New B2B commerce study
Download now
Discovering new possibilities thanks to a strong foundation
Discovery Phase
The Discovery Phase is your key to a customized and successful project start. Together, we dive deep into your vision, visualize and evaluate essential features, and lay the foundation for a compelling Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Through this process, you not only uncover the architecture behind your idea but also experience how well-defined goals and precise strategies minimize risk and promote innovation. Let's embark on this exciting journey together and bring your ideas to life!
The Discovery Phase is a crucial initial step that provides a concrete roadmap for implementation and ensures a smooth project kickoff. Over a period of 1-2 months, we work intensively together to visualize and evaluate the most important and necessary features for a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), including a roadmap, high-level requirements, and a technical target architecture. The central focus is on incorporating various perspectives and roles. It is not only our first opportunity to collaborate on a project but also a chance to get to know the respective corporate culture and working methods intensively.
The Discovery Phase is essential to ensure clarity about project objectives from the very beginning and to prevent deviations and faulty developments. It promotes a shared understanding among all stakeholders, so that everyone shares a coherent mental model of the project. Risks identified and addressed early on prevent unexpected obstacles and delays.
With a structured approach, deadlines are set realistically and are more likely to be met. This phase safeguards against underestimating the project scope and having unrealistic budget and schedule expectations. Most importantly, it ensures that product development directly targets the user’s core problem and market requirements.
The Discovery Phase helps to...
The Discovery Phase allows for deep insights into the problems and needs of the target audience. The motto is: ‘Build the right thing.’ This user-centered approach ensures that the software is not only technically sound but also genuinely addresses the users’ problems and desires, leading to higher user satisfaction.
Early detection allows challenges, risks, and dependencies to be effectively minimized and controlled. Identifying risks at the outset of a project enables the team to proactively develop strategies to mitigate these risks, reducing the likelihood of costly issues in later stages of development.
A clear and focused product vision and defined goals are essential for project success. This goal clarity guides the entire development process and aligns the team and stakeholders on what the software should achieve and how it should fulfill its purpose.
Innovative approaches are developed to design outstanding product solutions that differentiate themselves in the market. The brainstorming process in the discovery phase promotes creative thinking and the exploration of unique ideas, thereby creating the conditions for a product that stands out in competition.
Fundamental product decisions are made that determine the direction and character of the end product. These decisions include technology choices, architectural considerations, and strategic features that define the core identity and functionality of the software.
By precisely defining the project scope and creating a concrete roadmap, uncertainties are eliminated, and clear milestones are established. This structuring ensures that the project stays on the right track and aligns with the overall objectives, facilitating the management and delivery of a successful product.
Exemplary timeline of a Discovery Phase
Versatile tools for tailored results.
Our methods in the Discovery Phase are versatile and tailored to the unique project situation. We employ tools and techniques to gain a deep understanding of the business, the environment, the user, and the desired goal. From stakeholder analysis to empathy maps to future workshops, we utilize a wide range of proven methods to achieve the best possible results.
Design sprint
The design sprint is an intensive 4-day workshop where a team of 5-6 individuals comes together to dynamically kickstart projects, design innovative features, or optimize existing services. At the end of the sprint, there is not only a tangible prototype but also a detailed report that illuminates the path for the next steps.
Design studio
The design studio is a 90-minute workshop where 5-6 individuals come together to generate ideas from new perspectives and transform assumptions into actionable concepts. This process quickly develops a selection of ideas, reaches a consensus on preferred solution approaches, and provides a summarizing workshop documentation at the end.
Usability testing
In usability tests, we collaborate with real users and conduct guideline-based, real-world tasks in tests lasting less than an hour. The observations obtained provide valuable insights into user behavior, identify potential issues, and assist us in optimizing usability and satisfaction.
User story map & roadmap
Emerging from the Discovery Phase, we create a user story map and roadmap that clearly define the scope, prioritization, timeline, and budget. This helps us avoid unexpected surprises like feature or scope creep during the implementation phase.