How to Effectively Validate App Ideas in 5 Easy Steps

Hi! I’m Shivam and I run a company of 60 innovative individuals called Volumetree. For over 4 years, team Volumetree has helped our customers to successfully validate app ideas and launch ground-breaking products in record time. 

In my last blog, I spoke about how you could effectively pen down your business idea into a working business model. This blog moves a step further and explains how to validate your startup idea or app idea.

Why is business idea validation important for a startup?

Because it is easy to build a product around demand, but it is very difficult to build demand around a product. Additionally, every startup must know how app prototyping can help a validate startup idea. If you’ve ever had an amazing app idea, chances are that you either put that idea on the backburner or you may forget about it entirely—until you find that idea in the app store a few months later. 

This happens to everyone—and has happened to me on more than one occasion. However, I used these incidents to learn more about how to effectively validate app ideas, which is what Volumetree is all about. Startup idea validation can help you start with validation instead of app prototyping as step one. This is essential to test business idea viability. 

The first step is often the hardest. I help my customers and friends take their first step with confidence—after which the process of transforming an app idea into an actual product becomes easier.

5 Easy Steps to Validate Your App Ideas

Here’s what you need to do to ensure that you transform your next big idea into an actual, tangible, viable product:

1. Check if you’re reinventing the wheel

   You may think that you’ve got a great idea, but chances are that an app for that already exists. Do your research before you decide to jump the gun. If your idea already exists as an app, don’t worry! Use that app as a starting point by being a customer. Find ways to improve the idea and see if you can meet the “underserved” needs of their customers. If you believe that your idea can improve on what’s already on offer, move to step 2.

2. Talk to people

   Every great idea needs honest feedback to help you figure out if your idea is actually as great as you think it is. If everyone else disagrees with your opinion about the idea, maybe it is a good time to get back to the drawing board and reassess your idea’s viability.

   Market research is a great way to find out more about your target audience and their likes and dislikes. Create a survey for your audience and see if they cannot do without the core features of your app. Talk to as many people as you can. If most people believe that your idea is indeed worth working on, move to step 3.

3. Create an MVP or a Minimum Viable Product

   An MVP or a minimum viable product helps you test the waters before you take the plunge. Creating an MVP, a working proof of concept with just the core features that satisfy the ideal use case is a good way to ascertain if your customers will actually use your app. 

   An MVP will also help you to know how to test startup idea. Ensure that you create effective MVP testing strategies to get a better product out in the first go. 

4. Build your brand identity:

   If all goes well with your MVP and your idea seems to be a success, it is time to build a success story around it—fast! You must keep in mind that the app world moves faster than you think. Your groundbreaking idea might already be a part of someone else’s idea train. 

   • Make sure you choose a great name for your product and get a domain to match it. 
   • Create a landing page for your product that is targeted to attract and drive traffic to your app. 
   • Ensure that you have a social media presence on every relevant platform. This will also help with your SEO. 
   • Write blogs about your product and post them on your website and third-party websites to promote it. 

   
   Once you have the marketing systems in place, start leveraging these resources to build a community of users who promote your app. Remember—word of mouth is faster than any advertisement. 

   Note: If your product is an invention or has groundbreaking tech behind it, it might be a good idea to find a patent attorney who can help you to patent your tech.

5. Create a long-term customer acquisition plan

   Remember, a business plan or a product without customers is not worth anything. A customer acquisition plan is crucial for investors, stakeholders and partners. This might be the first question that you’re asked in your investor meeting.

   Find the answers to the following questions:

   • How will I get my first customer?
   • How will I grow my active users to 100, 1k, 100k, or 1mil?

   
   It is very easy to get carried away by your idea. Do not fall into the imaginary problem trap. If no one else has thought of this problem, you might want to drill deep to figure out if there is actually a problem that needs fixing. 

I often advise my clients and colleagues to listen rather than talk. This means that if you listen to your potential user base and understand what their real needs are, you will end up with a better version of your idea on the drawing board. At Volumetree, supporting entrepreneurs is a habit for our teams. Our startup MVP development teams are geared to help you understand if your idea will actually make it in the app world. 

Do you have an idea that you think will bake and slice bread better than anyone else? Let us know. Our master idea bakers can help you figure out if you’ve got the ingredients right!