A process flow (business flow or workflow) diagram maps out everything that’s required to get from point A to point B. It shows the steps in a process, the users involved, inputs, outputs and decisions. As a result, it’s a very powerful tool to illustrate what you want your online platform or app to do. In this article, I’ll explain … Read More
What’s the difference between Web Design and Web Development?
Do you know the difference between web design and web development? I often see people looking for recommendations for one or the other, but did you know that when you’re building an online platform or mobile app, you might actually need both? Traditionally, these two disciplines were quite separate and distinct. However, over the years, the line between the two … Read More
Why you need to focus on “what” not “how” (when defining your product)
In order to turn your online platform or app idea into a living and breathing thing, you need to define your product. This means that you have to define “what” your product will do. The key word here is “what”. There’s a common pitfall when defining your product to focus on “how” you want you product to work – rather than “what” … Read More
What you need to do to manage your development project
Regardless of what work you’re outsourcing to someone else to do, people often forget that you can’t just dump it on someone’s desk or inbox, and walk away. This is especially true when you’re getting someone to build you an online platform or mobile app. Since the building of your product is the most important part of getting it to … Read More
5 Foundations for non-tech people with platform or app ideas
Software technology projects can be tough at the best of times, but what happens when you have an idea for an online platform or app, and you’ve never done anything like it before? In this article, I’ll explore some of the ways that non-technical people can get the foundations to set themselves up for success. As someone that’s been in the industry … Read More
Why words like ‘easy’ and ‘quickly’ don’t belong in requirements
So, you’ve got an idea for website or mobile app that you’re really excited about, and you’re ready to define what it should do. The first thing that pops into your mind might be something like, “the app should be easy to use”. Not an unreasonable thought. However, ease of use is how you market your platform or app – … Read More
What’s the Difference between UI and UX?
This article is going to look at the topic of UI and UX. These two similar, but very different terms are often confused, and so I thought I’d take a moment to clarify. At the heart of it, the difference lies in what each of them aims to accomplish. User interface (UI) is about aesthetics – making the system look good, … Read More
How much detail do you need? (writing requirements)
When you start breaking down your idea and deciding what your platform or app needs to do, it can sometimes feel like Alice in the rabbit hole. In this article, I’m going to look at how much detail you need to get into when defining your product (aka writing requirements). So, how do you get from an idea to something … Read More
Features vs Benefits (define your product based on benefits)
The idea of focusing on benefits has been a common approach for marketing products and services for years. Tell your prospective customers and clients what they get out of using your product or service rather than focusing on what your product does. Did you know that this is important as you define your product as well? Let’s start with the … Read More
How your pricing model affects the development of your product?
Platform and app pricing plays an important part in the success of your product, but did you know that it has an impact on how developers build it? Today’s article will look at how your pricing model can affect what you want your product to do. The approach for monetising your platform or app will vary on a case-by-case basis. … Read More