Growth thinking
One common thread among almost all failed startup is that all of them have products but very few of them have enough customers.
Every startup starts from an idea and progress towards a prototype and eventually proceed to the product. In this sequential way of thinking, a lot of startups forget about distribution strategy by saying that let me focus on building a great product and then I will think about marketing. So much so that one does not think about for whom the product has been build. This approach completely ignores customers as if they are not part of the product at all.
The number one reason that we pass on entrepreneurs we would otherwise like to back is they are focusing on the product to the exclusion of everything else. Many entrepreneurs who build great product simply don't have a good distribution strategy. Even worse is when they insist that they don't need one, or call [their] no distribution strategy a "viral marketing strategy" -- Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape
Assuming that only by building a great product and customers will flock to you after the launch does not work. No matter how efficient, on time or on the budget you are in the product development cycle, it does not matter if you are building something which nobody needs. The only way to know if you have buyers for your idea is to seek feedback from those potential customers at the earliest.
A product is built for a targeted set of customers (segmentation). You need continuous validation about the product while developing the product itself. Every feature, flow, and design need to be validated before the full-fledged launch of the product. Taking an agile approach with feedback loop intact, mitigate the risk of failure to some extent.
Open a communication channel directly for your users to offer feedback and let your users guide you as to what they want or does not want.
Besides, taking customers into confidence from day 1 is also a question of perspective. Do you keep your ideas ahead of your customer’s problem? Do you work at your convenience or your customer’s convenience? Keeping customer’s interest first in product development makes the job of marketing and acquiring users easier.
This approach of building product will save you from the wrath of customers after the launch.