From Idea to App - Is it Viable?

Is It Viable?

In our case, whether the app idea is commercially viable isn’t the main point—we’re here to focus on building it technically and showing the coding and design work behind it.

However, it’s still valuable to discuss the key considerations before starting an app. Many people think that having an idea is enough to guarantee success, but it rarely works that way. Hundreds of startups face closure because they didn’t properly assess the market, costs, and feasibility before diving in.

With millions of apps available, users are already spoilt for choice. To stand out, it’s crucial to understand the market: who the competitors are and whether there’s a real need for your app.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

For an app to bring value to a business and eventually turn a profit, it needs to offer something unique to attract customers, especially since there are likely already many options available for similar problems. This doesn’t mean inventing an entirely new concept—sometimes, it’s about improving on what’s already out there. Do something a bit different, a bit (or a lot) better for the users.

If you don’t have any competitors, that can actually be a warning sign. Others may have already tried to execute your idea, but the solution may have been either too costly or didn’t offer enough value to users.

Having competitors usually means there’s a market for your idea. Many businesses worry about competition, but it’s actually a good indicator that there’s demand. In fact, some of today’s largest companies started out facing strong competition but succeeded by doing small things better.

It’s important to stay realistic though; don’t aim to take on billion-dollar companies right away. Instead, focus on creating a solid, useful product that meets your users’ needs in a unique way.

There are many ways to “be different,” and some of the most basic ones are:

• Offering similar value at a lower price
• Providing added value for the same or higher price
• Specialising for specific user needs
• Improving user experience, like faster performance or a more intuitive interface
• Providing better customer support or post-sales service
• Integrating seamlessly with other popular tools

Is It Doable?

Let’s say you want to create a task-list app that uses AI to automatically generate tasks by scanning browser history, calendar entries, and even camera or microphone inputs. This could be a unique feature, but building it presents some challenges:

• Privacy – For instance, iOS limits app access to browser history and continuously accessing the camera or microphone has strict limitations.
• Laws and Regulations – Data privacy laws like GDPR can affect how you collect and store user data.
• Cost – Processing large files (like audio or video) and training AI models is expensive.

While the idea might have potential, the practical hurdles make it unrealistic.

Beyond the technical feasibility, other business considerations—like financial planning, market size, and revenue generation—are essential for long-term viability.

Here, as we mentioned before, our primary focus is on building the app effectively from a technical standpoint.

Fail Fast

While it may sound pessimistic, what it really means is to put the product in front of your customers, get their feedback, and adapt to it, then repeat the cycle as fast and as cheap as possible. More iterations mean a more perfected product.

Imagine this as checking your GPS just before every turn instead of glancing at it only once an hour. If you only look every hour, you might find you've gone miles off course, wasting both time and money to get back on track. In product development, each bit of feedback serves as that quick GPS check, helping you stay aligned with what customers actually need and want. The more frequent the adjustments, the closer you get to an ideal product without veering too far off course.

Fast iteration doesn't mean sacrificing quality though; it's about implementing only essential, user-requested features properly, in the simplest, most reliable way, avoiding unnecessary extras that add minimal value.