How to figure out when your app idea is worth pursuing

When you have an app idea, it can be tricky to know exactly where to start and how to work out whether your idea has legs. Building the wrong thing can be incredibly expensive and waste valuable time, so how do you figure out if your app idea is worth pursuing?

This article looks at the common dilemmas faced by founders and companies at the start of their app journey and offers some advice on how to navigate them.

Do users really need our app?

This should be one of the first things you seek to answer. If there is no demand, your app can never be successful. A truly fantastic app should solve a user problem and bring real benefits to your customers.

Figuring out user needs can be tricky, but a good place to start is to understand your target customers’ pain points. You can then work back from these to map out how your app seeks to alleviate those pain points.

What are our competitors up to?

Figuring out what your competitors are doing and what is (and isn’t) working for them is an important step in solidifying your app idea. Having a deep understanding of what already exists in the market should help you to quickly validate your idea and ensure you deliver a product which will stand out.

This could be as simple as downloading your competitor’s app and taking some time to test and use it. This will give you a good feel for how well they are solving user pain points and where there might be opportunities for your app to do better.

Will it deliver the results we need?

It can feel impossible to try to project what your app might deliver in terms of revenue, user growth, and return on investment (ROI). However, this is often crucial in getting the final sign-off on your app project. Learn more about defining app KPIs.

Creating projections for a new app can be done by analysing benchmark data, previous performance and peer/category trends. You can then align these to your growth and market penetration targets to create goals that are ambitious but achievable.

We have a free tool, AppFlows, that can help you quickly scope your app concept. AppFlows includes a Growth Planner that uses real industry data to generate projected revenue and how many users you’ll need to reach your goals. This info is invaluable to have when you are creating a prospective marketing budget and plan.

What technology should we use?

Technology is changing all the time, and mobile apps are in their own weird and wonderful eco-system. It's vital that your app ties into your existing technology ecosystem and becomes an integral part of your organisational data, rather than a siloed dead-end. For guidance on technical decisions, see our guide to app development best practices.

You should also be thinking about how your app can take advantage of the latest advances in data, cloud, connectivity and AI to make it an even more compelling proposition.

How much will it cost?

Initial costs will usually focus on the investment needed to deliver a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Your MVP should not be the "cheapest product possible", nor "an app that we can release and be proud of". Your MVP cost should be based on building out the core features that will enable you to test if users get real value from your idea. For more information, see our UK app development costs guide or consumer app cost breakdown.

Contrary to what most online sources and agencies out there say, in our experience apps take a few iterations to get right. Understanding this is key to getting accurate costings together when validating your app idea. Early cost projections should include a budget for learning, research, iteration and tweaking.

We have a free resource that will help you understand the costs associated with developing a consumer app. Hopefully, you’ll find it helpful when planning your mobile app project.

What to do next

There are a few areas that are commonly overlooked by people new to developing consumer apps. Some of these can be quite critical because they affect everything that happens next. We’ve written a blog piece that runs through the areas you need to consider when planning your mobile app, which you might find useful.

The research and planning process can take time, but is a vital step. Solid, reliable data will help you decide make a decision as to whether building a mobile app makes strategic sense and is the right area to focus time, money and effort. For more insights, read about product discovery or our guide on validating app ideas.

If you're thinking about building an app, we offer some consultancy packages that can help you validate your idea and clarify the market opportunity. Check out our Mobile Strategy Process and Mobile Maturity Checklist. For direct support, we offer Sense Check as a light-touch option and App, Yes or No? for more in-depth analysis.

Further Reading

• Your App Blueprint - Expert guidance on refining your app idea
• Consumer App Development Costs - Understanding the investment needed
• Mobile Maturity Checklist - Essential checklist for app development