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App stores are full of various solutions aimed at attracting as many users as possible. With so many competitors, creating a new app and presenting it to the market is a complex task for both business analyst and developers. There is always risk and expense associated with launching a starter product.
There are no guarantees, and you should be aware of it. With so many startup failures out there, it’s better to be safe than sorry. There are many approaches that can eliminate the headache. Focus on the pre-development stage to avoid pitfalls and optimize your development effort later.
What is app idea validation?
To put it simply, it’s the research that collects information about the idea. This information helps predict whether an app will perform well, who the users will be, and how it will make money. It’s like testing the potential of your product in the market.
One of the most popular approaches is to create an MVP. It is a product that only covers the basic functionality of the final solution, which allows you to have a more precise understanding. You can look at examples of minimum viable products to predict what this will look like for your application.
Why is it so important to validate an idea for an application?
No one likes to put their resources and time at risk. You can forget about attractive designs or features if no one needs your product. As market trends and user needs change so rapidly, validating app ideas helps companies ensure that the public will be interested in their future app.
What’s the best way to validate an app idea?
Answering this question is more complex than it seems. There is no one-size-fits-all approach that will ensure that your idea will be demanded by a large target audience. You need to pay attention to several processes that will give the desired result only in conjunction with each other.
7 effective tips to validate an application idea
Here are some tips that will help you effectively validate your ideas. Keep in mind that this is a complex process and there are many aspects that you need to pay attention to.
Is my app fixing a problem?
This is the very first crucial question you need to ask yourself before you start creating a product. This is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to validate an app idea. For example, Facebook allows us to stay in touch with our old friends and acquaintances. Google gives instant answers to all of our questions. You need to determine the purpose of your solution and how it will make your customers’ lives easier.
Creation of prototypes of personas
Proto personas are not the same as standard personas. The advantage of a proto persona is that it does not require in-depth analysis. On the other hand, less fidelity is needed. It is an optimal solution to save time on pre-development processes. Their creation is a very intuitive task based on the opinions of the members of the project team.
While being created without any research, the team can adjust proto personas throughout the development phase. The bottom line for proto personas is to help identify the needs and requirements of the target market.
Describe the customer journey
Many companies overlook this step when building their solution. If your goal is to validate an idea, the app should have a defined process of interacting with customers that ends with a purchase. You have to put yourself in the shoes of the users and go all the way from first impression to purchasing a product or service through your app.
In this case, you have a clearer view of the interactions with your product. With too many steps, eliminate the insignificant and turn the process into a sprint. Keep in mind that this journey also requires updates, as features, goals, and user needs may change.
Build a minimum viable product
We discussed this approach above. It is a common practice used to reduce expenses and present a successful product focused on the needs of the audience. Its huge advantage is that the whole system is built around valuable user feedback. This means that you are testing basic functionality in a real environment. The more thoroughly you study the data received, the more efficiently your product will perform.
Competitor analysis is essential
Check out the top rankings in app stores. Maybe there are already solutions for the same problem. Always think of the competition as an integral part of the evolution of your application. Try to learn as much as possible about your competition. If they have any flaws or performance issues, you can provide a better experience with your solution.
Carrying out user interviews
Despite the many analysis tools available, the most comprehensive way to get the necessary feedback is to directly interview users. In this way, you can receive as much information as possible about the users and validate your concept. You should prepare the questions for your interviews in advance.
Create a list of essential and additional questions, be sure to write down or record each point, and separate positive and negative opinions. Keep in mind that these talks should take place as early as possible in product development, as they can shape the entire process.
How big is my target market?
Your app idea may not be suitable for all customers. We recommend that you create a list of keywords related to your app idea. Then study the number of people interested using the Google Keyword Planner or similar tools. The more people look for them, the better. If you are limited by a particular area, the keywords should be more specific.
Final thoughts
Turning an application idea into reality takes time and money. Many companies believe in their ideas so much that they neglect the critical process of validating ideas. It puts everything in danger. We hope our article has clarified how to validate your app idea and helped you make smarter decisions about your product.
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