The 5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Building an App

If you’re thinking about launching your digital product, chances are, like any founder, you have doubts and uncertainties. After all, you’re about to invest time and money in a product that could either become a huge success or a spectacular failure.

In a world where many people improvise as entrepreneurs, it’s wise to start with a head start. At Mabiloft, we have decades of experience in developing and selling digital products. We’ve seen all kinds of web and mobile platforms come to life, with varying results: some started from brilliant ideas but struggled to generate revenue, some solved problems that nobody really had and therefore no one was willing to fund, but most importantly, some succeeded.

After years of observation, we decided to launch Sprint Check. It’s our way of giving back to the network that supported us when we were starting out, and also of helping others avoid a trial-and-error process, guiding them from the start toward the best approach.

What is Sprint Check (and why you should care)

Sprint Check is our completely free consulting service for anyone planning to create a digital product (app or web platform, and more). What does it consist of? First and foremost, questions—lots of questions—that need answers.

We ask you to reflect on your current situation, the resources you have, and the market needs you’re addressing. This is done through a questionnaire, which you can find here.

But your time won’t be wasted: once you provide us with a general overview of your product, we will deliver a complete report highlighting your strengths and areas that might be critical. No pre-filled answers: our business analysts will prepare it specifically for your situation, providing insights tailored to you.

You’ll also have the opportunity to speak directly with our business developer, Max, who will ask for further details about your answers and give you a broader perspective on the next steps to launch your product.

In short, Sprint Check is the ideal way to get a head start before entering the market with your digital idea. Identifying gaps early and adjusting your strategy will help you reach your customers in the best possible shape.

What to Ask Yourself Before Building an App: 5 Key Questions

While you wait for your Sprint Check results, what can you do to understand whether it makes sense to develop your product? Start by asking yourself these fundamental questions. Each one will help you determine whether there’s room in the market for your app or if it’s likely to be forgotten.

Who is your product for?

The first thing to clarify is your target audience. Indirectly, the real question is: what problem does your product solve?

Having a clear answer is crucial for problem framing: it identifies the exact area your app operates in and helps you understand if it’s a product that people actually need.

The correct answer is also the most specific one. Take Tablo, one of our most successful products, as an example. It’s not enough to say that “anyone” could be an ideal user for this app, which allows people to create and join tables to meet new friends.

Even though, in practice, the app will be used by people with different backgrounds, it was originally designed with a very specific target in mind: people who want to make friends in a city they’ve just moved to—such as students living away from home or professionals relocating from their hometown—people who are starting to socialize again after a breakup, and in general anyone going through a life transition, as founder Paolo Bavaro explains in an article for Italia Economy.

Knowing the problem and who experiences it is also the best way to determine which features to prioritize, because it lets you understand the needs of those who will actually use your product.

How will your product generate revenue?

Many great ideas fail because one of the most important questions is overlooked: what business model will you adopt? In another article, we discuss in detail the various ways you can fund your app.

Thinking from the start about how to financially sustain your product is necessary to ensure users that their needs will continue to be met in future updates, and also to avoid running out of resources before the product even reaches the market.

Sprint Check can help you with this too, identifying the best way to monetize your app based on your audience and the resources you already have.

Who are your competitors?

Asking about competitors might seem obvious, especially if you already know of other apps that do the same thing (or if none exist). But the underlying question is: who else solves the same problem?

Sometimes the answer may be less obvious than expected. For example, an app that digitizes textbooks for university students may face little direct competition—but students might satisfy the same need through less obvious channels, like Telegram groups for exchanging study materials.

In short, when you ask yourself who your competitors are, you’re really asking what alternative systems exist to solve the same problem.

Have you verified that your idea really works?

How do you know if you’re heading in the right direction? Naturally, by testing. You need to ask yourself: how can I validate my product?

There are many ways to do this, depending on how far along your project is: from surveys targeting your population, to reduced versions of the final product, PoC or MVPs that allow users to try the innovation your product brings.

To learn more about the best ways to test your idea, we’ve written an article on how to validate an idea, detailing the steps needed to be prepared for the digital market.

Who will work with you and support you?

Look around. When you embark on an entrepreneurial journey, it’s important to surround yourself with the right people. Ask yourself: who can you count on?

Even though many founders try, only a minority access programs like incubators or accelerators, and mentorship is often lacking. This is exactly why we created Sprint Check—to provide knowledge exchange and guidance.

It’s also important to rely on the right team, whether internal or external, who not only performs tasks but adds real value.

At Mabiloft, when we develop a digital product, we build a relationship of trust with our clients and work in partnership. We care about the product as if it were our own and aren’t afraid to give our opinion—even when it differs from yours. We don’t just “write code”; we believe in regular discussions and full transparency to build a solid, trusting collaboration.

If you think we could be the right team to develop your product, contact us with no obligations to discuss it.