Customized software development is a complicated process. Knowing what your business needs, what your employees are looking for, and what your customers will appreciate is only the first step. Putting those ideas into software and making it incorporate diverse and unforeseen situations is another.
What is ‘Customized Software Development’? In a nutshell, it is the process of designing software architecture that is specifically attuned to the particular needs of a business or company.
Customized Software Examples: A software custom-designed for a hospital chain specializing in cancer treatment would come under the process of custom software development.
One of the best advantages of custom software over commercial off-the-shelf software is that the former is attuned to your specific needs. Other custom software development benefits are easier software integration and higher reliability.
Building a customized software product for your start-up is a lot more complex than building the same for a mature business. A start-up finds it difficult to map its trajectory, the projected growth in revenue and customer base, as well as future services it will add. And so, designing a software solution keeping the above in mind can be a task full of uncertainty.
Today, let us look at the top 5 challenges in building custom software for startups.
1- Looking Only at Present Demands rather than a Lifecycle Approach
Since start-ups mostly run on investor capital, they are under constant pressure to perform and show results quickly. Therefore, a lot of start-ups tend to focus more on showing profitability in the immediate future and look for quick fixes to solve problems in front of them.
A short-sighted software solution may help to gain liquidity in the short term, as well as instant deployment without long delays. But in the long run, this can lead to a complete breakdown of software systems in the face of increased traffic and volumes. At this point, it would take a lot of workforce and time to fix the systemic flaws.
2- Choosing the Wrong Tools/Technology
Which technology to choose might seem like an easy problem at first. After all, the latest tools with easy functionalities are expected to have none of the flaws of the previous versions. But there is more to choosing the right development tools than meets the eye.
Deploying tools without checking their compatibility across platforms and their applicability to different scenarios is a cardinal sin for a start-up. Also, choosing the latest and most costly development tools with no use for their full functionality is an unnecessary waste of capital.
3- Creating a Product Without Market Research
Sometimes, a start-up might be able to develop a cheap and effective solution for a problem that had no prior solutions. But, this solution might have no demand in the market. In other words, the problem that the start-up claims to solve was not a pain point for a lot of people.
And so, comprehensive market research is required to gauge the feasibility of setting up a business around a problem. Most start-ups conduct half-cooked market research, which paints a wrong picture of the product demand.
Creating a software solution that has no demand is not a sound business, though it might have taken genius on the part of the innovator.
4- Lack of Focus on Design Aspect of Product
While using technology to create a marketable solution is the backbone of any start-up, the design aspect of the product can never be ignored. Both product design and product development should be in sync with each other. It is worth remembering that UI (User Interface) is the first thing a customer looks at, and first impressions can be lasting.
Also, the overall design of the product should convey a peculiar theme. The custom software development company should ensure that the design is able to communicate the values of your product to the customer.
5- No Clarity in Future Product Roadmap
A start-up always has the tendency to try to mature and diversify as soon as possible. While staying in your own niche may seem risky, customers tend to appreciate enterprises with a clear plan and vision.
Betting on many horses without a proper roadmap tends to confuse customers, as well as drain your resources. It also leads to a lesser focus on the core competency.
Conclusion
Designing a custom software solution for your start-up is one of the most critical stages of its life cycle. A proper plan, an unhurried implementation, and a clear vision always pay off in the long run.
