Designing features, defining architecture, creating a brand, or preparing a pitch… Developing a digital product—even as a side project—requires a global vision that connects multiple disciplines.
In the latest edition of SII Tech Talks, our colleague Aleix Riba, Tech Lead at SII Group Spain, shared an experience that goes far beyond a personal anecdote: a practical guide on how to build a digital product from scratch, touching on all the key stages of the process. Rather than focusing on the project itself, the talk emphasized the journey, the decisions, the lessons learned, and the technical and strategic challenges any team may face when building a digital solution.
This article captures and summarizes that approach, offering a replicable model for both personal and professional innovation projects.
1-Think Like a Product: Prioritize, Simplify, Focus
The first step in any digital development is not writing code—it’s defining the problem you’re solving. What features make sense? How should they be prioritized? What will the roadmap look like?
Product thinking is about making impactful decisions: what to build first, what to delay, and how to validate that you’re on the right track. This involves key concepts like value proposition, MVP (Minimum Viable Product), and aligning with real user needs.
2-Purposeful Design: UX/UI in Service of Functionality
Once the features are defined, it’s time to shape them. Design isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s a tool for communication and usability.
Through wireframes and prototypes, we can visualize the user experience before implementation. The goal is to combine visual flow with functional efficiency, ensuring the product is not only attractive but intuitive and usable from the first click.
3-Development: Architecture, Quality, and Evolution
With the conceptual foundation in place, development begins. Key challenges here include:
- Choosing the right architecture for scalability and maintainability.
- Writing maintainable, tested code—resisting the temptation of “just make it work.”
- Optimizing performance, especially as the product grows.
This stage demands both technical vision and pragmatism: it’s not about using the trendiest technology, but the most suitable one for the context.
4-Visibility and Marketing: How to Tell the Story
Often overlooked, knowing how to communicate your product is a vital part of its lifecycle. It’s not about complex campaigns, but understanding how to position the product: How do we explain it in a demo? What tone should we use? Which channels are worth exploring?
Effectively telling the technical and functional story of the product can make the difference between gaining users—or being forgotten.
5-Business Viability: Thinking About Sustainability
Even if a product isn’t tied to a commercial model, evaluating its viability is a useful exercise. Is it sustainable over time? What are its costs? Does it generate any kind of return?
Bringing in this perspective helps build a complete product mindset, valuable even in purely technical contexts.
6-Strategy: Decision-Making and Knowing When to Pivot
Finally, every build process needs a compass: a vision, clear objectives, and a defined strategy. This includes knowing when to pivot, identifying mistakes early, and adjusting direction based on what’s been learned.
This is where principles like the lean model (build, measure, learn) and continuous validation come into play. Developing without strategy is building blind.
