How to Build an App

New AI tools have made app building easier than ever, but the fundamentals of creating a successful product haven’t changed. Whether you’re a first-time founder or a seasoned builder, you still need clarity on your audience, a strategy for distribution, and a sharp focus on user experience. The following guide walks you through the essential steps—practical, tested, and updated for today’s AI-driven world.

The Key to Success? Understanding Your Audience

Every successful app begins with a clear understanding of who you’re building for. Your audience isn’t just a demographic; it’s a group of people with specific needs, frustrations, and behaviors.

Ask yourself: Are you creating something for tech-savvy teenagers, busy professionals, or parents juggling family and work? Each group has different expectations for design, usability, and functionality. The more you understand your audience, the better you can craft an experience that truly resonates with them.

Talk to Users First

One of the biggest mistakes founders make is falling in love with a solution before fully understanding the problem. Instead, start by talking to users. Ask them about their struggles, routines, and pain points—without pitching your idea right away. You’ll often discover that the problem is bigger (or different) than you imagined. This user-first approach ensures you’re solving something real, not just building another app that no one needs.

Think Distribution

Once you know your audience, the next challenge is getting your product into their hands. Distribution is often overlooked, but it’s one of the most important factors for success. Will you reach your users through app stores, partnerships, or community-driven marketing? Do you need paid campaigns, or can you leverage organic channels like word of mouth, SEO, or social media? Thinking about distribution early ensures that your app doesn’t just exist—it actually reaches the people it’s meant for.

Define “Success” and Identify KPIs

Before writing a single line of code, take time to define what success means for you. Is it a certain number of downloads, revenue targets, or positive user reviews? Your definition of success will guide your decisions along the way.

Once that’s clear, identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that align with your goals—metrics like daily active users, user retention, or subscription conversion rates. These KPIs serve as your compass, helping you track progress and stay focused on what truly matters.

Map It Out With a Business Canvas

A Business Canvas is a great tool for mapping out your idea on a single page. It forces you to think through the essentials: your value proposition, customer segments, revenue model, cost structure, and key resources. This exercise isn’t just theoretical—it’s a practical way to spot weak points and opportunities before you commit serious time or money. Keep it simple and visual; a canvas should give you and your team clarity at a glance.

Apply the Lean Startup Model

The Lean Startup model, as defined by Eric Ries and applied practically in Ash Maurya’s Running Lean, is built around the idea of validated learning. Instead of building a polished product and hoping it works, you build small, testable versions and learn from user feedback. This iterative cycle—build, measure, learn—helps you adapt quickly and avoid wasting resources. By focusing on validation, you’re essentially de-risking your startup, step by step.

Choose the Right Platform

Deciding between mobile vs. web, Android vs. iPhone isn’t just a technical decision—it’s tied to your audience and distribution strategy.

Where do your users spend most of their time? Will they use your app daily (which favors mobile) or occasionally (which might work better on web)? Installing a mobile app adds friction.

Also consider your retention model: apps designed for high-frequency use, like fitness trackers or chat tools, will have very different needs compared to one-off utilities.

How to Build the App (with AI Tools)

Building the app itself is now easier than ever, thanks to AI-powered tools. For non-technical founders, tools like Lovable or Replit can help you quickly create functional apps without writing any code.

If you’re more technical, advanced AI assistants like Cursor or Claude Code can supercharge your workflow by generating code, fixing bugs, or suggesting improvements. The key is to use the right mix of tools for your skill level and speed. See some prompts that I use.

User Experience is Key

Users form opinions in seconds, so your first impression matters. The design, flow, and overall user experience (UX) should feel seamless from the start. While it’s fine to take shortcuts in development, never cut corners on UX.

A powerful method for product development is the Outside-In approach. Instead of perfecting the backend first, focus on creating the front-end experience your users will interact with. In some cases, you can even “fake” parts of the backend to test demand and usability. This approach gives you faster validation while still delivering something that feels real to users.

Additional Resources and Guides

Don’t reinvent the wheel—learn from those who’ve gone before you. Check out curated resources like great guides for building products, which offer frameworks, case studies, and inspiration.

You’ll also find more context in my general guide, Starting a Startup, which covers the bigger picture of company-building beyond apps.