MVP development: How to validate your app idea?

Have you ever wondered how people came up with business idea for big apps like Uber, Airbnb, and Facebook years ago? How did they know their app idea was good and dare to pursue it? On the other hand, how many times have you encountered a problem and thought it would be great if there was a mobile app to solve or speed up the process?

Many people come up with ideas when they're not actively thinking about them, as they arise from their own needs or timely recognition of societal needs. However, few dare to realize their app idea because they are discouraged by stories of failure and a lack of information about the entire app idea validation process and then implementing it into a functional app.

How to know if your app idea is worth the try?

One of the biggest mistakes startups make is not collecting user opinions and not doing proper market research before diving into MVP app development. They start from the assumption their idea is exactly what users need and begin full-scale development. By the time they realize how costly and time-consuming it is, it becomes too late since they skip the first step - validating the idea through MVP development (minimum viable product).

Therefore, if you already have an app idea but are still wondering if other people need that app as well, start by thinking about whether that is one of your potential customers' pain points.

Try to answer the following questions to see if your mobile app idea has potential:

1. Try to look at your app idea from a distance and another user's perspective, and ask yourself whether you would use the app even if someone else made it instead of you. Why yes, and why not?
2. Is there already a similar existing app? If yes, what unique value does your app idea have that differentiates it from potential competitors? If not, is there a reason why nobody dared to create an app like this? Maybe it is hard to find an ideal customer or there are better startup ideas?
3. Is there a demonstrated demand for this type of app, and what evidence supports this demand?

What do we mean by saying "app idea validation"?

The app idea validation process includes several stages crucial to ensure app viability and potential success. It is not rare that people skip some stages to speed up the process, but that results in missing valuable insights, not validating the startup idea effectively and maybe missing relevant user group.

To minimize risk and potential costs if things don't go as planned and you realize too late the product doesn't fit the market and target users, we advise you to carefully go through all 5 phases of the app idea validation.

Phase 1: Initial market research

Make sure to understand the pain points of the problem you want to solve, it will help in shaping the idea and app features. Then, analyze the market and do competitor research to see if similar apps already exist. Also, be aware of the changing industry trends and be flexible to adapt to the changing needs of your target audience.

Phase 2: User testing and feedback gathering

While they are two different procedures, user testing and collecting feedback for an MVP (minimum viable product) are connected. Both are essential for the product's continuous improvement and idea validation, but they have different goals and involve different methods.

User testing

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It involves evaluating MVP with real users and watching how they engage with the product. The goal is to identify UX/UI problems, understand user behavior, and make sure the app functions as expected. Common methods of user testing include:

1. Usability testing: Observing users as they complete specific tasks to identify any difficulties they encounter.
2. A/B testing: Comparing two versions of a feature or interface to see which performs better.
3. Beta testing: Releasing the MVP to a limited group of users outside the development team to gather initial feedback and identify bugs.

Feedback gathering

Feedback gathering involves collecting users' opinions, suggestions, and experiences with the MVP. The goal is to understand user satisfaction, identify desired features, and gather insights for future development. Common methods of feedback gathering include:

1. Questionnaires and surveys: Asking users pre-structured questions to gather input on features and satisfaction.
2. Interviews: Having in-depth discussions with users to learn about their points of view and hear recommendations.
3. User reviews: Analysing ratings and comments left by users on feedback sites or app stores.
4. Analytics: Using tools to gather information on user behavior, such as where users stop using a feature or how frequently they use it.

There is also a way to test your app idea even before investing in MVP development. This tool allows you to choose the industry your app belongs to and customize the design, colors, tab layout, and functionalities accordingly. Everything is completely free. You can read more about it here.

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Phase 3: Build an MVP

Find a trusted company for mobile app development to help you with your mobile app idea validating by building together an MVP. It should focus on solving the primary problem and demonstrating the app’s value.

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What is an MVP (minimum viable product)?

As the name says, it is the minimum feature your app needs to be viable and able to collect user feedback. The MVP allows the development team to validate the app idea quickly and cost-effectively, reducing the risk of building a product no one wants. MVP development contains only the most basic functionalities, making it cheaper and less time-consuming to develop the first version of the application. Therefore, it is important to find the right MVP app development company that provides MVP development services to start gathering feedback and upgrading the app on time.

Why is MVP app development important for startups, read here.

How long does it take to build an MVP?

The time needed for developing the MVP depends on many factors: app complexity, size of the development team, core features, technologies used, and more.

On average, MVP app development typically takes from 2 to 6 months. If you decide to go with modern cross-platform frameworks for developing your app, like Kotlin Multiplatform, Aetherius team can guarantee your MVP app development in less than 2 months!

In case you are still not familiar with cross-platform solutions, this blog can help you get more informed and make the final decision regarding your MVP development: Kotlin Multiplatform vs Flutter: what should startups choose for their app development?

How to measure success after MVP?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), approximately 20% of new startups fail during the first two years. To ensure your app is not among them, you should have various indicators to validate the app idea and determine how well the product performs and whether it’s achieving its intended goals. Track the number of active users, their actions through the app, time spent, and conversion rate. Evaluate if the MVP achieves its goals in terms of user satisfaction, engagement, and adoption. Also, check the position of your MVP compared to competitors and industry trends.

Phase 4: Analyze and iterate based on feedback

As mentioned above, after launching an MVP, you should make future app development decisions based on collected feedback. It's pointless to put effort into releasing an MVP version of the app if you don't know how to properly analyze the collected data and use it to further improve the mobile app idea. Look at key performance indicators (KPIs) such as user retention, conversion rates, and user satisfaction and you'll know if the initial app idea was good.

Phase 5: Complete product launch

When your app idea validation is done through the MVP and iterative improvements, you are ready to launch a full product. Apart from complete development, pay attention to marketing and promotional efforts to reach a wider target audience. App promotion implies targeting users through social media, email marketing, and paid advertising. You should also finalize the app's branding and positioning, including a compelling app store listing with optimized keywords, engaging visuals, and clear descriptions. Finally, monitoring app performance and user behavior on the target market post-launch is essential to make necessary updates and improvements, ensuring the app idea is a successful solution that meets user expectations and remains competitive in the market.

Read more: Monetization Strategy: How to Make Money from Your Mobile App

What is the crucial thing to remember after launching an MVP?

Don’t think you finished with idea validation after MVP app development! The truth is you need to be agile now and act quickly to enable your app to run smoothly. It is all about fixing issues as fast as possible in post-launch, not focusing on launching a zero-bug app.

Find an MVP app development company with an agile development approach that allows quick adjustments based on market feedback and changing user needs. An app can become safer and more stable by identifying and resolving serious issues early on. This reduces the chance that more users will abandon your app or leave negative reviews.

Also, now comes the part where you need to think more about how to start earning from your app as soon as possible and begin monetization. There are many ways to monetize an app, but it's crucial to create a good monetization strategy to avoid the opposite effect: users leaving the app because of it.

Learn more on How to build a revenue-generating app.

Planning to build an MVP?

Some say the most complicated part of turning your idea into an app is actually the development of the MVP itself - from defining the main purpose and core features to finding the right MVP app development company, and correctly interpreting analytics and analyzing user behavior.

The biggest challenge is finding a balance between the time and money you are willing to invest. The majority of startup founders in 2025 choose to outsource a team to develop their app so they can focus on strategy and business growth (Read).

To save money and get an app of the same quality with fewer development hours, they mostly choose Kotlin Multiplatform as a solution to get both iOS and Android apps. This approach to MVP app development reduces development costs by about 40%.

Now that you know all this, feel free to contact us to launch your MVP together. We'll be here to customize it based on user feedback until it becomes a No1 application in the market!

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