Building apps as a team — things I learned the hard way
I am usually the product guy who specialize in mobile apps. But these points are usually not that specific to mobile apps.
On Goals
Goals are generally accepted and widely understood, but they mostly exist as an on-paper concept. The word “goals” is also slowly becoming a cliché. However, it took me some shameful moments and humiliations to truly understand the need for goals.
🤝Mutual understanding
It is crucial that everyone in the team, including the marketing team and engineers, mutually agrees on the goal. The goal must strike a sweet spot where it addresses user needs and business objectives. It should not be ambiguous; it must be very clear. (I have seen three products I worked on being delayed and eventually discarded due to misalignments in the stakeholders’ goals.)
🧭Clear strategy
Following the goal requires a clear strategy. The team needs to understand how the current solution will impact the goal and what might come next based on possible outcomes.
🚀Actions
The team needs to quickly agree on the plan and proceed without fearing failure. They should adopt a hypothesis-driven development approach for a fast and effective path to the final product.
On Product
User-centric product solutions have become the standard. However, most companies address this by simply hiring a UX researcher and designer. A user-centric solution is not just the responsibility of the UX team; it is a mentality that the whole business must adopt.
👥 Correct Feedback
It is important to get accurate feedback from the right people who represent the target audience. The feedback should also be honest. We should not worry about not getting the result we want. It is best to avoid getting feedback from experts, evangelists, and enthusiasts during the early prototype stages.
👥 Balance
Users are important, but so is the business that is sponsoring the project or product. We are not solving problems for just one side; we are mostly balancing the solution by building good relationships with both sides. (I usually stay out of business objectives in my work, but my lack of interest in that area becomes a weakness when I start my own business ventures.)
💯 Action
Even though feedback is very important, it is not as useful if no actions are planned afterward. We must be very clear about what comes next.
👍 Qualitative approach
Qualitative approaches, such as speaking, observing, and interviewing 5–7 people, are better for getting feedback on early-stage products. A quantitative approach requires a large sample size to get reliable answers, which means significant resources like time and money are needed. This approach is more suitable when the product is already successful and needs to be optimized for greater success.
On Teams
⚙️Systems Thinking
It’s easy to get lost in titles and roles, and who will do what. We shouldn’t limit what we create based on our roles, titles, or departments. It’s better to solve problems as a unified team.
🎨Design Systems
The existence of large, impressive design systems might suggest that we need to invest significant time in building something similar. However, it doesn’t have to be a grand, ambitious solution from the start. We have to start small. Design systems are created for efficiency, not to add pressure.
👨💻 Extends to code
A design system works best if that is built together with engineers.
📏 Rulers not containers
Design systems are not intended to limit creativity but to streamline processes. They should be flexible to accommodate better solutions as they arise.
🧑🎓Continuous learning
Continuous learning is not just learning. It is a mindset that you are a student at all times. It works best if the entire team fosters this mentality.
⏰Time-bound
Deadlines are not time-bombs but reminders. Without a visible date in line, it is easy to get lost in brainstorming, aligning and agreements.
🔬Avoid mirco-management
Delegate responsibility to team members and trust them. If we already have agreed on the goal, we should not interfere with them until the time for feedback has come.
On Growth
This is an area I completely neglected, and it dealt the biggest blow when I started building my own apps. Even if you don’t aim to be a unicorn startup or achieve massive wins, neglecting growth can seriously undermine your confidence.
🚀Growth strategy
It is really important to get the first working product right. But it is equally important to have a good growth strategy when that happens. Even if we are focusing on working solutions first, we should have some sort of plans for the growth of this product.
❤️Loyalty and trust
Human relay feelings and give recommendations on products all the time. It might look like it is too early to build this but once a person feels something about your product, it is really difficult (or very costly) to change his mind again.
💼 Know how to sell
Even with the best sales guy, there is a big difference in selling something you believe in and selling something you don’t know. It is really important to onboard the marketing, sales and customer support team why you made the product.
💰 Money is not the only one
Growth isn’t solely about increasing daily active users and paying customers. While revenue growth may be a primary objective, expanding in areas such as brand loyalty, trust, and values is equally crucial. (I have designed a program as per business objective which is to grow revenue. But we somehow couldn’t get the desired result. We later found out that the program is not working well because we lack growth in other areas we thought spending money is a waste of time and money)
One final thing..
I always believe it is important to have fun building apps. I will already be at a disadvantage when I start my idea with pressure and stress. It really reflects on the end product.
I hope I didn’t misuse your time reading this. I hope these points are helpful for you.
Hello, I’m Presto! 👋 I’ve been obsessed with mobile applications since the start of Android and iOS. I enjoy writing my observations on how apps impact our daily lives.
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