A practical guide

How to describe an app idea: a practical example

Start with the problem, the people who experience it and the change you propose. Then state what is still an assumption and what you want to learn next. A specific description helps others understand your idea and give useful feedback.

Start with a situation, not a feature list

Say what someone is trying to do and where the current process becomes difficult. Avoid presenting an inconvenience as a widespread problem unless you have evidence. If you have observed it once or heard it from a few people, say so.

Name a first audience

Pick the first group and situation you want to understand. You can expand the audience later if conversations and actual use suggest that makes sense.

Explain the proposed solution and its limits

Describe the smallest useful action the product would support. Separate what exists today from what is planned. If the idea depends on approval, integration or someone else's participation, say so rather than implying it already works.

Example: a shift-swap concept

One public TinIdeas profile proposes a shift-swapping tool for healthcare workers. The profile describes coordination through messages as a potential problem and suggests a place to view shifts and request swaps. This example comes from TinIdeas, the site publishing this guide. The profile is not evidence that the tool exists, that healthcare staff need it, or that it improves staffing.

To develop the idea, ask: Who currently approves a swap? What information must staff and managers see? Which existing systems or workplace rules would a solution have to respect? Conversations with affected workers and managers could help test those assumptions.

Use this short template

• Situation: When [first audience] tries to [task], they currently [describe the situation].
• Problem to test: They may encounter [specific difficulty]. So far, I know this from [observation or conversation]; I still need to check [uncertainty].
• Proposed solution: The idea is to help them [take one action] by [describe the approach]. Today, this is [a concept / prototype / working product].
• Next request: I would like feedback from [specific people] about [one question or task].

For the shift-swap concept, one possible question is whether staff need a manager's approval before changing a shift. That is a question to investigate, not a feature the profile promises.

Ready to capture your own idea? Create a private draft in TinIdeas and return to it later.

If an idea is approved, the original submission can be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential information. Read the privacy details.

Invite a useful next step

Ask for one specific kind of feedback. For example: “If you coordinate shifts, where does a swap usually get stuck?” If you are seeking a collaborator, explain the task, expected time and terms. A request does not guarantee a response.

Ready to test your assumptions? Read how to validate a startup idea. For help writing a request, see how to find collaborators. You can also explore public ideas.

Before posting your description, learn how to share an early idea and ask for useful feedback.

To learn from people who experience the problem, try these customer discovery interview questions.