Mobile Engineer POV : Validate Your Ideas ASAP
This is the Second Article of the article series “Mobile Engineer POV” and today Im sharing my experience about validating a business idea. This topic came to my mind after one of my friend who is a startup founder called me. In our conversation we discussed how my friend succeed his business but another close friend(who also a startup founder) failed. Below Im sharing one reason out of several others, the importance of validating your Ideas.
Ideas are everywhere! But here’s the truth that most great ideas never become reality. The winners? They’re the ones that get tested, challenged, and improved from day one. A common practise among those that succeed is the practice of validating ideas early and often. This approach not only saves time and resources but also ensures that what you’re building truly meets the needs of your target audience.
Let’s talk about a tech startup(cannot say the name) that aimed to revolutionize the way people interact online. With a team of talented engineers and funding, they spent years developing a feature-rich platform behind closed doors. Confident in their vision, they launched with great fanfare. However, the user response was worse. The platform was buggy, complex, and didn’t address the actual needs of its users. Without prior user feedback, the company had invested heavily in a product that missed the mark, at the end, leading to its downfall. This scenario shows that building a product in isolation is risky. Without early validation, you might overlook fundamental flaws or misalign with market needs. The lack of user feedback can result in wasted resources and missed opportunities to pivot or improve.
Now take a look at different approach of another startup(Asked for the permission but didn’t receive a reply mail at the time Im writing). They launched a minimal viable product (MVP) within a few months and invited a select group of users to test it. These early adopters provided feedback, pointing out bugs, suggesting features, and highlighting what they found confusing or unhelpful. The team iterated fast, refining their product in alignment with user needs. This cycle of feedback and improvement led to a successful launch and a product that genuinely resonated with its audience.
Strategies for Validating your ideas
- Build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) allows you to test your core idea with minimal resources. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to demonstrate the fundamental value proposition.
- Engage with Beta Users which means inviting a small group of potential users to try your product. Their insights can guide crucial improvements and help you understand user behavior.
- Conduct Surveys and Interviews helps in getting direct feedback through surveys or interviews which can uncover user needs and pain points you hadn’t considered.
- Implement A/B Testing which tests different versions of features to see which performs better. This data-driven approach can inform your development decisions.
- Use analytics tools to track user interactions. Understanding how users engage with your product can highlight areas for enhancement.
Working in isolation can limit your perspective. Collaboration brings diverse ideas and prevents tunnel vision. Even if you’re a solo entrepreneur, getting feedback from mentors, peers, or potential users to broaden your understanding.
Validating your ideas isn’t a one-time thing — it’s a long adventure! Think of it like tuning a guitar. You can’t just set it and forget it. Markets change. Users change. Your product needs to dance with those changes.
Testing your idea isn’t just smart, it’s survival. By staying curious, listening to your users, and being brave enough to pivot, you’re not just building a product. You’re building something that truly matters. Don’t get stuck in your own head. Get out there, test, learn, and keep moving. Remember, it’s far better to make adjustments early than to invest heavily in a direction that doesn’t resonate with your audience.
“The path to success is paved with early feedback and constant iteration.”
