After 1 year in the making and using DevReady.ai daily in Aerion, we finally released our first feature to the public. The beta version of DevReady.ai launched about a month ago, focusing on our DevReady Brief Generator.
Over the past year, we have had nearly 100 conversations, from the concept to system demos, gauging feedback and understanding that a potential market or group of users outside our business would benefit from the tool we’d developed.
Our focus is to help non-techs build better tech, and we do that by taking people through the DevReady™ Process. This is a guided process where we work with stakeholders to plan, design, ideate and experiment to ensure an idea is worth building. This is crucial before jumping into development. Not going through a process like this is the most significant cause of software project failure. As they say, if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail.
The first step in DevReady™ is the DevReady Brief, where we outline the scope and potential features of the idea as an app or system. This is now available in Beta to everyone via DevReady.ai. You can do this step on your own with AI Assistance and take that app plan to any developer to begin setting the stage for proper discussions around your app idea.
By opening access to anyone and everyone, we were ready to gather feedback and begin validating the output with a larger group of users, hopefully, those who don’t know us and who would provide true feedback.
Our primary goals were clear: Can we help startups at scale, and is there a market for DevReady.ai outside of our business?
The beta launch was crucial in gathering feedback and evolving the platform; it taught us some valuable lessons.
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 that people will find it and begin using it on their own. We knew we would have our challenges.
Initially, we needed more understanding of what was happening during the process. This led us to add analytics and event tracking to better understand user journeys and identify where people were having trouble.
We also realised the need for a system to prompt users to continue if they abandon the process halfway. Implementing a nudging mechanism is now a priority. Having someone sign up is great, but if they don’t use the product, it’s useless.
Marketing and advertising proved to be a constant experiment. Finding the right messaging that resonates with our target user base is challenging, and we’re constantly assessing and tweaking it.
Managing feedback is also crucial. Having emails in different inboxes does not provide visibility to the team or allow for a streamlined way to manage what to build next. We set up Trello boards to help with this process and have begun integrating feedback into our development backlog.
Lastly, we faced an unexpected issue with our automation, which initially led us to believe we had no users. This was a critical lesson in the importance of overseeing and reviewing automated processes. Once I checked the logs, I realised that we had yet to be notified about 10 sign-ups over the first weekend. This was a revelation and surprise.
User Response to the New Feature
Despite these challenges, the user response to our DevReady™ Brief has been overwhelmingly positive. Users found it highly beneficial, and their feedback highlighted areas for improvement in the process. We’ve captured insights on enhancing the flow and providing a process that educates and helps users. These have become part of our new backlog of features.
Meeting our goals
One of the most pleasant surprises was the sign-ups from unknown users. When we launched, we were still determining if anyone outside our network would use the system. Still, we’ve had a steady stream of sign-ups from people finding our ads and going through the flow. This is what we were after, real users outside of our network.
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 has taught us several important lessons. We now understand the critical importance of tracking user journeys and identifying challenges. We’ve realised the need for systems to nudge users back into the platform if they abandon the process. Lastly, we need to provide more information and guidance to users, ensuring they understand how to use the system effectively.
In conclusion, the beta launch of DevReady.ai has been an exciting experience. We’ve learned a great deal and are excited about the future. For more details, visit DevReady.ai.