Mobile App Brief 0% complete
01The idea
Your app in one sentence *
Complete this: "An app where [who] can [do what] so that [outcome]."
Required.
Walk us through one real user, start to finish *
Open the app. What do they see? What do they tap? What happens? End when they have got what they came for. Plain words, no tech terms.
Required.
What exists today?
Brand new idea
Manual / WhatsApp
We have a website
Replacing old app
Building against a competitor
Who are your closest competitors?
"Like Uber but for X" is a perfect answer. Naming them tells us the conventions your users already know.
02Users & roles
This section becomes the permissions matrix that protects your data. Be specific. "Admin sees everything" is not specific enough.
How many distinct user types does your app have? *
1 type
2 types
3 types
4+ types
Define each user role *
For each role: what is the first screen they see after login, and what are the 3-5 actions only they can perform?
Role 1
What must certain users NEVER see or do? *
These become hard security rules in code, not just hidden buttons.
Required.
How do users sign in?
Email / password
Phone + OTP
Google
Apple
Facebook
No login needed
Onboarding experience
What happens the very first time someone opens the app? This is the most common source of scope misalignment.
Value before signup
Register first
Guest browse
Onboarding tour
Compliance flags
These change the architecture and cost significantly. Flag them now, never later.
Health / HIPAA
Financial / PCI
Children under 13
Marketplace payouts
None
HIPAA flag: US health data requires BAA-capable hosting, encryption at rest, audit logging, and specific access controls. This changes architecture and price. We will scope separately.
PCI flag: If money moves through your platform to third parties, you are a payment facilitator. This requires additional licensing, compliance, and architecture. Stripe Connect or similar resolves this cleanly.
03Your data
Every app manages objects. Without knowing what your objects are, the database schema is guessed, and guessed schemas cause the most expensive rewrites. This section feeds directly into the data model.
What are the main things your app manages? *
For each one: name it and list its key details. You do not need to be technical.
Key details this object holds
Key details this object holds
What search or filtering do users need?
e.g. "Filter cleaners by rating, zip code, and available date." This defines search indexes.
Do you have existing data to import?
Starting from zero
Yes, clean Excel / CSV
Yes, messy data
Yes, from another app
04Screens & flows
Describe the app like you are showing it on your phone. Not wireframes. Describe what each main screen shows and what the important buttons do. This becomes the navigation structure.
Core user flow: the most important journey in the app *
Pick the single most important thing a user does. List the screens they pass through, one per line. We call this the "golden path."
Golden path
Navigation structure
Most apps use a bottom tab bar. What are the main tabs, and which role sees them?
What happens when things go wrong?
Professional apps design for failure. Describe what the user should see in these three situations.
No results on a search
A payment fails
No internet connection
05Features
Must-have for day one *
The app is useless without these. Aim for 5-8 maximum. If the list is longer, you are building Phase 2 into Phase 1.
Required.
Which specific capabilities does your app need?
Each one affects timeline and price. Only select what is genuinely needed on day one.
💳
In-app payments
Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay
💬
Chat / messaging
User-to-user real-time chat
🔔
Push notifications
Alerts, reminders, status updates
🗺️
Maps / location
Live tracking, directions, geofencing
📅
Booking / scheduling
Calendar, availability, slots
📎
File / photo uploads
Images, documents, media
🎥
Video calling
In-app video between users
📴
Offline mode
Key features without internet
🌐
Multi-language
Spanish, French, or others
📊
Analytics dashboard
Charts and performance metrics
🏪
Marketplace
Multiple vendors or providers
👥
Social features
Likes, follows, comments, sharing
⭐
Reviews / ratings
User-to-user or product ratings
📷
QR code scanning
Check-in, product lookup, tickets
🔒
Biometric login
Face ID, fingerprint unlock
🎁
Referral / loyalty
Invite friends, earn credits
Phase 2 features
Everything you want eventually but are willing to live without at launch. We document these but do not build them now.
Integrations with existing systems
CRM, ERP, payment gateways, SMS/email services, government APIs, existing website, third-party APIs.
06Notifications
Push notifications are a feature card, but the notification rules are 30-50 individual business decisions. Without them, the developer invents them and they are always wrong. List your 5 most important alerts below.
Key notification triggers *
For each: what event triggers it, who receives it, and what does the message say?
Trigger event
Who receives it
Message text
Notification channels
Push (in-app)
SMS
Email
WhatsApp
In-app inbox only
07Monetisation
A payment gateway and a revenue model are different things. This decision changes the entire architecture. It must be made now, not in Phase 2.
How does your app make money? *
Free, no in-app revenue
Commission per transaction
Subscription
One-time purchase
Freemium
Ad-supported
Supports the business, free to users
Who processes the payments?
Stripe
Apple / Google Pay
PayPal
Square
Existing merchant account
Recommend for us
Expected transaction volume in year one
Under 100/month
100 - 1,000/month
1,000 - 10,000/month
10,000+/month
08Admin panel
Every app needs an admin panel. Without this section, we invent what it does, and we are always wrong. The admin panel is a web dashboard your team uses to manage the app.
What are the 5 most important things your admin must be able to do? *
List them in order of importance. These become the admin dashboard's core screens.
Required.
What data must the admin see at a glance every morning?
This becomes the dashboard homepage. Be specific: not "metrics" but which exact numbers.
Admin panel access
Web browser only
Mobile admin access too
Both
How many people will use the admin panel?
Just me
2 - 5
5 - 20
20+ with sub-roles
09Platforms & stores
Which platforms? *
iOS + Android
Android first
iOS first
Web app only
App store category
This affects discoverability and review guidelines Apple applies to your submission.
Business
Productivity
Shopping
Health & fitness
Food & drink
Travel
Social
Finance
Utilities
Other
Will your app include in-app purchases (IAP)?
Apple takes 15-30% of all IAP revenue and has strict review rules for apps with IAP. This is a significant architecture and revenue decision.
No IAP
Yes, subscriptions via App Store
Yes, one-time via App Store
Payments outside App Store
Not sure
Developer store accounts
Have Apple account
Have Google Play
Neither yet
Both accounts must be in your name. Apple verification takes 2-7 days. Create accounts now, not at launch.
Target launch date
ASAP (4 weeks)
1-3 months
3-6 months
6+ months
No hard deadline
10Design & budget
Two apps whose design you admire, and why *
Any app, any category. The "why" matters more than the name.
Required.
Do you have a brand sheet or logo?
Yes, Binate designed it
Yes, from another designer
No, need branding too
Internal tool, clean is fine
Anything the app must never look or feel like
Budget range *
Being honest here means we scope the right version of your app, not a version that runs out of budget mid-build.
$5K - $15K (MVP)
$15K - $30K (v1)
$30K - $75K (full)
$75K - $150K (platform)
$150K+ (enterprise)
Not sure, help me understand
11Contact
Your name *
Required.
Email address *
Required.
Phone / mobile
Company name
Your role
Founder
CEO
Product Manager
CTO / Tech Lead
Marketing / Growth
Other
Are you the final decision maker?
Yes
No, need approval
Joint decision
Anything final we should know before we start
How did you find us?

Your brief goes directly to our team. We respond to every submission. No automated replies.

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📱
MVP in 24 hours
A functional, clickable app built from your brief, so you can hold your product before committing to the full build.
💬
We may reach out
If we need any clarification before starting, we will contact you on WhatsApp or email.
Questions? Reach us at support@binate.ai
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