So You Wanna Build an App...
Custom-coded solutions are overrated.
Too many entrepreneurs blow thousands (or millions) of dollars building an app that flops.
Silicon Valley culture glamorizes the idea of just hacking together a concept and launching it on the app store with the hope it will go viral.
But the truth is, your app ain't gettin no traction til you put in THE WORK of validating your concept with real human beings!
CW: this hilarious & informative clip from the TV show Silicon Valley contains adult language
Seasoned app designers ALWAYS test and validate concepts BEFORE cementing them in code.
First, we validate that:
your app is solving a real user problem
that problem is experienced by lots of people
folks are begging for a solution to that problem
your app solves the problem well
your app is easy to use
If your app doesn’t tick all of these boxes, DO NOT hire a coder. You're not ready.
In the early stages of testing your app idea, it’s wise to choose a platform that enables you to change screens on the fly as you get feedback from real users.
The way I see it, you have three choices for building the first version of your app:
Nocode tools! ✨
Cost: $ cheapest
Pros: lightning-fast to build, requires little to no dev support to ship a working prototype, you can ‘make it real’ with a bit of dev help on the integration side, publish to custom domain, eventually the app store
Cons: limited customization, won’t scale long-term
Web dev platforms.
Custom app development.
For example: a custom-coded React Native app
Cost: $$$ expensive
Pros: fully-custom solution that will grow with your business, the ‘pro’ way to do it
Cons: slow and very costly, minimum $15k if not more to ship your MVP, expensive to iterate since every change requires dev support
If you’re an entrepreneur with a limited budget 💛 I wholeheartedly recommend starting with Adalo. This is a truly amazing tool for designing, testing, and launching the first version of your app with no coding experience whatsoever.
If you've got cash to spend 💸 hire a professional app designer through Citrine Labs. We offer affordable a-la-carte strategy sessions, and full-service app design packages to handle all the design, strategy, and testing stuff for you.
User testing will make or break your app.
Professional app designers ALWAYS recommend running usability tests with potential customers to validate feature ideas and ensure the app is enjoyable to use.
Professional product strategists NEVER launch an app before thoroughly testing it in the market to validate that the app solves a real user problem and that there is genuine customer demand.
+ Read up on task-based usability testing
Test, iterate, repeat ∞
