5 Important Steps for Startup Product Development

The data says that 90% of the founders struggle to convert their ideas in to usable products Almost any startup founder has to go through the process of developing a product before having that mega lunch of their new venture Which means you are not alone in this path. The route to making your idea into a usable product is rough, but there is nothing to worry!  

We have your back this time. We have covered all the important concepts you want to know before getting starting that very first step towards developing a successful product. Many entrepreneurs overlook the important steps in the rush of getting started with final shining product, don’t make that mistake! Continue reading to reap the benefits of the industry expert’s tips and tricks on kick-starting your startup product development process.  

5 important steps for startup product development

Now, let’s discuss about the 5 very important steps of product development. Read the points below to know where to begin with to kick-start your business.  

1. Workshop and Ideation

It is an initial phase and starts when you have certain concept about the product or application that is going to be built. Even if you don’t already have slightest of the idea of, what your product should be like? or what you are going to create? Don’t worry! This is the step where you can actively be involved in brainstorming and workshop sessions to create your own unique product idea.  

2. Product Design

Cheers! You have made it through workshop and ideation phase; I personally like to call it as the toughest phase of all. After long thinking, brainstorming and research this is the phase where we come up with finally one idea that seems to be unique and commence able. So, we start to design the product in this phase. Yes! Never forget your end-user in any of the phase. Especially this one. Your design should of course look attractive but most importantly it should be functionable and easy to use.  

3. MVP Development and Launch

MVP is important. The development team creates a planned boxed-time for MVP to attract the early users and the investors. Amidst all these important steps, I will still give more spotlight to importance of MVP. Why? because there are multiple advantage of building MVP, it can help you revise and add relevant features after feedback from real users, it can help you attract investors and it can also help you stay ahead of your competitors.  

4. Product Development

In this stage you should start to act on the feedback you get from MVP. Yes, MVP again! But here we will link it to its significance in product development. Talking about feedback, MVP feedback can be used to create a product plan, a proper one. A proper product plan will include the development process, development method and also the most up-to-date technological stack.

A product roadmap can be known as an outline which describes a product’s vision, direction, goals and progress through time. It can be used to plan the action which will align along with the short term and long-term goals of the project. Creating a product roadmap is your 1st step towards developing an ideal product.  

5. Support and Maintenance

Last but not the least, build your team for support and maintenance. Your ideal product might not be the perfect one. No matter how much effort you have put in to build that product. Do not take it with a grain of a salt, your user is the king. You might think you are creating a magnificent product but, if your user doesn’t like it then it will hit the rock-bottom. With support and maintenance as a packaged service to your customer, you can be aware about the issue your users are facing and quickly fix it.  It will not only help you upgrade your product but your business as a whole.  

6 steps you should consider for your startup product development  

As you read the steps above if you were questioning what are the things that might affect the process of these stages, don’t worry! I am listing 5 important things for you to note before you begin with start-up product development.  

1. Start with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

Seems like MVP will never leave and it shouldn’t because, it’s the bedrock for creating the ideal product you want. Even if you have a wonderful concept, there will always be concerns regarding its commercial success. As a result, you must put your concept to the test by performing your own market survey.  

2. Find Experience Team

You will need a robust team to have your product ready to go in the market. From the early development phase to the phase of launching your product, you will need a team that can actually do justice to your product idea. Team is everything. A good team requires a synergy of like-minded people. Once you have that synergy in your team nothing can stop you.  

3. Stay Agile; Follow Agile Development Practices

Technology is changing at a quicker rate than ever previously. As a result, if we not pay close heed to it, you may have lost out on critical information. Moreover, the nature of having an internet business requires you to constantly expand; inventing, building technology, hiring- the moment you disregard them, your marketplace game is over. 

4. Partner with Expert Software Development Outsourcing Company

Outsourcing companies have experts; who exactly know 3WH of software development. 3WH are; What are the resources required to build a software? Who are the end-users? What to research and align? When to deploy? And most importantly Why to create? Partnering with the best software development outsourcing companies will help you create your ideal software in a cost-efficient way.

The best part is industry experts will be working to design and build your software. The same leverage might not be possible if you desire to hire an internal team. Also, many research have proved that outsourcing is way more cost-efficient and effective than building inhouse.  

5. You shouldn’t take Investors Lightly

Never underestimate your investors, they can give you hard time while pitching your product. However, this is due to the fact that it frequently takes longer than expected. As a result, be patient and don’t get too excited if it doesn’t happen right away. Every business experience ups and downs. Success is usually determined by how well you maintain oneself motivated. Work hard on your pitch deck to make an excellent first impact that will set you apart from the competition. 

6. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes

No good product was built without small errors, so if the fear of making mistake is something stopping you, then you should not let it. Brace yourself and take that risk for that new feature you wanted to add. Go for it, maybe it will end up being the most liked feature by your user.  And making mistakes also mean more room for learning. Mistakes are the part of learning curve, if you are making mistakes, you are learning too. 

Summary

● Start with brainstorming! Give your neuron muscles a little exercise.  

● Product idea does not kick-in right away, sometimes it is an outcome of late-night ideas contemplation and daunting research, but it is one essential step.  

● Always keep your user in mind, anything you create will ultimately go in the hands of your end-users. Build something that will make your user’s life easy. 

● MVP, MVP and MVP. Have your MVP ready. Attract your investors, stay ahead in competition and reap that benefit of having MVP. I have already mentioned about the importance of MVP. 

● Choose right software outsourcing partner for your product development. Outsourcing companies have right experts and experience that can match your development requirements.  

● Support and maintenance are equally important. It will help your product run smoothly which can earn you some brownie points. Especially, from your users.  

● Find the right team, the team that can create synergy in the work. Right team is everything.  

● Follow the standard practice of Agile development, it will make your development process flexible.  

● And, don’t be afraid to take calculated risks. Who knows? That one accidental feature can be the most liked feature by users.  

Building a startup itself is very audacious decision. If you have chosen the courage to build the start-up why not go with best practices for start-up product development. Let’s highlight one key point here, find the right IT outsourcing company for your development. They can make your product idea possible at efficient cost.

They can have the global expertise working on your product and they can also support you on your journey to create an ideal start-up product. Besides, keep in mind about all of the listed stages. They are very essential and following through all these phases will result you with a successful; which means user-friendly product in your hand.