How to Validate an App Idea?

Finding the right idea before you start developing your mobile app is crucial for its success. 

However, it is not the only elixir in the mobile industry. Along with an app idea, there is much more that needs to be done for getting a fruitful product as a result.

After finding the right app idea, the next step in mobile app development process is to validate it.

Idea validation is as necessary as food to the body. It’s crucial that you go through the idea validation procedure. Else, you could end up dumping cash into something that won’t give you any return on investment.

A number of entrepreneurs think that their idea is great. They tell a few close ones about it, take suggestions, start developing the app and fall flat. The reason behind it is they don’t pay heeds to Idea Validation.

It is crucial to stop early on developing an app if it isn’t going to generate a viable business for you. 

But, How to Validate an App Idea?

Here is all that you need to do before starting the development of your dream project.

1. Search and Know Your Audience

For whom you are developing the app? “For everyone” isn’t an appropriate answer here.

When you develop an app, you do it for a specific audience. You need to collect insights about your audience for targeting them effectively and for finding whether your idea is a valid one or not.

For example, let’s assume you are planning to build a grocery application. No doubt, your target audience would incorporate almost all individuals belonging to different age groups. 

But, since grocery shopping is to a great extent connected with homemakers, your particular spotlight would be on ladies living in a specific region or state. However, you can’t state that only ladies are your potential customers as men, children (above a certain age) and others as well utilize these apps to purchase things. 

So, you need to go with a more extensive perspective and approach as it is a profound exploration. Once you know who your audience is you can prepare your reports on their likes and dislikes.

2. Find Out Major Problems of Your Audience

To make an application that people will utilize every day, you’ll have to get inside the minds of your audience. You can do this if you follow an ideal mobile app development process.

Find out what baffles them the most about the issue they’re confronting? What solution  are they as of now trying to solve the problem? Are there related issues that need to be fixed? How do they describe their problems? What are they searching for in a perfect solution? 

The more questions you pose, the more you’ll get to know about their needs and the better you’ll meet them in an excellent manner. 

To get this required information, go through the comments in social media groups. You can also get valuable insights by taking interviews with a few people from your target audience to know them better. 

3. Find Out Your Competition

Once you know who the application is for and what issues your target audience is confronting, you must figure out how to appeal to them with a solution. Try not to jump ahead and begin launching any marketing campaign at this stage. 

In our last steps, we found out who the app is for and will it solve any problem to make the user’s life easy.

Now the next step is to check whether some other organizations have already solved that issue, or possibly attempted to. They failed or are doing good? Where are they lacking?  

The best way to find the same is by browsing app stores. Research the competition and read reviews of users on your competitor’s apps.

You will surely have some competition. Also, there will be other individuals who are trying hard to get into this space too, much the same as you are. 

However, don’t let that scare you. There’s nothing wrong with a tad of competition. What number of pizza shops are in your city? There’s always space for more than one to be successful. 

This goes with the app world as well.

Facebook was running pretty well when Instagram came with almost the same but a few unique features. And what happened is the history – created by none other than Instagram. Have a look at How Instagram Works.

You’ll just need to find a way to position yourself with an advantage of the competition. What makes your app stand out is your USP and you should focus on that to disrupt the market.

4. Create a Minimum Viable Product for Testing

After you are done with the initial three steps, you should have a complete understanding of your target audience and their problems. In case you’re as yet sure that your idea has potential, it’s time to create an MVP.

What Is an MVP Now?

MVP stands for Minimal Viable Product which is a fully-function model of your app with core features. You can plan a soft launch using it to test the waters. You’ll need to build only the core features that are meant to solve the essential pain areas you’re focusing on, so you won’t invest heaps of cash on testing. 

The application will work simply like the real one, but it won’t have every one of the features you’re planning to add eventually. 

Once you get hands-on your MVP, you can release it out in the market. Along with sharing it on social media groups and forums, you can get the message out to your network and request them to share the application with your target audience.

Also Read:  How to Build a Minimum Viable Product?

5. Create HYPE About Your App

You can create hype about your product either before or after you make your MVP. In case you need some extra confirmation that there’s a market out there that is eager for your application before you build it, create a hype about it – develop landing pages, run a coming soon campaign or use social media. Do whatever it takes to make people excited about it.

These marketing campaigns should be simple and clearly tell your app’s unique value proposition in just a line or two. As a perk, once your application launches, you’ll have a list of prospects ready to go, giving you a kick-off on marketing your app.