App building / 2 min read

Journey of building a mobile app - common sticking points

By Graham / August 23, 2024

Common sticking points

We have been to many painful client meetings where the company cannot make a decision on an app. They know they need one, but they cannot agree on a product or a price.

It’s like watching a family having a pointless argument. It’s clear to an outsider what they need to do to move on.

The biggest sticking point is always price. They usually cannot tell you what it is worth to them.

Under questioning you can get to a number they agree is too high and one they consider too low. Great – let’s just write down what’s in between and test that on the market - see also on Linked-In https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7223987035953332224/ 

Then its functionality. Some people have a clear and deliverable vision, others are completely unrealistic. Apps become magic boxes with super-powers.

There’s an easy way to resolve this as an outsider. You get all the key decision makers in a room and make them vote on ideas. At the end there are winners, the essential functions on which they are all agreed.

(We save thousands of hours of emails, internal meetings and side-step political factions and loud voices with this process. It pays for itself many times over.)

Sometimes the decision is then stuck on something completely irrelevant – which partner, platform or technology is the right one to go with.

The answer is obvious to everyone other than those in the room. Look at yourselves! What can you NOT do? Your partner or solution needs to fill that gap.

Finally, there is an elephant in the room that every single company seems to overlook. Where is the data coming from?

The app has to do something, right? Is this a programme that runs in the app, or have you already built that – and where does it run?

Are we tapping into existing engineering or building new engineering?

If its new, then it may be 80% a backend engineering scope and just 20% app to deliver the shiny new interface.

Your app partner should be able to guide you through this. It’s where we usually start because it defines the core of the app project.

If you feel a family squabble coming on, or you are already in the midst of one, each out. We can usually bring order and calm to the room and help you make some positive decisions.

Let’s build something amazing together!