What is Digital Product Development: 6 Stages You Need to Master
What is Digital Product Development
Digital product development is the creation of software-driven user experiences that enhance an organization’s user journey. It utilizes agile methodologies to deliver products quickly and incorporates stakeholder input through frequent testing and iteration.
The stages of digital product development typically involve three key areas: the idea stage, the design and development stage, and the growth stage. These stages encompass various sub-stages performed by software development, product management, and product development teams. They may involve activities such as prototyping, quality assurance (QA) testing, and iterative improvements to ensure a successful product.
Digital product development encompasses the creation of software products, such as computer software, mobile apps, and websites. These products can encompass operating systems like Windows and Android, software programs like Word and Chrome, as well as various apps and websites.
The typical stages of digital product development include discovery, design, engineering, pre-release testing, and launch. Before these stages, product strategy and project shaping are carried out, while continuous product development follows the initial launch, forming an iterative cycle.
Keep this in mind when developing a digital product
Digital Product Development Cycle
Indeed, the high-level workflow of building a digital product typically involves three major stages: ideation, design and development, and growth. These stages encompass activities such as brainstorming ideas, defining requirements, designing the user interface, coding and testing the product, and implementing strategies for user acquisition, retention, and continued product improvement.
Digital product development life cycle:
Ideation
During the ideation stage of digital product development, the focus is on identifying a problem and formulating a solution. This involves activities such as conceptualization, conducting research and analysis, making estimations, and validating the feasibility of the proposed digital product.
1. Vision
A strong vision statement captures the essence of a product and outlines its ultimate purpose. It can be concise and universal, such as Disney’s “To make people happy,” or insightful like Netflix’s “Helping content creators around the world to find a global audience.” The vision should emphasize the potential of the digital product and articulate long-term intentions.
2. Strategy
A well-defined product strategy guides the direction of the product team throughout implementation. Relying solely on inspiration is a common reason for startup failures. A successful strategy relies on a product roadmap that includes clear goals, success metrics, value proposition, competitive analysis, and other crucial data.
3. Research and market analysis
At the evaluation stage of digital product development, product owners need to:
- Analyze market trends and user needs
- Conduct feasibility studies and competitive analysis
- Determine the potential value and viability of the idea
- Make informed decisions on whether to proceed with the idea.
4. Budget
During the evaluation stage of digital product development, it is important to assess the available financial resources and forecast both short-term and long-term costs associated with the project.
5. Value proposition
During this stage, it is crucial to validate the viability of your digital product. The value proposition analysis involves identifying the benefits and drawbacks from the end-user’s perspective. This analytical approach can be facilitated using tools like the value proposition canvas. By conducting this analysis, you gain a comprehensive understanding of the functionalities and features needed by a specific user category.
6. Proof of concept
The proof of concept (PoC) is a crucial step to test the feasibility of a design concept. While some experts associate PoC with wireframing or prototyping, we consider it a pre-development stage as it determines if a digital product can be successfully built. Once the PoC confirms feasibility, the engineering phase can commence, bringing the product to life.
Digital Product Development Company
