Validate a mobile app concept to increase fan engagement (2017)
Key Technical Insight
“Hybrid” mobile apps driven by web technology instead of native mobile benefit from the speed, flexibility, and reduced cost of web, and enable real-time app updates on the fly for all users in the MVP phase, making the solution ideal for rapid and inexpensive live prototyping and testing of new mobile app concepts.
Solution Architecture
Hybrid mobile app for Apple and Android using app wrapper and web application built using PHP/Wordpress. Given the resources and skillsets, this was the quickest approach to enable iterative improvement of the app within a single app store release.
Validate a Product Concept
I led a cross-functional, agile team through the product design and development process with several iterations of design, prototypes, and rapid development resulting in an MVP mobile release on the Apple Store and Google Play.
Defining Assumptions
I first helped the client define their core assumptions and the primary business case; they believed music fans want a mobile app dedicated to a single, smaller artist with features such as rewards points and gamification that would create new revenue opportunities for the company.
Market Research
To gauge market interest we experimented by driving traffic to A/B tested funnel pages via ppc ads and the artists’ social media accounts. Initial response was promising, so we decided to create a lightweight prototype of the product concept to get more informative user feedback.
Prototyping
We ideated and sketched possible solutions for the mobile app, settling on a core set of features we might release as an MVP. After several rounds of wireframes and higher fidelity designs I created a clickable prototype in Axure.
Usability Testing
We enticed some fans to remote test the clickable prototype, and again there was a generally favorable response on the overall concept, though we gained an essential insight: fans are mostly interested in opportunities to connect with the artist in some real way, as content is easy enough to come by. We iterated further on ways to enable that artist/fan connection through the app.
MVP
The client wanted to invest in a mobile application, but there were still a lot of unknowns and we had limited user feedback, so I recommended we consider starting with a hybrid mobile app; we could more easily create a working prototype using web technologies framed into a shell of a mobile app. This would allow them to release the app to the general public quickly via Google Play and the App store, and update the apps later to true mobile or more advanced hybrid app later once their MVP was validated.
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