Delivering a product is a big step, but initial release is just the beginning. Expecting an app to perform safely and well, adjust downloads, and have to extend usage without working on the improvement of the product is a common mistake.
A lot of mobile owners use a “publish and pray” approach that has its disadvantages: it envisages that at the launch moment, your final product will be absolutely perfect and well-organized, which means time for delivery is limited. Such approach ignores the numerous benefits that can be reached by collecting feedbacks and developing new product versions based on user data and actual market. Lean software development (LSD) avoids this and encourages delivering quickly and delivering often. This approach is supreme for both concepts and mature products, but the realizing for each scenario differs.
Unproven Concepts
For fractional user bases or ideas that are unproven in the market, your MVP (minimum viable product) will produce less effectiveness and need to be launched as fast as possible. Nowadays, it’s harder to define what users find attractive and valuable; that’s why with the help of MVP you can get user feedback, collect data, and reconsider or test the assumptions you’ve made. Take into the consideration such statement: “fail fast to fail cheap.” If you take too long to mess around with an unproven concept, you are wasting time and resources to release a product that is based on many assumptions that may cause failure to thrive.
A permanent release permits you to learn from your users how to improve the gained experience, how to correct features better, how to fill the gaps available in earlier versions. If your app involves a video player that is frequently used by the users, for example, you know that focusing on improving this feature is an efficient course of action. Once you have reached results through approval the assumptions you’ve made, then your app becomes mature. Fast and constant delivering will help you retain, attract, engage and delight the client base you’ve established.
Mature Brands
Mature brands have already a permanent customer base. Most of the consumers expect from a mature brand a verified level of quality. It means that the first version of the product that is delivered to market should meet a certain expectation – not stuffed with the new features, but a well-functioning and high-quality product that has value. Users won’t provide the same level of compliance to mature brands as they do to unproven brands. For mature brands, there is a high expectation associated with whatever the brand releases, so they need to satisfy users at the initial stage.
While it’s still required to launch a minimum viable product fast, version 1 of the product needs to have a better boost. Constant updating is more about adding additional value to your users regularly with every product release. IT will allow you to expand more features and increase the user experience, encouraging retention and engagement.
For instance, Spotify has implemented Decoupled Release Model, an environment where releasing is routine and easy to create. They have changed their architecture in a way to allow decoupled releases, so they can adjust new features quickly without affecting the general structure.
Better Products through Quick and Permanent Releases
Adopting a fast delivery approach helps you frequently and predictably improve your product, add additional value to users, and guarantee a long-term product success. While focusing only on the initial launch, your product will remain standing and lose relevance in a competitive app market that never stops developing and expanding.