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Do we need another app? Another whiskey app?

by Wayne Eldridge

With numerous journal apps, photo editing apps, and games following similar templates, one may question the need for new app ideas. Is there a demand for them? The answer is not straightforward - it could be yes, no, or maybe.

Personally, I believe that building a fresh, never-attempted-before concept is always worth exploring. However, thorough market research often reveals that most app ideas have already been executed. In such scenarios, the question arises: do we create a similar app but with a different approach, enhance the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX), or focus on aggressive marketing?

For instance, I am contemplating developing a whiskey app that lets users make tasting notes, rate different whiskey brands, and receive recommendations. Although there are already many whiskey apps available, their user interface and design are often confusing and challenging to navigate. Thus, I am considering building an app that looks clean, sleek, and easy to use. But, with the market already flooded with whiskey apps, is it worthwhile to invest time and resources in creating another one?

(Chat GPT helped me rephrase the above article, thanks AI)

Wayne Eldridge's avatarWayne Eldridge
on February 23, 2023
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    I voted for no. The reason is not that it is not a valid idea per se, but either way for your (future) app to be successful and replace other apps' positioning in the app store, there is more than just UI/UX.

    I would suggest to find out these things first before building the app:

    1. What is the overall market potential? What are you hoping to (economically) get out of this?
    2. Do actual users of the other apps care about the things that you find annoying in these apps' UI/UX? Best way is to have direct access to their users, but if that is not possible, just find whiskey drinkers, show them the other apps and ask them if they are happy with these (without biasing them with your opinion).
    3. When you have results for point #2, you already have possible early adopters / potential users for your app. If you found out there are valid issues with the other apps, you can present them with sketches or a prototype of your app and your thoughts on how it could work.
    4. If they agree on you are solving a problem with your concepts (important: find out which problem exactly you are solving) just then start building your initial version of the app and continue from there. If you by now found out it doesn't really make sense to build the app, you have several options:
    • Don't do it (definitely a viable option!)
    • Adapt to what your target group really needs and go into feedback loops with your ideas.

    If you start building now, you will realize that you won't get far with your product and that you will burn too much money / time to build something that you don't know is really needed. Gut feeling oftentimes is not enough.

    thanisch's avatar thanisch
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    4 years ago
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    1. 1

      Thanks @thanisch for the feedback. I have in the past built an app that I think people needed before doing extensive market research. (Obviously a mistake). However, I am a software developer so the cost of building the app is more time than money (although money is time).

      The other option I am exploring is approaching a current Whiskey app, either buying their database or improving their app and monetizing the platform for them at a shared revenue percentage.

      Wayne Eldridge's avatar Wayne Eldridge
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      4 years ago
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