The less-discussed benefits of discovery workshops

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The less-discussed benefits of discovery workshops
Discovery Workshop
Table of contents
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Project cost underestimation
Product abandonment post-deployment Missing
critical functionalities
Lack of priority
The benefits of discovery workshop people dont
talk about Overall product idea gets improved
Table of contents
Q. What is a client discovery session?
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Q. How do you prepare for a discovery
workshop? Q. Do you need a discovery workshop?
Q. What is the output of a discovery workshop?
Imagine starting a project without a discovery
workshop.
We have yet to learn about the goal of the MVP.
No context. Neither do we know that the app will
later be connected to the patients database.
Based on what little information we have, we
create an estimation of 100 working hours.
Later on, to everybodys surprise, the project
will turn out to be extremely complex
with multiple integrations and the working hours
will increase to 500.
Discovery workshops help detect and reduce the
possibility of stepping on such surprises by 90.
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elements and output of discovery workshop
In your research to find the best software
development approach, chances are you would have
come across discovery workshop and by reading
into the details of what a discovery workshop
entails, you might think you dont need it.
This article will convince you otherwise.
Who is the product discovery workshop for?
The purpose of a discovery workshop is different
for different clients.
Clients who know what they want to build but
dont have an idea of how to achieve it or what
to include in the project
I want to create an eCommerce app to sell and
buy used clothes. The sellers will get coupons
every time their clothes are sold, which they can
use on other online platforms. The
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app should be easy to use and have a big list of
items. (clear goals, undefined
features) Clients who have a clear idea of the
app, but are stuck with too many features and
ideas
I want to create an eCommerce app to sell and
buy used clothes. There will be an AR/VR function
to try on the clothes. AI will be used to tell
customers what to buy and in which size. There
will be a return feature where the users will be
able to track the status on blockchain and get
multiple options to get the money back in the
form of store credits, in-account,
and cryptocurrency. I have a lot of ideas! (no
clear focus on main USP, features are well
defined)
Clients planning for large-scale projects need
estimates of deadlines and budget, work and
timeline prioritization
I need to create a C2C eCommerce app for people
to buy and sell used clothes. I have created the
user flow and know what to expect in terms of
interface and experience. (everything is defined
but lacks a milestone plan)
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As you must have gathered, discovery sessions
come in handy for every type of
project, irrespective of where they are in the
ideation stage. To emphasize this further, let us
look into the negative impact that the lack of
client discovery meetings brings.
Discovery workshop plan
Side-effects of not performing a product
discovery workshop
The idea behind discovery workshop activities is
to validate assumptions and ensure that the idea
is development and market-ready. The absence of
this extensive exercise can have several dire
impacts.
Project cost underestimation
A software idea that looks simple on the surface
might come with several complex functionalities
and integrations on both frontend, backend
levels. This is one of the main reasons why
startups tend to abandon their project after
starting the work thinking it would
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be easy to execute.
Discovery sessions give clients a detailed view
of what would go into their application
functionalities, design systems, technologies,
etc. every element that plays a role
in deciding the app development cost. This gives
entrepreneurs clarity into the budget they
will have to set aside.
Product abandonment post-deployment
This issue doesnt occur when the product is
being made for an enterprises internal
users since the requirements, use cases, and
intents are clear. Making an app for external
users is a different ballgame though since there
is limited information on what the user needs or
how they would interact with the application.
Discovery workshop questions help answer this.
The goal of a discovery session is to create user
personas, build user stories, and get a detailed
understanding of what the customers want and ways
they will achieve the need. This level of
detailed discussion helps with conceptualizing a
product with end users seal of
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approval, even before it hits the development
stage.
Missing critical functionalities
At times, in the race to attain the big picture,
entrepreneurs tend to overlook the obvious.
The benefits of discovery workshops for the
client lie in the fact that businesses can
create precise technical and functional
documentation of their software.
Moreover, the software house you partner with can
also help in verifying the critical functionalitie
s which will be needed for revenue and end-user
expectations front. To solidify this further, the
creation and implementation of functionalities
are reflected in the project schedule so that
there is clarity about time in terms of both
development and testing.
Lack of priority
When an entrepreneur starts a project, it feels
that everything is critical. However
limited money and time make it impossible to
prioritize what is important, leading to a
situation where the team might spend a lot of
effort in building a low-priority item while
rushing into
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building a high-priority task. Client discovery
workshops help identify the MVP-level
features that would directly impact conversions
and usability.
This way, entrepreneurs can dedicate focused time
and resources to planning key deliverables and
efficient planning.
Now that we have looked into the different facets
of the importance of discovery sessions through
the lens of its lacking, let us be direct.
The benefits of discovery workshop people dont
talk about
In the last few years of conducting dedicated
workshops, we have found evidence supporting the
unprecedented importance of discovery sessions,
both for us and our clients. Here are the ones
that our clients single out as the most critical
advantages.
importance of discovery sessions
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Overall product idea gets improved
At Simublade, when we hold discovery workshops we
intend to not just define the elements of the app
we are creating but also increase its success
rate. The way to achieve this is entirely
dependent on the efforts we take in defining the
target user base people who will use the app
once its launched in the market.
By knowing who will use the software, how they
will use it, and the expectations they will
have with the application, we define all the
features and functionalities along with the
core elements of the application. This helps us
tailor the final product idea according to the
users needs.
Production time and cost are lowered
The number and complexity of features tend to
impact the production timeline and
cost massively. When we sit with our clients, we
have a detailed list of discovery
workshop questions that helps split features into
three sections mandatory, nice to have, and
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unnecessary.
Usually, clients think they require a certain
feature to make the app successful,
without knowing that there can be an easier way
to accomplish the task. The discovery
workshop session shows them exactly what their
users want to accomplish and the steps they will
take to achieve it, which then defines the
ultimate features and functionalities list. There
have been several instances where the initial
estimate was over 30-40 higher than the
final estimate post-workshop.
Probability of encountering problems is minimized
Modifying ideas is much cheaper and simpler when
it happens before the production stage. To avoid
any surprise from creeping into the project at a
later stage, we hold extremely detailed potential
problem discussion rounds with our design and
development team. Every feature that we plan to
add is scrutinized under the problem lens to
ensure that no issue is left unplanned.
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The problem statements we lay out here ultimately
help with
Resolve problems early on
Minimize the chance of unexpected encounters
during the production stage Ensure everything is
in-budget
Guarantee a market-ready digital solution
A clear roadmap and production plan are built
Another one of the key benefits of discovery
workshop that our clients get is in terms of
the paperwork they get post-workshop. They get a
detailed production plan with everything discussed
in the workshop along with detailed definitions
of elements like business ideas, design
elements, the technologies which should be used,
answers to issues, and individual project aspects.
Some critical documents that get delivered to our
clients after the discovery workshop are
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Product purpose
User persona
Detailed user flow
Low fidelity wireframes Functional requirements
and tech stack MVP definition
Project roadmap.
These benefits are signs of why discovery
workshop sessions work. But does every
single application need this step in their
software development lifecycle? The answer is no.
We have worked on apps where having a discovery
session just wouldnt have made sense.
Heres a summarized version of those instances
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The application had standard functionalities or
the objective of the solution and its features
were clear.
Clients already had what they needed to start
idea validation and thorough documentation
Application was not getting built from scratch,
small changes were needed to improve the
already-existing software.
contact us
Frequently asked questions about discovery
workshop sessions
Q. What is a client discovery session?
Ans. A client discovery session is a
collaborative meeting between developers and
clients to gather requirements, clarify
objectives, and understand the scope of a project
before
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commencing development.
Q. How do you prepare for a discovery workshop?
Ans. To prepare for a discovery workshop in
software development, follow these steps
Define objectives Clearly outline the goals and
objectives of the workshop. Determine what
information you need to gather from the client
and what outcomes you aim to achieve.
Identify participants Determine who needs to be
involved from both the client side and the
development team. Ensure representation from key
stakeholders, decision-makers, subject matter
experts, and developers.
Prepare materials Create an agenda or workshop
plan outlining the topics to be discussed,
activities to be conducted, and the duration of
each session. Prepare presentation materials,
whiteboards, sticky notes, and any other tools
needed for collaborative brainstorming.
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Develop questions Prepare a set of open-ended
questions to guide discussions and elicit
valuable insights from the client. Tailor these
questions to uncover requirements, user needs,
pain points, and desired outcomes.
Set expectations Communicate the purpose and
objectives of the workshop to participants in
advance. Clarify the role of each participant,
the expected level of engagement, and the
importance of active participation.
Stay flexible Be prepared to adapt the agenda
and discussion topics based on the flow of
conversation, new insights, or unexpected issues
that arise during the workshop.
Q. Do you need a discovery workshop?
Ans. It depends. If the application had standard
functionalities or the objective of the
solution and its features were clear, you already
have what they needed to start idea validation
and thorough documentation, and the app is not
getting built from scratch, you dont need
a discovery workshop. In every condition, you
would need one.
Q. What is the output of a discovery workshop?
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Ans. Here are some of the key outputs of a
discovery workshop session
Product purpose
User persona
Detailed user flow
Low fidelity wireframes Functional requirements
and tech stack MVP definition
Project roadmap.
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