Are you a tech-entrepreneur preparing for a launch? You might be eager to get your product off the ground, but Brandon Watts, writing for Entrepreneur.com, believes it’s important to slow down, take a deep breath and make sure you’re really ready to launch.
Watts insists that the following eight questions should be part of every tech-entrepreneur’s checklist:
1) Is it unique? It’s a crowded marketplace. Although you might like think of your product as being special, is it really unique? Users will need a compelling reason to choose your product over existing options.
2) Does it solve a problem? Watts comments: “If your product doesn’t improve people’s lives in some way, then it can be hard to get their attention.
“On the other hand, if you can solve a pain point that consumers have, then you’re making something they want before they even know about it. The best way to figure this out is just ask. Determine your target market and talk to them.”
3) Is it attractive? Consider front-end design as well as back-end development. Your product will be judged on its design and it needs to be attractive to be taken seriously, insists Watt. If you’re on a tight budget, consider graphic design marketplaces such as 99designs.co.uk.
4) Can you understand it in five seconds? People are impatient – they need convincing within five seconds, so you need one or two descriptive sentences and images to get their attention and convince them to take a closer look, whether you’re using your own website or an app store.
5) Will people tell others about it? Watts advises: “Your users are your best sales team, so make sure that they’ll want to talk about what you’ve created.”
SOCIAL FEATURES
He adds: “This can be accomplished by making something that’s interesting and enjoyable to use, but it can also be accomplished by building social features into the product that make it easy to share content and successful product experiences. Get influencers and loyal customers on board quickly.”
6) Will users keep coming back? Getting people to try your product is only the first step. You need to add features that users will want and need regularly.
7) Is it ready? There is always the option to continue developing after launch but you need to make a good impression, so don’t release it too soon. Make sure it works properly without bugs.
8) Would you use it? Watt suggests: “Put yourself in the shoes of an average person in your target market and try to determine if what you’ve created would be interesting to you. If you wouldn’t use your own product, then how can you expect others to use it?”