If you have been given your first task of creating an app, how should you go about it?
Here's my 5-step design process that has helped me build apps in a wide range of industries. From streaming apps to gigantic taxation platforms, this is a weather-proof way to create an overview and start building.
What does your user need? Understand and pinpoint what problems your app will solve by doing extensive research. Talk to them, but also look at your competitors and see what they are building.
What solutions can you come up with? Start synthesizing learnings from the previous step, and make user personas and journey maps. Start throwing ideas to the table that address your hypothesis.
Which features to build first? Get your priorities straight. Make a plan for the next phases such as development work testing, or further user research. Collect your ideas in a backlog, including those for new features, improvements, etc.
What can we get feedback on? Start by doing mock-ups and prototypes of your proposed solutions and present them to real users. Note their feedback and involve that in the next iteration of the product, until you get it right.
Launch! Seeking feedback is a continuous process, also when you launch. Constantly seek out improvements and also use metrics to define if your launch is a success. Iterations are key.
By having a clear process you are able to create momentum in your team(s) and make sure you are building the right thing!