Free Tool

Is your app idea ready?

Most app ideas die not because they're bad, but because no one asked the hard questions early enough. This takes about 3 minutes. No sign-up. No email. Just honest questions based on The Mom Test, lean startup thinking, and what I've learned working with real clients.

There's no pass or fail here. It's just a way to see where your thinking is solid and where it might need more work.

Question 1 of 12

Where did this idea come from?

This matters more than most people think. Subject matter experts build better apps because they've lived the problem. That doesn't mean outsiders can't, it just means you need to do more homework.

Question 2 of 12

How long has this been rattling around in your head?

There's no right answer here. Some great ideas hit fast. Some need to marinate. But if it's been years and you haven't done anything about it, it's worth asking what's been stopping you.

Question 3 of 12

Have you searched the App Store for something similar?

You'd be surprised how many people skip this. There are over 4.3 million apps across the App Store and Google Play. Go look. If something exists, that's not bad. It means there's a market. If nothing exists, ask yourself why.

Question 4 of 12

Have you talked to people who'd actually use this?

Not your friends. Not your partner. They'll tell you it's great because they love you. You need people who have the actual problem. And don't ask "would you use this?" Everyone says yes to be polite. Ask about their behaviour instead.

Question 5 of 12

When people describe this problem, what do they say?

The Mom Test principle: if they can give you specific, recent examples of the frustration, it's real. If they just say "yeah that sounds useful," it probably isn't painful enough for them to pay for a solution.

Question 6 of 12

Can you describe what your app does in one sentence?

Not a feature list. Not "it's like Uber but for..." One clear sentence about the problem it solves. If you can't do this, the idea might still be too broad. Features aren't solutions.

Question 7 of 12

How many features are on your list right now?

Everyone comes in with a list. That's normal. But your MVP should do one thing brilliantly, not twenty things average. Feature creep is the number one reason projects blow out on budget and time.

Question 8 of 12

How does this app make money?

This changes everything. Your business model affects how you design the app, how you onboard users, and what your MVP looks like. If you can't answer this clearly, figure it out before you spend twenty grand.

Question 9 of 12

What's the budget situation?

You don't need to know exact numbers right now. But building an app costs real money. Design, development, marketing, maintenance. Knowing where the money's coming from isn't optional.

Question 10 of 12

Are you ready to put real time into this?

Not just money. Time, decisions, feedback, energy, over weeks and months. Building an app isn't a one-off purchase. You're involved. You need to be available to answer questions, review work, and make calls. That's how good apps get built.

Question 11 of 12

If this app existed tomorrow, who's the first person you'd show it to?

This tells you a lot about where you are. If your first instinct is to show it to someone who actually has the problem, you're thinking like a builder. If it's friends and family, you're still in validation mode.

Question 12 of 12

What happens if someone else builds it first?

Last one. This tells you something about your relationship with the idea. Is it yours because of what you know, or because nobody else has done it yet? One of those is defensible. The other isn't.

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If you want to talk any of this through with someone who's helped dozens of people work through the same questions, I'm here.

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