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Applying lean startup principles to mobile app development.
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Hello
Hands-on Entrepreneur and Tech Executive.Now: Building fun, engaging apps at Levitum.
Past: Multiple startups. One Valley IPO. One exit.Polyglot. Android + iOS + Python.
Program Chair, Droidcon India (2011-13).Built apps with > 2 million downloads, 4+ ratings.
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Are You a Lean MobileStartup?
Arvi Krishnaswamy
Not all Flappy Endings
The average app expends 9-12 man months of effort. #factThe average app gets < 1000 downloads. #fact
~22% of downloaded apps are opened just once. #fact
An Untold StoryVijay has this great idea for an app. He spends the next 6
months over nights and weekends building the app. He thenpublishes it to the Play Store and gets friends & family to
download and check it out. All of them say the app is nice.Vijay celebrates, and starts to plan on ways of planning aroadmap, monetizing the app, and growing the user base.Downloads quickly climb up to 500. But then, they slowly
taper off. They flatten at around 1000. Frustrated, he tries tomake the app focused on a niche, and explores freemiumand in-app ads. As more complexity is added, the existing
active users leave. Vijay keeps adding new features hisfriends suggest, keeps trying to polish the user experience.
But he is unable to find users for his app.
What can we learn fromVijay's story?
Vijay built an app no onewants
Vijay built an app no onewants to solve a problem
no one had
Stop wasting time & startreally learning
Key Lean Principles1. Entreprenurship is Management2. Build a culture of Experimentation & Iterative
Development3. Stay close to your customer. Focus on Early Validation &
Learnings4. Eliminate Wasteful Effort5. Build - Measure - Learn
Start by asking the rightquestions
What are the rightquestions?
Who is your target user?What is your core value proposition?
If your apps main differentiator is experience, what isthe core unique experience.
What are the major leap of faith assumptions you aremaking.How can you validate these assumptions?
A Prototype is anExperiment that helpsValidate Assumptions
Prototype for EarlyValidation
Start with mockups or an explainer video. Or, even justpaper & pen sketches which you share with users.Separate experience related feedback from the core valueproposition
HTML5 prototypes with a degraded experience canhelp validate the core proposition.Early adopters are typically willing to work aroundteething issues.
Adopt a concierge approach.
The POP app.
How would you build anOla Cabs app MVP?
Do ThingsThat
Don't ScaleYes, you read that right. Counter intuitive?
Accrue technical debt, and assessthe importance as a hypothesis
requiring validation.
Measure EarlyFocus on the core use cases, nail them first.Focus on first time experience initially, but measureengagement early.A/B test right from the start.Choose a platform carefully
iOS has more early adopters, and a paying community.Android has no review process, smoother alpha/betadistribution mechanics.
Set up end to end cohort analysisInstead of Google Analytics, consider Localytics orMixPanel.
Get Out Of The Building!
Meet users, observe them using your app. Ask openended questions (Why? How?)Blind test users using your app. Get their permission toscreen record their interactions. Review it with them, andprobe to understand their thought process.If you have competitors, have the users blind test yourapp and theirs, and ask for feedback.
Challenges in ApplyingLean Principles to MobileLimited flexibility with Alpha/Beta channel distributionBig Bang App Launches = Higher Rankings = BetterDistributionAbility to push out updates quickly (iOS)Lack of mature technical frameworks to support CI,cohort analysis, A/B testing.
Anti-PatternsBuy cheap, targeted users that help validate yourhypothesis. F&F are cheaper, but not useful.
Anti-PatternsConsider launching your experiments under differentcode names on the app store.Once the experiment is over, direct those users to yournew MVP with a new code name.Users of the new MVP will not see the old app and itsratings.This greatly derisks your 'big bang' app launch.Another possible idea - launch your app in arepresentative country (Australia, for instance) beforepublishing it in the U.S.
Key TakeawaysAsk the right questions.Talk to your users.Establish a rapid Build - Measure - Learn loop.Be honest with yourself.Avoid wastage.
Bonus - How would youbuild an Instagram app
MVP?
Bonus - How would youbuild a DrawSomething
app MVP?
