At the very heart of what we do is learning. Yes, we build amazing mobile products for amazing clients, but central to that is learning from both our successes and failures.
So, as we wrap up 2020 and look ahead, we want to leave you with five powerful lessons we’ve learned over the years. Consider them our gift to you.
1. Define your user before you even think about design
Many products fail because the people building them don’t spend enough time early on understanding who will actually use them. That’s why we spend so much time understanding market fit for our clients and then reaffirming that fit throughout design, development and beyond.
Learn tips for developing a product people want.
2. Don’t measure success by the number of downloads
People can quickly download an application—and just as quickly abandon it. It’s critical that you understand what your users want, and then provide the user experience and features that will keep them using it.
Learn how to build user loyalty.
3. Start with an MVP if you want your product to succeed
You can waste so much time and money trying to “finalize” your product before you launch. It’s important to understand that truly successful products are never really finished. That’s why we encourage our clients to release an MVP, a strong product with solid functionality and core features, first. That way you can learn what actual users want and need before you spend money fine-tuning your product.
Learn more about the benefits of releasing an MVP.
4. Create a roadmap for your app development project
Scope creep is a real challenge for many teams, and it’s almost always the result of not having a solid plan in place. Outlining detailed business and technical requirements for your development team helps to ensure they create the product you want, reduce delays and eliminate the cost of rework.
Learn five steps critical steps to take before you send a project to your design team.
5. Think about growth well before you launch
Growing your product—that is finding loyal users—shouldn’t only happen after development is done. In fact, at Rocket Farm, we start thinking about growth on Day 1, when we begin to understand market and product fit. Then we build, test, learn and build better to continuously improve not only the product, but also the marketing and sales strategy around the product.
Learn our six-step process for growing your product.
While we have so many more lessons to share, those are definitely the big five. If you have a concept you are ready to take to market, we’d love to talk with you about how our approach has helped organizations big and small do just that (read several of their stories here). Or schedule a no-strings-attached consultation now.
Rocket Farm has big plans for 2021, starting with a major website upgrade. Plus, we have plans to share loads of new, informative content, so make sure you follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
Until then, we wish you the happiest of holidays! Here’s to a prosperous New Year!
The Rocket Farm Team
