Scaling in the product development process

Product scaling allows you to check its adaptation to changes resulting from the market influence and user behavior. Find out how to effectively scale your digital product and why you should do it.

What is product scaling?

Scaling confirms that the product is sufficiently efficient, safe, and robust to stay in the market. It allows you to test whether the product meets the current needs and functions. Scaling helps to adapt the product to the current situation and the needs of its potential users.

Scaling is part of the product development process. The whole process consists of the following phases:

1. 1. Prototyping
2. 2. Building MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
3. 3. Product/Market Fit
4. 4. Scaling

Prototyping allows you to validate the assumptions and business concept so that you can go to the MVP building phase. Minimum Viable Product is the first version of the product tested by users. After receiving feedback, the product can be improved. The Product / Market Fit phase means adjusting the product to the market and understanding the needs and problems of customers.

After going through the stages of development mentioned above, you can start scaling. Scaling is based on actual data, e.g., measuring the increase in the popularity of a product and the number of users.

Scaling a digital product

The scalable application works efficiently regardless of the number of users and transferred data. Therefore, scalability is the ability of a digital product to function and grow under changing conditions. In software development, it may be the need to adapt the application to a broader group of users, add new functionalities adjusted to the target group’s needs, or adapt the application to the increasing volume of processed data.

Scaling allows you to introduce a new, improved version of the product, which is tested by users and then analyzed to check the changes’ effectiveness.

Please note that the released product is not an end product. Both the market and the needs of consumers are changing, so you should carefully analyze these changes and take them into account in product development. Scaling allows you to improve the product, adapt to external factors and increase its competitiveness.

The process of creating mobile applications consists of several stages. Read our article and learn how to create a mobile application step by step.

Why is product scaling important?

Scaling keeps your product in the market by refining it based on data such as user needs and new technologies. Scaling is a process of careful observation and quick response to changes to ensure a product is reliable continues to perform its function and brings profits.

The main advantages of scaling the product:

• the speed of changes saves time and budget,
• changes and updates improve the product,
• responding to user needs and feedback increases the user base and profits,
• the efficiency of the iteration and testing process has a positive effect on the programmer’s work efficiency,
• small but significant changes reduce the user difficulties when using the application,
• noticing and appreciating changes in the application by users has a positive effect on the reception of the product and increases consumer loyalty.

How to scale a digital product?

• tracking and analyzing users’ activity,
• observation of users’ problems with our product,
• analysis of unexpected uses of the product.

After the analysis, you can, for example, expand the existing functionalities or implement new ones that take into account users’ unique needs.

Scaling does not always mean adding new functionalities. Automation can lead to automating tasks previously performed manually or semi-automatically. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning can help in automation.

Vertical and horizontal scaling of the web application

Due to product development, you should consider the type of scaling that will help the application in future growth. A scalable application works efficiently regardless of the number of users.

There are two types of application scaling:

• vertical scaling (scaling-up),
• horizontal scaling (scaling-out).

Vertical scaling is about increasing your RAM or CPU capacity, that is, adding more power to your existing machine. Vertical scaling is relatively quick and easy to implement as it all runs on a single server.

Horizontal scaling is related to expanding resources by a more significant number of servers operating in parallel. This solution helps to distribute the load over more elements. Scaling horizontally also protects against system failures (one non-working server does not paralyze the entire structure).

By understanding the difference between vertical and horizontal scaling, you can make the following decisions:

• selection of the appropriate system architecture: monolithic or microservice,
• selection of a cloud platform and its configuration to our needs,
• database structure selection.

Moreover, it is essential to test and monitor the developed application. Quick response to errors and identification of problems allows you to increase the application’s performance and positively influences the user experience.

Product scaling partner – appjet.io

Scaling allows you to improve the product and strengthen its position on the market. In appjet.io, we improve the product by adapting to the current and forecast conditions and the expectations of our users. Scaling helps to analyze the situation and introduce changes or new functionalities quickly.

If future needs are not considered at the application design stage, they may significantly hinder product scaling. This will extend the time and cost of system modifications. Therefore, it is vital to make plans for future product development at the very beginning.

With the appjet.io team, you have the opportunity to create and develop your product. Contact us, and we’ll talk about your business needs!