Agile Design for Startups – A Fresh Approach to Creating

September 29, 2014In Development, Framework, Research, Ideas, Creativity, Agency, Marketing, Concepts4 Minutes

In a competitive environment, the ability to adapt is an essential quality for a company. For that reason, many companies have started to embrace the agile approach to designing their websites and apps. The traditional approach of getting a product perfect or nearly perfect before launching a website or a product does have its place. After all, a well-designed website or app that runs as perfectly as possible will probably be met with acclaim, creating a momentum that sets itself for success in the marketplace.

Product Design on the computer screen

But the traditional approach to creating is not ideal for many companies, especially for companies with small budgets and a lack of resources for figuring out what their audience wants. The agile approach is perfect for these companies as they don’t have to commit everything to create a perfect final product. They can adapt as they go until they hit the mark and then focus on expanding the product once they’re sure it’s a clear winner.

This approach has many applications. Most of the focus has been on product development in the app industry. Companies can quickly churn out multiple apps to see how they fare and learn what improvements or fixes need to be made. The public serves as their R&D department, and they can slowly fine-tune their products until people start to embrace them. If a particular product collects negative reviews through multiple iterations, the company can easily rebrand the product/service name and create a new launch.

The agile approach is all about communication. The research, design/development, marketing, and customer support teams all need to be in constant conversation so that they know what needs to be done. Then, the information must be structured in a way that allows all the teams to play their respective roles to improve the product in an organized way, whether changing the graphic design or fixing various bugs. For many companies, the agile approach is a never-ending process.

The agile design also has a place in visual branding for startups. Startups can collect and study the feedback and use it to change their graphic design, site structure, layout, etc. Many startups don’t have the marketing experience or the resources to create the perfect branding campaign or design the perfect website. A lack of clear direction can also limit the progression of a startup if the main focus is creating the perfect website and campaign.

Applying agile to startup design, whether for a website or visual branding campaign, can help startups overcome the hurdle of inexperience or a lack of resources. A combination of feedback, analytics and metrics can be used to learn what needs to be changed and have that information quickly communicated to team members, which can make the necessary adaptations and improvements. Failures can be quickly overcome, campaigns can be precisely optimized, and the strategy can be easily restructured.

So is agile for you? While agile has many benefits, many companies still object to it because it completely breaks away from the traditional approach. If you are operating a startup, then it might be beneficial for you to be open-minded and see how agile can work for your company. It might not show the results you’d immediately see with the traditional approach, but the chances are high that it will pay off for your company in the long run.

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