Customer Portals Product Development: A Services Brief
Creating amazing software requires a radically different approach. We have combined lessons learned from the service and industrial design communities to develop a digital product development process that ensures we develop the right software that solves the right problems in the shortest amount of time. The processes is focused on five tenets that guide our development process: 1. Software creation should be People-Centered We don't talk about the technology until we know the people. Only after we have a deep and intimate understanding of the people, the problem and the context does it make sense to talk about the architecture, the platform and the language. 2. Software creation should be Co-Creative The best solutions are created when at least one representative of each group of stakeholders is engaged throughout the design and development process. Sometimes those furthest removed from building software are the best sources of creative new perspectives. 3. Software creation should be iterative By releasing software to the users early and often we receive feedback that guides the subsequent phases of development. Our process enables us to identify and react to failures early, minimizing their impact on the overall project. Likewise we are able to identify what is resonating with the people using the software and carry those themes throughout the rest of the development. 4. Software creation should be easy to understand The software should be experienced as quickly as possible using low-fidelity artifacts to gather feedback and communication direction. Drawings and sketches of the software in action as well as mockups of the devices on which the software will be used enable our team to prototype quickly and react to incorrect assumptions rapidly. Iterations can take hours instead of days. 5. Software creation should be Holistic Software is not used in a vacuum but within a complex environment with a myriad of elements that impact how the software is experienced. This is especially true with the proliferation of mobile technology, tasks are no longer completed at the office behind a monitor but are completed anywhere, at any time. Software design must consider location and context to create an amazing experience.
