To ensure that digital solutions are properly developed, according to the target audience, personas, and their pain points, it is essential to invest in Design. With that in mind, we interviewed Priscila Rodrigues, SoftDesign’s Lead Product Designer. In the content below, we explain how it helps to reduce uncertainty and increase user satisfaction.

If your startup or corporate still does not invest in Product Design, you are certainly wasting time, money, and relevance. To change this scenario, fill out the form below and talk to our specialists.

Product Design and Technology

SoftDesign – Design is one of the pillars of our work, and this is an area that has been growing a lot in the world of Technology. Why?

Priscila Rodrigues – Design has existed for a long time – since the Industrial Revolution – but the IT market still did not see its relevance. In recent years, we have been able to identify that this is an important and powerful tool, because without planning we cannot understand why we develop products and services. Technology without Product Design does not solve problems, it creates new ones.

To prove this idea, in 2018, the McKinsey consulting carried out a survey in order to understand the business value of design. The results obtained showed that corporates that use this knowledge effectively in their culture generated 32% more revenue and 56% more return to shareholders.

This is the largest survey ever conducted in the area, and its outputs make it clear that the market is increasingly aware of the importance of Design. Therefore, corporates that do not understand this will be at a disadvantage compared to others.

SD – In practice, what is the importance of Product Design?

PR – No one wants to consume a product that is not good to use, and this feeling does not come from nowhere, it is not just a personal view of the user. Its origin is often related to usability problems. Thinking about usability is precisely analyzing how a certain person will use an application, enterprise software or platform, and in what context this will take place.

It is impossible to develop a digital product without thinking about the user. If we want solutions to be desired and bought, we need to think about people. That is what Product Design is for. Moreover, it is through research and applications that we provide good experiences in digital products.

Experimentation is the key

SD – Product Design is present in all SoftDesign services. How does it add value in Product Conception and Experimentation?

PR – The first stage of research is carried out in Product Conception. Therefore, customers who use this service can be startups in their early stages or corporates creating solutions (either for internal or external use). At this stage, we seek to understand who the users affected by the product are and what their real needs are.

In Product Experimentation, the previously raised product and business hypotheses are put into practice to test user adherence. Its main mission is to find the product-market fit, that is, to prove that the product solves a pain and, in some cases, that the solution is profitable.

That match is what we seek to find in this service. However, customers often prefer to move from Product Conception directly to Software Development. It is possible, but depending on the case, we do not advise it. This is because the probability of something not working as idealized and with the expected return on investment can be high. We cannot predict user behavior when using a product for the first time. That is why many startups and corporates end up going bankrupt or pivoting their idea.

At SoftDesign, we understand that to streamline this process, the first step should be to test the product quickly and with the lowest possible investment to seek learning. A No-Code or Low-Code MVP, for example, is a simple option to test the idea in the company or market, verifying that the product has adherence and that we can reach the correct users.

Only after successfully completing this phase we can state the solution has a future; and only then we suggest a greater investment of time, effort, and money. We have this concern and transparency with our customers.

Real Problems Require Real Tests

SD – Being a human-centered company is one of SoftDesign’s main differentials. Therefore, research and testing of our products are conducted with potential users. Is that correct?

PR – Indeed. Surveys are conducted with real users using various techniques, always looking for profiles that match the business in question. A common mistake when starting a digital business is precisely to conduct these tests and surveys with friends or family. It is natural for such people not to want to displease us and, therefore, they say the idea is great and that they would certainly buy the product. However, there is no guarantee that this action will materialize in the future, as friends and family may not be the personas of the product.

In some cases, the entrepreneur may end up getting excited about these responses to the point of investing a considerable amount in the development of the digital solution. It is highly likely that his idea will not have the expected return. We look for users who really have a profile compatible with the product, to conduct clean research and tests, avoiding origin defects.

User Research in Practice

SD – You commented on several research techniques. How do we apply User Research in startup apps and corporate enterprise software, for example?

PR – Regardless of whether it is an app or a system, we first need to understand who its users are and the business context. That is the key point. Basically, User Research is to understand user behaviors and needs and there are several techniques available and in use even before Design was popularized, as they originate in Anthropology.

Therefore, what we do is understand which technique makes the most sense in the context we are working with, and how we can customize and mix approaches to reach the given objective. Thinking about it, it is essential that the person who works in Product Design understand research and have an analytical look.

At SoftDesign, we highly value dialogue, which is why we aim to understand who our users and stakeholders are. For this to happen, we conduct structured interviews or informal chats, which allow us to analyze beyond verbal language. We always suggest eye-to-eye conversations, even if they are held remotely. In addition to quantitative research, when numbers and whys must be understood.

The ideal is to make a match between tools and techniques since conversations can replicate a bias. We tend to say things that we do not necessarily do daily, because these actions are already automatic for us. It is precisely at this moment that we perceive usage addictions, but the user does not always notice this movement, as this process has already been naturalized.

The Role of Design in Software Development

SD – After the Product Conception and/or Experimentation stages, the product evolves into Software Development. What is the role of Designers in this phase?

PR – Product Design continues to be part of the development of the digital solution. It is not inserted only in the initial part of research and experimentation. Therefore, we can say that Designers who work in development teams are responsible for giving voice to users throughout the entire creation journey.

In an agile team, for example, in each sprint and release we continue to improve our understanding of personas, creating flows, testing, and validating whether what is being developed in accordance with the discoveries made in discovery stage – what we call User Experience Design (UX Design).

Through it, we ensure that critical issues for the user are not forgotten. We work with a focus on business objectives and continually validate these issues, especially during software development, as we have deadlines and features that need to be built.

In addition, Designers are responsible for materializing journeys, understandings, and interfaces – what we call User Interface (UI). In a product team, it is also our role to create style guides, prototypes and interactions, aiming at better usability.

User Experience X User Interface

SD – Are surveys also important to improve the User Experience (UX) and the User Interface (UI)? What is the difference between them? How do they impact product creation?

PR – Yes! Research is essential for us to create fluid and efficient experiences in the products we plan. UX is the User Experience, and it can be generated by several factors. One of them is precisely the Interface Design. In a simplified way, people who work on User Experience focus on research, creating journeys, designing flows, understanding usage and business.

The UI, on the other hand, is focused on the interface, which means that this Designer is the one who will transform the learning from research and user data into screens. At this stage, other architecture and information hierarchy practices, typography, accessibility, application of Gestalt laws, Nielsen’s Heuristics, color theory, among other things, come into play.

Finally, there is a series of essential knowledge to be able to provide a valuable experience from the interface. In addition to the flow and journey, the way the user is seeing and interacting with the product is important. Therefore, even though they have different focuses, UX and UI are complementary disciplines that must go hand in hand.

Click Here to Advance!

SD – In practice, it is this work that defines the location of buttons, in addition to how the user will navigate in each application, for example. Can we say that it is the role of the UX/UI Designer to reduce problems and make the journey more intuitive?

PR – Yes! These issues are predicted through Nielsen’s Heuristics, aiming to reduce the cognitive load, that is, the mental effort that the user needs to make to use an enterprise software, platform, or application. Questions like: should I include space between the numbers? Should I add a hyphen? These are examples of thoughts that represent an unnecessary waste of time and energy for the user.

This turns out to be a problem for the company, as every second wasted can impact thousands of conversions that will not happen, like the classic example of the $300 million button. For this reason, every detail matters and this is not an aesthetic issue, as the main objective is not to make it ‘pretty’.

Until recently, Product Design was seen as something superficial. However, its main function in technology is to achieve good usability and connection with users, and this is not achieved through the personal taste of Designers. There is even a strong connection between Design and Psychology, since all these sensations and experiences, whether good or bad, are built based on emotions and triggers.

Therefore, understanding people’s mental model and needs is crucial. For example, we are already used to clicking on an X icon to close something, that is, this is an already established mental model. If in the application that same icon behaves completely differently, that will significantly affect the user experience.

The Influence of Culture on Digital Products

SD – Do UX/UI Designers also need to be aware of behaviors and cultures throughout product development?

PR – It is important to note that the Designers on the team are not the end user. We are aware of what the best practices are, but the context of use is very particular, so it is not possible to simulate. Only the person who uses the product knows whether it is good for their needs. And, sometimes, that same person may even think he/she is satisfied, but we still must understand how long that person takes to perform an action, or to find certain information.

As designers, we do need to consider cultural issues. Remember that what is culturally understood in the universe of colors and usability in Brazil can be completely different in another culture/country. An example of this is Shein website, a Chinese e-commerce which bets on the excessive use of information – a reality that is different from European countries. Culturally this is how Product Design works for Chinese users. Other examples from the same segment are: Shopee and Ali Express.

The perceptions and language of these users are completely different from ours, and this impacts on the creation of products and services. Therefore, it is important to know and delve into the consumer universe to provide incredible experiences.

Design Consulting

SD – Product Design is also present in Consulting. How does this service work? What type of business and needs does it serve?

PR – Unlike Product Conception and Product Experimentation, which apply Product Design in the early stages of a business, Consulting is more focused on corporates that already have their digital solution available on the market. These customers already have a significant user base, but for some reason they are not getting the expected return.

Therefore, in the Design Consulting service, we analyze the product and its usability, and carry out qualitative and quantitative research using various techniques. Among them is Shadowing, which allows us to observe the person in their context of use or interacting with a product, allowing us to understand where the origin of the problem is.

Based on this study and in-depth analysis, we were able to propose improvements to solve the identified problems. Be it usability, suggesting new flows and interfaces, or the service. After all, there is no point in analyzing only the interface of an application, since sometimes the gap is in another part of the operation that is not working very well.

I believe that we would be irresponsible if we only delivered a part of the problem analysis. Our investigation seeks to understand the whole: where are the obstacles and how we – a software and technology company – will propose measures to solve them.

Don’t Forget to Rate the Service!

SD – Without a pleasant experience, the user will give up using a product. Is that correct?

PR – Yes! That is exactly why corporates that still do not understand the importance of Product Design lose customers. After all, through a simple Google search, users will quickly discover a competitor that is better prepared to meet their needs.

SD – That proves the importance of Product Design. Is representing the voice of the user the key to success?

PR – When I cited McKinsey’s research on the impact of design on business, and how much corporates benefit from it, I emphasized that this benefit does not come for nothing. Consumers need to be heard, mainly because there is a lot of competition and options available in the market.

If I do not like a product, I will just use another one. My money will go towards a solution that suits me better, and that really solves my problem. That is, corporates that believe that investing only in code is enough, have not yet seen the power of Product Design and, very soon, will be stuck in time.

Remember that ‘making it pretty’ does not bring results, it does not add value to the business. It is not possible to create a desired and successful product – that everyone wants to consume – without generating value for people. Design is much more than form, it is also context and function. You can develop the most amazing tool in the world, but if the user does not understand how to use it and if an emotional connection is not established, your product will not be adopted.

In summary, the person who works in Product Design is the one who connects all these parts, along with technology and the business. We are an ecosystem that works towards a digital product.

All For One, One For All!

SD – It is important to highlight that the Designer does not work alone. How does this interaction occur with the other professionals of a product team, such as Product Owners, Managers, QAs, and Programmers?

PR – Development teams are multidisciplinary. So, there are distinct roles. For this interaction to work, communication and dialogue are needed. In addition, each specialist has a different connection and interaction with Product Design.

For example, Product Owners, Managers and Designers work very closely, because while one looks at the business, the other looks at the user. These two visions need to be connected to define what needs to be prioritized, aiming that deliveries generate the greatest possible value within the agreed period.

Today, testing is much more about quality than just how it works. This means that this work is related to the user experience and, therefore, Designers and QAs need to look in the same direction, questioning themselves at all times: what level of quality do we want to deliver?

The same question is asked to  programmers. Therefore, one person depends on the other for a given product to be developed, and this interaction needs to be very efficient to respect established negotiations. Designers also need to know what the limitations of the chosen technology are: does it support interactive animations in its interface, for example?

For that, co-creation is constant, as well as refinement – an important stage of the project, as it is when the team meets to analyze the proposed solution – identifying technical and feasibility issues. We are specialists, each with a different expertise, seeking to achieve the same result: incredible digital products.

Product Design at SoftDesign

SD – What is the profile of Designers at SoftDesign?

PR – Our Designers have a more generalist profile, as we work in all stages: from discovery to delivery. For this reason, we conduct research, analysis, and journey definitions, as well as the creation of interfaces and usability tests.

In addition to these hard skills, we also value soft skills, as we understand that being technically good is not enough, you also need curiosity and autonomy. The person specializing in Product Design needs to be curious and have an active voice. We represent users throughout development and need to be able to communicate their needs.

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To explain how the teams collaborate with our customers in practice, we spoke with Project Managers Henrique Della Mea Rossi and Patrícia Fischer Barbosa. In the article below, we share with you how our collaborative and remote culture positively impacts the creation of applications, platforms, and enterprise software.  

From North to South 

Just like our customers, our collaborators are also spread around the world. It is through this combination of languages, cultures, and knowledge that we create transformative digital solutions together. In the market for 25 years, SoftDesign unites strategy and technology in digital products aimed at achieving business objectives. 

Over time, we realized that the responsibility of our squads remains the same, regardless of their geographic location. So, when we serve customers from Brazil or the United States, for example, we prove that remote work is already consolidated in our culture. 

For the Project Manager, Henrique Della Mea Rossi, our people are very communicative and are always available to assist customers. “We seek to deliver and communicate what is needed with great transparency. We have a great relationship with the corporates we work for. After all, it’s not because we’re not together in person that things don’t happen. On the contrary, each team member is in a different city, and we see this as a competitive advantage for the business”.    

This advantage is easily identified in the development of digital solutions, since we see the market globally. “We work with customers that have domestic and international strategies, and that is why we cannot adopt a vision that contemplates only one region. The diversity of people on the team allows us to see the world in a broader way. This mix is very positive for the product, as users can also be physically anywhere. This needs to be considered, especially when scaling”, highlights Rossi.  

High-Performance Remote-First Squads 

To save business and drive innovation, our remote-first squads are made up of high-performance professionals: Product Managers, Designers, Developers, Testers and Agilists. With the knowledge of each of these specialists, each solution gets closer to achieving competitive advantage.   

However, for remote-first squads to act, some tools are essential. According to SoftDesign’s Project Manager, all meetings are held online, through the Teams platform. In addition, without Miro and Jira, for example, it would be impossible to hold retrospective meetings, alignment conversations, create roadmaps, share ideas and hypotheses. For this reason, we increasingly seek to structure these tools to give visibility to the team and the IT Managers and Directors of partner corporates.  

When a startup, scale-up or corporate hires SoftDesign, it doesn’t just hire people, but its knowledge, skills and market experience. For Rossi, we bring strategic technology to the customer, capable of supporting decision-making. “We create software to make people’s daily lives easier, and we believe that our working method delivers value. The result is more satisfying products, built to meet real needs, which reduce waste and positively impact their users and, consequently, our customers”.  

For remote corporates, territorial and cultural barriers are challenges that can be turned into opportunities. “There is a lot of dialogue in this relationship, and this is fundamental for any project, whether domestic or international. We instill confidence in the customer, who understands that remote-first squads are highly engaged,” emphasizes Rossi.  

From Brazil to the World  

Remote-first squads also impact the cost of operation. As meetings take place online, travel is no longer necessary. Therefore, the customer does not need to invest time and budget in displacements and continues to have full access to the team’s professionals and the development status of the digital solutions.   

To bring realities closer together and promote a Culture of Collaboration, we have established workflows that guarantee our partners a comfortable and integrated relationship. An example of this is one of the projects we are currently developing with an American company, which has a time difference of two hours less than Brazil. This type of situation is not a problem, since with flexibility it is possible to organize and adapt the team’s schedule.  

The Project Manager, Patrícia Fischer Barbosa, points out that this is possible because our mindset and work methodology is agile. “We did notice a cultural difference with international customers, mainly in the way of thinking. However, our technical quality allows us to pass on the necessary confidence to overcome possible barriers. After all, we are specialists, and we know how to compose agile remote-first squads according to the needs of each project”.    

For Patrícia, SoftDesign’s internationalization was a natural process, which accompanied the growth of the technology area in recent years. “We have technical and behavioral quality, in addition to excellent communication. We are effective and we try to do what will really meet the needs of the customer and their business, through data. Our team is not an executor, it is strategic”.  

Quality and Engagement

Trust and transparency are the basis of our professional relationships. SoftDesign has a level of maturity, experience and innovation that allows us to serve corporates of different types and sizes. Our quality is related to the corporate culture, which encourages the education and personal and professional development of each employee.   

As a result, we have a team of focused, responsible, committed and high-performance professionals. According to Patrícia, we deliver even more as a remote company, because this model adds value to our people’s lives. “What matters is the result of the product, not the hours of development. The goal of an agile team is to see the product being used. This is what makes us satisfied, this is our DNA”.  

We believe the customer’s success is our success too. For that, we invest in the creation of multidisciplinary remote-first squads, which combine essential skills for good software development. They are:

• Product Strategy: creation of a prioritization strategy focused on enhancing the value delivered, meeting business objectives and achieving established goals.  
• Technology: construction of solutions with the work of specialists in Programming, Architecture, Infrastructure and Cloud.   
• Design: creation of user-centered digital solutions that guarantee the best usability. We are specialists in User Experience (UX), User Interface and User Research.    
• Agility: we develop transparent and adaptive work processes, which result in sprints with frequent deliveries. 

Our work model also allows the expansion of teams according to your business needs, including new skills that include knowledge in Product Marketing, Architecture and Cloud, for example.   

Now that you know that remote-first squads are the best option to boost your digital product, get in touch with us by filling out the form below! We will put a high-performance team together, focused on delivering results.

O post How Remote-First Squads Create Digital Products  apareceu primeiro em SoftDesign.

Therefore, in recent years, Data Analysis has become essential for organizations, as it reveals important characteristics of their consumers and competitors. However, much of this information is still not analyzed with a strategic eye and ends up not contributing to decision-making. 

In a digital transformation scenario, corporates can no longer waste time with superficial and incomplete analyses. It became vital to develop a mindset oriented towards numbers and their potential for revelation. Therefore, we will discuss below the concepts, tools and importance of Data Analysis for the development and evolution of organizations.

Emotion x Reason 

Do you make decisions intuitively or do you prefer to use analytical tools to support them? It is known that the experiences accumulated throughout life and business are still very valuable. However, with the high level of competitiveness in the current market, the use of Business Intelligence tools is essential – which organize information and optimize the data interpretation process.

Data Analysis consists of a process of inspecting and modeling the data collected. Its main objectives are to monitor, reveal relevant information (quantitative and qualitative) and point out business opportunities and weaknesses, supporting decision-making in organizations.

We can use Data Analytics in different contexts: Business, Science, Academy. In addition, this process has many approaches and techniques. In the contemporary business universe, Data Analysis has gained prominence by transforming routine decisions into scientific diagnoses, which help corporates and people to work smarter and more effectively.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers

For the statistician John Tukey, Data Analysis is related to the techniques to interpret the results, since it includes the planning of data collection to make the analysis easier and more accurate. Mathematics and statistics are examples of mechanisms that help to apply this concept in the practical routine of corporates.

The term Big Data is relatively recent and, therefore, does not appear in most statistical dictionaries. This data is varied and has a high volume and can even be created in real time. Thinking about that, it is important to examine what are the tools that can help in the analysis process of organizations so that the competitive advantage becomes a business reality.

Currently, there is a wide variety of Data Analysis tools available on the market. Each of them has different languages and objectives, so it is important to consider the statistics and coding knowledge of the professionals who will use them. Below, we present some of these options.

Power BI

Power BI is a Microsoft business analysis service, focused on providing interactive visualizations and Business Intelligence resources – which help create indicators and generate reports, capable of facilitating decision-making. 

This tool has a simple interface and allows each user to create customized reports and dashboards. This set of services also facilitates data accessibility, which can be viewed both on the local network and in the cloud. This means teams can work collaboratively and remotely. 

Power BI has integration with Excel and custom and pre-built data connectors. This option also allows real-time access monitoring, helping to discover and share insights through internal Artificial Intelligence (AI) functionalities.

Tableau

This analytics platform features intuitive data exploration. Therefore, it can be used by analysts, IT professionals and executives. The tool has a simple design and interface, and its main attraction is the transformation of raw data into visual graphics.

Tableau supports cloud or on-premises storage. In addition, it provides the connection of different types of data and sources in the same report: spreadsheets, SQL database, Big Data, Google Analytics, Salesforce among others.

Google Analytics 

This tool is one of the most popular on the market, as it helps the user through the steps: tracking, monitoring and reporting on traffic. Through it, it is possible to analyze the organization’s data in a single place. Like the other options, Google Analytics is focused on assisting in decision-making.

This option allows you to check marketing performance, that is, it is an important ally when monitoring business results to find opportunities and weaknesses. By using it, you will be able to better understand the behavior of your visitors.

Validating Ideas

There is a saying that what we cannot measure, we cannot improve. Thus, we found that data culture goes hand in hand with access to information. For this, the democratization of the collected data must be an important pillar within the organization. 

When data becomes available for consultation and analysis, employees begin to use them in their decision-making routine. In this way, everyone ends up developing strategic work through actions with a collective impact, as information has crossed the borders between sectors and is now part of a holistic plan.

Contact us!

Want to digitally transform your organization and make it more strategic, but don’t know where to start from? You can reach us using the form below. We can help your business in the areas of Product Conception, Software Development, Software Architecture, Agile Methodology and UX Design.

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The Product Owner (PO) has already worked in this area and shared some of her knowledge with other employees. Customer Success is when your customers achieve their Desired Outcome through their interactions with your company (Lincoln Murphy).

The role of Customer Success  

According to Bruna, the person who works with Customer Success acts on four main points, aiming at ensuring that the customer has a satisfactory experience and, consequently, also promoting benefits for the organization. 

• Retention: for the company, acquiring a new customer can be up to seven times more expensive than keeping one; 
• Enchantment: support and ensure that the customer knows and makes the most of the products and services offered; 
• Value delivery: the customer receives what he expects, following from the negotiation to the delivery of what was agreed, aligning expectations; 
• Expansion: support in renewing contracts or contracting additional services. Monitor the client’s health and identify new needs, proposing new services to be offered. 

Customer Success and the Customer Journey

Several corporates, mainly in the technology area, are investing in teams responsible for this follow-up. With that in mind, Bruna highlighted the importance of distinguishing Customer Success from sectors such as Support and Service. These fronts act reactively, focusing on solving specific problems and managing crises. The CS person works proactively, guiding the client throughout their relationship with the company, being data-driven and implementing a follow-up plan. 

However, Bruna clarified that the responsibility for delivering success is not just of one person or one sector, it must be shared. Everyone is responsible, as everyone interacts in some way with the customer. It’s not just people from the Commercial or Customer Success areas who act as points of contact.  

There are also those involved in running the project, all this impacts on the experience. That is why Customer Success must also be part of the company’s organizational culture, ensuring that service is qualified throughout the customer’s journey, as shown in the figure below.

Customer Success x Customer Experience

Bruna also reinforced the difference between the role of Customer Success and Customer Experience (CX). Even if they have common goals, the CX person is responsible for defining the identity of the experience and ensuring that the entire organization is aware of it. It is only after this stage that the figure of CS appears, ensuring that the experience will be delivered continuously, acting as an interlocutor between the areas. 

This reinforces the idea that customer success should be seen as company value. If that assumption is part of the organizational culture, it will be possible to provide the same experience at all points of contact. 

Bruna concluded her presentation by reinforcing that we always deliver success, in every interaction that the customer has with the company. If this is not clear, each area will have its individual metrics and objectives, without this common goal – so it is necessary to work together to prevent this from happening.

*SoftDrops is a knowledge exchange event that takes place every Wednesday at SoftDesign. Each week, an employee is willing to expose to colleagues some topic of interest that is related to the three pillars of our business: design, agility and technology. The mini lecture lasts around thirty minutes and is followed by a chat between the participants. 

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But what kind of leadership is there at SoftDesign? How does the company foster a culture of innovation for employees and customers? And how do these characteristics impact the projects undertaken and the creation of new digital businesses?

We spoke with our CEO and founder, Osmar A. M. Pedrozo, to ponder these questions. After all, no one is better suited than him to explore topics that are so relevant to the world of startups and enterprises.

Where it All Started

SoftDesign – This November (2022), SoftDesign turned 25 years. Along this journey, a lot has happened, but how did it all start?

Osmar A. M. Pedrozo – It all started with a personal need. 25 years ago, I didn’t imagine myself as an entrepreneur, nor did I imagine where SoftDesign could reach. I worked as a contractor for a large technology company, which was developing a project for the Government at the Center for Information and Communication Technology of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (PROCERGS).

That contract ended, and so I was challenged to provide services to the Company, but I would need to compete with other companies through bidding processes. But at that time, I still didn’t have a company. Therefore, this was a period of learning, which resulted in the foundation of SoftDesign, in 1997. The first contracts arrived in 1999 when we won our first bid.

At that stage, we worked mainly for the government. Over the years, I decided to invite others to join the company. The first guest was Eduardo Farah, who is still our investing partner. In 2001, we were still working individually for several technology companies, acting in consulting – projects that we kept in parallel for some time.

In the fourth year, I realized that I had people skills. At that time, I was working as a programmer and I didn’t know I had this soft skill. That’s when they started looking for me to ask for professional referrals for specific jobs and projects. With this happening more and more frequently, I had the idea of offering this service through SoftDesign, which was also hired to supply a demand for IT professionals.

Expanding the Business

SD – How was this initial process of growth and expansion for SoftDesign?

OP – In 2002, with the evolution of the company, we started hiring employees. I concluded that our business had a lot of potential and that I could manage it along with other consulting activities. In 2003, SoftDesign grew even more, and I invited Rafael Paludo to join the team of partners.

This expansion led us to better structure the services provided. However, I make a point of remembering that when it all started, our first headquarters was my apartment. Farah and I lived in the same building, in Porto Alegre. This was the initial address of SoftDesign, which was born in the same way as many startups.

In 2004, we had more employees and many of these people became partners over time. Over these years, we have created many projects and delivered software to important clients such as Fundação Carlos Chagas, from Sao Paulo. At that time, web systems were rare and I remember that we developed an online test for the Foundation, our first “software factory” client.

Shortly thereafter, we bought SoftDesign’s first headquarters in 2005. The office was located at Rua Siqueira Campos, on the 11th floor. I can say that the beginning of our Brazilian software company was marked by problem-solving, entrepreneurship, team building, and a lot of collaborative work. We were a group of good professionals, all very technical, who got together on Saturdays to manage a software company.

The Beginning of the Climb

SD – How were the first 15 years of SoftDesign? What happened in this story that contributed to the evolution of the company?

OP – The history of SoftDesign is a history of learning. We were a group of excellent technicians, mostly programmers, but with little knowledge of management. We had to learn everything: how to run a Brazilian software company, hiring and firing people, and how to pay taxes. I can say that we made a lot of mistakes in this process, but we learned from our mistakes and evolved.

It is precisely for this reason that I talk a lot about transformation, because I believe that we were transformed at the same time that we were creating the company. Chronologically speaking, six years after the foundation we bought our first headquarters and I believe this is a great milestone in our history.

In 2009, we carried out the first evaluation of the MPS.BR Program (Improvement of the Brazilian Software Process) – a kind of ISO in the technology area – and we reached the G level. This was our first quality seal. In 2013, we reached level E, and we became the first technology company in Rio Grande do Sul to achieve this classification.

At that time, we also bought SoftDesign’s new headquarters, located in the same building, but now in a much larger space, which was completely renovated in 2014. In other words, the first 15 years were marked by great achievements: purchase of the new headquarters, formation of the new corporate structure, increase in share capital, and technical evolution of our employees.

Lifelong Learning

SD – After more than a decade of learning and evolution, SoftDesign went through many transformations that shaped the company. What were they?

OP – There are many important and decisive facts in the history of SoftDesign. As time went by, we learned. I, for example, in addition to acting as a technician, also had to become a good manager. Therefore, in 2011 I graduated in Accounting from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).

This was an important step and, soon after, in 2011, I started taking a Postgraduate Studies Program in Controllership, at UFRGS. The search for knowledge is something that has always been in SoftDesign’s DNA. We didn’t stop in time simply because we opened a company and we were doing well. We continue to invest in training and this continues to this day. 

With that in mind, in 2016 I started a Master’s in Business Administration (UFRGS). At the same time, I also lived for a month in the United States, in California. My goal was to study and learn a little more about how things worked or should work in the world of a technology company. This exchange and the Master’s innovation courses changed my way of thinking and helped shape the new SoftDesign.

The year of 2016 was also remarkable, as it was when I took over the company’s strategic management in a more incisive way. I asked SoftDesign’s partners for a vote of confidence to start a major transformation. After all, we had been with the company for almost twenty years and things could be bigger and better, as there was room for growth.

It’s Time to Innovate

SD – After changing the company’s management model, what were the main changes that occurred?

OP – From the master’s degree, also attended by the Head of Product and Innovation at SoftDesign, Karina Hartmann, we began to debate a lot about how the company was and how it could be. I remember a time when we did a project on SoftDesign, and one of our professors said that because it was a Brazilian software company, we needed to have a bigger and better result. I confess that I was bothered by this, but I realized that he was right.

So, in the last five years, we started to innovate and improve processes. We had an agile revolution and left the traditional world of Project Management. Anyone who has experienced this knows that this movement represents a huge change in the organization and, in our specific case, it affected the way we think, sell, attract customers and deliver software.

In addition, with the arrival of Digital Marketing, we began to develop new short and long-term strategies. The fruits of these actions were harvested in 2019. At this stage, several areas of the company changed. Also, I really became a CEO, making decisions that were not so collegiate and more individual.

Another important change was training in innovation. We went through a process with PUCRS, which helped us to understand that SoftDesign was indeed an innovative technology company.

Welcome to the Startup World

SD – Another significant change was the beginning of partnerships with startups, right?

OP – Yes! In 2016, we started working with startups, and we experienced a strong wave of innovation in our projects. With that, we had to remodel ourselves to serve companies that didn’t even exist yet. This resulted in a more open working model. Our head office has become an even more collaborative space, bringing employees and clients together.

I felt that SoftDesign and I became more innovative as a result of these changes and transformations. These last five years represent that. We changed everything: processes, development, tools, and platforms. We also made room for a Culture of Experimentation.

With this new SoftDesign, new Marketing, Pre-Sales and Sales structures also arrived. In the areas of HR and ADM, we have adopted platforms to assist in the process of selecting people and managing them. One consequence of these improvements was the growth of the team. Anyway, I believe that nothing is by chance. Everything was thought and built to get us where we are today.

This period was more than a turning point. In a way, it prepared us for future challenges. When the Covid-19 pandemic began, we had already undergone many transformations in processes, that is, we were prepared to grow. And we grew a lot in 2020, 2021 and 2022 – which will be our best year in terms of revenue, new clients and internationalization. This was only possible due to investment in training decision-makers. Through knowledge, we change the reality of technology companies.

Technology and Humanity

SD – Those were years of many changes that took us away from the former SoftDesign. Therefore, in 2021 we started a rebranding process: we felt that our old brand no longer represented us. What was it like to participate in this project?

OP – For me, there were many different feelings involved. Looking back, I can say that it was a moment that helped to end this cycle of the last five years. The old brand, created in 2009, brought us here. However, we had already achieved our strategic vision, which was to be a Brazilian software company recognized for its technical capacity and commitment.

We discovered this during the research process carried out on the rebranding. Even so, it is difficult to go through the step of removing a brand from the wall and replacing it with a new one. At first, I was quite worried, but with the result we achieved in the repositioning, I realized that we managed to revisit the feeling we always had.

We were able to reproduce the purpose that permeates the entire history of the organization over these 25 years: transforming people and businesses. That’s what we’ve done all this time, and that’s what we like to do. We are very happy with the new brand, but it is clear that the process was conflicted due to everything that the old brand delivered.

Far Beyond the Code

SD – In August 2022, we launched our new brand, along with new positioning. What has changed? What are the new values and essence of SoftDesign?

OP – The new brand has a lot of what we’ve always been. We remain committed and in search of a position of recognition. In the past, our vision was more developmental, but we have matured. This maturing process made us realize that we want to participate in the entire innovation journey of our clients’ digital solutions.

We don’t want to be just a Brazilian software company that takes an order and delivers a product. We want to question and help our partners to see what we see during our innovation processes. This means that we want to help other companies be as trailblazing and authentic as we are.

These are values that we consider essential. After all, if we want to work with innovation, we need to be transformative, innovative and strategic. Technology plays a fundamental role in companies and should not be used only as a support for the operation, as it has the potential to leverage business.

That’s why we want to do it together, and this is a statement that was missing from our previous positioning. We want to be co-creators in light and human processes, as this is a fundamental condition for the new worlds that came after the pandemic. With that in mind, we promote adaptation to transform the client’s reality, while remaining responsible, experienced and specialist.

In addition, the relationship of trust and transparency remains the same and we want to further strengthen it to deliver transformative digital solutions. SoftDesign is a reference in the innovation journey, from idea to result. We understand that by putting these values into practice we will be able to achieve goals and create digital solutions that people love to use.

Follow The Leader of a Brazilian Software Company

SD – The innovation journey is a collective construction, but it is only possible with leadership. How do you deal with the challenge of playing the role of leader in a software company with more than 160 people spread across the world?

OP – I don’t do this alone. I have a very close relationship with several people who manage SoftDesign and that makes all the difference. What I seek is to have an alignment between how I would do things and how I would like them to be done. First, we need to believe in people and have good replicators, that is, managers who help make the company work.

When we work with transparency, without command and control, people tend to deliver their best. I see how these 25 years have transformed me into a leader of a Brazilian software company who doesn’t panic, who thinks calmly and reflects before making a decision. Also, I was able to reduce my impulsiveness by gaining more experience.

I believe there are excellent people working with me. I trust them and I hope they trust me. Through this relationship, I understand that I can help transform lives, finding a path for the professional development of each SoftDesign employee.

I think all the time about how to develop people, and that’s what positions me as a leader. I always liked professors who instigated me with challenges and, therefore, I try to replicate this behavior in the company. This is not a difficult task for me.

Inheritance, Authenticity, and Transformation

SD – Our culture of collaboration is only possible because of this trust. What leadership style do you exercise? What leadership style does SoftDesign, as a Brazilian software company have? How does it affect the development of the clients’ projects?

OP – I follow the democratic and situational style, which values an empathetic and questioning leadership, and which often causes a certain astonishment among clients and new employees. In Brazil, we have a very strong culture of direction. We came from a dictatorship that said what we could or couldn’t do, and for a long time we were trained to follow orders.

I don’t know how to give orders and my way of thinking can lead to conflicts with people who belong to a culture of hierarchy, and professionals who need someone to say what should be done. At SoftDesign we don’t do that, because we are horizontal. We believe that this way we boost high performance, as we share a more open, transparent perspective, of trust and courage, so that everyone can ask and express opinions.

In a conversation with one of our international clients, I was told that our differentiator in relation to other partners, from other countries, is precisely the questioning. This critical sense is very important in the process of creating digital solutions. After all, we believe that it is necessary to participate in the innovation process and not just execute it.

This behavior is a consequence of democratic leadership. I don’t feel better than anyone and I’m not. At SoftDesign, we give everyone a voice. I also use situational leadership a lot, that is, I am several people depending on each person and situation since I need to understand and connect with each one, respecting their moment and their career goals.

Knowledge Is The Secret To Innovate

SD – In addition to leadership and culture, innovation has also become a matter of survival in the business world. How do you see innovation at SoftDesign?

OP – I go back to that fateful year of 2016, when a master’s professor told me that “innovation is at the limit of knowledge”. I’ve searched my whole life for the discovery of new things to share my learnings. At SoftDesign, we have always contributed by paying for certifications, courses, undergraduate, graduate, master’s, programs etc. We always had in mind that we needed to know a lot to evolve. To survive, not only a Brazilian software company but all companies need to innovate, study and learn. I’ve seen this happening at SoftDesign since the beginning.

A culture of knowledge supports a culture of innovation. One does not occur without the other. Therefore, we continue to learn, experiment, create services and reflect on innovation. We work in search of continuous improvement; the Product Conception service, for example, is our creation. When we started offering it in Brazil, nobody did that, nobody called it this, and as a result, our method was copied several times.

We recently launched other services: Product Experimentation and Product Marketing Consulting. We understand that to achieve results we need to launch the product, not just find the market fit and develop it. I want SoftDesign to be even more innovative. We are working and developing an exclusive area of innovation, which will allow us to continue studying, learning, experimenting and adding new services.

Today, I still consider this process slow. Cycles are long, so I want to reduce the time to launch new services and process improvements. The main objective is to help our customers in their innovation journey. While we are learning, we will be innovating. That’s how a Brazilian software company stays alive.

Demystifying Innovation

SD – We often have the idea that in order to innovate we need to create something disruptive, capable of changing an industry, service or behavior in society. But innovation can be more subtle. How does SoftDesign propose to innovate in digital products for clients?

OP – I understand that in order to innovate in customer products we cannot only think about development, and here I am referring specifically to programming, for example. I believe that we need to unite a series of other types of knowledge to achieve the objective of innovating in digital solutions.

It is necessary to go through an exceptional product conception, composed of research with users, benchmarking analysis of existing products and creation of a business model. That is, to innovate we have to go deeper, and this requires knowledge about the business, customer, product or service we are creating.

It is important to understand that to innovate, we also need to test. That’s why we launched the Product Experimentation service, which proposes testing and simulations of low-investment strategies, such as low-code and no-code, before Software Development. In this way, we try to validate hypotheses that arise in the creation of the product to reduce the investment risk.

However, risk is part of innovation, as I mentioned in the lecture I gave at the Gramado Summit 2022. At SoftDesign, when we talk about innovation in digital products for clients, we are looking at the entire journey of creating a product or service and not just development. We participate from idea to result, sharing the know-how we have in the areas of design, technology, marketing, research, among others.

Many companies, depending on their size, do not have all this knowledge. Therefore, through our methods and specialties, we drive the innovation process in startups, scale-ups and corporates, creating solutions that generate impact.

The Future is Now

SD – And what can we expect in the coming years? How do you think technology and IT will impact future businesses?

OP – All technologies play a fundamental role in businesses. Especially IT, since today technology is the core business of many companies. I understand that more and more businesses will be impacted by this, and those who do not understand this relation, who do not learn to deal with current and future technologies – whether to support their daily operation or to build new services or products – will be obsolete soon.

It’s a matter of time: if you haven’t developed the ability to adapt, you won’t digitally transform. Digital transformation is about knowing how to deal with technology and knowledge. This is a complex path and we will increasingly have this strong dependence on Information Technology, which will represent much of the current operations of companies, whether in terms of what they sell or what they will sell.

There is no escaping this reality. Either we learn to deal with the concept of software development, or companies will find it difficult to evolve their own businesses, especially a Brazilian software company like SoftDesign. We saw a simulation of this in the pandemic, when many businesses ceased to exist, as they were unable to sell online and transform themselves digitally. This is not a fast process. It takes time, a culture of innovation and maturity.

In addition, there are many trends emerging in the technology market: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Science are good examples. Most companies are using this in a very incipient way, but those who put these ideas into practice will have a competitive advantage. In Brazil, we are still working a lot in the process of computerization and creation of systems. There are many opportunities to grow and innovate.  

Start your Innovation Journey!

Investing in innovation is not an exclusive need for a software company. To keep business relevant and competitive in a changing society, having an IT partner is crucial.

With experience in the national and international markets, we are a company specializing in the innovation journey in digital solutions, from idea to result. Our Product Conception, Product Experimentation, Software Development, Consulting, and Outsourcing services drive the creation of digital products and services that transform businesses and simplify users’ lives.

If you are looking for an experienced, responsible, and innovative Brazilian software company, fill out the form below and talk to one of our specialists. Together, let’s start your innovation journey!

O post 25+ Years Delivering High-Value Solutions: Brazilian Software Company apareceu primeiro em SoftDesign.

Amid a scenario full of uncertainties and risks, the event brought more than 71,000 people (42% women) together to discuss the role of technology in the future of society. In times of the pandemic, wars, and political, economic, and environmental crises around the world, experts and global leaders shared trends and pointed out paths for 2023.

Opening Night

During the opening ceremony, Paddy Cosgrave, CEO and Founder of the Web Summit, highlighted in his speech that this year’s edition was the largest ever. In addition, he highlighted the significant increase in the number of Brazilian and Ukrainian startups at the conference.

Among the speakers at the opening ceremony were the Minister of Economy of Portugal, António Costa Silva, the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, Apple’s VP of Environmental Initiatives, Lisa Jackson, and Binance Co-founder & CEO, Changpeng Zhao. Even with so many distinguished presences from the world of business and public administration, the highlight of the night was the surprise participation of Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine.

In her speech, Olena shared reports of the war that the country is experiencing, which started in February this year, and appealed to the audience for technology not to be used in the service of terrorism. “Your innovations move the world and, more than that, you have the power to determine the direction in which this world moves”, she said, on the central stage of the Altice Arena.

Data Accessible to All

On the first day of lectures at Web Summit, François-Xavier Pierrel highlighted in the “D is for Data” panel that it is time to decentralize and democratize data. However, JCDecaux’s Group Chief Data Officer explained that this does not mean that we will have the answers to all questions. “For the last two years, we couldn’t predict what was going to happen, and it had a huge impact on our lives. The question is: how will we react to these unpredictable scenarios?”.

For Pierrel, the answer is through data division. “What we’ve built through data analysis is the ability to respond to any scenario as quickly as possible, to make sure we can overcome any crisis and keep the business running. The unpredictable can be extremely negative, but also surprisingly positive. This will depend on our ability to find answers and opportunities”.

Collect, activate, structure, transform, leverage, and explore are key steps in a data-driven strategy. After reaching this cycle, JCDecaux set a new goal: to implement the D Strategy – Decentralize, Democratize, Demultiply. This strategy has three main objectives: 1) expand the data community within the organization; 2) expand access to data to as many people as possible, and 3) enhance the ability to drive innovation.

According to Pierrel, data is a fantastic lever to achieve any business objective. “I’m not suggesting that people become Data Analysts, but I think it’s important that all levels of the organization realize the value of data. This can be put into practice through a click, learn, export, and get back to work. There is no need to dive deep into data because what we really want is for them to support people’s decision-making in their areas of expertise”, he concluded.

Turn Uncertainties into Opportunities

The Fintech market — considered a global phenomenon — has become a saturated and highly competitive environment. With an economic recession on the way, the MoneyConf stage gathered a significant audience in the 2022 edition of Web Summit. To discuss the future of the sector, experts shared analyzes and forecasts in the “Fintech 2023: what next?” panel.

According to Tegan Kline, Co-founder of Edge & Node, Fintechs experienced a huge boom due to the inability of large banks to take advantage of technology. “Traditional banks do not serve individual users, as they are concentrated in customer volumes and corporate accounts. That’s why platforms like PayPal, which basically charge no transaction fees, are successful”.

Tegan pointed out that it is difficult to predict how the market will react, but guarantees that there are many opportunities in the crisis. “Businesses are emerging and there are areas that we are not paying much attention to yet: NFTs and Cryptocurrencies, for example, a branch where many people invest millions of dollars”.

According to Carolyn Rodz, Founder of Hello Alice, we all want freedom of choice, as well as knowing how banks operate and share our information. “Right now, the market is terrible, and we’re likely to be impacted one way or another. We represent a very small slice of the financial market (2%), but there are opportunities emerging, and we need to be attentive while the economy recovers”.

Carolyn highlighted that the market will react and that the key to this is understanding how Fintechs can work together with banks and governments, as they have a lot of power and influence. Tegan agrees that systems need to be decentralized. “I believe in the potential of the metaverse and the blockchain. What Google does for the decentralization of the web, The Graph does for Web3. Decentralized networks guarantee open data, always available and easily accessible”.

Brazil In Focus

Even with the forecast of a challenging economic scenario for the next year, Brazil was represented at the event in prominent stands, and by thousands of entrepreneurs and hundreds of startups. In the panel “Brazil in focus: why is the startup ecosystem booming?” Felipe Matos, President of the Brazilian Association of Startups (Abstartups) said he believes there are many reasons why the Brazilian ecosystem is growing so much.

For Matos, the pandemic boosted this growth. “We had an increase in digital demand at a time when the macroeconomic scenario in our country was favorable. With that, we managed to attract a lot of investments during the last two years. In 2021, Brazil raised 9.8 billion dollars in Venture Capital investments, and now we already have 16 unicorns, and in 2018 this number was basically zero”.  

Mariana Vasconcelos is the Founder & CEO of Agrosmart, and when she started as an entrepreneur, there was practically no ecosystem. “I come from the countryside and in Brazil there is a lot of business concentration in São Paulo, which makes access to institutions like Abstartups, for example, difficult. So we went through a different step-by-step process starting at the local university, which connected us with a startup accelerator, which then introduced us to investors. When we started, there was little capital available, angel investors and the legal framework for startups was not regulated yet”.

Brazil represents a giant market. We are 214 million people, and there are many bureaucratic and tax-related challenges. According to Mariana, in the future, our country will be a power in the provision of ecosystem services. “Brazil is a huge agricultural producer and exporter. I believe we have an opportunity to increase our market value through the intersection of agriculture and technology. This will allow us to create business models to finance a transition that will result in the export of more environmental services.”

The Future of Marketing

On the second day of lectures at Web Summit, one of the main featured panels was Marketing in 2023, with Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder of S4 Capital, and Julia Goldin, Global Chief Product & Marketing Officer of Lego. The experts spoke about trends for the future and discussed the economic recession and the political crisis.

According to Sorrell, 2023 will be a very difficult year. “The next ten years will be very different from today’s reality, due to new technologies and the fragmentation of the world. I believe that the North and South American markets will be more relevant. We have more than ever to be strategic when making bets on how to invest and where to expand geographically.”   

Julia pointed out that for the Lego Group, diversification into multiple markets is important, mainly to achieve the purpose of impacting the largest possible number of children around the world. “We opened a new factory in Vietnam, aiming to have more representation and visibility. The Asian market is certainly expanding”.

Julia also highlighted that in times of economic uncertainty, it is normal for companies and consumers to be afraid. “Thinking about business, this means that we need to pay even more attention to the experience we deliver along with products and services. We are very focused on creating the best products, taking into account important points such as passion and desire to buy, delivering an incredible holistic experience”.

The evolution of the digital environment and the metaverse are also opportunities to expand markets, as they facilitate the segmentation of audiences, which is excellent for marketing. “These spaces will be enabled with new technologies that will be more immersive and advanced. This will create opportunities for people to engage across different devices and connect with millions of people at the same time”, Julia concluded.

The Future of Software

Another talk that gathered many participants at the Web Summit was “Software may be eating the world, but low-code could eat software”. According to John Brisco, Co-founder & CEO of Coherent, software companies have begun to break ties with traditional organizations: “What we have seen in the last ten years is the creation of companies like Netflix, Airbnb, and Uber, which use software to promote a disruption in business models”, he explained.

However, as time went by and with the emergence of low-code and no-code, the software also began to experience a disruptive process. For Christine Spang, Co-founder & CTO of Nylas, in the last decade many people started to have interactions with software, mainly when creating businesses. This resulted in a high shortage of professionals. “We don’t have enough people to create that much code anymore. Low-code requires little knowledge of programming languages and, therefore, has become a solution for those who need to develop”.

According to experts, in the future, we will all be developers. “The reality is that there are not that many programmers in the world. Therefore, we need alternatives that can help in the more efficient use of these professionals. Low-code will be present in 65% of new applications by 2024. This will happen because it is easier, simpler, and more efficient”, emphasizes Brisco. 

Programming remains one of the most promising careers in the modern world. However, for Brisco, in the universe of startups, it is not just programmers who develop businesses. “The successful professionals of the future will be those who manage to translate traditional programming languages, while learning new technologies such as low-code and no-code, for example. Teams will be increasingly collaborative. If you transit between these two worlds, you will certainly have a guaranteed job”, he concluded.

The Future of Social Networks

Finally, we will share important insights from the lecture “Search beyond the search: the biggest opportunity in digital marketing”, in which Neil Patel, Co-founder of NPD (Neil Patel Digital), highlighted that users are more active on social networks than on search sites. “Google searches appear in the 5th position of the list that ranks the use of media on the internet, where videos watched on TikTok are in first place”.

Patel pointed out that marketing is becoming increasingly crowded and expensive, and with so much competition, there are many sites sharing the same information. With that in mind, how can we become relevant among those who really matter to our business? 

The answer lies precisely in the search for information. “From the moment we are born, we seek knowledge. And an important fact is that 15% of all searches on Google have never been searched before. This is important because if you are always chasing what others are doing, it becomes very competitive”.

Neil Patel said he believes search engines transform us. “During the journey of discovery, people change as they learn. The same happens with the algorithms, which adapt according to what the user is looking for. If they see that the second result was considered more valuable, they automatically start changing what will be shown to you and millions of other people. That’s the power of the search engine”.    

Over time, patterns of behavior change, and so do algorithms. Ever wonder if your product users are searching for information via voice, text, on a computer, or with the help of Alexa? For Patel, original content can be the key to standing out among so many repeaters.

Resilience to Drive Businesses and Boost Innovation

According to the speakers who spoke at the event, the coming years will be full of challenges, which is why resilience remains on the list of essential behavioral skills for professionals in the technology sector. However, not everything is in crisis; in 2023 Web Summit will have its first event outside Europe.

The summit will be held in Rio de Janeiro between the 1st and 4th of May and should bring 15,000 people together. In November of the same year, the conference will return to the stage of the Altice Arena, in Lisbon. We are already looking forward to these next editions, and we hope to meet our Anexth partners again, who in this year’s edition were part of the Beta startups team.

If you need help developing transformative digital solutions, contact us using the form below. Maybe next year, your business may also make it to the list of startups at the largest technology conference in Europe.

O post Web Summit 2022: Data Science, MKT and Low-Code apareceu primeiro em SoftDesign.

In the Development of digital products, Design appears in the interfaces of applications, systems, and platforms; and in the journeys and user experiences. Did you know that the area also supports the inception of digital solutions and their commercialization? 

In the following article, we will discuss concepts of some types of Design, in order to clarify the various functionalities of the area so that you can choose one that suits your business.

The design gives forms to ideas

There are several currents and trends that propose to conceptualize Design. In the book Design – History, Theory and Practice of Product Design, the author Bernhard E. Bürdek points out that most people’s lives are no longer imaginable without design. “Design follows us from morning until night: at home, at work, in leisure, in education, in health, in sports, in the transport of people and goods, in the public environment – everything is configured consciously or unconsciously”, he defines.

For the author, we communicate with people and define social groups through products. To understand this idea, just think about Apple. Anyone who has a device from this brand ends up belonging to a certain social group. In fact, Apple uses this awareness to create targeted advertisement that talks to this audience and further strengthens the sense of being part of such a community.

The definition by Tai Hsuan-An, author of the book Design: Concepts and methods, completes that of Bürdek, but relates more to the work of the designer: “Design is simply the professional activity that involves the entire process of creating and developing products, in order to meet the needs of the population in favor of a better and more pleasant life. These products are extremely varied in size, function, utility, style, material, complexity, quantity and breadth.”

In other words, design has the function of giving form to ideas and being the basis for the creation of products and services that meet people’s needs. But after all, what are the most known types of design in the universe of digital products, and what is their importance in the innovation journey?

Form, Function, Experience and Interface

Graphic Design is present in a very visible way in our daily lives. Its functionality consists of applying the art of design in graphic pieces. In these projects, the Designer creates solutions for digital and printed materials, which will be used in social networks, e-mail marketing, magazines, books, packaging, etc.

For this, it is necessary to have knowledge in visual communication, texts, typography, colors, layout and image editing software such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Canva. The main objective is to organize the most diverse information and convey a message that is clear, useful and interesting to the target audience. 

Web Design is also one of the types of design. This aspect is fully connected to the internet universe, focusing on the creation of digital interfaces for websites. In this area, knowledge in HTML and CSS is crucial; after all, Web Designers are responsible for creating online pages. In this sense, creating quality interfaces has to do with some non-aesthetic factors, such as the image size, which impacts: page loading speed, and layout flexibility, which concerns the responsiveness of the websites.

Additionally, there are other types of design focused on digital solutions, which are very important to ensure the best usability. This is the case with UX Design. When we talk about User Experience (UX), we bring the needs of users and businesses to the heart of the debate. Among the responsibilities of UX Designers is the understanding of the product user, for better creation of user journeys. This professional may also be responsible for writing explanatory texts that make up the solution, an area called UX Writing.

When it comes to User Interface (UI), the main concern is to create the screens of the digital product. In this area, UI Designers are responsible for defining colors, typography, composition, Information Architecture, Interaction Design and UI Guidelines (iOS and Android) so that users can use the products in a simple and intuitive way.

Think Like A Designer

We have already realized that in our routine we are impacted by design daily – both in physical and digital products – and that for the most different types of design there are the most varied forms of application. However, one area that we don’t always understand is Design Thinking. Much more than a buzzword in the technology world, this approach can be an excellent ally to solve problems and make important decisions that drive business evolution.

In the book Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, Tim Brown points out that Design Thinking explores capabilities that we all have, but which are neglected by more conventional problem-solving practices. “Design Thinking depends on our ability to be intuitive, to recognize patterns, to construct ideas that have emotional and functional meaning, to express ourselves in ways other than words or symbols. Nobody wants to run a business based on feeling, intuition and inspiration, but relying too much on the rational and the analytical can be just as dangerous.”

In recent years, large companies and startups have adopted this approach in their creation processes, with the mission of improving solutions and seeking innovation. Design Thinking can be applied to the development of applications, systems and platforms, and if you are thinking of creating a digital product, you will certainly need to use it. However, exploring this universe alone can be risky. After all, the approach has specific tools and practices that require knowledge. At SoftDesign, we solve problems based on the designer’s way of thinking through Design Thinking. Thus, we seek to understand the user’s perspective to test ideas and ensure the creation of an ideal product.

Design Is For Everyone

But we don’t use just Design Thinking. UX and UI Design also support us in various ways in our services. They are the starting point for investigating and understanding scenarios, problems and behaviors. Through them, we raise hypotheses, improve processes, create solutions and transform ideas into desirable products.

• Product Conception: in this creative process, we use theories and knowledge such as Design Thinking, Design Sprint and Lean Startup to establish project goals, plan development and define investment.
• Product Experimentation: we put the idea of your solution in the hands of users to validate hypotheses and experiments. Thus, we help you to save time and ensure investment security.
• Software Development: our product team has knowledge in UX, UI and Research, which allows us to create user-centered solutions. As a result, we deliver applications, systems and platforms with excellent usability.
• Consulting: to improve your users’ experience, we carry out diagnosis and implementation of strategic solutions focused on User Research, User Experience and User Interface.

Now that you know, what types of designs need to be integrated into the development of your digital product, fill out the form below and talk to one of our experts. Together, we can shape your ideas.

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Startups, scale-ups, and corporates have this goal in common. Therefore, through technology, they seek ways to improve, increase and innovate processes, products, and services. This is an exercise that requires expertise and a lot of discipline and, of course, extra doses of courage, authenticity, and entrepreneurship.

However, the innovation journey does not have to be undertaken alone. At SoftDesign, we combine experience, strategic vision, and a Collaboration Culture to deliver the best products. In this sense, in the following article, we explain how we can help your business become more innovative, from idea to result.

Startups: Developing Your New Digital Business

According to Ries, “a startup is a human institution designed to create a new product or service under conditions of extreme uncertainty”. In other words, if the journey of creating startups is full of doubts and risks, it is essential to seek support throughout the entire process, from investigation and analysis, whether on market or target audience; up to software development. After all, the main objective is to drive new products and services to market-fit.

Finding a market and developing a product capable of satisfying it may seem like something simple, but it is not. Currently, about 90% of startups end up not surviving their first years. To minimize this risk, we offer services that support the entire journey of creating new digital businesses:

• In our Product Conception service, we develop the business model and the product idea, exploring the problem it solves, identifying users and defining the value proposition. To achieve this, we use Design Thinking, Lean Startup, User Research, and UX Design approaches.
• In Product Experimentation we create prototypes or No-Code/Low-Code MVPs to validate business models, considering the feedback from the first users, which allow us to test the product’s acceptance in the market.
• In addition, we also support startups in the Development of their digital solutions, using the best technologies, always with squads that work with the Agile Method.

To evolve through all these phases, it is important to have skills and expertise in different areas. Therefore, teams formed by multidisciplinary and diverse professionals are much more than a must-have to develop innovative businesses.

In real life, a startup is a world of possibilities, where everything happens simultaneously: the creation of new features, operational adjustments, attracting new customers, and marketing strategies. With the ideal partner, these challenges can be overcome.

Scale-ups: Accelerating Your Product

In the case study The Scale-Up Report, Sherry Coutu (2014) defines scale-ups as “companies that sustain long periods of rapid expansion”, as they have an average growth in job creation (or turnover) of more than 20% per year over a period of three years. For the author, this type of business drives economic advancement by allowing a greater number of companies to reach the stage of global scale. 

Unlike the startup, a company in the scale-up stage already has a validated and more sustainable business model. At the same time, scaling a digital product is a decision that implies changes and challenges. After all, once you reach this stage, growing pains quickly begin to surface. To overcome the limits of scale and boost the product, it is necessary to work on solving Design, Architecture, Product Marketing, and Cloud bottlenecks, for example.

At SoftDesign, in addition to the Software Development service, we also work with several Consulting services in these key areas:

• Design: we create or improve the experience of your users, through User Research, User Experience, and User Interface;
• Architecture: based on technical objectives to be achieved or impediments related to stability, continuity, or scalability, we propose possible solutions;
• Marketing: we evaluate strategies, personas, attraction, and conversion channels and suggest a specific go-to-market plan;
• Cloud: we promote collaboration between development and maintenance functions, working with the largest providers: AWS, GCP, and Azure.

To accelerate innovative businesses and create a competitive advantage over the competition, it is essential to scale safely and with quality. After all, growing digital products are under pressure, as they need constant deliveries. In this sense, it is necessary to develop methods and tools that help work organizations in such a way that it is possible to increase the rates of productivity and predictability.

Corporates: Digital Transformation In Practice

The search for innovation affects all types of companies, including well-established ones. Corporates also need to develop processes, while improving and expanding their offer of products and services. This is one of the main strategies to stay alive and competitive in a market full of players that were already born and fully adapted to the digital world.

According to Franco (1991), “a company is any entity established under any legal form for the exploitation of an economic activity, whether commercial, industrial, agricultural or the provision of services”. For these businesses, the challenge is to maintain the essence by sustaining operations that are already well-established and in operation, while creating a more disruptive future, capable of keeping the organization profitable and attractive among the next generations of customers. To achieve the best of both worlds, collaborative innovation is an important ally.

In this sense, we can support your organization with Agile Consulting, which accelerates the adoption of agile methods, through mentoring, to transmit our knowledge in frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, and DevOps to your team.

In addition, we work with Outsourcing, completing development squads with high-performance professionals, who work in the areas of Software Architecture, Programming, Quality Assurance, UX/UI Design, Products, and Projects. This is an essential resource for companies with an in-house IT team, which suffer from demand fluctuations, often requiring a professional with specific hard skills.

We know that the challenges of innovating in well-established businesses are diverse, but being part of an innovative business team has its advantages. One of them is constant learning. With that in mind, don’t leave your corporate heritage and leadership lost in the past. 

Let’s innovate together.

We know that innovative businesses generate complex challenges that require a lot of understanding of the product or service in question. Moreover, in contemporary society, consumer habits and behaviors change as fast as the technologies in use. Therefore, understanding it in its essence is a key strategic factor that allows us to launch products that will actually be used by users.

Count on us to create transformative digital solutions with design, strategy, and technology.  At SoftDesign, we have the best option to meet your needs, as we work with startups, scale-ups, and corporates in a personalized way. Fill out the form below and chat with one of our experts. 

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In this scenario, some questions are inevitable. Did all the startups that emerged in recent years really have innovative potential? Could it be that so many digital products were effectively suited to their market and optimized for users?

The truth is that glamorized innovation is a trap. When the responsibility for a product’s success rests with the genius entrepreneur or creative inventor, business failure is always close at hand. True innovation, driven by multidisciplinary teams and based on continuous experimentation, brings success closer – and makes it possible to create digital products that will be loved and generate value.

Need support to really innovate? Fill in the form below:

How to Drive Innovation?

The first step is knowledge. Relying on the work of researchers who are at the forefront of developing innovation frameworks is essential to achieving satisfactory results. Since the 1980s, the area has been studied by theorists around the world, and real experiments have been conducted to validate such theories.

Already in the book Innovation and Entrepreneurship (1985), by Peter Drucker, it was discussed the orientation that innovation should be developed through scientific thinking focused on empirical data, and not based on personal opinions or passions. The following year, Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiru Nonaka released the article The New New Product Development Game, in which they advocated the development of complex products with multidisciplinary teams engaged in iterative experimentation.

Approximately ten years later, in Discovery-Driven Planning (1995), Rita McGrath and Ian McMillan introduced the title’s concept, arguing that in new ventures it is more important to learn about assumptions than to make long-term plans. Soon after, through a multiple case study, Gary Lynn contributed to the article The Probe and Learn Process, saying that he identified that companies capable of innovating in a stagnant economic scenario were those that were using such a process – testing and learning – experimenting with initial and unfinished versions of the product and iterating in this process.

However, it was only from the 2000s onwards, that experimentation practices for Discovery and Validation finally gained the attention of the public. They are among the most current in the area of innovation in digital products.

Customer Development Process

In 2003, Steve Blank presented his newest framework for the technology market. Based on four steps, the Customer Development Process (CDP) aims to discover and validate if: you have identified a need that your potential customer actually has; you have built the right product to satisfy this need; you have tested the correct methods to convert this customer; and implemented the right features in development to meet the demand for your product.

The CDM is still used today and serves so that businesses do not base the creation of their products on premises and/or assumptions.  We can see these four steps more clearly below:

• Customer Discovery: understanding potential customers and the needs you can satisfy;
• Customer Validation: validate if your product really satisfies the customer’s need;
• Company Creation: determine whether you will create this product;
• Company Building: grow your business to support your product.

Source: https://learn.marsdd.com/

Business Model Canvas

A few years later, Alex Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur created the Business Model Canvas (2004). According to them, a Business Model is a conceptual tool that contains a set of elements and their relationships and allows the expression of an organization’s moneymaking logic.

It is a description of the value that a company offers to one or several customer segments. Moreover, it expresses the architecture of the company and its network of partners to create, market, and deliver that value and relationship capital to generate profitable and sustainable revenue streams.

The Business Model Canvas, which allows the creation of a more complete business proposal, is important to identify hypotheses that need to be tested. For the theorist, it is not only the products and services of an organization that make it competitive in the market: the Business Model is also decisive.

Source: Book Business Model Canvas (2004).

The Lean Startup

Eric Ries revolutionized the market the following year in 2011 when he released the famous book The Lean Startup, in which he detailed the build-measure-learn cycle. The method proposed by the author aims to shorten product development cycles and quickly discover whether a Business Model is viable or not.

In practice, the framework involves a cycle of hypothesis creation and testing, in which something small is built (MVP) for potential customers to test. Their reactions are documented by the team, to generate learning and drive new improved cycles.

The Lean Startup idea is to continually improve the product’s offering so that you eventually deliver exactly what your customers want. Thus, the picture of savings becomes a reality, as resources are only used with data that justify them.

Source: https://tinytracker.co/blog/

Testing Business Ideas

Finally, in 2020, in the book Testing Business Ideas, Osterwalder continues his Business Model Canvas and proposes a new framework to innovate Business Models. It aims to minimize the importance of “building” (the Lean Startup) and make the relevance and meaning of “experimenting” clear. According to the author, “testing is the activity of reducing risks chasing ideas that sound good in theory. You test ideas by conducting quick experiments that allow you to learn and adapt.”

In the framework in question, in the lower left corner are the entrepreneurs and in the upper right corner is the positive result of the business. To follow this path, decisions need to be made and Osterwalder proposes that they be carried out based on two cycles: in the first, by creating hypotheses for the Business Model Canvas and, in the second, by testing these hypotheses to learn.

After the round of experiments, the Business Model Canvas must be revised, so that the cycles are repeated until you have data on which to base decisions. This means that through this method, it is possible to discover if the direction we imagine makes sense (Discovery) and validate if the chosen paths have evidence of success (Validation).

Source: Book Testing Business Ideas (2019).

Chasing True Innovation

Conducting such practices within the business is not an easy task. It is necessary to have at least one person who masters the frameworks and leads the team through the development and innovation process.

At SoftDesign, we offer distinguished services that can support true innovation, as they are based precisely on the Customer Development Process, the Business Model Canvas, the Lean Startup, and the Testing of Business Ideas. We act from the idea or problem, carrying out the Product Conception of the solution; then we go on to Experimentation to validate the feasibility of this solution; and finally, we work on Development, from the quickest, which are the MVPs, up to the more robust solutions, evolving from data and user feedback, adding new features and a better user experience.

Contact us! Our multidisciplinary professionals have the necessary skills to support the digital innovation journey of your business.

This article was based on the Final Paper for the MBA in Digital Business (USP/ESALQ), by Karina Klein Hartmann, entitled The adoption of experimentation practices for discovery and validation of digital products in Brazil (Adoção de práticas de experimentação para descoberta e validação em produtos digitais no Brasil).

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What is IT Outsourcing?

Onshore X Offshore

Advantages of Outsourcing

• Experienced and certified professionals;
• Complete teams in less time;
• Shared knowledge;
• Administrative matters under our responsibility;
• Agile practices and current working methods.

Let’s talk about IT Outsourcing?

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