This is how you build an app that people actually want to use

The problem with most apps

They solve a problem that doesn't exist. Or they solve the right problem, but in the wrong way.

After building hundreds of apps, we've identified the pattern. Here it is.

Step 1: Talk to 20 people before writing a line of code

Not your friends. Not your mother.Real potential users.Ask them:

• What is your biggest problem in [area]?
• How do you solve it today?
• What would you pay for a better solution?

Step 2: Build a prototype in 1 week

Not a perfect app. A clickable prototype showing the flow. Show it to the same 20 people.

Step 3: MVP with 3 functions max

The hardest decision: what to donotbe with. A good MVP does 3 things perfectly — not 15 things half-baked.

Step 4: Launch to 100 users, not 10,000

You don't need viral growth on day 1. You do100 users who love your appand tells others.

Step 5: Measure retention, not downloads

Downloads are vanity. The only thing that matters:are people coming back on day 7?

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The secret ingredient

The best apps solve a specific problem, for a specific group, in a specific way. Wide = dead. Slim = success.