Overcoming 10 Common Challenges In Digital Product Development

Startups and established companies alike have one lament. They cannot keep up with the growth of technology. The newest trends become obsolete in the blink of an eye. You might also say that we are spoiled for choice with everything that is available for our choosing. However, every company would agree upon this – there is no survival without a good digital product. It could be a mobile app, a SaaS platform, or even an online course. Anything that can conquer the market will become crucial for an enterprise’s survival. 

The road to a successful product is, however, fraught with challenges. In effect, success belongs to those who overcome these challenges. Our advice to you would be to be prepared beforehand. You don’t have to wait till the issue crops up to resolve it. You can preemptively take action. This blog will prepare you for that. 

Understanding Digital Products 

What are digital products? Chances are that you are already familiar with them, even if you are not familiar with the term. Software applications, e-books, online courses, and even digital art are all digital products. Simply put, digital products are intangible assets that are electronically delivered. 

If you think about it, you will realise that digital products are highly scalable. This is because they can be distributed globally, and that too in mere seconds. Quite impressive, isn’t it? These products also have other benefits:

• They do not need physical inventory or shipping logistics.
• Once created, an unlimited number of the product can be sold without additional production costs.
• Anyone with an Internet connection can access digital products. This means that your market reach can be expanded at no additional cost. 
• Once the product is created, it will generate ongoing revenue with minimal effort.

The Digital Product Development Process

Once a company makes the decision to create a digital product, they can go about it in two ways. They can either reach out to a digital product development hub to handle the development or do it with an in-house development team. Whichever option is chosen, the development process will be as follows:

1. Ideation
2. Validation
3. Design
4. Development
5. Testing
6. Launch
7. Maintenance

Challenges in Digital Product Development

We just mentioned the steps involved in the digital product development process. In each of these steps, it is probable that you will face unique challenges. We have listed some of the most common challenges here so that you can preemptively take action to avoid them.

1. Ambiguous Vision

This is one issue that originates in the ideation phase of the product. However, the consequences only become apparent in the latter stages. During the ideation phase, the digital product needs to be clearly defined. Particulars like its purpose and target audience have to be determined. This is where some businesses make their first mistake. They go ahead with the product without forming a clear vision of it. This ambiguity in their vision will later mislead the development team. Without a clear idea of the vision of the product, the development process will be derailed. This results in feature creep and development delays. 

Note –  Feature Creep – The addition of extra features to a product. This makes the product overcomplicated and diminishes its value.

Solution – During the ideation phase, develop a detailed product roadmap. This has to clearly outline all the particulars like objectives, target users, and key features. 

2. Inadequate Market Research

We mentioned earlier that the second step in digital product development is idea validation. During this step, thorough market research is to be conducted to ensure feasibility and identify risks. However, some companies do a poor job at this. This results in incomplete and inaccurate market insights. This will ultimately produce a product that doesn’t resonate with the users. Think about it, ‘Who are we making this product for?’ The users, right? The target audience that we have defined in the ideation phase needs to like our product. They are the ones who will decide whether our product will be a success or not. Inadequate market research will lead you to create a product that nobody needs or wants.

Solution – Conduct a thorough market research. You can make use of research tools like surveys, competitor analysis, persona building, social media monitoring, and trend spotting to validate your product idea.

3. Poor User Experience

Even the best marketing agency in the world won’t be able to save a digital product with bad UX. Such a product will struggle to retain users and will have high bounce rates.  

Note –  Poor User Experience – Commonly known as bad UX. It is a product interface that is confusing, difficult to use, and altogether frustrating for users.

While a good UX is user-centered, a bad UX doesn’t reflect user needs or behaviours. Let’s try to put that into perspective. A bad UX will be characterised by some or all of the following issues:

• Difficult to navigate
• Cluttered interface
• Overcomplicated features
• Lack of visual or auditory feedback
• Lack of consistency
• Poor usability
• Poor accessibility

Solution – Design your product with the user in mind. Take the market insights into consideration and use wireframes, prototypes, and real user feedback. These steps will help you gradually create a digital product design that is user-centric. Prioritise the following:

• Clean interface
• Clutter-free interface
• Intuitiveness
• Visual & auditory feedback
• Usability
• Accessibility
• Consistency. 

4. Wrong Tech Stack or Technology

The fourth phase in the digital product development journey is the actual process of development. This phase starts with the choice of the technology stack. This choice can greatly impact the product. And yet, many businesses fail to choose wisely. This ends up slowing down development and increasing costs. Some digital product development hubs go for basic frameworks that can’t scale. Others try to jump on the bandwagon of what is trending. These approaches are fundamentally wrong. 

Solution – The wise thing to do is to choose the technology that best fits your product. Consider your product’s complexity, functionality, current needs, and future needs. Then, choose the tech stack that best fits your needs. We would advise you to ensure that the tech stack you choose supports scalability, security, and long-term maintenance. If you are still unsure, you can consult with experienced developers or a reputed digital product hub. 

5. Compatibility Issues

Once you have developed your digital product, it is time to test it. This process has to be thorough. Inadequate testing can lead to issues when you finally launch the product. One such issue is incompatibility. In other words, your website/app will not open or run on some browsers or different devices. This means that you will lose a significant chunk of your target audience. 

Note –  Compatibility – The ability of your product to function smoothly on different devices, browsers, operating systems, and screen sizes.

Solution – This issue can be preemptively solved if you run cross-platform and cross-device testing before your digital product launch. Use emulators, real-device testing, and responsive design principles to ensure compatibility. Remember, the aim is to make your product work and look great no matter where it’s accessed.

6. Delayed Launch

This has to be the most frustrating challenge in digital product development. You can see the horizon, but you cannot quite reach it – that’s how it feels. The product is all set to launch, and out of nowhere, the launch gets delayed. The launch day gets pushed again and again. The reasons could be a scope change, a bug,  a feature tweak, or poor project management. The consequences are huge. You incur losses, cause customer frustration, miss a window of opportunity in the market, and might even damage your reputation. 

Solution – There is only one solution here, and that is proper planning. Here are a few pointers:

• Set realistic deadlines 
• Ensure effective project management
• Avoid adding last-minute features
• Stick to the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) mindset for the initial launch
• Have contingency plans in place

7. Post-Launch Issues

The work isn’t over once your product is launched. You cannot relax yet. As the initial feedback from the users pours in, be sure to pay attention. Some users might report bugs, and some might complain about unsatisfactory functionalities. These issues can increase bounce rate and damage your brand image. At this point, it is time to move in with damage control. 

Solution – Do not get disheartened. These issues are common. All you need to do is handle them properly. If you are working with a digital product development hub, chances are that they will provide you with the support you need. Nevertheless, here are some pointers to help you out:

• Have a support and maintenance team ready
• Monitor user feedback and performance analytics 
• Assess the issues at hand
• Roll out appropriate bug fixes and updates
• Keep repeating this process regularly

8. Cost Overrun

Every digital product begins its development journey with an initially planned budget. However, unexpected expenses can make your project go over that budget. 

Note –  Cost Overrun – Also known as budget overrun. The total cost of a project overruns or exceeds the initially budgeted cost.  Actual Cost > Budgeted Cost

A cost overrun can happen due to the following reasons:

• Scope creep
• Estimation error
• Poor planning
• Poor project management
• Unforeseen expenses

Solution – Before development, you have to create a detailed budget plan. This plan has to take into account every potential expense in each stage of development. The costs that will be potentially incurred during the post-launch phase also need to be taken into consideration. This will ensure that there are no planning or estimation errors. Also, ensure effective project management and stick to the core features only. Any additional feature will drive up costs. 

9. Poor Team Coordination

Developing a successful digital product is a team effort. Therefore, it follows that poor team coordination will have a negative effect. Several teams work on a digital product. This includes the design team, the development team, the testing team, and the marketing team. These teams have to be on the same page for your product to succeed. Any disconnect between the teams will reflect on the final product. Moreover, it will result in mistakes, rework, and delays, ultimately driving up costs and increasing time to market. 

Solution – Any miscommunication or gaps in the workflow have to be addressed quickly. If you have an in-house team, invest in project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Jira. Hold regular check-ins and make sure everyone is on the same page. Every team should have a clear understanding of the product’s goals and projected deadlines.

Alternatively, if you are working with a digital product development company, you can ensure good team coordination by following these tips:

• Choose a partner that values transparency
• Ensure that they have a structured communication channel
• Enquire about their internal collaboration processes
• Ensure that you get a dedicated point of contact
• Insists on regular updates

10. Non-Compliance

Businesses have gone bankrupt paying legal penalties. So, legal compliance is not to be taken lightly. Every digital product must adhere to certain laws and industry standards. This could include privacy regulations, security protocols, accessibility standards, and copyright rules. When a digital product fails to comply with these regulations, it will result in legal action, fines, broken customer trust, and a tarnished reputation.

Note –  Non-Compliance – The digital product does not adhere to/comply with standard rules, regulations, or industry standards.

Solution – Do your research before you start development. According to the location you are targeting, rules and regulations might be different. Assess which rules and regulations apply to your product and build them into your product from the very beginning. Here are a few pointers:

• Understand the laws that apply to your target market.
• Consult legal experts or compliance consultants. (If you have partnered with a digital product development hub in India, your work will be made easier as they would already have a legal team.)
• Ensure that basic privacy features like cookie consent, data encryption, and clear opt-ins are included.
• Document every step of your compliance process.
• During the testing phase, you should also test your product for compliance.

Conclusion

No digital product is predestined for success. Unarguably, the road will be bumpy and replete with challenges. But those who can systematically overcome these challenges will steadily get there. To aid you in your endeavor, we have walked you through ten common challenges that businesses face during digital product development. From ambiguous vision to non-compliance, these issues can be seriously detrimental to your project. It can negatively impact your timeline, budget, user experience, customer trust, and brand reputation. But the good news is that you can easily overcome these challenges. All you need to do is take our advice to heart, develop a detailed digital product development strategy, and act proactively. This will make your digital product development journey less bumpy.

So, overcome the challenges, seize the opportunities, and build something that people will love.