In this article, we discussed what you must do after coming up with a fantastic idea for an app. Now, it’s time to discuss the next steps in the product development journey. 

At Apexive, our full product development process contains four key stages:

• Discovery
• Design 
• Engineering
• Growth

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Successful completion of all these stages is necessary to convert an idea into the digital product of your dreams!  While many other agencies follow these stages in their product development process, we add our unique touch to it.

Instead, we do many things simultaneously to enhance the overall quality and speed up the entire process. Additionally, we do not polish every button, but focus on the long-term future-proof foundation of your product. 

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The Discovery Stage: A Quick Overview

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This stage is the first part of your immersive product development process. As the name suggests, the discovery phase is fully dedicated to discovering and exploring the product idea and mapping out the future course of action. 

During this stage, we aim to answer the question of what exactly we will build and in which order we will build it.

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Four Major Reasons Why We Need this Stage

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1. Understand what we are building and why we are building it. Here, we find out whether or not the proposed product really meets the business, market, and user needs.
2. Architecture set up covering the future roadmap.
3. Thanks to advanced technology, we are able to set up initial assumptions and prove them together with our client’s team.  
4. Most importantly, we prepare the list of features vital for MVP/ first version of the product. 

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Why is the Discovery Phase So Important?

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Here are some of the reasons why the Discovery Stage is essential in the product development journey: 

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1. Help in saving money and time 

Building a digital product without a proper and well-structured plan is a recipe for chaos. Doing so will drain your funds very quickly. The Discovery Phase enables us to make realistic estimates and a well-defined roadmap before the development stage begins, thereby minimizing the chances of any cost-related confusion in the future. 

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2. It aligns all minds involved in the product development 

Successful product development requires teamwork. Unless all the minds and ideas of key stakeholders are aligned, it becomes difficult to effectively develop a product. In the Discovery Stage, we at Apexive bring all the key people, including the architecture team, the design team, the product team, along with the experts of your team together. This allows us to make sure that our team and yours are on the same page. 

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3. Research before engineering

Each project has different needs, different tech and APIs are required. During this phase we also dive into the API needed for the success of the project.

In short, the primary purpose of this stage is to mitigate the various risks involved in product development and set up your product for a successful launch. 

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What Should You Expect in the Discovery Stage?

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The Discovery Stage provides you with an immersive experience. You will be involved in everything because nobody knows your future product better than you! At Apexive, we understand that there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to defining your digital products. Thus, we ensure to take your inputs and work on them every step. 

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Here are the key aspects of Apexive’s Discovery Phase: 

1. Discovering Business for Your Product 

We interview the key stakeholders of your project and ensure that you get nothing but the absolute best of everything. 

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2. Market and competition research 

Here, you can help us with your documentation, pitch deck, competition research, and so on. All of your insights will help us in accelerating the process. 

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3. Project Infrastructure set up, Architecture mapping, Tech validation

At Apexive, we have over 30 years of experience in software development. In addition, we have a fantastic and highly talented team of in-house experts who approach every project from a broader perspective and propose a tech stack suitable for each of your projects.

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4. Integrations, API research

We ensure to perform thorough API research. Additionally, if there is a need to integrate with a third-party system, we make sure to do it as well! 

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5. User Navigation map 

Here, we draw user journeys together to illustrate the target customer’s interactions with your app. We also make low-fidelity early prototypes, showcasing key features and key UI design screens. 

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Does Every Apexive Project Need to Start with This Phase?

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The simple answer here is yes! 

However, if our client already has the designs and documentation ready and nailed, we can make this phase significantly shorter. Our team can cut off this phase to 1-2 days.

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Outputs of the Delivery Stage

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At the end of the Discovery stage, you will receive the following outputs: 

• The final list of user stories as main scope of the project
• Low fidelity wireframes
• Architecture documentation & risks identification
• Project set up in the cloud 
• Development cost forecast

Along with these, we will also provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the product you will get from us. Our team will be there to take your input and answer any questions that you may have. 

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Timeline

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The Discovery Stage generally takes about 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the project’s complexity. 

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Wrapping Up

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That was all about the Discovery Stage at Apexive. The Discovery Stage plays an instrumental role in the future performance and overall success of the product. Thus, it is necessary to focus on every aspect of this stage and ensure that everything is planned to a tee!