From idea to first version: what to expect if you've never built software

Almost everyone who arrives with a product idea and no technical background has the same questions: where to start, how much it will cost, how long it takes and, above all, how to know the money will turn into something that works. This note answers those questions the way the process actually runs at Forge Labs, from the first conversation to the product in production.

What you bring, and what you don’t need

You don’t need to know how to code, you don’t need a technical team and you don’t need a finished specification. What we need from you is what only you have:

• Knowledge of the problem. Who has it, how they solve it today, and why today’s solution is not enough.
• Access to real users. Three people who live the problem and are willing to try the prototype. They can be customers, employees or people from your market.
• Time to decide. On average, one to two hours a week to try what we deliver and choose priorities.

First, the prototype

Before any code is written, we build a clickable prototype of your product’s core flows: real screens you can click through from start to finish, as if the product already existed. It takes one to two weeks.

Once the prototype is ready, we put it in front of your users. Those sessions are where the things nobody anticipated show up: the button nobody finds, the step that is not needed, the feature that seemed essential and nobody uses. Changing a screen at this stage costs hours. Changing the same thing after the product is built costs weeks.

You leave this phase with three things: the prototype, what we learned from your users, and a fixed scope, timeline and price for the build. The prototype is paid separately and it is yours to keep, even if you decide not to go ahead, or to go ahead with another team.

The first version is smaller than you imagine

The natural temptation is to put everything into the first version. The problem is that every extra feature adds time, cost and more things that can go wrong at launch.

The first version exists to solve the core problem well, for one group of people, and to learn from real use. Everything else goes on a “later” list. That list is not thrown away: it gets prioritized by what real users ask for, instead of what we imagine they will want.

During the build, you follow everything

The build usually takes six to ten weeks. During that time, you are not waiting for a final delivery. The routine looks like this:

• Every week, a working version on a test environment for you to use and comment on.
• Every week, a short written update: what was done, what comes next and what we need from you.
• Every two weeks, a thirty-minute call to look at the product together and adjust priorities.
• All the time, a direct channel with the people building your product, with no one in between.

Your role here is to try things and decide. If something did not turn out the way you expected, you see it the week it happened, not at the end of the project.

How you decide without understanding code

You will make technical decisions, but you will not need to understand the technical side of them. When a choice comes up, we translate the options into what matters for the business: what each path costs, how long it takes and what the risk is.

An example: sign-in can work with email and password, or also with a Google account, for one or two extra hours of work. Your users will mostly come in on their phones, so signing in with Google means fewer people give up during sign-up. You decide on the business side, and we answer for the technical side of the choice.

Launch

Putting the product live takes one to two weeks. During that time, we take care of the infrastructure, publishing to the app stores when there is an app, and a launch checklist with a rollback plan in case something needs to be undone. You decide the date and who gets access first.

The first days with real users always bring surprises, and we are there during that period to adjust whatever comes up.

After launch, the product is not finished

A product in production needs someone looking after it: security updates, backups, monitoring, fixes and the new features from the “later” list. By default, Forge Labs keeps operating the product under a monthly contract, and you do not need to build a technical team for that.

If you ever prefer to move to another team, or to build your own, we hand everything over: the code, the documentation and the accounts, which move to your name. What we build is yours once the project is paid in full, and that is written down in our anti-lock-in policy.

How much it costs

The prototype costs US$ 1,200, with a closed scope: up to three core flows and three sessions with your users, in one to two weeks. It ends with a fixed price for the build, and if you go ahead with us, the full amount is credited to it. You know how much you will invest before committing to the most expensive part.

Signs you are ready to start

• You can describe the problem in two or three sentences.
• You have access to people who live that problem.
• You have an hour or two a week to try things and decide.

If all three are true for you, the next step is a conversation. Tell us what you have today, and we will reply within one business day with the scope of the prototype.