In this article you’ll learn: what is POC in software development, what are its benefits, why is it so essential, and how to build a good software POC?
A QUICK SUMMARY – FOR THE BUSY ONES
A Proof of Concept (PoC) is a small-scale, preliminary project that is developed to test the feasibility and potential of an idea or concept.
The purpose of a PoC is to validate the technical feasibility of an idea or concept and to identify any potential issues or challenges that may arise during the development process. It can also serve as a way to gain feedback from stakeholders and to showcase the potential of a software application to potential investors or customers.
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How to select a concept that will be the right choice not only in terms of the idea itself but also development, feasibility, and business needs?
This is where Proof of Concept (POC) comes into play. It allows you to validate the concept before diving into the development process. And that’s crucial, especially for a new software development project.
According to the latest data:
And this happens for a reason. Neglecting concept validation before starting significant investments results in unmet market needs, exceeded development costs, and no interest from stakeholders or investors. Fortunately, there is a solution that can protect companies against such failures - building a software POC.
What is POC in software? Proof of Concept is a critical step in the software development process that involves creating a small-scale version of a product or service to validate its feasibility and functionality.
It helps businesses to determine whether their idea or concept is worth pursuing before investing time and resources into the full-scale development process.
As it’s pretty rare that an initial idea perfectly meets the market demand, POC provides companies with valuable insights on how to direct further product development, identify potential flaws, and make necessary adjustments early on in the development cycle.
As the final result of Proof of Concept, software is technically feasible and designed to efficiently solve the problems of end-users. Overall, a good POC increases the chances for success and protects the startup from failure in the first years.
POC is often confused with MVP and prototypes, which are other methods for validating the accuracy and potential of business ideas. What are the two other terms and what are the differences between them?
While a Proof of Concept in software development is a valuable tool, there are a few situations when building a POC may not be the best idea. Check out if it’s not your case.
Don’t build a POC when:
Now, when you know none of the above cases is yours, let’s explore the benefits of building a PoC.
POC is a valuable tool for companies striving to provide innovative ideas for new products and improve their processes. The software POC helps to:
To sum up, Proof of Concept in software development increases the chances to create a product that will be a great market fit, and doing it cost-efficiently, in a way that will attract the audience, users, and investors. Even if the software POC concept will turn out infeasible, it’s still good news, as it will protect the company and investors from the significant loss of resources.
Building a good software POC is a complex process that involves a few critical stages:
If you want to outsource the development of your app's Proof of Concept, this non-sponsored ranking of the top software development outsourcing companies may help you in choosing the best service provider.
In fact, almost every innovative and successfully launched solution was preceded by a Proof of Concept, including Tesla Autopilot, Siri, Dropbox, Apple Watch, Snapchat, and more. Let’s take a closer look at two examples.
Back in 2013, Google created a proof of concept for their product called Google Glass. The product was displaying information through a wearable device that was navigated hands-free, via natural voice commands. Although the technology was innovative, the project turned out to be a complete failure, mainly due to poor marketing and a bad correlation between price, safety, and market needs.
Amazon Go is a mobile e-commerce application that utilizes advanced technologies such as machine learning, sensor technology, machine vision, and artificial intelligence (AI) comparable to that used in self-driving cars. The application enables shoppers to make purchases at brick-and-mortar stores without the need to wait in lines or check out at registers, as the system of cameras and sensors tracks their movements and automatically charges them for the items they take. Before launching the first store, Amazon built a proof of concept to test the technology and refine the customer experience.
Building a good proof of concept is a must if you're planning to invest in product development. It helps you validate the idea, make sure you've made the right assumptions, and protects you against costly product failure.
If you want to know how to build a good POC, contact us for more advice on the topic.
Tell us more about your project and we will be able to provide you with tips on how to select technologies for building an effective POC and how to navigate product marketing in order to build solid traction.
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