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This is a new article about our Custom Software Solution service which will reveal all about the software product evolution. In this article, as well as in others like it, we’ll talk about the service itself, what it is, and what you’ll get as a result. To know more about custom IT solutions, you should probably read about IT-consulting, development, maintenance, and its other components.
This 5 (or more, depends on you) minutes of reading will help you build a better understanding of software creation and evolution. Hence, this article answers the question of what will happen if you develop your IT-solution without its further evolution, how this process helps win the competition, expand the client base, and even how the first interface of Facebook looked like.
We hope we got you hooked. And now when you’re on the edge of your seat - let’s get started.
What is The Software Product Evolution
What you need to know first is the definition of software product evolution. The concept that lies at the core of the term is post-release software modification needed to further adapt to the changing market conditions and business needs. Here, in MassMedia Group, we think of software product evolution as of a special service, that provides our clients with new versions or updates to the existing product.
Software product evolution starts with an analysis. Technical expertise and look through an examination of your competitors are also important, but once you forget about the business side of the project - you fail. We think through all of our client’s business goals, requirements, and needs to better the software product we have released. By the way, trends, insights, and competitive solutions shouldn’t be forgotten if you want to improve your IT-solutions, so we always remember to take them into account.
This way, software product evolution, conducted with all the requirements and proper analysis, can make your IT-solution not just good but perfect. If you do it right keeping in mind the necessary improvements, the results won’t take long to happen.
Without the understanding of which process you need to automate and which feature to improve you’ll be blind as a bat, losing both your time and money. Nobody can foretell which feature will be your distinctive one, so make sure to look closely at the market and the changes in your business. The best way to do it is to gather the customers’ experience in previous versions of the product, analyze the market, and evaluate the trends to see what makes people more satisfied. The most important task that stands before the software product evolution is providing the better functionality and flexibility of the system, so you will have the opportunity to make your product more effective.
There are 3 main types of software product evolution. Mostly the development companies do manual evolution, which means that the developers themselves modify the software. But there are also automated evolutions, which stand for autonomous configuration (and are mainly used for AI systems that can learn themselves), and are partially automated with refactoring tools.
We advise you to control the evolution process nonetheless, whether it’s done by the developers or automatically.
But why is software evolution so important? The short answer is because it lets you improve your software the way you need it. The long answer is because:
- you invest in software and you need it to pay off in the long run;
- software evolution can improve resource management and set the new tasks solving new problems for your business;
- modified a.k.a improved software makes your clients more satisfied with it;
- with new software versions you can scale on the market;
- and last but not least: because of the changes in the market or in your business, you have to adapt your software for the new circumstances.
So now you know what it is. You even know why this is important. But what will be without it? What would've happened to your favorite apps and OS without their new versions? Let’s talk about it next so you can decide for yourself whether software evolution is a good or bad thing.
The Software Product Evolution: examples
Your software may not be as successful from the first attempt as it’ll be from the second. New versions, innovative technologies, and modifications - these are the factors of growth and popularity for a lot of companies around the world. It’s usual for software products to take a long start.
Think of it as of a new product on the market. For example, a new sort of ice-cream in your favorite cafe. The first time you try the taste seems a bit too sweet, and you give your feedback on it to the seller.
Next time it gets better but not yet perfect anyway. After this, you won’t buy it for some time and decide to give it a chance after few months or so - and it is then when this ice-cream will be the best thing you’ve ever eaten.
Why? Because the seller got your feedback and had their time to better the product. The same goes for software product evolution. Each new version relies on customers’ feedback and, hence, it can perform better than the previous ones. Aside from this, software evolution is oriented at market trends and changing conditions as well as shifts in your business workflow.
During the software product evolution, you have the opportunity to analyze your competitors and make something distinctive. This way you create an ultimate competitive advantage for yourself. But along with that, you can observe the market and adapt to its changes. For example, if you were an ice-cream seller and suddenly, due to climate change, your region became cold and frizzy - you'd probably stop selling ice-cream in these conditions. It works like this with the software either - if you see that the feature in the application doesn’t interest your target audience, you should probably change it or make it perform better.
We gathered some fascinating examples for you to see how software evolution changes the product itself.
So this is how famous social network looked like when in 2004 Thefacebook saw the world. That time it was a platform relatively popular among Harvard students (about 50% of them had Thefacebook account). The social media then was similar to the one we know now, but it was still far from Facebook nowadays. All the main features preserved: you can create an account, post your own news, and communicate with others; Thefacebook had something it doesn’t have anymore. Guess who’s in the upper left corner of the page! We’ll tell you a bit later.
For now, let’s figure out how exactly evolution had helped Thefacebook get to the main audience. Of course, the idea itself was good, and so was the funding. But do you really think that it could get your attention today with the interface from 2004?
Firstly, after the startup got its funding in 2005 they changed the name from Thefacebook to Facebook. The social media was put through massive changes with every new update, from the domain itself in August 2005 to interface, logo, and functionality years later. As something new has always been coming up since its very beginning, Facebook can be considered as a perfect example of a nicely done software evolution. Its changes depend on the market, competitors, and users; for example, the new feed created in 2018 with an algorithm that focuses on your closest family and friends, which brought Facebook a new wave of popularity. Thanks to this, 2018 were, in general, the brightest year for Facebook, until they implemented a VPN that gathers personal data into the app. That’s why we can say that the results of the software evolution might be unpredictable, but you still have to try for success.
Today Facebook has over 2.6 billion users. Could it have reached it without evolution?
By the way, remember that face in the upper left corner? It’s Al Pachino. Secret revealed :)
Before we proceed to our next example, it’s a must to say that without software evolution some of the applications we know today wouldn’t be as unique. For example, Tinder in its very beginning didn’t have the signature swipe feature we all know it for.
Twitter was launched in 2006, and the only thing that might remind you of today’s Twitter in the original one is feed. If you think that the first interface of a famous social network reminds you of 2000’s forums and websites, you are not mistaken. The core of Twitter stayed the same from it’s beginning - it’s a news sharing platform.
But before it became popular, it had its ups and downs. From logo brought approximately for 15$ to the signature bird, from picturing Twitter in movies to hatred towards newest updates. Who could’ve predicted that people will love Twitter exactly for its simplicity and would hate new updates as the new, more intellectual feed?
To think that at first, the social network was the internal service for Odeo employees, and now it's one of the most popular apps with more than 330 million monthly active users. It wasn’t clear at the beginning what Twitter will be. And it is the software evolution that showed its creators what people loved most.
It’s the software evolution that made Twitter what it is now.
YouTube
If you remember this, you’re an old school YouTuber and there’s hardly any other reason. In 2005 when YouTube was launched it had basic video-sharing capabilities.
Besides, YouTube videos of those times were far from what you can see now, because of only one option for video quality. This is a perfect example of software evolution due to the market changes - when YouTube was founded there was no need for HD quality short videos, more so - it wasn’t a thing yet.
But today look at this video hosting today! Some of the artists there can release short movies and cartoons. This has made YouTube a real cultural phenomenon.
Even though it started out as something niche and not for everyone, with a simple interface and minimum features, today YouTube is the second most popular social platform in the world. This hasn’t been achieved from the first attempt and we can say without a doubt that YouTube went a long way of software evolution from what you see on that picture above to the application in your smartphone.
The software evolution always relies on business and market analysis, so it is a must-do for you to do before improving the product. But this service is much wider, and you’ll get not only market research but also technical expertise and the whole development cycle repeated.
If you get aid from an IT-partner, they might help you with it. Let’s look at the example of MassMedia Group to figure this out.
The Software Product Evolution in MassMedia Group
In MassMedia Group we see software product evolution as one of the most important components of software creation. We provide this service as a part of a custom software solution on the Evolution stage, along with maintenance. The stage itself stands for support and further development of an IT-product we created. This is when we ensure the software qualitative workflow and keep it relevant to the tech it’s based on. Along with this at the Evolution stage, we analyze our clients’ new needs and requirements to build new versions or implement innovative technologies based on them. We conduct an analysis of your requirements for the product’s new versions. Our team is always ready to suggest the best solutions for our clients’ projects to make their business more profitable.
The suggestions are based on market, trends, and competitors’ research. All in all, we create a presentation, to show our client all the solutions we get and all the improvements we can make.
After all the decisions are made, we repeat the whole development cycle.
At this stage, the main goal of software evolution for us is the new versions for the development and improvements of the released IT-product. At MassMedia Group we have a business approach to technical projects, which allows us to be more involved and lead our clients to success. Thanks to our business analytics and constant observance of software effectiveness, we can conclude what will be the best solution for the product itself.
Along with our client, we make a decision on new features and functions, from changing the design to implementing new innovative technology.
What the software product evolution consists of
The software product evolution in MassMedia Group consists of the following:
- IT-consulting, which in this context means creating a presentation with recommendations on new versions development (based on our own analysis along with clients’ materials on the market and competitors). It also includes repeating the whole consulting process again - from planning to maintenance of the released software;
- development and maintenance are the same as on all stages of C. S. S., and you can read about them in our blog category;
- customer service - our specific relations with customers which mean our maximum involvement in each project, approach from both business and technical point of view;
- security and reliability which are ensured by our clients’ reviews on Clutch or Extract as well as our lifetime warranty on the code.
This is how the software product evolution is done at MassMedia Group. But what will you get in the result? Read further to learn it.
The Software Product Evolution in MassMedia Group: what will you get in the result?
You saw the case examples we showed you above and now you must understand how important software evolution is to your potential success. But let’s talk more specifically. The exact thing you get as a result of this service is the new versions of your previously released software.
The new versions will:
- have maximum conformity to your goals, requirements, and needs that underlie its core;
- make the software relevant to the market;
- implement innovative technologies into the IT-product;
- take into account the customers experience and market needs, like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning;
- help win the competition.
By working with us you’ll also get our comprehensive approach in which everything you need, from planning to maintenance, will be done by one company.
So, to summarize everything that has been said, the ultimate formula of success is a unique idea (which ideally can disrupt the market) + reliable IT-partner + enough funds + creation of the software + its maintenance + the software product evolution. Software development always takes time, effort, and, most importantly, close attention. No matter how good it is, we believe that it’s never too late for the improvements!
By keeping an eye on the most needed features you can understand how to change your IT-product to access its fortes and multiply profits.
But you mustn't forget about a reliable IT-partner. They will help you figure out your software’s main advantages and develop a qualitative solution from scratch exactly as you wanted it.
By the way, a humble reminder: we’re ready to talk about your project right now! :)
All in all, you’ve read it all and we hope that now you know more. We believe that you will make the right decisions and maybe one day it’ll be the interface of your app shown as a successful example in the article like this.
