From idea to launched app: how we build at MashData

Every app we run today started as a sentence. OwnSites started as "describe your business and get a website." Wanderply started as "a road trip that tells you its own story." Homeroom started as "homework kids will actually do." None of them started as a specification document, and yours doesn't need to either.

This is the path an idea takes with us, from the first message to real people using it.

Step one: you tell us the idea

A few sentences is enough. Who is it for? What should it do for them? What do they do today instead? We read every message ourselves and reply with questions. The questions matter more than the answers at this stage, because they show where the idea is clear and where it still needs a decision.

Step two: we agree on the first version

The first version of an app is the smallest thing that does the main job well. For ProfVault, the main job was filling in a job application from the documents you have already stored. Everything else could wait. We write the first version down in plain English, so you can check it without reading code.

Step three: we design the screens

Before any code, you see the screens and how they connect: what a new user sees first, what they tap next, what happens when something goes wrong. Changing a sketch costs minutes. Changing a finished screen costs days.

Step four: we build it, web first

We build the web app first, because a web app can be used, tested and changed by anyone with a link. When an app needs to be on phones, we wrap the same web screens in native iPhone and Android shells. That is how our own apps reach every screen without three separate codebases.

Step five: we deploy it on your domain

Your app goes live on your own domain, on servers we set up and look after. We deploy with the same tools we use for our own products, so updates are routine rather than events.

Step six: we launch it with a website

An app nobody can find is a hobby. Every app we launch comes with its own website that explains what it does, who it is for and how to start. We set it up for search engines and AI answer engines from day one.

What you get at the end

A working app, live on your domain, with a website that tells people about it, and a team that already knows how it was built. If you have an idea, tell us about it on our contact page. Rough is fine.