In a market where the pressure for effective innovation and fast results is constant, this approach stands out as a competitive advantage for leaders looking to transform their organizations with agility and data-driven intelligence. 

Globally, the Artificial Intelligence market is expected to surpass USD 244 billion by the end of 2025. Despite the enthusiasm, many organizations still face technical, cultural, and regulatory barriers to innovating with speed and security. This is precisely where the AI-accelerated MVP emerges as a way to test, learn, and scale solutions with lower risk and higher return. 

In this guide, you’ll learn how AI can drive the development of robust, value-driven MVPs, enabling faster and more effective experimentation. 

What are AI-accelerated MVPs? 

An AI-accelerated MVP is a Minimum Viable Product developed with the support of Artificial Intelligence tools to reduce delivery time, increase efficiency, and enable faster, data-driven decision-making. In this model, AI acts as an enabler throughout the development process. 

Real case: AI-accelerated MVP 

As a practical example, one of SoftDesign’s clients needed to create an Internet Banking platform. However, they wanted a fast MVP to test demand from the market and partners for this new channel, before making significant investments. 

To meet this demand, we used Vibe Coding, AI Assistants, and low-code tools to create a rapid MVP. In just 2 weeks, the entire interface was ready and could be tested with real users. 

Within 8 weeks, backend integration was completed, and a functional version was ready for use, including account management, PIX payments, transfers, billing, and credit card features. 

This acceleration shows how AI can significantly speed up development without compromising product quality or strategic vision, while generating fast learning cycles for better business decisions. 

Why invest in an AI-accelerated MVP? 

For executives and leaders of large organizations, an AI-accelerated MVP offers a concrete and effective way to innovate with speed, focus, and lower risk. Instead of launching massive digital transformation initiatives that require high investment and long timelines, this approach allows companies to test business hypotheses in short cycles, using real data to learn, adjust, and continuously evolve. 

The direct result? Significant reduction in time to market, validation with real users from the earliest versions, and early value capture for the business. 

The role of AI in the SDLC 

In practice, the AI-accelerated MVP is part of our Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), which incorporates multiple AI-supported fronts: 

• AI-augmented development: using intelligent agents like GitHub Copilot to speed up coding and code review. 
• AI-augmented modernization: applying AI to update legacy systems with greater efficiency and security. 
• Rapid prototyping: building interactive prototypes with AI-assisted tools, reducing stakeholder iteration time. 
• AI-accelerated MVP: delivering Minimum Viable Products with frameworks and tools powered by AI, such as Vibe Coding, which optimizes the creation of the product’s first functional version. 

At SoftDesign, we integrate AI into a mature development process with consolidated practices of discovery, validation, and delivery. This ensures acceleration without compromising product quality. 

Steps to validate an AI-accelerated MVP 

Time, cost, and efficiency gains 

Here’s how AI directly optimizes time, cost, and efficiency in MVP development: 

• Development assistants: Tools like GitHub Copilot automate repetitive coding tasks, increase quality with auto-reviews and unit tests, and boost productivity by up to 55%. 
• AI-powered UX and prototyping: AI accelerates wireframe design, navigation flows, and usability testing, allowing ideas to be validated in hours. 
• Automated testing and validation: AI can simulate user behaviors, accelerate test execution by 4x, and deliver real-time insights. At SoftDesign, our testing accelerator has made API test creation 70% faster. 
• Low-code/no-code platforms with AI: Enable MVP prototyping and delivery in a fraction of the time, without sacrificing functionality. 
• Observability and AI-driven performance: Monitor MVP usage in real time and make resource-efficient adjustments. 

ROI, validation, and scalability 

Measuring the success of an AI-accelerated MVP goes beyond technical analysis. Business metrics such as engagement, user satisfaction, retention, and, most importantly, ROI must be prioritized. AI enables organizations to track these indicators from the very first cycles, ensuring scalable growth. 

Scalability requires preparing the MVP to operate in production environments, integrate with legacy systems, and align with key organizational processes. It should transform into a sustainable, adaptable, value-generating asset. 

To achieve this, organizations must invest in: 

• AI governance and ethics; 
• Data infrastructure and quality; 
• Workforce training; 
• Continuous experimentation. 

With 27 years of experience in software development and mature engineering practices, SoftDesign delivers solutions that combine cutting-edge technology with a strong focus on results. 

AI-accelerated MVP as a catalyst for effective innovation 

For organizations seeking to innovate with agility, intelligence, and responsibility, the AI-accelerated MVP is a powerful catalyst. By combining structured experimentation with AI-powered tools, companies can reduce risks, shorten delivery time, and create business value from the earliest market interactions. 

At SoftDesign, we apply this approach strategically and practically, validating ideas in short cycles with continuous interaction between teams, users, and real data. The results speak for themselves: our clients have achieved up to 3x revenue and user base growth, along with up to 90% reduction in operational effort. 

If your organization is ready to accelerate its AI-driven innovation journey, connect with our team. Fill out the form and discover how to innovate securely, efficiently, and sustainably. 

FAQs: AI-accelerated MVP 

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If you lead a technology or product team, chances are you’ve already adopted AI tools in your daily operations – to speed up tasks, generate insights, or automate parts of the workflow. But the true transformation brought by Artificial Intelligence is not superficial. It goes far beyond the tools. It lies at the very core of how we build software. 

And that changes everything. 

I speak from the perspective of someone who has been leading and driving technological transformations for over three decades. I have been programming professionally since 1992 and founded SoftDesign in 1997 with the purpose of delivering technical excellence to companies seeking innovation through technology. I’ve witnessed many transitions: the rise of commercial internet, the mobile revolution, agile methodologies, and cloud computing. But none of these shifts has reshaped the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) as profoundly as Artificial Intelligence. 

AI is reorganizing phases, redirecting efforts, and redefining the roles of those who work in software development. 

This shift demands more than a new mindset; it requires a new delivery capability. 

The real impact of AI on software development 

The traditional SDLC follows well-defined stages: research, ideation, design, coding, testing, release, and maintenance. These are complementary activities that require different skill sets and diverse professional profiles. Each stage brings its own technical, business, and user alignment challenges. 

With the rise of generative and predictive AI, we are experiencing an unprecedented transition: a large portion of analytical, repetitive, or interpretive work is being automated or dramatically accelerated. 

At SoftDesign, we’ve spent the past two years testing and applying AI across every phase of the AI-augmented SDLC. The results have been significant: 

• Efficiency gains ranging from 30% to 70% across processes. 
• Full squads achieving up to 55% more productivity and 3x faster time-to-market for MVPs. 
• A proprietary AI agent accelerating API test creation by 70%, ensuring higher-quality code in production. 
• Up to 90% of manual refactoring in legacy modernization projects fully automated. 

These outcomes are not internal wins. They directly impact our clients’ digital products. We deliver software faster, with greater accuracy, and at a lower cost. That means real business results: quicker user validation, risk reduction, and earlier ROI. 

To achieve this, it wasn’t enough to adopt tools. We had to change our teams’ mindset and rebuild the way we deliver software. 

A new SDLC, augmented by AI 

For a long time, the differentiator of a software development company was the robustness of its process. That remains our foundation. The difference now is that this process is intensely augmented by AI. 

Evolving from our mature and highly structured development framework, SoftDesign professionals now work hand in hand with AI agents, from opportunity discovery to live system maintenance. 

We’ve created AI-Augmented Squads that build platforms, APIs, mobile products, and legacy modernization solutions with greater scale, consistency, and speed. 

In this new model, AI does not replace humans. Instead, it amplifies the creative, technical, and analytical capabilities of our teams, further boosting productivity and delivery quality. 

The democratization of code 

AI tools that understand and respond to natural language have simplified countless tasks. Research, content production, video and image generation, and translation are just a few applications of Large Language Models (LLMs) that have increased productivity and reduced costs. 

The software development cycle is no exception. 

AI agents are automating tasks that were once manual, while LLM-based tools are making activities once exclusive to specialists accessible to a broader audience. 

Vibe coding is a prime example. With a simple prompt, it’s possible to generate anything from a webpage to more complex products, such as an online banking interface or a real estate pricing calculator. 

But does that mean anyone can become a software development expert overnight? Certainly not. 

While AI can generate code, particularly for front-end applications, individuals without programming experience often cannot assess its quality, security, or maintainability. 

In corporate environments, this becomes even more critical. For mid- and large-sized companies, there are serious security risks because many tools skip essential steps, such as input validation and proper error handling. 

At SoftDesign, we understand that our expertise in product strategy combined with deep technical knowledge allows us to leverage vibe coding responsibly, as an accelerator. 

It’s highly valuable for rapidly generating a functional MVP. But assessing how that delivery affects user experience, ensuring code scalability, and deciding next steps all require expertise. 

AI is a powerful ally, but it does not replace the critical judgment of professionals in technology, design, and product. 

Unlock your AI projects with augmented teams 

The innovation we’ve embedded into our development process, enhancing human skills with AI copilots, also impacts our ability to deliver AI-augmented solutions more seamlessly. 

We help unlock AI initiatives by identifying opportunities with our AI Discovery service, organizing data, and prioritizing initiatives. And for companies already advanced in AI adoption, we accelerate backlogs with specialized teams. 

No matter where your organization is in its innovation journey, SoftDesign can help you: 

• Map strategic initiatives and structure adoption to ensure security and ROI. 
• Build applications with Machine Learning, generative AI, and custom agents to deliver intelligent reports, interpret large data sets, automate decision-making, and boost operational efficiency. 
• Develop solutions with AI-augmented squads that accelerate time-to-market and increase delivery quality. 

Continuous innovation as a commitment 

None of this would be possible without the internal engine driving our evolution. Our Innovation & Research division tracks trends, tests technologies, develops new competencies, and prepares teams for the future. We validated dozens of AI tools to enhance our SDLC, adopting only those that deliver exponential impact. 

This foundation allowed us to redesign our entire service portfolio with AI at its core. It also ensures we’re not offering the market experiments. We’re delivering consistent innovation with a solid foundation, proven methodology, and a focus on business results. 

Our commitment to effective innovation is already recognized. SoftDesign is ranked among the 80 most innovative companies in Southern Brazil in the 2025 Champions of Innovation list by Grupo Amanhã. 

This award validates what we believe: using new technologies to deliver real value. 

That’s why we help our clients go beyond the hype and build practical AI adoption strategies, mapping opportunities, setting priorities, preparing data, and validating hypotheses. From there, we create solutions that solve real business problems with intelligence, performance, and impact. 

AI is already shaping the future of software development. Companies that recognize this early will secure a competitive advantage that will be difficult to replicate later. 

If you’re still treating AI as a standalone initiative, the risk isn’t just losing efficiency. It’s losing relevance. 

At SoftDesign, we are fully committed to this transformation. We’ve restructured how we think, develop, and deliver software. We1ve embedded AI agents across every phase of the AI-augmented SDLC, and trained professionals with new capabilities and built services that amplify client results. 

We know this journey is only beginning. But we’ve already taken important steps, and we’re ready to move forward with you. Let’s build the future together. 

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This modern end-to-end testing framework simplifies the creation of automated tests for web applications. Unlike other tools, Cypress is designed specifically for modern web environments, providing a faster, more reliable, and user-friendly testing experience.

Explore the key advantages of Cypress and how it can enhance your software testing workflow.

What is Cypress?

Cypress is a testing tool designed to streamline the process of writing, running, and debugging tests. It enables developers to write tests in JavaScript, leveraging an intuitive API that facilitates software development.

Additionally, it offers an interactive interface that enables real-time test visualization, enhancing the overall testing process. This feature enables QA analysts to track test scripts as they run, facilitating the identification of areas requiring adjustments.

Why use Cypress?

Choosing the appropriate tool for automated testing is essential for enhancing speed and operational efficiency. Cypress is a leading option for several reasons:

• Simple installation & Easy learning curve: even novice developers can swiftly initiate test development.
• Fast execution: it runs directly in the browser environment, eliminating unnecessary delays.
• Interactive interface: it facilitates debugging by allowing developers to view and fix issues in real-time.
• User interaction simulation: ensures the proper functioning of all application components.

It also boasts a strong community and comprehensive documentation. It provides extensive resources and support for developers and QA professionals.

What language does Cypress use?

Cypress utilizes JavaScript for test development, ensuring seamless compatibility with contemporary web applications. Given the prevalence of JavaScript in the development of front-end applications, Cypress enables developers to utilize the same language for both development and testing, thereby streamlining the workflow.

Cypress vs. Selenium: key differences

The primary distinction between Cypress and Selenium lies in their architecture:

• Cypress operates directly within the browser, providing a faster, more integrated experience.
• Selenium is a conventional testing framework that interacts with the browser via APIs and supports multiple programming languages.

While Selenium boasts greater flexibility in terms of browser and language compatibility (Java, C#, Python, Ruby), Cypress excels in speed, ease of use, and debugging efficiency with its JavaScript-based API and real-time feedback.

Types of tests you can perform with Cypress

Cypress facilitates a range of software tests to ensure seamless functionality, including:

1. Integration testing
2. UI testing
3. Performance testing
4. Regression testing
5. Accessibility testing
6. Security testing

1. Integration testing

Integration testing checks that the different parts of the application work together. For example, Cypress can be used to test communication between the database layer and the user interface layer.

2. User Interface testing

Cypress is used to test the user interface and ensure that users can interact with the application without navigation problems.

3. Performance testing

Cypress is useful for testing application performance and identifying bottlenecks that can affect the user experience, such as loading speed.

4. Regression testing

Try using Cypress to check that planned new features won’t negatively impact existing features.

5. Accessibility testing

You can also test the application to ensure that it complies with web accessibility guidelines.

6. Security tests

Cypress also helps identify vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers.

Technologies compatible with Cypress

Cypress seamlessly integrates with several technologies and frameworks, including:

• Node.js: this allows developers to use JavaScript for both application logic and testing.
• Testing Frameworks: Cypress supports Mocha, Jasmine, and Jest for test structuring.
• Build Automation Tools: Cypress can be used with Grunt and Gulp to streamline build and test execution.
• CI/CD Tools: Jenkins, Travis CI, and CircleCI facilitate automated test execution and deployment.

By integrating Cypress within a CI/CD pipeline, test execution can be automated on the occurrence of code changes, thereby ensuring continuous quality assurance.

How to install and use Cypress for automated testing

Want to see how Cypress works in practice? Check out our step-by-step installation and configuration guide!

Installing Cypress

To install Cypress in your development environment using npm (Node.js package manager), run the following command:

Configuring Cypress

Now you need to configure it for use in your automated tests. To do this, you need to create a configuration file in your project, and simply run the following command in your terminal.

This will cause Cypress to open in your browser and create the cypress.json file in the project – this file is responsible for storing the Cypress settings.

Next you need to define the URL of your web application in baseUrl within the cypress.json file. For example:

This defines the base URL for your web application at http://localhost:3000.

Best practices for Cypress project structure

To maintain an efficient testing workflow, follow these best practices:

• Tests folder: organize test files by application functionality for easy navigation.
• Fixtures folder: store reusable test data files in JSON format.
• Plugins folder: extend Cypress functionality by managing plugins in a separate directory.
• Support folder: maintain shared configuration files and helper functions.
• Environment variables: store sensitive information (e.g., credentials, API keys) securely using environment variables instead of hardcoding them.

Use of environment variables

Using environment variables is a good way to keep your credentials and sensitive information out of the source code. Use environment variables to store information such as URLs, login credentials and other sensitive information.

You may have noticed that the most important thing is to keep your files organised in a way that makes sense to your development team and makes it easier to maintain tests over time.

To use Cypress correctly, there are a few aspects of its structure you need to remember, such as:

• The test files are usually in the integration folder;
• The js file is in the support folder – this is the file that stores the path to your screen element, e.g. locators.js;
• The commands file is used to create commands for your project;
• The fixture folder contains the .json files used in the tests.

In the example below we have the following folders and additional files:

Essential Cypress commands

Learn about some of the main Cypress commands that will make the framework easier to use:

To find elements on screen:

• GET: cy.get(‘[data-cy=name]’)
• CONTAINS: cy.contains(“Register”)

To interact with screen elements:

• Type: used for typing. Example: cy.get(‘[data-cy=name]’).type(“Joaozinho”);
• Click: used to click on the selected element, such as cy.get(locators.CADASTRO.btnCadastrar).click();
• Select: used to select an element. Example: cy.get(Loc.CADASTRO.campoUF).select(“RS”);
• Check/Uncheck: used to apply the check – cy.get(‘[type=“checkbox”]’).check().

Assertions for our tests:

• Should: cy.get(locators.MENU.nameLoggedUser).should(“contain.text”, “Joaozinho”);
• Expect: expect(response.body).has.property(“id”).

Front-end test example

Let’s look at two test cases: the first checks whether an error message is displayed if the user’s credentials are incorrect. The second checks whether the user is redirected to the dashboard if the credentials are correct.

To do this, before each test we use the cy.visit() command to visit the login page. Next, we use cy.get() and .type() to fill in the email and password fields, and cy.get() and .click() to click on the login button. Finally, the cy.url() command is responsible for checking that the user is redirected to the correct page after logging in. It’s worth noting that the tests can be adapted to the specific needs of your application.

Optimizing testing with locators

You can use a JSON file to store CSS selectors, which is particularly useful for large projects where there are many locators to manage, as it allows for easier organisation and maintenance.

Below is an example of how to create a JSON file with locators and use it with Cypress:

In the example above, we have a locators.json file that contains the locators organised by page. To use these locators in the test, simply import the JSON file and use the cy.get(nameOfLocator) syntax to locate the element on the page.

Using a JSON file to store the locators simplifies code maintenance by allowing the locators to be updated centrally in a single file.

Back-end test example

Below is an example where we use the cypress-axios plugin to make HTTP requests to the API. We also use the cypress-aliases plugin to create an alias to the base API URL that can be referenced by @api in the tests.

In the first test, we’ll check that the API responds correctly by making a GET request to the API’s base URL.

In the second test, we’ll check that the API returns the expected response. We’ll do this by making a GET request to the API’s /hello route.

And the third test is to check that the API returns valid XML by making a GET request to the API’s /xml route and validating the XML returned.

It’s important to remember that back-end testing with Cypress is more limited than front-end testing because there is no user interaction with the application.

However, it is still possible to check the API response and validate the expected behaviour of the application. See the figure below:

Here’s an example of a request file:

See an example of a payload file:

Functional test example

Below is an example of a functional test in Cypress. In the first block, we perform the interactions of a registration; in the second, we click on the registration button which calls the post method; in the last, the test validations.

Conclusion

Cypress is a powerful end-to-end testing tool with an intuitive JavaScript API, easy installation, interactive debugging and strong community support. Its fast execution and integrated browser experience make it an excellent choice for modern web applications.

Looking for expert guidance? Meet our nearshore development teams and improve your software testing strategy and effectively mitigate risk.

Frequently asked questions

Here are the answers to the main questions about Cypress:

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Do you know what means DevOps culture and why it is so relevant? What are the benefits of adopting this philosophy in the company when creating a digital solution?  

In IT, it is difficult to combine such different areas as Operation and Development. While the first one is related to ensuring the stability of the environment or the infrastructure, the second one aims at delivering value with new features and improvements in the enterprise software. The massification of Agile Methodology, which promotes an iterative, incremental development format, highlighted this separation and demanded a new form of communication. 

What is DevOps?

We can say that DevOps is a set of practices aiming at strengthening the relationships between Developers (Dev) and Operation (Ops), allowing them to work in a unified and collaborative manner to deliver value to the user. Although the need to integrate teams has long been discussed, the term was coined only in 2009 during the Velocity Conference by O’Reilly. Patrick Debois, one of the attendees of this conference, is the creator of the DevOpsDay Event. 

It is possible to say that the DevOps embryo is called Agile infrastructure. To adopt this culture, it is possible to have tools that will allow this constant integration between teams. In this sense, it is worth highlighting that none of this will be effective if the employees are not willing to create this collaboration environment. For this reason, it is necessary to change the team’s mindset to an Agile Culture, giving maximum contribution to joint work. 

DevOps Practices

For the benefits of implementing a DevOps culture to be perceived by the organization, it is important to use practices from this philosophy consistently. The key guidance is the one we commented above: communication and collaboration, two of the four pillars of DevOps culture. In addition to them, we also have measurement (assessment) and automation. 

The first refers to measuring and analyzing as many items as possible, from performance to processes, because we will be able to propose enhancements from this analysis. The latter has the goal of automating all possible processes, reducing time loss and the risk of human faults. We have some disseminated practices in automation, such as: 

Infrastructure As A Code: to manage and provision resources automatically, instead of making a feature available manually. This practice increases speed and reliability when installing the software in a new environment, for example. 

This occurs because we have guarantee that all items were executed in the same manner. Additionally, this application maintenance also becomes effective.  Here, we can use some technologies, such as: Ansible, Chef, Puppet, Vagrant, Docker, Kubernertes. 

Continuous Integration: in this practice, we use a version control enterprise software such as Git, for example. The source code must be integrated as quickly as possible, several times a day, in a branch shared among project developers. 

This process allows them to have the updated code, avoiding possible conflicts both in the code and in business rules. In continuous integration, for each code sent to the repository a compilation is made and automated/unit tests are conducted. This ensures that it is ready for deployment. 

Continuous Delivery: the enterprise software deployment is offered in an automated, fast and safe manner. When we use continuous delivery, we must make sure that the main branch of the repository is in stable state, so we can deploy the software at any time. Usually, automated pipelines that compile, test and deploy are used. 

Benefits of Adopting DevOps Culture

From the definition we have seen previously, it is possible to see a series of benefits that adopting this practice promotes. One of them is the reliability of what is being delivered, whether new features or changes in infrastructure. Operation security is also benefited from the automation of compliance policies and other management techniques. 

Speed and ability to adapt to changes also increase. With the DevOps culture, it is possible to correct bugs and launch new features with more agility and lower risk of downtimes, for example. Additionally, the application scalability becomes more fluid and secure from automated processes and shared responsibility. This way, with areas working in an integrated manner, it is possible to make even better deliveries. 

Need help to build a DevOps Culture at your company? Fill the form below, so our specialists can help you.

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In the corporate world, the term appears frequently and refers to various areas. But at the moment, culture is mainly associated with one particular area: the product area. That’s why we decided to look into this topic to understand the impact of a product culture in startups and companies and learn how to build it.

First Things First 

So what is product culture? It is a set of habits, values, and beliefs that foster the development of digital products. It is characterized by the formation of autonomous teams focused on achieving business goals through the creation or evolution of products. It is an essential prerequisite for the development of contemporary digital products that meet the needs of users and offer added value to clients.

As a culture, it is pervasive. It must impact not only people’s mental models, but also the company’s processes, artifacts, and tools. For example, product culture must reflect the way people are recognized, how success is measured, and even how contracts are signed with clients.

To facilitate understanding, it is sometimes easier to explain what something is not. In this sense, we can say that product culture is the opposite of project culture or IT culture.

Product Culture X Project Culture 

Project Culture, also known as IT Culture, is focused on outputs, while Product Culture is focused on outcomes. This means that, in Project Culture, success is measured by the delivery of scope, of a list of pre-defined items. In Product Culture, success is measured by the impact generated, regardless of what was done or how many items were delivered. P.S. To know more about this difference, it’s worth learning about the initiative No Projects. 

On the other hand, Product Culture is a term created by Marty Cagan. He describes the mindset where IT is paralyzed in operational, everyday processes, without realizing the importance of innovating, delivering value and impacting all the business. If you follow our articles, you know that we usually refer to this phenomenon as tasking IT. 

Those who work in Product Culture don’t usually say they work “in IT.” These people usually refer to the product or business process where they operate, even when they are programmers. 

The Central Role of User Experience 

Working with User Experience (UX) is creating a product and thinking about it from the user’s standpoint. This may seem obvious, but the truth is that the exercise of thinking like someone different from us is challenging. 

What does it have to do with Product Culture? The concern with UX is one of the symptoms of the transition from an IT Culture (self-centered) to a Product Culture (centered on the user). After all, those concerned with generating real business impact certainly need to try to improve the experience for people using the product, not simply “push for” a new solution. 

Also, in Product teams the Designer is not the only one concerned with the Product Design: all members should be aware of the user’s needs and of each of their touch points with the product, to make sure that all details are aligned with its purpose. 

Experimentation to Validate Hypotheses 

Another symptom of the transition from Project Culture to Product Culture is the adoption of Product Experimentation. In Project Culture, it is not usual to save space for learning since the underlying philosophy is a predictive rationalist approach. We define a detailed scope early, and then it is necessary to make sure it is delivered. 

But innovative products, services, or business models are only innovative because they don’t exist yet. This means that they are based on hypotheses and need to be validated, and, therefore, Product Experimentation is essential. In Product Culture, it is necessary to be open to constant learning, changes, and diversity of hypotheses. 

As much as surveys and interviews are conducted with users, collecting information to support development, what we do when defining the product is a proposition, a hypothesis of solution. It is necessary to test quickly and efficiently to learn and discover whether the user experience and the business model proposed effectively work. This is what the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is used for. 

The Sense of Ownership 

A true product culture only exists when people on the team have a sense of ownership. After all, who cares more about a company than its creator? The idea is that the entire team acts as owners, and therefore truly cares about the product.

People who care build, collaborate, improve, and help define. They have a future vision for the product, are proactive in anticipating and solving problems, and work with enthusiasm and passion. Ownership is responsible for the pride the team takes in working on the product and contributes to quality and commitment.

Metrics to Mesure Success 

Another characteristic of the transition from a Project Culture to a Product Culture is the way of measuring success. Instead of measuring by the execution of plans from the classic triangle scope, cost, and time, we start analyzing by business-related metrics. 

Your taste does not matter much; after all, we currently have many metrics frameworks. In some cases, they will be funnel metrics, in others, your product may have North Star metrics; perhaps your company adopts Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); or also you use Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). 

The important thing is to understand that there is a cultural change. In IT Cultures, people are concerned with delivering what was ordered, within the deadline. Conversations are usually about time or percentage of completeness of the tasks. 

In Product Cultures, the topics are different. The conversation revolves around actual indicators, such as sales, number of clients and percentage of conversions. These figures are no longer secret and are now handled directly by the team that aims at discovering, through experiments, how to positively impact these indicators. 

What is Your Company’s Culture? 

It’s palpable that these terms we have explored are intertwined, right? Product Culture comes as an alternative to Project Culture and IT Culture. It is focused on business-targeted products and users, which need to be validated through Product Experimentation. The team that truly cares analyzes data to assess the success of experiments and evolve the product with agility. 

What type of culture do you see at your company? Notice how people relate with each other (employees and clients), how success is measured, and how processes are designed. Analyzing these items, you will know in which culture your team works and will be able to see the need for a transformation. 

Do you need help to develop a Product Culture in your company? Fill out the form below and our specialists will get in touch with you. 

*Related Content: The 4 Must-Have Characteristics of Your IT Partner

O post Building a Strong Product Culture apareceu primeiro em SoftDesign.

But what is a waste? It is everything that does not add value to the end product. In this case, value is the sum of the customer’s demands with the product needs, all related to functionality and usability. Therefore, creating Value Stream means linking only the essential work processes to achieve the desired results. 

Important Milestones in Lean Software Development

The Lean methodology has a long history, intertwined with the Administrative Theory and with relevant connections to the cultural traits of its origins. It started at Toyota in the 1950s, where Taiichi Ohno, Head of Production at that time, worked on an alternative method of organization.

Instead of copying the North American model, which greatly adapted to the production in scale, Ohno was concerned with creating a method that handled properly the complexity of post-war Japan: scarce resources, inconstant orders, and the production of a variety of items.

Because it was developed at Toyota, the methodology became known as Toyota Production System (TPS). Forty years later, with the publication of the book The Machine That Changed The World (1990) by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the model attracted attention from the market. Through research studies, it was proven that it was much more efficient than the traditional production model, and was renamed as Lean to represent a new paradigm. 

It is interesting to remark, however, that the Lean methodology developed at Toyota included not only an approach to manufacturing production (TPS), but also approaches for supply chain management (Keiretsu) and for product development. The latter was adapted to the Software Development when, in 2003, Mary and Tom Poppendieck published Lean Software Development: an Agile Toolkit. 

Since then, the methodology has become popular in the IT area. Currently, it is mandatory in the creation of innovative digital products. 

Lean Software Development Principles

The book by Mary and Tom Poppendieck established principles specific to Lean Software Development, because, despite sharing Lean values applied to manufacturing, in the creation of digital solutions the goal is not having a single product on a large scale (achieved through repetition). The goal is to have a unique software development suitable to the product context and to the users’ needs. 

In this sense, Lean in the IT area is much more related to continuous improvement and to increased efficiency, getting close to Agile Methodology.

The principles of Lean Software Development are:

• Eliminate Waste: it looks a lot easier to think about wasting material products than wasting software, right? But the truth is that the idea is the same: it is necessary to look at the entire creation process, from the moment the work started with the client order to the delivery of the digital product, and remove all unnecessary activities that do not add value to the project. An example are features that will not be effectively used but are developed by the client’s request or to please users. Here, it is worth remembering the importance of a good Product Conception to guide the Lean Software Development. It is also worth mentioning that this method sees intermediate inventories as waste because every inventory generates additional work for its management. Mary and Tom explain that, in software universe, inventory is every “incomplete” work. For example: specifications that are ready but not being used yet, are a type of inventory; the same is said about software that is ready but not in production. 

• Build Quality In: we know that Test Analysts have a crucial role in any project, right? With Lean, more than finding errors afterward, these professionals must work with developers to ensure the construction with quality beforehand. A way to execute this principle is to test each small implementation, not just the entire functionality when it is ready. It is the famous prevention, based on process control to avoid possible errors. A very strong concept in Lean is “stop the line”: the idea that, if someone finds any issue throughout the process, they must stop the workflow to resolve it before it extends. In addition to a change in the way of handling quality, this also implies a cultural transformation: everyone becomes responsible for quality. 

• Create Knowledge: the days of only developing what was planned in the beginning of the project are gone. Creating knowledge is about learning during the work, observing the market, receiving feedback from users and reprioritizing. It is important to create a culture of accepting changes, provided such changes are duly managed and shared among all team members. 

• Defer Commitment: before deciding, reduce the uncertainties. This means having concrete facts as guides, not being based on speculations. Commitments are permanent decisions. This principle is strongly connected to the principle of Create Knowledge that is: learn, see and listen to determine. 

• Delivery Fast: it is no use releasing on the next year a product that is necessary now, right? In Lean Software Development, speed is related to market volatility but also to quickly correcting mistakes and collecting feedback. Now, being fast cannot mean losing quality. For this reason, plans, processes, organization, standardization and cohesive team are mandatory to work in this principle. 

• Respect People: here, we must look at respect broadly. Obviously, politeness is essential, but trust is also included in this case. This means understanding the expertise of each team member and believing in their potential; it means listening to everyone and assessing their ideas equally, regardless of their role. A team that respects itself works better and in harmony. 

• Optimize the Whole:  here comes an aspect that is heavily addressed in Lean: the important thing is to optimize the whole, not the parts. Aristotle said: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The end product is not the result only of codes, tests and interface designs. It involves initial client service, all meetings, all processes and all lessons learned. Optimizing the whole is about constant improvements from the beginning to the end of a project journey. This item is very difficult to follow since we are generally taught to optimize the parts: we are asked about individual productivity from each step or each person. Following this principle goes through learning how to see the forest, not only the trees. 

Source: https://www.remoteprogrammer.com/

A Cultural Change

Lean thinking is revolutionary to Software Development, but it is not simple. It requires a cultural change, absorption of principles, and transformation of long-standing attitudes in our corporates. 

Many times, we see teams capable of implementing Scrum, but having the feeling that there is something missing: agile culture. Studying Lean and its principles is one of the most valuable paths to absorb this culture, because in it we do not simply get the definition of a work methodology but look deeply into the principles. It is like it enabled us to truly understand the reasons for agile. 

Need help implementing Lean Software Development at your company? Fill out the form below so we can help you.

*Related Content: What is Lean Change Management?

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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.

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What is Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a digital currency based on cryptographic technologies, which was created in 2009. To this day, it is not known who its inventor is, since the first publication on the subject was made using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto – the real inventor was never made public. 

What is Special About Bitcoin?

It is a currency without central regulation: it is not issued by a country/state. Thus, allows transactions to take place without intermediaries (banks) and in the most complete anonymity. You can use Bitcoin as a payment method in several establishments that already accept it.  

The currency is famous due to the huge amount of people trying to get rich at its expense, buying and selling Bitcoins – its value has increased significantly since 2009. And, although it seems complicated or distant, blockchain is an available solution that can be used in the most varied software development projects. 

What About the Blockchain?

Although we talk so much about Bitcoin, Blockchain is much more interesting. It is the technology that supports Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and that seems to be leading us to a new generation of Internet solutions, called Decentralized Web or Web 3. 

There is nothing incredibly new about this technology: Blockchain is based on the internet that we already know, combined with cryptographic concepts that also already existed. The difference is the architecture of the solution, which allows creating a decentralized network in which it is possible to trust the results, even without guaranteeing that all network agents are reliable. 

What Can You Do With Blockchain?

Blockchain is not only for cryptocurrencies, but for any solution that can take advantage of its characteristics: being decentralized, providing trust and immutability, keeping records. 

By now you might be wondering: Blockchain can be used for a lot! Let’s see: 

• Digital Identity and Authentication: it can be used to replace our identification solutions, from Passport and Driver’s License to your login on social networks; 

• Notary and records: it is the perfect solution for legal records, like the ones that notaries do today; 

• Contracts and smart contracts: it can be used to publicly register contracts, but more than that, it can be used as a basis for smart contracts where clauses are executed automatically; 

• Medical Records: we can use Blockchain to keep medical records safe and accessible; 

• Supply Chain: we can use it as a record base for a supply chain, thus ensuring transparency in records between the parties. 

How Do I Use Blockchain in a Project?

Although it seems complicated, Blockchain is an available solution that can be used in the most varied Software Development projects. However, to build a solution that uses this technology, you first need to identify what its features are and how Blockchain can help you with that, and then you need to assess whether it is best to use Blockchain, a Fork or even a platform on top of the Blockchain. 

A Fork is a Blockchain variation that changes some of its operating rules. Depending on the application, there are specific Forks that may serve better. A Platform is one of the thousands of solutions that are already being developed using the Blockchain but with ready-made functions: there are specialized platforms for Smart Contracts, for Identification, etc.

Were to Learn More? 

The most knowledgeable people here at SoftDesign suggest the following sources if you want to learn more about Bitcoin and Blockchain: 

• The Blockchain for Business book can help you understand Blockchain and its applications; 

• There are some interesting talks at TED Talks, such as this one by Dan Tapscott (who is also the author of good books on the subject) and this one by Bettina Warburg; 

• If you want to take a look at the concepts, it’s worth knowing Satoshi’s original article, which explains how the Blockchain concept applies to make Bitcoin work. 

Thinking about using Blockchain Technology in a digital product? Fill out the form below so we can help you! 

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

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

Mobile App

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

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

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

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

Enterprise Software

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

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

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

Software Platform

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

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

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

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

Everything is Software

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why work with SoftDesign? 

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

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

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

A Creative Planning Process 

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

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

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

Focus on Healthcare Software Development 

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

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

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

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

The Future of Mioflux 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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