Product Discovery is the initial stage of a software development process. At least it should be, as omitting this phase may result in some severe consequences down the road. The primary aims of Product Discovery are to define the target audience and decide on the core features of your product prior to the start of the project.
Thanks to discovery meetings, you can consult your ideas with a software development company to ensure the project is doable and also hear experts’ suggestions concerning its functionality. Such an approach may decrease the risk of costly corrections discovered at the end of the development process or after the product launch.
Software development process
The custom software development process consists of four stages. You already know that it starts with Product Discovery. Other steps include the design stage, development, and testing of the product, as well as its release and maintenance.
Product Discovery
At this stage, your idea is validated from a business perspective. The team has to ensure that your goal is clear and meets the demands of target customers. It is critical to take your time in clarifying the problem you are attempting to solve and then brainstorm it in search of suitable solutions. After that, it is time to select features and outline the project’s scope.
Design
Having a complete product vision, we can proceed to UI/UX design phase. At this point, low-fi and then high-fi mockups are prepared by designers to visualize the layout and functionalities of the product.
Development & Tests
The development phase includes writing the product’s source code based on prepared mockups. This stage is divided into Sprints i.e. one or two-week stages of work on individual tasks. When the development process is over, the product is ready for testing. Such tests are conducted to check whether everything is running properly.
Release & Maintenance
After being tested by a dedicated QA department, the product is ready to be released. But that is not the end of the whole process. Software development agencies should also take care of the product after its launch to the market. This stage is called maintenance and comprises keeping the product updated and ensuring its proper functioning.
How can your mobile app benefit from Product Discovery?
As mentioned at the beginning, Product Discovery may save you from additional costs resulting from some misconceived decisions made along the way. But there is more to Product Discovery than it seems. Here are some other benefits of this solution.
Understanding of project assumptions
Consulting the vision of your project with a software company allows you to discuss its assumptions and investigate its strong and weak points. Thanks to Product Discovery, the team can have a better understanding of your goals and implement suitable strategies.
ROI improvement
Product Discovery frequently invalidates the original concept by proposing more appropriate and cost-effective ideas. Relevant decisions in this subject matter may increase a prospective Return on Investment.
Elimination of delays
Product Discovery allows you to assess the time required for every stage of your product development. Lack of such preparation may lead to undesirable delays, affecting the efficiency of the project.
Bugs fixing
During the Product Discovery stage, you can identify the rabbit holes and learn how to deal with them. This knowledge may save you a lot of time during the development process.
Increasing the chances for the final success
Scrutinizing the market and defining the needs of your target audience can help you conform to end-users requirements, encouraging them to utilize your product.
Product Discovery for your app
From our point of view, every mobile app development project requires a Product Discovery stage. In this article, we have provided you with an overview of the development process and the role of Product Discovery meetings in this procedure to make you realize how crucial it is for the final success of your product. If you are looking for a software development company that offers Product Discovery workshops, visit https://crustlab.com/ to learn more.
