March 28, 2022
Behind every product is a problem that needs to be solved, and our Product Inception is the first step in which we pin down the necessary fix. It also helps our clients switch their mindset from ‘I need a software product’ to ‘I need the right software product’. But what is a product inception, and why does it increase our project success rates?
A Product Inception is a workshopping process at the start of a project that involves a series of collaborative exercises to align all teams on what is actually being built. It’s a specific technique that’s part of understanding what it takes to build a successful product that meets the end users needs. Usually a product inception will be a detailed process that covers several meetings over two or three weeks.
During this time we understand the key features and customers for the product, and what value the product is delivering to the target audience - both in the short and long term. It helps to define the features of the initial release of the product, the MVP (Minimum Viable Product).
Our Product Inception varies from project to project, however the process is as vital as the code we write. The collaborative nature of Product Inception allows us to include everyone's viewpoint, this enables us to produce ideas at a higher standard. And since everyone’s ideas are taken into account, we often avoid the dreaded ‘scope creep’ once design and development begins.
Because of the points above, we know that a project is going to be successful even before our developers put their hands on keyboards.
If you’ve thought about working with us and you’re wondering what our Product Inception looks like… here are the steps we go through with you to kick off every project.
Firstly we identify the product vision as a whole, we identify what needs to be solved and what we want to achieve with this product. We begin with understanding the core functionality of what the product is and isn’t. This will provide a good foundation at a high level for everyone to be on the same page.
When it comes to this stage we begin to understand who your product serves. Beginning to define the end user is vital. Identifying the target market is essential. What do they do? How big is the market? What is the need that the product addresses and the key problems solved? How much do they make and spend?
Activities like empathy maps are delved into here to really drill deeper into who the end user is to understand the personas in what their pain points are, what drives their decision making process and more. All these factors will help focus on delivering a deeper value for the end user.
This stage of the Inception is where you see your product coming to life. Now that we understand who your product really serves, we can now define the product features. We define what the Minimum Viable Product looks like (the most important features), and will likely take a ‘now, next, later’ approach based on product priorities.
During this stage we visualize how users are going to interact with your product. This stage is vital to create the best possible experience that puts the end user first. We want it to be special for the user so they’ll come back for more!
Our final stage consists of devising the execution plan. We take all the features and prioritize the user journeys from what is the most important to least important. Then based on the priority, we create a release schedule that acts as a roadmap to lay out what features are deployed and when.
Our Product Inception acts as the foundation to every project we do. We ensure the information we gather at the early stages are transformed into requirements that are handed off to Compoze Labs Architects and UI/UX designers. The process aids the building stage of the software and ensures the real problems are solved at hand.
If you want to know more about using Product Inception, contact us today and we can turn your problems into shiny new software suited for you and your business goals.
