You might not quickly associate IT and software with purpose. However, we do, because software development cannot take place without purpose. And then we’re not just talking about purpose from the builders of software (programmers), but especially about the purpose of the software itself. We’ll explain what we mean and why purpose is indispensable.
The reverse order
The biggest challenge in building a good platform is how you approach things. Namely: how you design the process. And in particular the order of the steps you take. Many startups, in fact, start in reverse order and start developing immediately. They often think about the design of the platform themselves and launch various features. But when they then release the product on the market, it turns out that it is not actually suitable for the people who should use it. This is because they only then start thinking about their product market fit and positioning. And unfortunately, that’s too late. You should consider these issues (purpose) before building your platform. Therefore, software development starts with purpose: the why of your product.
The why of your product
Before you start developing software, it is therefore important that you start with purpose: why are you creating the platform? What is the added value and what impact do you make with this? Who is the platform for and what problem are you solving for them? These are crucial questions you need to ask yourself before you start building. Based on the answers to these questions, you can start making choices. This way, you avoid making choices that ultimately do not fit with the target group. At Wise Minds, we therefore know not only our own ‘why’ very well, we always start by mapping out our customers’ ‘why’. In addition, we get to know them (our target group) really well, because only then can we make the right choices for them. And only then can we make the impact we believe in.
Meaningful setup
After determining your why, it is important to know your audience, just like us. Based on this information, you will make choices. If you don’t, you will select certain features yourself. And these features are not always the features that the target group desires most. The audience basically determines the entire setup of your platform: from the size of the font to the placement of buttons. A CRM system, for example, is completely different for a sales department than for the account management department. They have different needs and therefore need a different set of functionality. So think about: what do I add, for whom, and why? at every step.
The foundation: sequence
The essence of software development lies in the sequence: it is a process that you have to do in the right order. And that process starts with meaning. Then you can build step by step on the right foundation. If you don’t do this, chaos often arises. At least, that’s what we often see when customers come to us. They are then in the middle of ‘a process’ (because everything is a process), but it’s a chaotic process that prevents them from getting the platform off the ground. Fortunately, the solution is often simple: start with purpose and take the steps in the right order. And the experts at Wise Minds are happy to help you with this, because it gives us a sense of ‘purpose’. And making your platform successful is the impact we want to make.