Develop minimum viable product for android app idea

Developing a minimum viable product for an android application within the shortest possible time frame and minimum development cost is not easy. But I found three rules that help my team to create MVP in constraints.

I received an inquiry for developing a minimum viable product (MVP) for an android application idea at the end of last month. The client wanted to invest a good amount in development. I, however, took the chance to learn more about his requirements before stating any estimation.

You want to develop and release an android application as fast as possible. Time passes quickly in the Internet age. The idea becomes obsolete within six months of time frame. Other companies may create the application using the more or less same idea.

Sometimes, I couldn't resist developing an idea because of its freshness and uniqueness. And sometimes, the idea is similar to - more or less - other applications that we created in the past. In this case, I do not look deep for requirements and convey my estimate. Because we can easily reuse much stuff from old applications and my team doesn't need to learn new concepts anyway.

But the idea was unique, and I had to dive deeper and found many new features. Anyway, I planned the minimum viable product development and released the application within 15 days. Interesting. Wasn't it?

Yes, the answer is very simple and straightforward. I used old golden rules for software development and modified them for android application development. The modification was only for creating a prototype or minimum viable products. 

Core feature integrations

Every android application has some core features that differentiate it from other applications. And if its core features do not work then, users will not accept it. And may give a negative rating on the Google play store.

Remember, the application's core features require more time than any other features because of their uniqueness. And sometimes development team needs to learn new things before starting any development.

But, my strategies for developing core features are different. I don't involve my team in creating these features right away. We sit together and discuss the possibility of integrating third-party libraries. These libraries give some of them, and then we develop custom adapters that bridge the gap between application features.

Don't get wrong using third-party libraries. I integrate them only to develop minimum viable products so that clients don't need to invest a large sum of money for custom features. This way client can see his idea as a working android application. And if he gets more funds or investment then, we return to develop custom features on our own. And this time, we don't use third-party libraries.

Serverless back end

Most android applications can't survive without a back-end system. An Android application collects information from users, and then these need to store somewhere. The back end provides a custom data source and its accessing API.

But, it takes time to create a back-end API. And increase the development cost because the client also needs to purchase or rent a back-end server or hosting.

Firebase is here to save us.

The Firebase provides all required features like user authentication and the NoSQL database. We can use it to collect all the information. Furthermore, Google provides support for it and releases its libraries. And we can easily integrate it into an android application.

It reduces the development time and helps us to release an application in a quick time.

Moreover, it is easy to export the data from Firebase, and then we can import it to any other database server or back-end system in the future.

Minimize custom user interface design

The User interface is the second most sought feature after core features. The client doesn't want his application to look similar to other applications.

I, however, believe in inbuilt user interface design in a minimum viable product. It takes time to create a custom user interface that supports across different devices. And therefore, the rule to use a default user interface becomes more significant. 

Sure, we can create styles for the default interface, and that makes an application looks different. In the future, when clients have sufficient funds and an application finds its market, then we can start customizing many user interface designs.

You see above three rules helped me develop a prototype quickly, and the client was able to release an initial application to beta testers. Now, he is planning to take it to VCs to generate funds for further development. I am sure he will receive the investments.

I feel happy whenever my team and I finish an application within the shortest possible time frame. It makes everyone happy as well.

You can also remember the above rules whenever you develop a minimum viable product for an android application. Or you can ask the development team to follow the rules.

Alternatively, you could hire our android development services, and I will be happy to assist you.