After one year in the making and daily use of DevReady.Ai in Aerion, we finally released our first feature to the public. The beta version of DevReady.Ai launched about a month ago, the DevReady Brief Generator.
Over the past year, we have had nearly 100 conversations where we have discussed the concept of system demos, future state, gauging feedback and understanding what potential market or group of users outside our business would benefit from the tool we’d developed.
Our Vision and Process
DevReady.Ai is designed to assist non-tech individuals in building better tech solutions through the DevReady™ Process. This guided method involves planning, designing, ideating, and experimenting to validate the worthiness of an idea before diving into development. A structured approach like this is crucial, as failing to plan is akin to planning to fail.
The first step, the DevReady Brief, is now available in beta, enabling users to outline their app’s scope and features with AI assistance. This brief serves as a foundational document for discussions with developers, setting the stage for successful project initiation.
Goals and Market Exploration
Our primary objectives for the beta launch were twofold: to assess our capability to support startups at scale and to explore the market potential of DevReady.Ai beyond our existing network. By opening access to a broader audience, we aimed to gather authentic feedback from users unfamiliar with us, providing a clearer validation of our platform.
Key Challenges Faced During the Beta Launch
Like any startup, we know that if we build it, they won’t come. You can’t just build something and hope people will find it and begin using it independently. We knew we would have our challenges.
1. Understanding User Journeys
One of the initial hurdles was the lack of insight into user behaviors. To address this, we implemented analytics and event tracking to monitor user journeys and identify pain points.
2. User Engagement
We recognised the importance of prompting users who abandoned the process midway. Implementing a nudging mechanism became a priority to ensure users stayed engaged with the product.
3. Marketing and Messaging
Finding the right messaging to resonate with our target users proved challenging. Continuous assessment and tweaking of our marketing strategies were essential in reaching the right audience effectively.
4 Managing Feedback
Feedback management was another crucial area. Scattered emails hindered visibility and streamlined decision-making. We adopted Trello boards to centralise feedback, which helped us integrate valuable insights into our development backlog.
5. Automation Oversights
An unexpected issue with our automation system led us to initially believe we had no users. A review of logs revealed ten sign-ups over the first weekend, emphasizing the importance of overseeing automated processes meticulously.
6. User Response and Feedback
Despite these challenges, the response to our DevReady™ Brief has been overwhelmingly positive. Users appreciated its utility and provided constructive feedback on improving the process. These insights have been instrumental in refining our feature backlog, ensuring we continue to enhance user experience.
Meeting Our Goals
One of the most encouraging outcomes was the sign-ups from users outside our network. This was a revelation and surprise. And this validated our efforts in reaching real users through our marketing campaigns and confirmed a genuine interest in our product.
Feedback Influence on Development
User feedback has been instrumental in shaping our development process. We have always believed this and advise all our clients to get feedback wherever possible. Our initial conversations influenced the direction of the product; these conversations mainly were with people we knew, and not all of them were from our potential target users. We are getting honest feedback now that we do not have users in our network engaging with DevReady.Ai. This feedback guides the process to ensure that users who use DevReady.Ai always find value in it.
Alignment with Overall Product Development Strategy
The beta launch is a key step in developing and launching our broader platform. It provided valuable validation and highlighted areas for improvement. At the end of the flow, we offered alpha access to the broader platform, and the feedback from those users has been invaluable. The positive responses regarding time-saving and efficiency have been particularly encouraging.
Lessons Learned for Future Launches
The beta launch of DevReady.Ai has taught us several key lessons:
- The importance of tracking user journeys to identify challenges.
- The necessity of nudging systems to re-engage users who abandon the process.
- Providing comprehensive guidance to users for effective system use.
Conclusion
The beta launch of DevReady.Ai has been an enlightening experience. We have learned a great deal and are excited about the platform’s future. As we continue to refine and develop DevReady.Ai, we look forward to supporting more startups in their tech-building journeys.
For more details, visit DevReady.Ai or just get started with your DevReady Brief