How to develop an app: From idea to launch
Building an app used to require either technical expertise or significant investment. Today, that's changed completely. Whether you're a domain expert with a specific problem to solve or an entrepreneur spotting a market gap, you can go from concept to working app faster than ever.
This guide walks you through the entire process of developing an app—from initial idea to successful launch. Each step focuses on practical actions that move you closer to shipping, without getting stuck in endless planning or development cycles.
1. Define the problem and target user
Here's what most failed apps get wrong: they build first, then try to find a problem that fits their solution. Start instead by documenting the specific problem and who experiences it. This foundation determines everything else—features, design, and marketing.
Write down 3 specific elements:
- The exact problem people face. Not "people want to get fit" but "indoor rock climbers can't remember which routes they've completed."
- Who experiences this problem. Not "anyone who cooks" but "busy parents who meal prep on Sundays."
- Their current workaround, even if inefficient. Not "using multiple apps" but "tracking expenses in spreadsheets and sending manual reminders to roommates."
Validate through conversations with at least 10 potential users. Ask what they currently pay for, how much time they spend on workarounds, and whether they've searched for solutions before. The critical questions: Would they commit time to test a pilot? Would they pay a specific price? These reveal whether the problem is worth solving before you write any code.
2. Research the market and competing apps
Don't assume you know your competition. Search the App Store and Google Play for similar solutions—you'll discover competitors you didn't know existed. Download the top 5 apps and use them daily for a few days. That's when you see what they do well, where users complain, and what features they're missing.
Read 1-star and 2-star reviews carefully. They reveal exactly what's broken, confusing, or missing, and this is free product research that many founders ignore.
Your goal is to find gaps competitors leave open. Look for patterns in negative reviews and missing features. The global mobile application market hit $252.89 billion in 2023, according to Grand View Research, and it's growing at 14.3% annually through 2030. That growth leaves room for focused solutions that serve specific needs better than broad competitors.
3. Map your core features and MVP
List every feature you think your app needs, then cut that list in half. Then cut it in half again. What remains is closer to your actual MVP than your initial brainstorm, which reduces the risk of overestimating what's needed for validation.
Your MVP needs 3 to 5 core features maximum that prove your concept works. Everything else becomes a distraction that delays the moment you start learning from real users.
For a climbing tracker, that might be: log routes, view history, and mark favorites. You probably have social features, analytics, or gamification on your list too—but do you really need these on day one?
4. Sketch user flows and basic screens
With core features defined, map 3 main user paths:
- Onboarding—how someone begins
- Core action—what they came to do
- Result—what they get
Sketch screens on paper for each step. Boxes and labels are enough—you're deciding what goes on each screen and how someone moves between them, not creating final designs.
Traditional development often requires detailed wireframes before building begins. With AI app builders like Anything, you can skip this step entirely—describe your screens in plain English and iterate on the working app directly.
5. Choose your development approach
How you build determines how fast you ship and how much it costs. Each path trades off control, speed, and technical requirements differently.
Custom code
Hiring developers or learning to code yourself using frameworks like React Native or Flutter gives you complete control but typically requires significant investment—either months of learning time or tens of thousands of dollars with freelancers. It's the right choice when you need complex custom features or you've already validated demand at scale.
No-code platforms
These tools let you build visually without writing code. They can get you to launch fast after learning the platform. Developers build up to 10 times faster using low-code and no-code tools, making them a solid choice for MVPs and validation before custom development.
AI app builders
The newest option eliminates even the no-code learning curve. Anything is a good example: you describe what you want to build in plain English, and it generates full web, iOS, and Android apps from those descriptions. Auth, payments, databases, and hosting get auto-configured—no additional tools required.
6. Build your MVP
This is where technical decisions begin to matter.
Start with the database structure. Your app's data model defines what's possible later, so take time to get it right. Anything handles this automatically by generating the ideal structure from your description—no manual configuration required. Traditional no-code platforms still make you define tables and fields yourself.
Focus next on implementing your core user flows—the minimum path that delivers the value you defined in step 3. This typically includes:
- User authentication (signup/login)
- Your main feature that solves the key problem
- Basic settings and profile management
- Data storage that persists across sessions
Add authentication early to protect user data and build trust. Anything configures this automatically with multiple login options including Google login.
7. Add payments and essential integrations
If you're charging for your app (including in-app purchases), set up payments before launch. For mobile apps, use native in-app purchases through the App Store and Google Play:
- On the App Store, developers who qualify for the Small Business Program pay a 15% commission rate on paid apps and in-app purchases when their proceeds did not exceed $1 million in the prior calendar year. Beyond that threshold, the standard higher rate applies.
- On the Play Store, enrolled developers pay 15% on the first $1 million of annual revenue from digital goods and services; revenue beyond that is subject to the standard 30% service fee.
Payment integration often becomes a technical roadblock, but Anything handles this by connecting with Stripe and configuring native payment systems based on simple text instructions. You describe what you need ("monthly subscription at $9.99"), and the platform handles the technical setup.
For other integrations, stick to only what you validated in user research. Anything makes adding essential services like email delivery or analytics just as straightforward. But remember that each integration creates potential breaking points, so prioritize only what's truly necessary for your MVP.
8. Test your app thoroughly
Start with basic functional testing, then expand by intentionally trying to break things—enter invalid data, skip steps, use your app in unexpected ways. Test on different devices and screen sizes, including older hardware.
Give your app to 5–10 people matching your target user profile. Watch them use it if possible, or ask them to think aloud while testing. You'll discover confusing flows and missing features you assumed were obvious.
Once you have a list of issues, fix critical bugs that crash the app, lose data, or block core functionality. Lower-priority issues can wait for updates. At this stage, aim for stable and usable, not perfect.
Anything Max—the platform's autonomous software engineer mode—can help here by identifying and fixing bugs automatically. It tests your app in the browser, catches errors you might miss, and iterates until the issue is resolved.
9. Prepare for launch
Set up analytics before launch to track user behavior and identify what works. This gives you concrete data rather than guessing what needs improvement.
Create a simple landing page that explains your app's core value proposition. Include screenshots showing the app solving the exact problem you identified in step 1, and collect email addresses from interested users to build your launch list.
With Anything, you can build both your app and its matching landing page from the same interface—maintaining consistent branding without switching tools or learning additional platforms.
Account for the app review process by building in 3–7 extra days before your public launch date. First-time developers often face additional scrutiny and revision requests.
10. Launch, learn, and iterate
Once approved, submit your builds and announce through channels where your target users gather. Email your pre-launch audience, share in relevant communities, post on social media, and consider Product Hunt for visibility.
The real work starts post-launch. Watch analytics daily and read every review—users tell you exactly what needs fixing. Respond to reviews within 24 hours to demonstrate responsiveness.
Track retention metrics carefully. They reveal whether you're solving a real problem.
Ship small, regular updates based on user feedback. Your tooling choice matters here: platforms like Anything let you update across web, iOS, and Android simultaneously, accelerating your iteration cycle.
Build and iterate faster with Anything
Anything lets you describe apps in natural language and generates working applications across web, iOS, and Android. The platform produces production-grade code that you own and can export, making it ideal for non-technical founders who want to focus on solving problems rather than wrestling with technical configuration.
The platform particularly benefits those who know what to build but don't want to spend months learning development tools. Database, authentication, and payment processing get set up automatically. When changes are needed, you describe them rather than hunting through code. And because it builds for all platforms from one project, updates deploy everywhere at once.
A medical student used Anything to build a CPR training app that now earns $85 per month per user—going from idea to App Store in weeks, not months. That's the difference between a tool that creates prototypes and one that ships production-ready apps.
Ready to ship your app? Build it with Anything and have a working MVP in hours, not months.
