No-code/low-code - how important is a design to validate your product/idea?
Traditionally when building an app, you'd go from idea, to market research, to concept wireframes, to fleshed out design, to a build with some features taken out, to validate a product.
But now with no-code/low-code it's possible to flip this a bit and instead go from idea, market research, to wireframes [optional], to functional prototype!
But I was wanting to sense check something - how important is a polished looking design in your app? If you just build a functional prototype using the default styles provided by the no-code tool they're going to be pretty uninspiring designs. And no-code tools don't make it easy to pull in a custom design.
What do you do about it? Does a designer need to be a part of a product idea validation? Or can you prove out some traction first with a poorly designed product?
The importance of a polished design in an app will vary depending on the specific context and goals of the product. In general, a well-designed app can help to improve user experience, increase user engagement, and enhance the overall credibility and reputation of the product.
However, in many cases, it may be more important to focus on building a functional prototype and validating the product concept, rather than spending time and resources on creating a polished design. This can help to quickly test the viability of the product, and to gather feedback and insights from potential users.
If you are using no-code or low-code tools to build a functional prototype, it's not necessary to have a designer as part of the product validation process. The default styles provided by these tools can be used to quickly and easily create a functional prototype, without the need for extensive design work.
Once you have validated the product concept and gathered feedback from potential users, you can then consider investing in a custom design, if it is necessary or desired. This can help to improve the user experience and the overall appearance of the app, and can potentially increase user engagement and conversion rates.
Overall, the importance of a polished design in an app will depend on the specific goals and context of the product.
Speaking of an MVP, I've got one that's due to release soon. It's an API that allows developers to connect to AI on the cloud for their AI apps. You can follow to check out more about it on my twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealEtch
And there's a growing community in my discord: https://discord.gg/DsJXxcMmkC
Good luck!