That means that e-books, videos, podcasts, websites and online courses, for example, are digital products; as well as appls, platforms and enterprise software, despite the difference in structure and complexity between them. At SoftDesign, we work with Software Development, which is the basis of the last three items mentioned here and, therefore, we will explain all the concepts in this article.

But first, it is worth remembering that digital business is not synonymous with digital product. A digital business is one that works primarily in the online environment, often being exclusive to that space. Thus, a digital business needs digital products to exist, as the latter will replace physical experiences. Nubank, for example, is a digital business, as it was created entirely for the online environment – it does not have physical branches like other banks.

Mobile App

An app is a computer program designed to process data electronically, aiming at solving problems and facilitating the execution of tasks by users. It is built with programming languages and specific for cell phones, and can be used on Android (Google) and/or iOS (Apple) operating systems. 

The programming language that will be used to develop the app will define which devices it will be compatible with. Java and Kotlin are technologies for Android, for example; Objective C and Swift are iOS-specific; and React Native, Flutter and Ionic are hybrid technologies that make it possible to use the app on both operating systems. 

The choice of the ideal language considers the problem the app solves, who will be its users, what is its expected growth (scalability), if it needs to be compatible with other languages, etc. It is also interesting to understand that most apps do not work alone: they need to be accompanied by a Server System (also called back-end), which is responsible for business rules and data storage. 

An example of an application is WhatsApp. In it, messages sent between one user and another do not navigate directly from the sender’s cell phone to the recipient’s, they are sent to a server that then delivers the message to the users. That is, the data you have in your cell phone applications is probably also stored in the cloud, where the back-end of the applications you use is located. 

Enterprise Software

Enterprise Software is a set of elements that interact with one other. It is a network of interdependent components that work together to achieve a common goal. 

In the context of digital products, enterprise software is a program that performs communication between computers and users. It is normal to call enterprise software CRM, ERP and other types of software that support the execution of management activities or organizational process flows.

To build enterprise software, many technologies can be used, in addition to different types of architectures. For example, today there is a great distinction between monolithic architectures (faster to build, but less scalable) and microservices architectures, where software parts are decoupled for better management, scalability and independence. In a microservices architecture, it is even possible for several technologies to coexist, each one acting where it is most needed. 

Software Platform

A software platform is an online environment with various functionalities that connects different users, promoting valuable interactions. Usually, it is the realization of a business model that exists exclusively in that space. 

The platform can be considered a special type of app / enterprise software, which gets its name because the greatest value is not in the platform, but in the interactions it enables. Uber is an example of a digital platform, as it serves to connect people with available cars (drivers) to people who need to go from one place to another (passengers).  

Within this idea of enabling interactions, platforms can connect people, but they can also connect software and hardware, which leads us to the growth of APIs (direct connection interfaces between software). Thus, a platform is generally an environment that facilitates access to things (people, software and hardware) that would be difficult to access without it, also enabling the easy connection of new elements. 

In the universe of platforms, we use the same technologies as for apps / enterprise software, but, as the business model here generally provides for scale, there is a preference for microservices architectures. Also, remember that a platform is often made up of many parts: applications for users; web systems for other users and for the back office; back-end system to concentrate business rules and storage; and also APIs to facilitate the connection of new partners or elements to the platform.

Everything is Software

As mentioned, apps, platforms and enterprise software are digital products based on software. Software is a sequence of codes that are written to be received and deciphered by computers and their components, in order to perform numerous tasks. At SoftDesign, they are created by Product Teams. 

These digital products have been gaining more and more attention from corporates, as they are essential in digital transformation strategies. After all, in an increasingly connected world, they are responsible for creating connections between people, software and hardware, automating processes, facilitating activities and solving problems. 

Let’s develop your digital product? Fill out the form below and our specialists will contact you.

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Its main healthcare software is an electromyography sensor that quantifies information from muscle data. The sensor captures the electrical activity of the muscles, both contraction and relaxation, and presents such data to the health professional.  

To boost innovation to its product, in 2019, Miotec joined forces with SoftDesign to create Mioflux, a piece of equipment connected to the electromyography sensor capable of measuring urinary volume and flow. The goal is to support pelvic physiotherapists in the treatment of children with urinary difficulties, people in the postoperative period, and adults with voiding disorders.  

We spoke with Fabiano Ergoni, CEO & Founder of Miotec, to learn more about the challenges and achievements of this project. Watch the video below and learn about the history of Mioflux. Don’t forget to turn on the subtitles.

Why work with SoftDesign? 

Miotec had an achilles heel: talent retention. The company set up internal hardware and healthcare software teams to develop its equipment. However, after a few months, the professionals ended up leaving the company and taking their knowledge about the products away. 

Fabiano Ergoni, CEO and Founder of Miotec, understood that this problem should not be his and that, as an entrepreneur, he needed to dedicate himself to business objectives and to the launch of new products. When talking to SoftDesign, he felt safe with the company’s transparency:  

“Osmar (A. M. Pedrozo – SoftDesign’s CEO) was able to listen to me and understand my vision of the future for Miotec. He didn’t want to sell me a ready-made product, he offered me a solution that could be expanded in the future, and warned me about the importance of making a conscious investment”.  

A Creative Planning Process 

With the partnership established, the first step was to start Product Inception a creative process that SoftDesign has been carrying out since 2016. Its purpose is to define the objectives of the project, plan the software development, and define the necessary investment.  

Initially, the idea of Mioflux was quite broad: a healthcare software that could receive several applications and serve the most different types of hardware. But, through market research carried out with health professionals, it was possible to understand the actual pains and needs of the personas.   

In this way, technical and design requirements were prioritized for the first MVP (Minimum Viable Product). SoftDesign’s team of Designers created the product prototypes, focusing on an easy and intuitive interface. The Product Manager, in partnership with the development team, focused on backlog estimates and release strategy. 

Focus on Healthcare Software Development 

While the Miotec team worked on the hardware, the SoftDesign team developed the healthcare software. A communication protocol was created in partnership, so the information transaction had the best performance.  

The SoftDesign team opted for development with Electron, a multiplatform web technology; and used  React to create the interfaces. The visualization of the graphs was done in  D3.js, and its creation in real-time uses HTML5 associated with Canvas. The database chosen was NeDB, as it is lightweight and allows working with documents (exams).  

Following the Agile Method, fortnightly meetings were held, in the sprint deliveries, for alignments and route corrections. Through the Jira tool, everyone was able to monitor the evolution and speed of work daily. According to Fabiano:  

“All of this provided transparency, both for Soft’s managers and for us, the project’s investors. So it was possible to fix problems quickly, and we achieved our goal. The product is already on the market and we have received many compliments”.  

The Future of Mioflux 

The Mioflux is a kind of scale, with a measuring cup, connected to the electromyography sensor (hardware). When the patient urinates in this equipment, it measures the time for the first drop to fall, the volume, and the urinary flow; and transmits this data to the system (software).   

With this information, the physiotherapist prescribes the appropriate treatment, which can often be performed with the aid of Mioflux. This is because the equipment also has a visual biofeedback: a screen with colored circles that the patient can follow to learn to relax or contract the pelvic muscle.  

Hundreds of physiotherapists already have the equipment in their offices. In a constant dialogue with users, Miotec receives feedback and works on the evolution of the product.  

The next step is to extend home care, as many people are not comfortable urinating in clinics. With that in mind, an application will be developed soon, which will enable the sending of information between the patient and the healthcare professional.  

We will continue working together with Miotec to support the implementation of its manifesto: taking care of subjectivity through technology.   

Let’s develop your digital product? Fill out the form below.

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Namely: in the first article of this series, which you can check out here, we broadly explore all the profiles, roles and knowledge needed in a product team. In addition to the Product Owner, in the next articles we will talk about the role of Designers, Developers and Testers.

Why do we need a Product Person?

When we work in the construction of a digital product, we are dealing with complexity. We start with (1) a vision of where we want to go (usually a little vague), (2) a handful of market information, (3) a certain idea of our customers’ needs, and (4) a limited budget and time. All of this in addition to the mission to deliver maximum value to customers and users.

Amid this complexity, you have to make countless daily decisions about what to do, how to do it and when to do it. The Product Person can then be seen as someone who understands the constraints of the business (money, time, legal, processes, etc.), and acts to prioritize the team’s work strategically, maximizing the value delivered.

Usually, the creators or sponsors of the business believe they can play this role. However, our experience and modern product development methods show that it is best to have someone specific on the team who masters the techniques in the area and has experience in digital products. This does not mean that the role of creators and sponsors is unnecessary: the Product Person will be in frequent touch with them, jointly co-creating the strategic vision – but will also carry out other activities that require more time and focus.

“We can say, from the experience of several cases we have seen, that without a good Product Person, there is a lot of wasted time and money. The allocated team builds a lot of software, but without connection to a larger strategy. In these cases, it is not uncommon to have to throw a lot of things away and start over from scratch, because what was built works, but it doesn’t meet the needs”, Karina Hartmann, Head of Product and Innovation, points out.

What does a Product Person do?

In the market, there are two main nomenclatures for the role of those who work with products: Product Owner (PO) and Product Manager (PM). In some companies, these roles are performed by the same person; in others, they are divided; and there are still those that have only the first role.

At SoftDesign, the Product Person takes on the responsibilities of Product Owner and Product Manager.

As a Product Manager, the main responsibilities are:

• Articulating the product vision;
• Supporting the company in creating a product strategy that is connected to the company’s overall strategy, using knowledge about the market and users as a basis;
• Creating, maintaining and communicating a product roadmap – which is a visual description that shows how the product will evolve over time – that represents this strategy;
• Aligning the roadmap with the company’s constraints (money, time, etc.);
• Thinking of ways to reduce risks and uncertainties as early as possible through testing, experimentation or research;
• Feeding the roadmap based on product metrics;
• Interacting with other areas that need to be coordinated (sales, marketing, support, operations) to align processes, pass on knowledge, among other actions.

As Product Owner, which is a role of the Scrum method, the main responsibilities are:

• Prioritizing the work that will be done by the team in each Sprint in order to deliver maximum results and achieve the roadmap’s objectives;
• Identifying solution options for each roadmap objective, choosing the best one based on testing, research or other data sources;
• Refining each solution chosen, writing the user stories that will be the basis for development.

From the list above, we can see that this is not simple work. To achieve this, it is necessary to understand the various stakeholders in the product and integrate their views into a cohesive strategy.

Bruna Ricardo, one of SoftDesign’s Product People, values this aspect a lot. For her, her main challenge in a digital product team is to strategically connect all the ends, considering the different objectives of each stakeholder. “The main challenge of my role is to move between different scenarios, connecting stakeholders: customer, development team, and end user. I need to bring everyone into the same world and make these people happy with what is being developed”, she says.

Moreover, for Daniel Olsson, who also works with products at SoftDesign, “the presence of the Product Owner is crucial because, while the company assumes the role of caring about the business, the PO focuses on the product, managing efforts to make it a success. We do this while verifying the user and the market, saving the entrepreneur’s time so that he can focus on strategic and administrative decisions”, he emphasizes.

What is the daily life of a Product Person like?

Working on a team that uses the Scrum method, this person will have to perform the Product Owner’s functions, so in this person’s schedule we will find:

• Participation in Planning; a planning meeting that takes place at the beginning of each Sprint. In it, the PM explains the objective of that work cycle and the team plans what is necessary to achieve it;
• Conducting the Review, when the team collects feedback on what has been done in the Sprint;
• Maintenance, update and prioritization of the backlog, which is the list of everything that needs to be done;
• Daily availability to help the team with questions and decisions.

However, going beyond Scrum, the PO also needs to organize the following in his schedule:

• Frequent conversations with stakeholders, which are the various areas involved in the product, such as Business, Marketing and Sales: the objective is to understand the expectations and constraints that each one brings to the project;
• Market studies, to keep the PO’s understanding up to date on the positioning and differentiators of the product under construction;
• Collecting data about users, including Analytics, and also conducting user surveys with the support of Designers (interviews, observation, usability tests);
• Identification of opportunities based on the data collected;

Analysis of solution ideas, which usually includes the creation of workflows and prototypes, in addition to discussions with the entire team;

• Testing solutions before building, which includes planning and running experiments that reduce the risk of investing in a bad solution;
• Assembling a roadmap and frequently aligning these goals with all those involved, reconciling it with the expectations and constraints of the business and with the frequent changes in the scenario or in the company’s strategy.

Product Person Artifacts. Source: Own image.

What should a Product Person profile look like?

According to Marty Cagan, author of the best-selling book Inspired, the person needs to be very talented as well as smart, creative and persistent. After all, the work requires the ability to navigate from strategic to operational, bringing together business, design and technology. According to Michele Machado, who works with products at SoftDesign, a Product Owner needs to speak eye-to-eye with the stakeholders (discussing what is best for the business) as well as with the technical team (defining what is a priority and possible solutions).

To act in this role, it is not necessary to master the technical part, as would be the case with a person who has been a programmer, for example. In Cagan’s view, it needs to be someone who is curious about solutions and not afraid to participate in discussions about them. This means that technical people, without communication and negotiation skills, are a recipe for failure. “I think that just understanding about technology doesn’t make a product work; it is also necessary to connect ideas and people”, Bruna highlights.

SoftDesign’s Product Owners

In our work process, the profile we call Product Owner accumulates both the strategic vision (Product Management) and the day-to-day operational vision of Scrum. These people participate in the Product Conception and also in the life cycle of Software Development.

At SoftDesign, our main mission is to deliver products that will be used, loved and that generate value. If you need help structuring and validating ideas, understanding audiences and developing successful products, please contact us using the form below. Together, we will connect technology, design and strategy!

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Creating an inferior product is also a strategy

Blue Ocean and Red Ocean

• Using data to create your digital business (data-driven);
• Finding a gap in the market, looking for overlooked profiles and public needs;
• Considering the functional and emotional motivations of your audience;
• Presenting differentiation and low cost at the same time;
• Maximizing opportunities and minimizing risks by experimenting and validating your business ideas as early as possible.

The Secret is in the Product Positioning

• What is it you’re offering, in detail?
• Who are you specifically offering it to? Who will buy it and who will use it? and
• How is it different from competitors?

Defining the product positioning in a Blue Ocean strategy

What if my product positioning is inside the red ocean?

How we help with your product positioning

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In order to bring some perspectives, we will share some insights about time-to-market in this article. It is important to emphasize that consolidating concepts is not the main objective of this content since the topic raises discussions. What we present below are contributions that help us to reflect on the ideas that permeate this debate.

Exploring Concepts

Time-to-market is much more than a buzzword headlining the universe of startups and digital businesses. In its most consolidated meaning, the expression represents the time span between the conception of the product and its launch on the market. This time is relative and varies from industry to industry, that is, the success of the strategy depends on a number of factors related to the business.

TTM can also be interpreted as the time between the start of the team’s work and the first sale. With this in mind, it is essential to consider that some product and service development strategies depend on time to achieve a competitive advantage. In these specific cases, the longer we take to launch, the less market share, revenue, and competitiveness we will have.

Launch time doesn’t always have to be as fast as possible. In this race to enter the market first, it is essential not to lose sight of the quality standard, that is, the reduction of time-to-market should not be pursued at any cost. Seeking competitive advantage through quick feedback collections is the best way to improve the product with agility and excellence.

Furthermore, by optimizing Software Development and product marketing processes, we reduced launch time. As a result, we gained more market share, as well as customer and user loyalty. Remember, being the first to explore the blue ocean may result in a higher profit margin than the competition.

How to measure time-to-market?

According to John Carter, author of Innovate Products Faster: Graphical Tools for Accelerating Product Development, the first step is to know what you are measuring and why. It is possible to measure the period (months or years) it takes to bring a concept to market, or the working hours of the people involved in the project, for example. In some cases, companies start timing when the team and budget are approved. However, in other situations timing starts weeks later. Therefore, it is essential to define when the project starts and ends.

Carter recommends two-time measurements:

• The “clock is triggered” when the team is available and there is an initial definition (and the main risks are taken out),
• The “clock is stopped” when an MVP or the first version of the product is sold (or adopted), usually after the product is launched.

However, for the specialist, comparing TTM between teams or organizations requires some care. “The biggest factors that can influence time-to-market are the scope of the project, how much risk it contains, and how much innovation is needed to differentiate the product from the competition. Time-to-market comparisons are not accurate unless you understand when the timer starts and stops, and you understand the risk profile between the two projects.”

In the article The Return Map: Tracking Product Teams, Charles H. House and Raymond L. Price point out that a study carried out by McKinsey reports that, on average, companies lose 33% of their profit when they launch products six months late, compared with 3.5% losses when they spend more than 50% on product development. “Increasingly, companies are learning that the time required to develop a product has more influence on its success than its costs”, they point out.

Time: a 21st-century luxury

We are often surprised by amazing and revolutionary products, but which are often made available to the market at the wrong time. For this reason, a significant portion of startups dies within the first year. An early launch can result in problems that are difficult to overcome, such as a poor product or poor service quality. However, launching too late can create a disadvantage that is difficult to reverse.

Time-to-market is important because a delay in launch fragments the market you intend to sell your product or service. This affects the company’s profitability and decreases market share, undermining the cost structure. The first to market a completely new product guarantees a good percentage of market share.

How to do it faster and better?

As we have seen, in the world of digital products and services, time really means money. So, if you need help validating a business idea, contact us! Through Product Conception, we help you explore options, better understand users, identify features and define technologies. Our strategy consists of prioritizing items and planning releases that allow for the intelligent use of investments, improving time-to-market.

Our team works through a multidisciplinary method that encompasses knowledge and techniques from various subjects: Design Thinking, User Research, UX Design, Prioritization, Product Marketing and Launch. Let’s talk about how our method can help you build your digital products or services?

Contact us by filling out the form below!

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What is No-Code?

No-Code X Low-Code

Advantages of No-Code

• Productivity for the team: Professionals who know the rules of the business can support the creation of the product. The intervention of a professional in the area of software development is not necessary to make adjustments to the application. Thus, any professional can collaborate with the product conception process.
• Adaptable projects: Adapting changes and testing new versions of the application is simpler. With clear rules and ready-made components, it is possible to switch between different options quickly and in a testable manner.
• Cost reduction: With the use of No-Code, the need for the involvement of many professionals is reduced. As a result, the costs to create a functional product are lower and the response time for validation is reduced.
• Autonomy for the company: Due to the platform’s ease of use, it is possible for any professional to carry out validations of ideas and tests, putting improvements and changes into practice without having to implement a lengthy process.

Disadvantages of No-Code

The future is just around the corner

Does No-Code work for my business?

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Organized Schedule

Product Conception is a creative process. Therefore, sometimes we need more time to mature ideas and prototypes. We carry out all the steps in a very calm and safe way so that the client understands that there is a certain logic, even if we are open to adjustments during the process when necessary.

Collaboration Culture

Multidisciplinary Method

The six main steps of SoftDesign’s Digital Product Conception.

Learning for Other Projects

Project Risk Reduction

When we present data, we can help entrepreneurs choose the path that makes the most sense. We do not work on Product Conception as a way to sell software; our focus is on the design of the product or service. We are completely honest about the project’s risks and feasibility.

Expected Results of Product Conception

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What is Low-Code?

How Low-Code is this solution?

Advantages of Low-Code

• Fast learning curve: the model requires less coding knowledge and is considered simpler than traditional programming languages;
• Speed: development time can be reduced due to the dispensability of creating manual codes;
• Adding custom code: it is possible to add extra features to meet specific needs if necessary;
• Mobile accessibility: the model has a feature pattern that works for different devices, making it unnecessary to program different software.

Disadvantages of Low-Code

• Security and compliance: Low-Code solutions are not security-conscious and may be seriously vulnerable to attacks. Never use such a solution to handle sensitive user data!
• Scalability: this type of platform is not suitable for a large scale, that is, if the number of users increases, for example, it may be necessary to rebuild the product in a more robust technology;
• Customization capabilities: in order to be easy to use, these platforms are generally quite limited; they feature a specific set of pre-programmed options where you choose which one to use. On some platforms, there is no possibility of customization which makes it impossible to evolve the product or create a differentiated user experience. Other tools allow for customization but require as much coding as writing custom software.
• Variety of digital products: the use of this model for the development of platforms for corporate use is questioned, as it may require a greater number of digital products in the same company since each one would meet a specific objective.

Does Low-Code work for my business?

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2. Dedicated Multidisciplinary Team

3. Experience in Digital Projects

4. Innovation Facilitator

Trust your IT partner

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How does SoftDesign work with startups?

To what extent is it important for a startup to carry out Product Conception before developing its digital product or service?

Does SoftDesign somehow help to establish the relationship between startup and investor?

You said before that the startup works with the team on the daily for developing software. How exactly does this process work?

Are there any differences between working with startups and well-established companies? What are the advantages that make SoftDesign work with startups?

Do you have a startup and need help designing and developing your digital product?

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