Building successful software is about understanding users, streamlining features, and thoroughly testing and validating at every stage of development. At Orbital8, we’ve learned that following certain key principles can make all the difference in the success of a software development project. Here are some of the most important principles we use to build software that truly meets the needs of users and stakeholders.

Understand your users

Understanding your users’ needs and goals is the foundation of building successful software. We spend time listening to our clients’ users, observing how they work, and gathering feedback to ensure that we’re building a product that solves real-world problems.

Prototype and iterate

We work with clients to create prototypes and early versions of software that users can test and provide feedback on. This allows us to make changes and improvements early on, which can save time and money down the line. We use feedback to help guide development and ensure that the final product meets users’ needs.

Thoroughly gather requirements

Thoroughly gathering requirements is essential to building software that meets stakeholders’ expectations. We engage all stakeholders and gather detailed requirements to ensure that we have a clear understanding of the project scope.

Validate before building

We create clickable prototypes and validate whether we are building the right thing before writing any code. This helps to ensure that we’re building a product that truly meets users’ needs.

Streamline features

We aim to eliminate unnecessary features, options, and buttons as much as possible to streamline the user experience. This helps users to focus on what’s important and makes the software easier to use.

Deliver an MVP first

We aim to deliver a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) first so that the app starts creating real value and gathers important user feedback in the real world as early as possible. This allows us to iterate and add features based on user feedback.

Work closely with stakeholders and end-users

Our development team works closely with business stakeholders and end-users to ensure that we’re building software that truly meets their needs.

Developers use the software themselves

We have our developers use the software themselves to perform tasks so they can find and eliminate anything that is frustrating or confusing. This helps to ensure that the software is enjoyable and easy to use.

Performance and security are crucial

We understand that performance is a feature, and we work to ensure that the software performs well and is fast. We also ensure that security is baked in from the start and not added later.

Track progress and take action

We track progress closely and take action quickly if a project is going off track. This helps to ensure that we’re meeting deadlines and delivering software that meets stakeholders’ expectations.

Rigorously test

We assume that everything is broken and doesn’t work unless it has been through a rigorous testing process. We not only test that the software works but that it’s also enjoyable to use.