What does the checklist cover?

The five stages of taking a product from idea to live: validating the idea, planning and scoping, design, build, and launch preparation, each broken into concrete checkable steps.

Founders and product owners planning a mobile or web product, especially before talking to any developer or agency. It works whoever you end up building with.

Yes. The full checklist is on this page, free, with no signup needed to read it.

Why do you give it away?

Because a well prepared founder is a better client. The checklist front-loads the thinking that makes a project scopeable, and if you want help executing it, you know where to find us.

The App Launch Checklist for Founders

01

Validate the idea

Write the one-sentence problem your app solves, and who has it.
Talk to 5 to 10 potential users and confirm they feel the pain.
Check the App Store and Play Store for competitors and read their reviews.
Define the single core action a user must complete for the app to be valuable.
Decide how you will make money before you build (subscription, one-off, free with upsell).

02

Plan and scope

List every feature you can think of, then cut it to only what the core action needs.
Sketch the main screens on paper or in Figma before any code.
Pick your platforms (iOS, Android, web) based on where your users actually are.
Agree a fixed scope, timeline, and budget in writing.
Choose your stack early (for us: Flutter, Firebase or Supabase, Stripe or RevenueCat).

03

Design

Design the core flow first, not the settings screen.
Use a consistent design system (colour, spacing, type) from the start.
Design the empty states and error states, not just the happy path.
Keep onboarding to the fewest steps that still set users up to succeed.
Test the prototype with 3 real people and fix whatever confuses them.

04

Build

Build the core action end to end before adding anything else.
Set up auth, database, and payments early, because they touch everything.
Add basic analytics so you can see what users actually do.
Keep the app working on real devices, reviewed weekly, not just the simulator.
Write down how to deploy so a release is boring and repeatable.

05

Prepare to launch

Prepare your store listings: name, screenshots, description, and keywords.
Publish a privacy policy and the permission copy the stores require.
Test payments end to end in sandbox, and once for real.
Run the full flow on the slowest device you plan to support.
Set up crash reporting and an easy way for users to contact you.

06

Launch and grow

Submit to both stores early, because review can take several days.
Soft-launch to a small audience before any big push.
Track installs, activation (core action completed), and retention.
Watch where users drop off and fix the biggest leak first.
Ship small updates often, ask active users what is missing, and review your numbers monthly.

The App Launch Checklist

Validate the idea

Plan and scope

Design

Build

Prepare to launch

Launch and grow

About the checklist

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Planning an app or web product?

Your checklist is ready

Validate the idea

Plan and scope

Design

Build

Prepare to launch

Launch and grow

About the checklist

[ Q_01 ]What does the checklist cover?

[ Q_02 ]Who is it for?

[ Q_03 ]Is it really free?

[ Q_04 ]Why do you give it away?

Want a hand with any of this?