The business landscape is very dramatic and competitive nowadays. With so many market players offering homogenous solutions and products, it becomes hard to compete. There is an incessant focus on product development for the survival of firms. Small startups and enterprises struggle to withstand the competition by continuously updating and upgrading their product offerings. Big enterprises conform to the latest market trends and practices to compete and diversify. Eventually, both infrastructures focus on product development.
web app development is not an ordinary term. It holds great significance in the business world because the success, fate, and failure of a company depend on it. It discusses the process of making a product from scratch or its ideation stage to its commercialization stage. Companies could either build the product from the start or choose to renew an existing product by reintroducing it to the world or a new market. Every business goes through different stages of product development. The basic roadmap for product development is standard, which usually involves concept building, development, and commercialization. The development process does not end there when a product reaches the market. Collecting valuable feedback is also an integral part of product building. The reiteration process, improvement, and enhancements continue till the product retires from the market. We shall now discuss the essential and standard stages of web app development which are consistent and standard for every industry and company. We will learn about:
- Stage one: Idea generation or ideation
- Stage two: Screening
- Stage three: Concept building/development
- Stage four: Product design and development
- Stage five: Commercialization
Now let’s focus on each stage of the cycle.
Stage one: Idea generation or ideation
This is the first stage of development, where brainstorming and different business sources bring ideas to the table. These sources could include identifying and analyzing market needs and wants, business customers, competition, environmental factors, etc. This stage depends mainly on market research to supply ideas. Businesses build on research-based idea generation tactics. It is the most crucial stage as it lays the foundation for the rest of the phases and dictates the process.
Stage two: Screening
In the second step of web app development / product development, the ideas go through a screening test which filters out the doable, feasible, viable, and smart ones. The workers, customers, employees, and task force pitch their opinion regarding those ideas to make sure every stakeholder is on the same page. In the end, only the feasible and viable options are left on the chart. It also gets rid of costly and unfeasible ideas. Some of the critical factors affecting the screening stage are:
- Competition
- Legislation
- Change in technology and trends
Stage three: Concept building/development
In this stage of the cycle or process, the enterprise undertakes associated costs, capital, resources, and revenues into consideration. The concept-building stage also conducts a SWOT analysis by identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The internal analysis of the assets and SWOT gives a complete picture of the concept ready to be laid out. Keeping in mind the internal analysis, a market strategy is set out. This strategy highlights the target audience and customer persona. It facilitates market segmentation which helps in identifying the potential market share and niche.
Stage four: Product design and development
The product development stage undertakes the design and manufacturing of the actual product. It begins in this stage where the manufacturing starts, and the prototype comes into being for further testing. Market testing of the prototype identifies the flaws, shortcomings, and improvement areas in the product. Based on the market results and initial prototype, the company then decides to do large-scale production or entirely stop the process.
Stage five: Commercialization
During the development stage, successful testing results precede large-scale production for the final stage. The company gets ready for commercialization and rollout of the product to the market. In this stage, promotional campaigns, marketing tactics, and advertising are carried out. These moves and campaigns influence the purchase decision and increase brand and product awareness in the customers.
Conclusion
These steps are the gist and standard of the product development process. A product reaches the market after passing these steps and phases. Every industry has its unique procedures and steps, but the goal is ultimately the same. By following these steps, companies accomplish perfect products.
