Start with the path a stranger will take

AI-built MVPs often look finished to the builder because the happy path is familiar. A launch check should start from a blank browser, a new account, and no context.

If the first user cannot understand the promise, sign up, reach the core action, and see a useful result, the product is not ready for public traffic yet.

• Open the app in an incognito session.
• Run signup, onboarding, and first value without using internal knowledge.
• Capture screenshots of each state that would appear in a launch demo.

Check the product surface

Pricing, empty states, loading states, and error states are not polish. They are part of the product contract users judge in the first minute.

Before publishing, write down what the user should believe after each screen. If the screen does not support that belief, it needs another pass.

• Make the value proposition visible before login.
• Explain what happens after the primary action.
• Replace dead ends with a next action or recovery path.

Turn checks into evidence

A useful launch audit should not only say that something feels risky. It should point to the file, URL, screenshot, or scan fact that proves the issue.

That evidence makes fixes faster and helps founders decide whether a blocker is worth delaying the launch.