The Role of Developers in Building Software Product for End Customers

Product maketh startup. Or enterprise for that matter.

We know we are redoing the whole line, but you’d agree with the tenet.

Product defines the scope and scale of the product.

On that note, over the years, there has been an ever-increasing demand for software product development that does not appear to be slowing down any time soon. It’s understandable when established companies compete for full-stack developers for in-house product development.

Now this turns around any organization’s end aim to create a high-quality, high-functionality product. Still, the software development process changes as automation becomes more common and new tools and libraries emerge daily.

Not only should the software developer have end-to-end knowledge of maintaining and managing existing products or developing new ones, but they should also be able to supervise the entire design and development process while doing ongoing research.

It’s simple for a dedicated team of developers to develop a concept, build an app, and release it on any mobile marketplace. However, you must incorporate an end-user attitude into the development process for the product to flourish.

What does it mean?

Creating a User-Centric Perspective

Users had little influence in the product experience before the actual advent of UX and user primed products – bringing and plugging in data, making it fundamental to decision-making. It was a one-way road with little customer involvement.

Firms must embrace an end-user attitude in such a competitive market, where developers produce solutions tailored to customers’ needs.

But first, let’s check out the process of software development –

• Conducting research,
• recruiting the right people,
• obtaining client input,
• prioritizing data-driven development,
• testing the product,
• using appropriate marketing methods,
• continuous improvement,
• analyzing and updating as per benchmark,
• customer satisfaction, and much more.

Unfortunately, it’s usual for developers to prioritize the release of new features to meet their job responsibilities, with little regard for the demands of end-users.

So, how can developers produce solutions that benefit both customers and the firm by adopting an end-user mindset? By concentrating on the developer’s role and responsibilities.

Quick plug: Hire a team of remote developers at Netsmartz with decades of experience providing top-quality software solutions. Build your team with our skilled IT professionals (onshore, offshore, nearshore) that align well with your business goals & culture. To learn more about our engagement models, feel free to reach out to us.

Role & Responsibilities of a Developer

Regardless of their experience, a developer has several responsibilities to fulfill. Let’s check out a few of the roles that bespoke mobile app development and software development services should have:

1. Know What You Want to Achieve

It is the responsibility of product developers to comprehend the client’s aims and expectations. It is the first and most crucial phase in starting the project because the entire project will be built around the client’s needs.

Might be essential to plug product managers in this area to facilitate better movement of ideas, data, and concurrent mapping to the market’s and user’s needs.

2. Ensure Well-Defined Requirements

A product developer generates a well-defined product need that provides a solid platform for organizations to create market-centric solutions. They ensure that all features are incorporated in the end product without requiring extensive reworks by evaluating the product’s vision, goals, scope, target, expenses, and project schedules.

Although, in an agile, market driven setup that might be difficult, try and map templates when setting requirements per feature to drive growth and consistent progress.

3. Seamless Communication & Coordination

The teams must interact and collaborate with one another or with the client to build a good product. The product developer’s role is to arbitrate communication between the teams so that each phase of the project is better understood.

As per our experience, project boards like Trello offer amazing traction and insights when collaborating on a product – particularly so in a remote setup.

4. Ownership of the Project

The product developers oversee the prototypes of product ideas developed by the developer teams. They are also expected to oversee the project’s design and framework.

The idea here is to set responsibilities to build and scale. The stages might look like

• MVP development
• Iteration 1, where the product has bare functionalities and practically no UX or poor UI
• Prototype, with functionality and decent UI
• Product, where the functionality is scaling, and the UI/UX is optimized.

All these stages, bring different scopes and people on board – where it is necessary for each node to contribute as and where required.

Preferably in a JIRA styled approach, we might add – since that brings a level of cohesiveness.

5. Technology Stack Knowledge

Product developers must be well-versed in every new technology and upgrade pertaining to their expertise platform. For example, if a company hires dedicated developers to create an application, the product developer must be up-to-date on all the newest trends and advancements in that language.

To Wrap Up

So, now that we know what a developer’s role is, businesses should think about it before planning to hire a dedicated app developer for their next project.

It’s not only about having business understanding, coding expertise, creativity, or innovation; it’s about having a perfect blend of these skills to be a full-stack product developer who can provide a finished product that exceeds expectations.

A perfect developer is vital to a successful project because they have a mix of technological, artistic, and imaginative skills.