How to go from an Idea to an iOS Mobile MVP in 2019? — Tools and Tips

What is this about?

How I went from an idea to a V1 version of an iOS App called, Chelsea Product Manager, that is now available on App Store. It includes Tools and Recommendations that will guide you, should you look to develop your own idea into a tangible product.

Background:

I read Satya Nadella’s book titled Hit Refresh in 2018.

Two things I liked the most were:

1. The way in which Satya mentioned how he thinks about spending his time at work. He spends his time on the ‘Product’ and the ‘Process’, with ‘Customers’, ‘Colleagues’ and ‘Partners’
2. His Growth Mindset. His attitude towards learning and growing.

Around the same time, I came across a Ted Talk, that talked about being in the Performance Zone and the Learning Zone. In short, when you are in the Performance Zone you are doing the work that you get paid for. When you are in the Learning Zone, you are prioritizing your future self, learning new skills, spending time to prepare for your future. Being in both these zones are equally important.

As a Product Manager, I have struggled at times to exactly recollect where I spend my time in my previous few weeks. All I know is that I have been busy, but unable to describe in short sentences or few words the exact value of where I spent my time.

Taking the learnings from the above two sources, i.e Satya Nadella’s book and the Ted Talk, I ventured out to create a framework that I published on Medium.com. It got a decent respond, courtesy the number of ‘reads’ I got for that article.

I decided to convert it into an iOS Mobile Application.

I hired a Developer from the freelance portal called goLance.com.

About my Developer — He is avalable for Hire

I was lucky to find Veiko Herne on goLance, a freelancer portal. He architected, developed and helped me release the app on Apple Store.

Veiko is 55 years old and lives a minimalist life. He was a one time Entrepreneur in the Dot Com boom of the 1990s/2000’s. His only possession are his laptop, phone, a shoulder bag that houses his tent and necessities. He doesn’t live in a home currently owing to lack of resources and lives in parks or places that allow him to spend a night (example a park bench). He eats meals at Charity Homes. Veiko is a former Entrepreneur who started his career right when the Internet was ready to take off in the 1990’s and is not only an awesome Software Engineer but is a great Problem Solver with a sharp Business Acumen. He is sincere, honest in his communications and deliverables. He is looking for a full time Software Engineering job and/or part time jobs as a Software Engineer through the GoLance portal. It would be of great help to get him off the Streets. His resume is here: http://www.veikoherne.com/ and he can be contacted directly from his web page or on his goLance Profile on: https://golance.com/users/veiko.herne?referralCode=0dM0pfSQr

Pre-requisite to building your iOS App

• An Apple Developer Account — $99 per year
• Atleast one iOS Device

Here are the tools I used for application development:

• Hiring — goLance.com. I set a total budget for the project and set milestones for payments. I wasn’t comfortable with the idea of ‘per-hour basis’.
• Project Management (Specs, Use Cases, User Stories, Timelines): Trello
• Communication — Primary Communication Channel: GoLance Chat, Secondary: Skype, Whatsapp, Trello.
• Product Design — Invision
• Product Announcement, User Feedback — ProductHunt.com, LinkedIn, Medium.com, iOS App Store
• Process Agile Scrum, with weekly Demo’s.

1. Time taken The V1 version of the app was completed in 21 days from Start to Finish
2. Testing (early builds from remote developer to testers): TestFlight available on iOS
3. Product Metrics App Store Connect available on iOS; I considered App Annie.

Important URLs:

• The iOS App is available here: https://apps.apple.com/cz/app/chelsea-product-manager/id1478511151
• Veiko Herne, an awesome Software Architect, Developer, can help you go from Idea to Product. He is looking for a Full Time Job/ Part Time Job. His Resume is here: http://www.veikoherne.com/.
• Veiko Herne can be hired here: https://golance.com/users/veiko.herne?referralCode=0dM0pfSQr
• Veiko Herne has built these iOS Apps: https://apps.apple.com/fi/developer/veiko-herne/id998547251
• My Medium.com Page: https://medium.com/@feelinspired/productivity-framework-for-product-managers-now-available-on-ios-appstore-6a68ebe00891
• Book Referenced: Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella
• Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaiwGb0csas
• Announcement on Product Hunt: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/chelsea-product-manager
• Hired Developer from: https://golance.com/
• Product Backlog and User Stories: https://trello.com/
• App Store Connect: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/app-store-connect/id1234793120
• TestFlight: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/testflight/id899247664
• Invision: https://www.invisionapp.com/
• How the Economy Works by Ray Dalio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHe0bXAIuk0
• App Annie: https://www.appannie.com/en/

A few additional Recommendations

• Which idea to work upon? — As Paul Graham, Founder of the Startup Accelerator, YCombinator, mentioned, its best to work on a problem that you are facing. In tough times, this will motivate you to see it through.
• Once you zero in on the problem you want to solve, figure out who else maybe facing a similar issue. Construct a persona or a user profile. Not everybody can be your target customer profile.
• How do you find out interest in your product? — Use free tools like Google Docs or Slides and create a low fidelity prototype of what your app will look like. Post it on public forums and ask for feedback.

Etiquette

• Please don’t invest your life’s savings into building the Product
• Ask for Help! You need not be exceptionally good at everything related to Product Development. For example, someone you know may be great at Product Design, seek their help to wire frame or have low fidelity clickable prototypes even if it is just for a few hours. My friend and designer exceptional, Peter Zalman helped me with his design tips and skills. Likewise, another friend of mine, AnilKumar Gande, helped me with the Logo Design. Thanks Friends!
• Build Trust with your Developer. Communicate Clearly. Accept your mistakes if any, for example: Not every tiny detail of the app may have been documented by you before the start of the contract with your freelancer.
• Pay for milestones on time. No delays in payments whatsoever.
• As the Product Manager, don’t hesitate to say ‘No’ to scope creep if you are convinced you don’t need it.
• Your Developer doesn’t need to beg with you for their payments and you don’t have to beg for the targeted deliverables. If even one of these conditions are violated over a prolonged period of time, I’d recommend to reconsider your project.
• Always work in short sprints and make sure you have a regular demo with your developer of a working prototype
• If the metrics demand a pivot to a new idea/product and complete overhaul of the product requirements, pay for the work already done and offer to create a new contract with the freelance developer.
• Don’t be ashamed to talk about your product. As Reid Hoffman said, if you are not embarrassed about your first version, you are probably launching it too late. Put it out in the wild, even if it means there are no takers, you at least did two things: 1) Learnt valuable Agile Software Development skills in a live environment 2) Created a job for a person who maybe in need of some cash and played a tiny part in the Economy.
• Make sure to leave a feedback for your developer on the portal. It will help them find new work.

Skills you will learn

• What it takes to become a Producer. You move from being a Consumer of Products and Services to a Producer of Products and Services, who produced something of value
• Tools to use while building a Software Product
• Effective Capital Allocation
• How to write a clear job description
• How to Hire a Developer
• How to ask for Help
• How to work with your Remote Developer(s)
• How to Build a Software Product and skills and activities around it
• How to Communicate
• Intangible, yet valuable skills like: Overcoming your own fears, managing your emotions, Leading your team to executing on the vision