When it comes to Product Development, there are multiple theories on having 5-step, 7-step, or 8-step processes for developing a product. But if we forget all of these steps and try to simplify this concept, I believe we can segregate this entire journey into 3 phases:

• Ideation

• Validation

• Development

Before we take our MacBook and jump right into the Doc to write the PRD, we need to have an in-depth understanding of the problem we are trying to solve here. And most importantly if this problem we are trying to solve is a valid problem that requires intervention or not. To do such, we need to be involved with the target group we work for. Here at iFarmer, we, the product team, the inception of this entire process start by reaching out to our end users and asking questions to get to the root of the problem. 

Once we identify the problem, we start working on devising the probable solutions and developing mockups and prototypes. This is where we ensure to engage with our end-users and collect direct feedback on the solution we have come up with. It might seem an easy task to do but the critical part is to find out the right people who are willing to share honest feedback and be the first ones to try the feature out. To make things efficient we always create a User Persona for the target audience and do the required homework before going to them. Another important thing is to make sure that we understand the business prospects of this. We believe that a feature can create traction among the stakeholders if it adds value to the user’s need and has a business prospect of it.

Once we are convinced to go forward with the solution, we start working on the development starting with User Story and User Experience simultaneously. This requires having multiple brainstorming sessions with the designers and engineers before and during the entire process of developing the feature. Once the feature is developed and ready to release, we work on communicating with the stakeholders and onboard them with the solution that they need to convey to the end users. 

For a feature to succeed over time and constantly meet the user’s needs, it has to evolve over the course of time. For this very reason, we believe that the most important part of a Product Team is to observe and collect feedback on the features we developed that have been able to serve the users’ needs and add value to the product. With this belief, we focus on getting the user’s feedback continuously and keep improving the feature. Thus delivering the assurance to our stakeholders that we listen to their feedback.