"How do I know when my app is "ready" to launch?"

When it solves the core problem reliably for your target user, even if it's missing nice-to-haves.

My Test

Here's my test:

Can someone use this to solve the problem it's supposed to solve, without me sitting next to them explaining things?

• If yes, it's ready
• If no, it's not

Everything else—polish, extra features, edge cases—can wait. You'll learn more in one week with real users than in six months of building in isolation.

Why People Delay Launch

I've seen people delay launch because:

• "The design isn't perfect yet"
• "We should add X feature first"
• "What if people find bugs?"
• "We need better error messages"

All of those things matter eventually. None of them matter more than getting real feedback.

Finding the Right Moment

You know you've waited too long when you're adding features nobody asked for just because you're scared to launch.

You know you've launched too early when core functionality doesn't work or the product is genuinely confusing to use.

The right moment is somewhere in between:

• Works reliably
• Solves the problem
• But makes you slightly uncomfortable because you know it could be better

That discomfort is a good sign. It means you care about quality but you're not letting perfection kill momentum.