Mobile app discovery checklist before anyone starts coding.

Checklist

• Define the one-sentence app thesis and first v1 workflow.
• Map user roles, permissions, screens, and source-of-truth data.
• Identify auth, notifications, payments, camera/files, location, and offline requirements.
• Confirm Apple/Google developer account ownership and store/privacy approvers.
• Use Expo + React Native by default unless native is clearly justified.

Operator note

A practical mobile app discovery checklist covering users, workflows, screens, data, integrations, store ownership, risks, and release path.

This resource exists to make AI work visible, bounded, and supportable: scoped workflows, clear approvals, artifacts, logs, and rollback before autonomy.

When to use it

Use this checklist before estimating or building a client mobile app. It keeps the conversation anchored on the user, the first workflow, the data model, and the release path instead of jumping straight into screens.

AI coding tools can accelerate delivery, but they amplify unclear requirements. A small app with a clear workflow beats a big app idea with vague users, unknown APIs, no store owner, and unresolved privacy questions.

The checklist is intentionally practical: scope v1, identify risk, pick the simplest viable build path, and make support ownership visible before anyone starts coding.