In fact, there is one solution to all these problems. You need to eliminate the unknowns. There is a way to
- Clearly define the structure of the project and see what you are going to get as a result.
- Learn what backend will ensure the working "copy" of an existing project and how much labor you need to create that copy in general.
- Calculate how much you need for your startup and get the documentation and high-fidelity wireframes to convince your investors.
- Identify the resources you need for a redesign project.
- Draw up comprehensive documentation, which is key to a successful project.
It’s the Discovery phase.
What is the Discovery phase?
Discovery phase is a phase when, together with a web development company, you
- Clarify core business logic and processes of your project
- Deeply research needs in order to find all the pitfalls and risks
- Check the best solutions for your project and its features
- Get a holistic visual picture of your project
- Create a detailed description of functions, validations, features, negative cases, database integrity, and other technical aspects
As a result of this research, you create the PRD
There are two key components of creating a successful PRD:
you should be involved at maximum and
the company should ask the right questions and consult you about the
realization of your particular wishes and requirements.
That’s where the expertise of the web development company, its experience
and its ability to understand the client is vital. PRD must be created in
compliance with all the standards and must really take into account all the
details. This document
- Ensures you get the results claimed in this document;
- Ensures it happens within the estimated time limit and budget;
- Protects you from the situation when the developers misinterpret your idea and suddenly deliver the wrong product;
- Allows the development company to estimate the project with considerable accuracy;
- Allows all the participants of the development process to be on the same page.
The structure of the project
Public part
It’s a part of the project everybody will see, for example, website pages.
Personal account
- how the user is going to register, log in, change a password;
- what functions will be available in the personal account depending on the user type (e.g., Premium or Standard account);
- other specifics of the personal account.
Admin panel
The admin panel is a module for managing the website, creating content, and following business metrics. There are some projects where admin panel development takes 3/4 of time.
Notifications
Often, when planning a project, clients and developers agree upon “we need some notifications here and there.” When it comes to developing this part, it causes delays and extra expenses. That’s why you might find it helpful to create a detailed list of all the notifications, including the text and conditions under which they are displayed.
Background processes
It’s a part of the project, invisible to users: sending mail, payment processing, image processing, cleaning up.
Project infrastructure
The server part is described, including the load-capacity analysis.
The project structure is the foundation of the project allowing everybody to be on the same page
All the participants of the process will refer to it. A developer will check what to build and how; a QA will look up how it should work; clients will check what functionality and features they’ve approved and whether the result meets the agreed specifications.
Defining how your project will feel
There are two more important aspects of the project validation. They are high-fidelity wireframes and a workflow (or an interaction map)
Wireframes
High-fidelity wireframes (desktop mobile version) are black and white
layouts that outline features, the size, and placement of page elements,
navigation, and a user’s actions on the website pages.
When we start developing wireframes and show each action a user will take,
the structure of each functional block becomes clear. So does the level of
complexity of a project. In this way, you can make decisions at the early
stage of the project, when the investments are at a minimum. You are free
to test various ideas because making changes to the wireframes takes usually
5 - 15 minutes. For the actual project, it can take days and weeks.
There were cases when the project appeared to be larger and more expensive,
and the clients paused it after seeing wireframes. Other clients, after the
analysis and wireframes creation, found their project simpler and cheaper.
It also happened that the project proved to be more expensive, but the clients
managed to get the necessary budget after they showed the wireframes to the
investor. High-fidelity wireframes allow you, the investor, the development
team and other project participants to receive a tactile response to fill
in the real volumes of the upcoming work at an early stage of the project
design phase.
Workflow based on wireframes
When complicated navigation is necessary, it’s useful to create a workflow based on wireframes. This is a detailed map of the user journey. Note that, while mapping the interaction, you should think of the negative experience as well as positive. Consider cases like the items out of stock and users’ misprints filling in their data.
Note
Working on the structure of the project
What do you need to draw up the structure of your future website, web application, or a browser extension?
A brief
It’s a description of the project covering the basic information about the scope of the project, its objectives, the business logic.
Technologies
The list of technologies used for the development should be created during the whole Discovery phase. As soon as functionality or a feature is approved, the tech required to build it is added. The list includes also links to all the APIs documentation, services to use in the project, and future cloud-providers with the links to official websites and pricing, and external libraries.
Questions and answers
As you discuss the objectives, the development company asks questions to specify the details. In the process, not only the developers but often the clients themselves understand the project better.
Note
