Scaling digital products with efficiency
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- 2024
Having the first version of a digital product is always an achievement. To get there, Design, Technology and Activation teams have been involved. We have completed an initial phase of immersion and research, and have made strategic decisions about architecture, design, navigation, content, development... But after this first version, what happens when the next step comes? What if this product needs to grow? In the digital environment we know that the only certainty we can count on is change. That is why, from the very first moment, we must prepare our product to add new features or content, or iterate those we included in that dazzling first version.
One thing is to know that digital products are in constant movement, and quite another is to leave your product ready at the design level so that it can be scaled at any time, without having to redo the work. We share the keys –and secrets– of our Design team to scale efficiently.
Understanding the user and their needs
The best way to know how far a product can go is to ask the end user. And not only ask, but also understand what their concerns, worries and aspirations are. With this valuable information, as complete as possible, we can have an accurate vision of what the product can become.
After analyzing the entire context of the project, we will be able to give it meaning and structure. In this phase of putting the information into perspective, we will be able to detect and define the different needs that will become functionalities within the product.
This is where the scalability vision comes into play. And it is time to establish priorities. In the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) we will include what we have detected as the most relevant, fundamental. The rest will be left pending to be included in later phases.
This initial work will allow us to be aware, at all times during the project, of what may come and we will be able to take it into account in the following design phases to propose a flow or a block in one way or another. By working with this vision, future iterations will almost always be able to build on previous work.
Consistency is key: the Design System
Another key point to ensure the scalability of a digital product is to start from a good design base that allows us to make decisions and movements with agility. Our best ally? A good Design System.
A Design System is a library that stores absolutely everything related to the product: the colors used, texts, sizes, button types, blocks, navigation elements... Having everything in one place not only allows us to be coherent and consistent in our decisions, but also to be quick when there are changes.
Facing the iteration of a product without being a headache is possible by having a good basic design system. And all the time we have invested in its construction, it pays us back in spades.
Designing for all devices
A final area to consider is scalability applied to different devices. Solving a design at a responsive level –adaptable to different screens– or on different platforms, if it is an application, is the key to maintaining a complete and sustainable coherence of the product.
This vision also helps us to solve the design taking into account all possible variables and combinations (space, size...) according to the dimensions of the device, ensuring that the same element is resolved in the same way (or very similar) in the different devices and platforms in which it can be found.
Keeping this in mind from the beginning means that when we consider future changes to our product, it will be easier and faster to make and execute decisions. The same element will be resolved in the same way on all possible devices. As if it were magic, but not at all.
More efficient, happier
Understanding the user, creating and pampering our Design System, resolving the design at a responsive level. What do we get if we are clear from the beginning about these three points? We will achieve a product that lasts over time and is prepared for any new need, adapted to the needs of users and for all devices.
A product that, thanks to giving the importance it deserves to scalability, from minute one, will be able to iterate in a very efficient way. A product that will make us a little bit happier, the teams that work with it and, of course, also the users.
At Soluble, nothing happens because of a single person. To make this content possible, the contribution of Ada Fàbregas in writing, Carmen Fraga in editing and Daniel Senior in visual design was necessary.