Make Something

Narrow it Down

What you have so far

- A name
- A short explanation of your app
- A feature list
- A list of the problems your users are trying to solve
- Your reason for doing this

Objectives

  • Think holistically; how do we get users, keep them, and get them to spread our app over time?
  • Think about the needs of your immediate users, and how to help them do the job they are trying to do
  • Understand the growth of your product over time, and how the value proposition can change for your users as you grow

Tasks

  1. Brainstorm potential first users and where to find them (4 minutes)
  2. Narrow down your first users (2 minutes)
  3. Map the User Journey for your first users (6 minutes)
  4. Which features are required for that user journey to be possible? What features are not required for the first versions of the app? (4 minutes)
  5. How big does your app grow? How does it grow from 100 to 1000 to 10000 users? (6 minutes)
  6. How would you explain your MRP in 60 characters or less? (4 minutes)

Tasks (with Instructions)

1. Brainstorm potential users and where to find them

Who could your users be? Where do they currently exist, what do they talk about?

Try to list as many different sources of where you might find your first users.

i.e. These might be competing sites, social networks (i.e. what facebook groups are they on, what instagram hashtags do they use, what subreddits are they on). They could also be potential ideas for blog posts, or guest blog posts, or ideas for generating press. How will people find you? How will you target your first users?

Your goal here is to list as many ideas as possible. Don’t be strict.

2. Narrow down your first users

From your list above, try to narrow down your first set of users.

This should be a group who has the same goals/problems they need to be solved, and should be easy to target. Who would be willing to try out your app? Who has a problem you have a solution to?

You want to narrow this down to a set of users who have a similar set of goals or needs, even if they might exist in different places (these will make up your first marketing channels later.)

3. Map the User Journey for your first users

Think about your first group of users.

Write “first users” on the left side of a sheet of paper.

In the middle, write a square with “download app” or “visit website” (depending on which you are making).

In between the user and the middle square, write all of the steps that have to happen or what causes them to take action. What makes them download your app?

On the right side, write down the steps that they would possibly take once they are on the app/website. Each page they visit or screen they see / action they take should be a separate box. What is the final outcome of the steps they have taken? After they have used the app for the first time, what problem have they solved?

Why are they going to use the app a second time? What problem are they solving that second time?

4. Which features are required for that user journey to be possible? What features are not required for the first versions of the app?

Based on the group you chose above, what are the main features your app needs to have? What problems does it need to solve to be useful (and worth downloading) for that group of users?

Another way to think about this is that you’ve just released your product for the first time, what is the first tweet you send out? If it’s a B2B product, what is your first cold email?

We want to think about your product holistically, and grow it with your user base. These most important features for the first version of your app is commonly referred to as an MVP (minimum viable product). I would suggest instead thinking of it as a Minimum Lovable/Beneficial/Remarkable product, because you want to make sure it is something that actually benefits your first set of users. In fact, your first release might not even be an app (it probably shouldn’t be!) This is what good marketing looks like — you want to lead with value, and focus on getting users based on the value you are providing.

5. Who are the second set of users of the app? What features do they need? What do you need the first users of the app to produce or do to attract more users?

Ideally, our first set of users will create more value for our second set of users (i.e. they could provide User Generated Content, or form one side of a two sided marketplace). If the second set of users is different from the first set of users, we may want to think about which features are necessary for the first set of users to create value for future users, or if the initial app is enough on it’s own.

For all features not listed here, add them to a feature set labelled “ice box”

6. How would you explain your MRP in 60 characters or less? (4 minutes)

Your MRP is something that will provide value to a user, enough so that they might share it with their friends or colleagues. Something that would help them enough that they use it on a regular basis, and that they would miss if it was no longer available.

Outputs

  • A list of users that we will target
  • A persona (based on user needs) for our first set of users
  • A user journey map for our first users
  • A short description of your MRP
  • A feature set for v1
  • A feature set for v2
  • A feature set labelled icebox