Mistakes startups make when developing their mobile product
Tags: startup, mobile, explainlikeimfive
Published: 2019-06-06 08:48:54

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title: Mistakes startups make when developing their mobile product
published: true
description: If you’ve ever worked at an early-stage startup, then I’m sure you know the feeling – your mobile app, a concept you’ve been working intensely on for many months, is finally entering development phase. Things are starting to feel very real business-wise, aren’t they? To help you make this a productive and informed process, we’ve listed some of the most common startup mistakes in mobile app development.Take a look! 
tags: startups, mobile, explainlikeimfive
---

If you’ve ever worked at an early-stage startup, then I’m sure you know the feeling – your mobile app, a concept you’ve been working intensely on for many months, is finally entering development phase. Things are starting to feel very real business-wise, aren’t they?

On the one hand, you’re pumped from all the excitement. On the other, you might also be feeling intimidated by the extent of the project. Especially, if you’re new to the mobile app development game.

To help you make this a productive and informed process, we’ve listed some of the most common startup mistakes in mobile app development. These are:

Mistake #1: Not verifying market potential

Setting up a mobile app for success requires a lot of effort up front, in the inception stage. Before you make your decision, verify your app’s potential on the market thoroughly. There are many ways to do this: focus groups, market research surveys, or consulting a professional agency, to name a few. If you don’t determine that your app addresses a genuine need on the market, you run the risk of failing.

Mistake #2: Not establishing (or respecting) MVP

For some startup founders, understanding which features are absolutely critical for the first version of the app, and which fall into the “nice-to-have” category, can be pretty difficult.

Here’s where working with an experienced mobile app development team will do wonders. Speak to your team about organizing a so-called scoping session before they start working on the app. The expected result should be agreeing on an MVP – a list of critical features necessary to launch a first working version of the app.

But what about all those unexpected circumstances that might push you to consider updating your MVP halfway through? Before you insist on any changes, keep in mind that they can potentially disrupt the entire development process. This may translate to delays and – sometimes – also wasted financial resources.

Mistake #3: Developing your app on too many platforms

Sometimes it’s worth focusing on one platform at the initial phase of your startup. There is a whole plethora of successful mobile apps that started only on iOS or Android. This is likely because market research showed that potential users were using one platform more than the other. Speak to your CTO or the software house you’ll be working with – they’ll surely advise you on a solution that is most effective and fitting.

Mistake #4: Micromanaging (or neglecting) your developers

As a startup founder, you might feel tempted to stay in touch with your team 24/7, which oftentimes can be counterproductive and draw your developers’ attention away from tasks. Conversely, you might be so confident that your team is handling everything well that you won’t see the need to show up to meetings. Speak to your team about the frequency of contact that will be most beneficial for the development process.

Mistake #5: Not paying attention to app analytics

Once the app goes live, a lot of early-stage startups make the mistake of focusing their entire attention on App Store reviews, all the while underestimating the role of app analytics. In fact, monitoring app performance, user behavior, and install and retention rates (among many other factors) should all be treated as detrimental to product development in the post-MVP phase. There’s a whole array of analytics tools on the market – ask your team to determine which will be the best solution for your needs.

Summary

To summarize, learn from the experiences of others. With the above startup mistakes in mind, you’ll avoid many time-consuming obstacles. This, in turn, will let you focus all your efforts on working towards a successful app store launch. Good luck!

Originally published at [brightinventions.pl](https://brightinventions.pl/blog/)

By Mateusz Klimczak, Pushing things forward @ Bright Inventions 

[Twitter](https://twitter.com/Klimczak_M), [Email](mateusz.klimczak@brightinventions.pl)