You may have heard this statement; ideas rule the world. That phrase is accurate in many ways. The world runs on ideas. If you think about it, virtually every action is inspired by an idea. Ideas are essential when it comes to building mobile apps. The strength of your initial idea can propel your app to success. On the other hand, an ill-thought-out idea can be the very reason why your app fails. Therefore, developing your app idea is just as important as ensuring there are no errors in the app coding.

There are millions of apps currently available, and more are being released every day. As of the third quarter of 2018, there were 2.1 million apps on Google's Play Store and nearly 2 million apps on Apple's App Store, according to Statista. What's more, many of these apps do the same thing. This means your app has to contend with millions of competitors for the same set of users. The quality of your idea is what will determine if your app stands out in the market or gets swallowed by the competition. With that said, let us look at a few benefits of taking the time to process and fine-tune your app idea.

It Gives You A Sense of Direction

One of the main advantages of taking the time to develop the initial idea for your app is that it will give you a sense of direction. This is not only important in the beginning stages but all throughout the lifecycle of your app. It will allow you to determine the target market you are trying to reach, your competitors, the goal of your app and how to get there.

A study by machine intelligence platform CB Insights revealed that one of the top reasons why apps don't succeed is failing to pivot quickly. Up to 7% of the 101 apps analyzed in the study failed because they took too long to change directions after making a bad decision. Laying out the idea for your app in full detail from the very beginning provides a roadmap to guide your decisions.

It Allows You to Attract Financers

Millions of startup apps have failed because they couldn't get sufficient financial support. This is not only related to mobile app development but virtually every other field. Every developer wants investors to pump funds to support their app ideas. However, that doesn't always happen. This is one of the most common reasons why mobile apps fail. But what do you need to pitch your idea to investors? Well, you need a clear-cut idea and a realistic plan to achieve it. So, we're back to the question of laying out your app idea from the very beginning.

Taking the time to iron out your app idea puts you in an excellent position to create a great business proposal. This, in turn, increases your chances of being able to convince investors and getting funding.

It Will Enable You to Identify Potential Roadblocks

Another important reason why you need to work on your initial app idea is that it will help you identify potential challenges that you may face down the road. There are many potential roadblocks that app developers need to consider such as legal restrictions, geographical issues, and even technical problems. This is one of the things highlighted in the CB Insights study about why mobile app startups fail.

Developing your initial app idea will put you in a good position to identify potential challenges that you could face down the road.  This means you can plan for those roadblocks and figure out a way to deal with them before you even start to confront them.

Key Takeaways

Ultimately, the conceptualization of your initial app idea is the very first step on your journey. And it very important to take this step on a proper footing. There are many other advantages of laying out your app idea in detail apart from those mentioned above. For example,

a. It allows you to develop a strong brand identity from the start.

b. It will help you to identify and understand your audience.

c. It will enable you to identify your competitors and determine how to get the upper hand over them.

d. It will help you to create a solid monetization strategy.

e. It will allow you and your team to stay focused and avoid distractions.

f. It will allow you to perfectly time your release.

g. It will allow you to create a winning business model and marketing strategy.

Your app idea is everything, and it must not be taken for granted. According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the quality of the idea behind an app is more important than its market valuation. A well laid out app idea is worth billions. However, without the support of a solid idea, an app that is valued highly today may be considered less valuable a few years down the line.