ask those who test it to let you know about any issues, no matter how insignificant they may seem, so that you can make the required fixes prior to release.
Once your MVP is ready for launch, it’s important to use data analytics to see how successful the idea is and to make informed decisions on what to do for the second stage of launch. Reviews will also be well worth taking a look at, but the statistics will provide you with a more complete picture. Good luck!