Issue #11: Product Development, Internet Protocol, PoC vs Prototype vs MVP
Hey Friends,
Hope you are all having a good time and getting ready for Spring 🌷
The past two weeks were a bit relaxing but most importantly I officially started working 6hrs/day with my current employer and also got a promotion 🚀
I am going to collect learnings from the 6hrs/day experiment and will share them with you all soon.
Wish you all a nice start to the week and enjoy a mindful time 🙏
Technical Summaries
Product Development for Developers
During a recent Lunchclub meeting, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kamil Bukala, the Co-Founder and CTO of TabsFolders.com. Our conversation revolved around how developers can begin building their own products instead of solely working on projects for clients or employers. Kamil shared some valuable insights that I would like to share with you.
One idea that Kamil presented was to repurpose an existing product, changing how it's perceived, rather than starting from scratch. This approach can be beneficial for testing out ideas before moving on to actual implementation and saving time and money in the product development process.
Another suggestion was to modify an existing source code to achieve our core concepts. This way, we can gain valuable insights and lessons early on in the product development process. This approach can also help save time and money, as we are building upon an already-existing foundation.
Hiring remote teams for building a prototype at a relatively cheaper cost. Platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr are great resources for finding remote teams to create easy prototypes. These prototypes can be used to collect feedback from potential customers.
Finally, Kamil mentioned that originality is not always necessary when attempting to solve a problem. One can find existing products and copy their ideas, targeting different markets with different demographics or geographics. This approach is similar to what Rocket Internet does, and it can be a successful strategy for building a product that meets the needs of a specific market.
Let's spread knowledge ❤
Do you write tech articles? If you're interested in having your content shared with a wider audience, please send me your links and I'll attach a summary for it here.
How the Internet works
The internet consists of 7 network layers to communicate with each other which are:
Physical layer: Wires and transmission that handle physical aspects of networking.
Data link layer: Reliablity transmission of data over a physical link by implementing error detection and correction mechanisms.
Network layer: Handles the routing of data between different networks by using protocols such as IP (Internet Protocol).
Transport layer: Provides end-to-end data transfer between two devices by using protocols such as TCP and UDP.
Session layer: Establishes and manages communication sessions between devices, including authentication and encryption.
Presentation layer: Responsible for data formatting, encryption, and compression.
Application layer: Provides services to applications such as email, web browsing, and file transfer. (HTTP protocol is here!)
This video by Rhymu is a great intro for in-depth details of how the Internet works
PoC vs Prototype vs MVP
We usually use these terms while working as they are the same but they are quite different.
PoC (Proof of Concept):
- Used to check if our idea is technically feasible and possible to implement
- Mainly for internal purposes and neglects UI, security, and development best practices
- Example: Simple Script without any clean code or infrastructure
Prototype:
- Early product sample to demonstrate a business concept before implementing it.
- Good for understanding the product and user journey to find any gaps that exist
- Examples: Miro Boards, Figma Designs
MVP (Minimum Viable Product):
- It’s a product with the minimum features that can be launched to market
- Used to validate the idea with real users and get feedback
- Examples: Using No-tools apps and WordPress SaaS
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