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Typical sales guy 😂
People love to build a product before first asking if anyone wants it
Simple: Learn to code or program.
In the meantime, mock it up somehow, even if it's just a canva slideshow that you can walk people through as a demonstration example.
Guarantee you'll find sticking points and concerns or excitement if they're keen for it.
It'll give you a more true understanding of whether you're right about if it's a great app idea or not.
First, I would search the big app stores to be certain there arn't already a bunch of things that do the same as yours.
Then sketch it out and show those pictures to people you trust to establish the target market and possible product value.
Do you think you are the only one who feels they can make a better app, if only I could get an Engineer to do my bidding… Wait, that’s every customer that my sales team sends to me. =)
Or is it a “device” with software?! Have you seen HBO’s Silicon Valley? =/
How much money are you willing to invest?
But yeah you're absolutely right in a serious note - understanding how much you're willing to pay for this experiment will guide your answer.
You might take a look at no-code or low-code development. It may or may not be up to the task, depending on what you have in mind.
Alternatively, your options would be to learn to code yourself, or find someone to do it for you - you’ll probably need to pay them, but if your idea is good enough then *maybe* they’d do it for a cut of the profits.
…e.g. Microsoft Power Apps
What if we hire someone to make the app for us and they steal our idea?
That’s why you also seek patents for the underlying idea, not the code or software. NDA, contracts, call it what you want. There are protections available to deter people from stealing your work.
Ask ChatGpt to generate it for you, look for free apps/websites that can turn the code into a real app.
AM1, do you have much product coding experience?
Because honestly, I couldn't disagree with this advice more.
Building products are about detail. Generative models are SPECIFICALLY bad at ensuring correctness at a detail level.
Debugging detail issues takes experience as Netcall was saying and honestly? That's why the entire myth of ChatGPT being a no-code accessible way to build products is a terrible take.
For speeding up building, I think generative models and copilots are only effective in the hands of experienced devs. It will distract and slow down inexperienced devs in a big way. I see this difference in impact every day at work.
It's more useful as a way to quickly learn programming, though, but I wouldn't use it to build the app itself.
So, if you build it, will they come? =)
But you can’t build it. An idea person without building skills… hmm. Lots of people have ideas. How about money? How much are experienced engineers making these days ($100K+). Most apps take 6 mo to a year to be available for the first user. Will that be free, 10$, $100, $100K? Too much?
You need an engineer that wants to build an app for free, and share the profit with someone who doesn’t do the (app) work. Anybody looking for that job?
Most experienced SE’s don’t want or need a partner who doesn’t code. An engineer will put in many hours building, revising, fixing, refactoring, dealing with paying customers who think everyone wants what they want and a paying customer is the boss. Do you have buyers who can wait a year for a 1.0 or 0.01 version?
Then there is quality. Without graphics and usability skills you end up with an app that looks and works like lots of apps, crap. You need a pretty, smart, somewhat expensive app. Or at least someone willing to risk their million(s) for your idea.
Is this a new market? If it’s hot and lucrative (like AI), you’ll be competing with Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, etc… is Elon already building it? Pretty much unbeatable. Microsoft buys and sells startups like candy.
What is your idea ;)?
Things that don't require coding experience:
1. Product requirements
2. User workflows
3. Branding and UX design
4. Market research
5. Soliciting advice from experienced people