When someone approaches us with an idea, we want to ‘prove it’ first. Why?
- It saves them time and money. If the idea doesn’t work, it’s best to cut it quickly.
- And if it does work? We plan the next stage of development to scale it, receive customer feedback and make it the best that it can possibly be.
What we don’t do.
Take an idea, send a huge, complicated proposal for a solution that costs a fortune. We take our customers on a development pathway, and they walk with us throughout the process.
Prototyping is crucial for software development, and for several reasons:
Visualisation
Customers need to ‘see’ their ideas digitally. Prototypes provide a tangible representation of ideas, allowing stakeholders and customers to understand the final product or solution better (even it is their idea originally). This visualisation helps in gathering feedback and refining concepts early in the development process.
Our lead developer and innovator Matthew, loves this stage.
Feedback and Iteration
By creating prototypes, our team can gather feedback from users, clients, and other stakeholders. This feedback loop is essential for identifying flaws, validating assumptions, and making necessary iterations before investing significant resources in the final product.
This important stage saves time and money.
Reducing Risk
Prototyping allows the development team to identify and address potential risks and challenges early in the development cycle.
They can mitigate risks and avoid costly mistakes during later stages of development. And it’s a journey that the customer takes with us.
‘If we do it this way…’
‘Have you considered the long-term impact…’
Cost Efficiency
It’s generally more cost-effective to make changes or modifications to a prototype than to a fully developed product. Prototyping enables teams to experiment with different ideas and solutions without committing extensive resources upfront.
Products can always be ‘polished’. It’s the nuts and bolts, the foundations that are crucial for long term success and scaling a product.
Alignment
Prototypes serve as a communication tool, helping to stakeholders and team members to share vision and be part of the journey. They provide a common reference point for discussions and decision-making.
This is Andy’s favourite stage. Explaining the thinking behind a prototype; watching customers ‘light up’ with the potential of a product.
Validation of Concepts
Prototyping allows teams to test and validate concepts quickly and efficiently. Teams can assess the feasibility of ideas, evaluate user reactions, and gather valuable insights that inform the direction of the project.
It’s exactly that; quick. Upfront investment in a prototype pays off long term. We’ve seen it so many times.
Time Savings
We never skip the prototyping stage if we can help it.
While it may seem like an additional step in the development process, prototyping saves time in the long run by identifying issues early and streamlining the development process.
Investing time upfront can lead to smoother development cycles and faster time-to-market for the final product.
By working with the Purple Crane team, business owners can increase the likelihood of success when building products to sell and create value for both their business and their customers.
Software can run seamlessly in the background as a service (SaaS).
For us, it’s more than the software as a service. It’s a carefully crafted solution that meets the needs of our clients and their customers. It solves a ‘problem’, generates revenue and has a lasting impact (that is Chris’ ideal; a product that has lasting impact).
