Project ManagementTop challenges of creating and launching a digital product
Creating a digital product? Here's what to consider!
Launching a new digital product onto the market is by no means an easy task. It's a complex process, and many things will go wrong if you don't plan properly.
Tens of thousands of various types of digital products are launched annually, but just a fraction of these products succeed. That's no coincidence. Successfully launching a digital product is a skill, and it goes beyond finding its unique selling point, paying for marketing, and following other generic pieces of advice you might see online.
Don't get it twisted — focusing on your goals is a great piece of advice, and doubling down on what matters is a sure way to eliminate things that may distract you from doing the important stuff. But make sure to focus on what's truly important, and you'll quickly see that launching your digital product won't be that much of an issue for both you and your team.
Regardless of what kind of work you want to show the world, here are some top challenges of successfully launching a digital product.
Understand your users
It's alright to believe that you've built the best possible product. Still, you've got to understand that you and your team created it for the users. It's them who will decide whether your innovative product will be a success.
Here come the big questions. Who are your users? What do they want? Answering these questions is not enough. To launch a product successfully, you need to act upon your findings. If you create a digital product for everybody, it will be loved by nobody. Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs learn that the hard way, but you're not one of them. That's why you're here.
As you're creating a digital product, make sure to look at it from the perspective of the user to understand who you're creating it for. You've got to think like your digital product's users and develop an emotional connection with them in order to see what they will look for in the digital product you're about to introduce to the world.
Also, before releasing the product, the company should first use it in-house. This way, they will have a first-hand experience of how their product works, which will enable them to better address their users' needs. Regardless of how fancy the technology behind your product is, its users and their needs should always come first. Simply put, companies that prioritize their users before intricate and overly-complicated technology almost always get it right.
Making space in your project for product experience analysis is vital in understanding your users. Once the product is released, there are still ways to apply fixes and updates based on user-generated data. But for that data to mean anything, you have to prepare the product beforehand. Ask yourself how your users use your product. Better yet, give them an easy way to express their thoughts on the way it functions!
Tracking the user's behavior is relatively easy. You've just got to come up with how to measure in-app activity. The problem lies in knowing how the user feels about the product experience. With that in mind, providing a simple-to-use and easy-to-understand user feedback feature is a must. You'll be surprised by the amount of valuable feedback you can get this way!
Use your resources wisely
Deciding on how to allocate their resources is a challenge for anyone who is looking to build and launch a digital product. That includes even the most skilled of project managers! The importance of establishing a project's framework and scope of operation should never be undervalued. In today's age, it makes sense to provide the client with an option to meet up remotely, either through a video or audio call. Talking through the most important parts of a project, whether it happens face-to-face or online, effectively prevents you from wasting time on having the client explain who they are and what they need in a lengthy email.
Let's say you want to dive into the world of e-commerce. You've got to figure out which e-commerce platform will work best for your business. If you're serious about your venture, going for the wrong platform, or failing to set one up in a timely or cost-effective manner, is a recipe for disaster. In other words, it's a surefire way to waste your resources in the long run. That's why it's always a smart decision to ask a professional digital product agency for help.
Read also: 10 e-commerce mistakes that are killing your e‑commerce conversion rate
Embrace feedback
For creators of digital products, receiving feedback is necessary if they want to discover what to focus on. When launching a new digital product, you will most likely get feedback from the stakeholders, client company's employees, investors, quality assurance specialists, and other parties involved.
Taking suggestions, opinions, and sometimes even criticism is an important skill, no matter if you're a Project Manager, a Designer, or a Developer. At the same time, being able to write a reasonable response and defend your methodologies, design ideas, or coding solutions, is of equally high importance, and it takes dedication and experience to hone this skill.
Getting feedback is the easy part, though. You've got to act on it. You could do so by, for instance, establishing a list of action points and priorities. Finally, while it's on the Project Manager to make the final call, make sure you listen to all the parties involved in your project. And that involves going through all the feedback and sharing feedback-based input with your team, sometimes many times over.
You should always remember that in the end, your product is built to suit the customer's needs, and as such, their feedback is of great importance. By embracing their suggestions and turning them into reality, you will be able to greatly improve your product and develop a better offering that meets both the market's and the stakeholder's demands, ensuring a successful product launch.
Find the right people
With the right team, you are more likely to create the right product. In the business world, nothing beats assembling a symbiotic group of like-minded, inspired people who are ready to invest their energy and enthusiasm into a professional digital product. Finding the right people is, however, a huge task. It's arguably the biggest challenge any Founder or Project Manager will face — it could be the one thing that makes or breaks your product launch.
Read more: How to choose a web design agency - 7 key factors to consider
Let's say you want to build a website for your business. The first step is to find a team with a proven website design and development process. The team should include skilled Web Developers, UX/UI Designers full of creativity, and, of course, a talented Project Manager to handle the direction of the project and its more general aspects. If you've got a solid hiring process, you could look for these professionals individually and get them to work on your project in-house. Alternatively, you could opt for an established agency like us to handle everything for you.
Going with an agency has its advantages. First, you'll be sure that veteran talents will handle the job, and that you won't have to go through the stress of managing everything yourself. If you give us a try, all you've got to do is have a call with our CEO Kuba Luty to discuss your project details. The time frame, budget, and everything in-between will be agreed up before your project begins for maximum transparency.
Research your niche well
When it comes to digital product launches, focusing on your area of expertise is of utmost importance. Despite the ambitious ideas of aspiring Projects Managers who wish to launch a product that everyone in the world will like, having a niche will help develop a deep connection with your users. And if you're just as passionate about your product as your audience, then you know you've hit the bullseye.
Niches are another opportunity where a professional digital product agency will be of great help. Based on your input, we will be more than happy to help you find the niche that's aligned with your company's mission, goals, and values. This way, your new digital product will be discovered by niche-specific sponsors, influencers, advertisers, and marketers, which is great for business and product life.
In general, most of the decisions that revolve around your product will be dependent on your niche of choice. Decisions regarding product pricing and marketing can easily be established based on adequate research.
All in all, going for a specific niche isn't something that you should overlook, as creating and launching a digital product that's not niche-specific is akin to creating a product designed to be liked by every single person in the world. As a result, it's very unlikely to succeed.
For an agency that builds with you, choose Adchitects!
These days, it isn’t enough just to have a custom URL and a bare-bones website. Instead, you need a reliable, responsive, and conversion-oriented platform that’s as engaging to your customers as it is effective for your business.
That’s where Adchitects come in.
As a world-class provider of digital products for businesses of all kinds, we’re uniquely suited to deliver compelling solutions for all your digital needs. With an agile, highly collaborative process at the core of our company, we will provide you with the digital solution you need.
Now, are you ready to get started?
Reach out to us today, and let's build something together!