Software Product Discovery

Many companies are eager to launch their new software without delay to see results faster, and we understand them. But if we go to work without a discovery step, we are doing our customers a disservice.

Before rushing into the product, we should know what client pains they want to satisfy and how. It helps us shape the product's vision, unite all the participants around a common idea, plan the project budget more accurately, etc.

Clients can skip the product discovery process and move to the project realization only if they are confident in their idea and set clear data-driven requirements. Otherwise, they risk investing money into a product that nobody needs.

By skipping the discovery step, the client deprives itself of the ability to:

• Reduce risks. The discovery phase, performed by a qualified product discovery company, saves time and money and eliminates the risks associated with:
  1. No market for the product
  2. Lack of understanding of the value of the product.
  3. Wrong choice of technologies
  4. Expensive maintenance of the delivered product
  5. Communication and coordination problems
• Set roadmap. A roadmap, or a description of all activities, goals, and sequence, is key in the software development process. You get a timetable with clearly defined milestones, deliverables, and deadlines established through consultative processes.
• Win trust. There are three key aspects:
  1. You start with an audience and collect feedback. More chances that your product will be what users expect to receive.
  2. With a prototype, you are more likely to attract investors.
  3. When the discovery phase is complete, you can continue cooperation or find another to deliver the software.

We can do this by answering product capability assessment questions:

• What special problem does the product solve? (value proposition)
• Who are we solving this problem for? (target market)
• How big are the opportunities? (market size)
• What are the alternatives? (current competitors)
• Why is our product better suited to solve the problem? (our differences)
• Why is now the right time? (market window)
• How will we launch the product? (retreat strategy)
• How will we measure success? (business indicators)
  What factors are critical to success? (requirements and risks)

These answers will help you get a clear picture of your product.

The discovery process will find different validated user issues and invalidate many others. Solving these problems can create value for the user and the business; however, we will only recognize this value after providing a solution.

Products often collapse when they don't solve a user problem but can fail when the team building them tries to provide too many solutions. Prioritization is the greatest practice to reduce risk. It can be difficult because issues are often intertwined, and our empathy for users tempts us to do our best. Ranking issues by their value to the users and business is a great way to start decision-making.

• Attitudinal — to apprehend or analyze the attitude of the user. It focuses on performance and actions.
• Behavioral —to understand the behavior of the users. We can do it by interviewing people about the product.
• Quantitative —  collecting large amounts of data through surveys, questionnaires, and polling methods for analyzing numerical data for statistical analysis.
• Qualitative — collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, audio, video) to understand concepts, experiences, or opinions. It can accumulate in-depth insights into a problem or generate new ideas for research.

Typically, project managers divide the project life cycle into five phases: initiation, planning, execution, control, and closure. The discovery phase should be understood as a key element of a project’s initiation and planning phases within this model, bridging the gap.

A discovery phase is the initial stage of agile project development (check out other services we offer). It helps determine how well the development team and the client understand each other. The opening phase can last:

• For a small project - 1-3 days.
• For an average project - 1-2 weeks.
• For a large project - at least 3-4 weeks or more.

It depends on the complexity and the amount of work.

Invoicing is done at a fixed price or on a time and material model based on all research team members’ hourly rates and working hours.

If there are too many risks in the design software research phase, our experts will help you adjust your goals according to market needs and trends. Or, they can suggest building a minimum viable product to test your idea. As a reliable partner, we will not leave you alone.

Project discovery works best for startups with unique ideas. When a startup decides to go through the product discovery process, it receives data on the idea’s relevance to the audience.

The software product discovery process is also useful for large enterprises that want to invest significantly in a digital product. They must be sure that they will create the right solution with the right features. Otherwise, their software product may be useless, inconvenient, or inefficient.