How to pick the right digital product development method for my business

Digital product development is a big concern for small and medium-sized businesses. If you have a team of developers, however, this is not an issue – the entire development process can be spearheaded by your in-house staff. But what about those companies that don’t have a development team?

This article provides a high level overview on how product managers or owners can develop digital products without dedicated development teams. We’ll first review the benefits of developing digital products with dedicated teams as well as show what some challenges may be faced by those who decide to go solo. Then we’ll talk about different methods of digital product development as well as share some tips on how to choose the right one for your business needs. Finally we will give an example of a recent project carried out using the no-code method.

Firstly, why should product managers or owners even consider developing digital products without dedicated development teams? Well there are many reasons for doing so. With an ever growing number of projects requiring UX design and digitization, it’s obvious to see first hand the drain on development resources in product companies all over the world.

Another reason is that the use of no code/low code tools has come a long way recently. The ability to build beautiful looking features without writing any lines of code has really opened up the market for people who could otherwise not develop apps by themselves i.e. non developers . It’s no longer necessary to hire expensive developers to make simple changes because it can be done quickly and easily with low code/no code tools.

The two main factors leading to this growth are; more and more people demanding software product development methodology, and the increase in companies choosing not to hire developers.

From working with clients on a daily basis, we can clearly see that there is an ever increasing need for UX design services. It’s unfortunate but true, some teams think it’s ok to build products without considering the usability of what they’re building i.e. spending no time on making their product user-friendly . This obviously results in unhappy users and increased support costs for companies who put out poorly thought through products. Which is why we’ve seen such a growth over the past year or so of UX designers being hired by development companies of all sizes around the world.

“You cannot move forward by patting yourself on the back while kicking others down.” – Unknown.

Luckily for us, there are more and more developers who have begun to realize the importance of UX design in their projects, which has resulted in a significant increase of people looking to build their teams with UX designers. This is fantastic because it means we get to work on amazing projects, but it can be quite tricky finding the right candidate sometimes. We’ve compiled some tips and insights from our team here at Mentionables (a digital product agency) that may help you when hiring your next UX designer:

1.) The responsibilities of a product designer vary greatly depending on what sector they’re operating in i.e. digital or physical. It’s important to be familiar with the role and what type of projects a UX designer can work on. This is why we recommend listing some job openings on your company website, explaining the typical responsibilities of a UX designer in a digital setting.

2.) Listing ‘UX’ as an integral part of your job description won’t automatically attract any talented candidates.  If you really want to find the top people out there, try not listing it in the title but rather integrate it throughout your description so that it becomes apparent that this position needs someone who specializes in delivering great user experiences.

3.) Be sure to communicate clearly how important design thinking and processes are for this position. Having examples of workflows and graphics that define these elements will help.

4.) UX is not just about creating wireframes and then handing them over to a UI designer for implementation.  Don’t pigeonhole the title of this position since it’s crucial that your person understand both processes and be able to interject (and defend) design decisions based on research and data points throughout the process.

5.) Without proper training, hiring an internal candidate might lead to resentment. Try working with local schools like General Assembly to build relationships and get referrals — fostering new talent is always preferable and will help your department grow in their mission.

6.) Don’t limit yourself when posting this position, for example specifying only Mac users or only Visual Designers.   The more open you are in terms of desktop/OS, the more qualified leads you’ll receive (not to mention it will be easier to find a candidate who is already working with similar tools).

7.) It’s okay to lean on your current team for reference checking and some of the initial resume screening. This helps lessen the impact of finding a new hire while still allowing your existing workforce to continue their work in a timely manner. As time goes on, though, this responsibility should fall squarely within the hiring manager’s realm so that they can spend quality time with each person before making a decision.