Do things that don't scale is really an absolute truth.
If you can use Excel spreadsheet or Google form to build your product. Do it for your first 100 users.
Obviously if you're in deep tech then this doesn't apply. But with deep tech and moonshots the value isn't the product, it's your arbitrage opportunity and expert patentable knowledge.
"If you can use Excel spreadsheet or Google form to build your product. Do it for your first 100 users." I did, what's next?
You need to have a MVP in the target market. You need to demonstrate that it can scale. Therefore, if your business model works for 100 customers on the web, it does not necessarily mean that it will be successful on a larger scale on mobile.
In every other industry you have to invest money upfront so you actually have a product to sell, and as the software industry matures the table stakes will continue to rise. People are only willing to use half-baked prototypes when they have no choice, but in more and more domains customers will have choice and expectations go up as a result
"People are only willing to use half-baked prototypes when they have no choice, but in more and more domains customers will have choice and expectations go up as a result"
But how long are they actually using the half baked prototype?
I thought the purpose of the half baked prototype was to validate the idea, get good user feedback and get as much information as possible before dedicating resources and making more permanent design/architecture choices.
If you are spending massive time and resources before this is achieved, you are doing it wrong IMO...
But what is and isn't "half-baked prototype"? People/users/media/investors confuse GUI with functionality with "addresses actual use case(s) for users who might pay/subscribe".
I'd rather have something with a brutal/nonexistent GUI but provides useful functionality and gives me a warm fuzzy that the developers have some use cases in mind, or a suggested workflow.
Yes there is a first-mover advantage to getting into a domain early.
For a mental health app, it does seem a bit on the pricy side, although if you're sourcing content from accredited professionals things do get expensive fast. You have to make good decisions about what's critical and what can wait until v2.
"although if you're sourcing content from accredited professionals things do get expensive fast."
Well, if you're spending significant resources upfront on content from accredited professionals for a mental health app...you're probably doing it wrong.
The problem in the mental health space isn't the lack of information, or access to information...
If you can use Excel spreadsheet or Google form to build your product. Do it for your first 100 users.
Obviously if you're in deep tech then this doesn't apply. But with deep tech and moonshots the value isn't the product, it's your arbitrage opportunity and expert patentable knowledge.