dos and don'ts for developing your app
TRANSCRIPT
Tech 4 Non-TechiesDos and Don’ts for Developing Your App
10 practical tips for
testing your app concept
Based on our experience...
Building software for a variety of clients:
Enterprise platforms e.g. Dividend Finance, McKinsey, Standard Textile
Non-profits e.g. Teach For America, Imagine H20
~60 startups across various industries
Doing this without coding, as MBAs without technical backgrounds
(1) Before the build
Do:
Work in a space you have intimate knowledge of, and passion for
Don’t:
Pursue a clever idea for a “this for that”
(1) Before the build
Do:
Commit to iterations with fixed timeline and budget
Don’t:
Commit to a single product vision
(1) Before the build
Do:
Spend time developing the few first customers first
Don’t:
Be everything to everyone
(2) Scoping your app
Do:
Plan the Data and Flow objects - just like you describe things it in real life
Don’t:
Start with small picture e.g. one page and work backward
(2) Scoping your app
Do:
Build Wireframes
Don’t:
Build Mockups
(2) Scoping your app
Do:
Research existing sites
Don’t:
Think from scratch
(3) Design and build
Do:
Build Responsive Web Apps
Don’t:
Build Native Apps from the start
(3) Design and build
Do:
Leverage external services (e.g. email/SMS, customer support, payment, artificial intelligence)
Don’t:
Build it all from scratch
(3) Design and build
Do:
Limit yourself to 3 colors, 3 font formats, and equal spacing/padding
Don’t:
Get creative with formatting
(3) Design and build
Do:
“Build for Granny”: minimize clickable elements, create a single flow
Don’t:
Overload users with information exceeding their attention span
Useful No-Code Resources
Making wireframes - myBalsamiq
Design guidelines - Google Material Design
Building apps without code - Bubble
Integrating with services - Zapier, Blockspring, RapidAPI
Also check out:
Startup Stash - a good list of tools to use across all mvp aspects
Product hunt - Many curated lists of layouts, designs, specific tools
Thank YouQuestions ?