5 Things We Wish We Knew Before Building Our First App

From wireframes to launch day, the G2MDA team reflects on the hard lessons, overlooked steps, and breakthrough moments of building our first mobile app.

Building your first app is exciting — until it’s exhausting. At G2 Marketing & Development Agency (G2MDA), we built our first mobile app inside the Apple Developer Academy — and while the experience was transformative, it wasn’t without late nights, sharp learning curves, and moments we wish we could redo.

Now, as we build apps for others, we often reflect on how much we didn’t know starting out. So here are five things we learned the hard way — and what we’d tell anyone stepping into app development for the first time.

1. Design Comes Before Code — Every Time

When we started, we wanted to “start building” right away. But jumping into development without a clear design system or wireframe is like trying to build a house without blueprints.

What we learned:

• Low-fidelity wireframes are your best friend in the early stages

• UI/UX isn’t just about looks — it controls how users feel

• Having visual references before development saves time and arguments

2. You’re Building for People — Not for You

It’s easy to fall in love with your own ideas. We thought we knew what users would love. Turns out, the features we liked weren’t always what the users needed.

What we learned:

• User research matters more than opinions

• Test assumptions early with real people

• Build features that solve problems, not just features that feel cool

User-first thinking changed how we approach every project now — and it helped us avoid building in a vacuum.

3. MVP Means Letting Go of Perfection

The term Minimum Viable Product (MVP) gets tossed around a lot — but when it came time to build ours, we struggled to define “what’s truly necessary.”

What we learned:1

• MVP is not “incomplete,” it’s focused

• Every extra feature costs time, energy, and clarity

• You’ll iterate better with something real in users’ hands

Our first app didn’t do everything we imagined — but it did exactly what users needed. And that’s what matters.

4. Feedback Isn’t an Attack — It’s a Gift

The first time we shared our app with others, we braced ourselves. And when the feedback rolled in — some of it sharp, some of it vague — we had to learn not to take it personally.

What we learned:

• Ask for constructive feedback, not compliments

• Be open, not defensive

• You don’t have to apply everything — but you do have to listen

That shift in mindset made our final version 10x stronger than our early builds.

5. Launch Day Is Just the Beginning

We thought the goal was to launch the app. But once it was live, we realized… that was just the starting line.

What we learned:

• Launch means listening, fixing, marketing, updating

• Build a plan for version 2 before version 1 drops

• The real work is what happens after you hit "publish"

Now, we treat launch day as a checkpoint — not a finish line.

Final Thoughts

Building our first app inside Apple Developer Academy taught us how to structure, design, develop, and deliver — but most importantly, it taught us how to grow.

We’ve carried those lessons into every project since, from our internal apps like CrewConnect, to the brand work we do for other companies.

If you’re building your first app: start small, stay focused, and listen more than you assume.

You got this.

About G2MDA:

G2 Marketing & Development Agency is a Detroit-based creative and development firm specializing in branding, web and app development, and digital storytelling. Co-founded by Apple Developers Eugene Reid and Gary Fortson, G2MDA empowers businesses with clean design, smart strategy, and real results.

For more insights, visit G2MDA.com or follow @G2MDA on all platforms.