No matter what your idea is for an app, you have to understand this one fundamental question.
Does this solve a problem? Your software needs to be a solution to somebody’s problem for it to be successful and gain widespread use. Otherwise it will be just another app that gets lost in the noise of the internet.
For instance, do you have a better, cheaper and easier way on how to buy and sell Bitcoin? Then that would be an app that people would want to use as it solves a problem.
There is more to it than that, but it all starts there. In this article, I will go over several of the things you have to keep in mind when building your app or SaaS.
1 – Research, research, research
And then research some more. This is the most essential part of the process. You need to see if you have a market for your product and then if it actually serves the needs of your prospective audience.
First, start by understanding the biggest pain point that your ideal user has. Then, look around to see if there is already an app that addresses the problem already. You may think you have a unique idea only to find that there is already an IoT app developed by somebody else, for instance.
2 – Create an MVP
Once you feel that you have researched your market and have the right product, you need to make sure that it will float before you dive into it. You need a prototype, in essence, which is called a Minimum Viable Product, aka MVP.
Basically, this is the lowest denominator of the product that only has the most basic features that a customer would want. The core of the app is the focus which is whatever the main function is. Then a few other small add ons are included so people can see the potential for future use.
This is the first version to be rolled out with a marketing strategy to get it out to a wide audience. Then it is monitored to see how it does. If there seems to be some excitement around it then this is a sign that the next step can be started.
3 – Flesh it out
Now that there are people using the app and they are seeing the benefits, it can be finished with all the bells and whistles. All the extras to make it even better can be added on for people that have already downloaded it and as a package for anybody just getting on board.
This is a good time to add value that people will be willing to pay for. It’s at this point that the app will start making money as the MVP is usually a free version for beta.
The marketing at this point is crucial to make sure that people can find the app and understand exactly how it can solve their problem.