How to launch your app

The foundation of every success story is a solid plan. Use the following ten steps to ensure that you get your app launched on time and within your technology budget.

1. Define the customer and industry pain points — Your app needs to solve a problem to succeed. Before starting the development process, make sure you fully define what pain your app is removing for your end-users.

2. Test the market — Don’t fall for the “mother-in-law feedback” trap! When building a world-class app, you need as much information as possible, so double down on gathering data points through testing early in the process.

3. Concept and plan — If you want to build a house, you never start by buying the building materials and tools first. You need a plan that has been designed by a professional engineer to guide the construction process. Apps work the same way; work with a team of professionals like the team at OutCode to help you get your plan right from the start.

4. Wireframe your app — Sticks come before bricks! Like building a house, you must frame the house before adding the components that increase comfort and aesthetics. Having the right wireframe will allow developers to build a better app with the option of scaling with the growth of your business.

5. Test your wireframe — Before adding the bells and whistles in preparation for going to market, it is critical to make sure everything works.

6. Minimum viable product (MVP) — An MVP is a version of your app with just enough features to be usable by your first customers, who are typically beta testers (individuals who provide feedback for future product development).

7. Design — This is typically the fun part of the process, but once you know you have a successful program, you can begin improving your app with aesthetics and enhanced functionality.

8. Plan to execute and track acquisition, activation, and engagement — How will you know your app launch is successful? Build into your plan useful tracking metrics to inform your progress and future development.

9. Deploy app — This is your first full market launch. At this point, you should be prepared to scale with whatever demand you have laid for the foundation.

10. Grow and improve — Building a successful app is like raising a child. You will always be looking for ways to better support and enhance it. So, make sure you are committed to the process when you begin.

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