When we started with Digireactor, we were asked in the first workshop to share a sentence summarizing our perspective on digital development. I chose the sentence ”May all your weeds be wildflowers,” by which I meant that it’s important to generate ideas and value them even if we’re unsure of the outcome. Eventually, we may witness something beautiful emerging from those ideas.
Since I began with a gardening reference, I’d like to conclude my Digireactor journey by exploring more comparisons: what similarities exist between gardening and digital product development?
Planting Seeds vs. Brainstorming Ideas
Just as a gardener plants seeds in hope of growing beautiful plants, digital product developers start with brainstorming sessions where they plant the seeds of ideas.
Watering Plants vs. Loving the Problem
Like plants need regular watering, digital products need constant attention and love. Both processes involve making adjustments, providing the necessary resources, and monitoring progress to achieve growth.
Fertilizing for Growth vs. User Feedback
Gardeners use fertilizers to provide nutrients for plant growth. In the digital world, user feedback acts as a fertilizer for product development. Getting feedback from users helps improve and refine the product.
Cross-Pollination vs. Collaboration
Cross-pollination is the process of transferring pollen from one flower to another, leading to the creation of new plants. Similarly, collaboration in digital product development can result in innovative ideas that may not have emerged otherwise.
Pruning and Weeding vs. Iterative Development
In gardening, pruning and weeding are essential to maintain healthy plants. Similarly, in digital product development, you need to adjust some features and ideas, direct ideas to somewhere else and be ready all the time to remove any unwanted issues or ”weeds.”
Harvesting the Fruits vs. Launching the Product
The ultimate reward for a gardener is the harvest. Similarly, launching a digital product and witnessing its success and user adoption is the ultimate goal for product developers. It’s the moment when they see their hard work giving fruit.
Hopefully we managed to plant at least few digital product seeds in Digireactor. Who knows, maybe some day they will grow to be a beautiful garden where also wild flowers and weeds are welcome.
Have a nice summer,
Reetta