Before any development starts, the requirement has to be settled and the product positioned. Skip that and follow the crowd instead, and the result is predictable: something gets built, and nothing comes of it.
So what does positioning actually mean? It comes down to three things, and they are answered in sequence: the scenario the mini program is used in, the user it is for, and the functions it needs.
The scenario
A mini program is inseparable from a scenario; it is, in a sense, a product of one. So the specific situation it serves has to be identified before anything is built.
A bus timetable mini program exists because someone needs to know when the next bus is. A restaurant mini program exists because someone wants to order food. Neither would work as a general-purpose product, and each is obvious once the scenario is named.
The test is simple: describe the moment a person opens it. If that cannot be described in one sentence, the scenario has not been found yet.
The user
The second question, and the same as for any internet product: a product without users means nothing. Before building, know who this is for.
A shopping mini program is for people with something to buy. An education mini program is for people with something to learn. Stated that plainly it sounds trivial, and yet the most common failure is a product built for an imagined average user who does not exist.
The functions
Functions follow from the user, and only from the user. Once the group is identified, the requirement is worked out from what that group actually needs, which is why two mini programs in different sectors need different functions.
A mall needs a catalogue, a cart, membership and marketing. A restaurant needs scan-to-order, takeaway ordering, reservations and membership. Overlap exists, but it is not the point: the functions are the answer to a question about users, and copying another sector’s answer is how a product ends up with features nobody opens.
Why the order matters
The three questions only work in sequence. A scenario with no user produces a demo. A user with no scenario produces a product that is technically fine and never opened at the right moment. Functions chosen before either produce a feature list, which is what most failed briefs look like before the work starts.
Settle the first two, and the third becomes a reasonable conversation about scope and budget.
XZS Tech is a Shenzhen-based development company. We build custom mini programs, WeChat and mobile apps, e-commerce systems and corporate websites, covering requirement analysis, design, development and after-sales support, and we hand over the source code at delivery.
If you are planning something along the lines of what this article describes, tell us the scenario and we will come back with an approach and a cost range. Call 0755-82494862, or reach us through the contact page at hk.xiaozhushoukeji.cn/en/contact-en/. The first conversation costs nothing.
Want to talk through what you just read?
We work end to end, from product design to launch. Tell us about your scenario and we can start there.
Shenzhen XZS Technology Co., Ltd. · Tel 0755-82494862 · 13760424861