Yet many founders still start with “let’s build it” instead of “should we build it?”

This guide walks you through proven, real-world methods to validate whether your idea has market demand — before you commit to building a full product.

Why Market Validation Matters

Most failed products don’t fail because of bad technology — they fail because nobody actually needs them.

Market validation helps you answer one critical question:

“Is this a real problem people are willing to pay to solve?”

Done right, validation:

• reduces risk
• saves months of development
• gives you early traction signals
• shapes a better MVP

Step 1: Start With the Problem (Not the Solution)

Before thinking about features, ask:

• What specific problem am I solving?
• Who experiences this problem?
• How are they solving it today?

👉 A strong signal:
If people already use workarounds, spreadsheets, or manual processes — you’re onto something.

👉 A weak signal:
If you have to convince people the problem exists.

Step 2: Validate Demand With Real User Conversations

Talking to users is still the most powerful validation method.

How to do it:

• Interview 10–20 people in your target group
• Ask about their behavior, not opinions
• Focus on past actions (not hypothetical interest)

Ask questions like:

• “How do you currently solve this?”
• “What’s frustrating about it?”
• “Have you ever paid for a solution?”

👉 Watch out:
People will say “I’d use it” — but that’s not validation.

What matters is:

• pain intensity
• frequency
• existing spending

Step 3: Validate With Market Signals (Data > Opinions)

Before writing code, check if the market already shows demand.

Useful methods:

• Search trends (Google Trends, keywords)
• Competitor analysis
• Reddit / forums / communities

👉 Look for:

• active discussions about the problem
• existing tools (even if imperfect)
• growing interest over time

👉 No competitors ≠ opportunity
It often means:

• no market
• or a problem that’s not painful enough

Step 4: Test the Idea Without Building the Product

You don’t need an app to validate an app.

Proven techniques:

1. Landing Page Test

Create a simple page explaining:

• the problem
• your solution
• a call to action (e.g. waitlist)

Measure:

• conversion rate
• sign-ups

2. Fake Door Test

Simulate a feature before building it:

• button in a prototype
• “coming soon” page

If users click → interest is real

3. Pre-sales or Paid Validation

The strongest signal of all:

• people pay before the product exists

👉 Key principle:
Behavior > declarations

Step 5: Define the Smallest Valuable MVP

Once validation signals are positive, define:

• What is the minimum version of this product?
• What’s the core value users need?

Avoid:

• feature overload
• “nice-to-have” ideas

Focus on:

• one key problem
• one clear user flow

Step 6: Define Success Metrics Early

Before building, decide:

• What does success look like?

Examples:

• % of users returning
• number of signups
• willingness to pay
• activation rate

👉 Without metrics, you can’t validate — only guess.

Common Validation Mistakes Founders Make

Talking to the wrong users

Validation must come from your actual target audience.

Asking leading questions

People will tell you what you want to hear.

Overvaluing compliments

“Nice idea” ≠ product demand

Building too early

Code is expensive — learning is cheap

Ignoring negative signals

Bad feedback is often the most valuable insight

What “Good Validation” Actually Looks Like

You know your idea has traction when:

• users actively seek solutions
• they complain about existing tools
• they invest time or money already
• they sign up or pay without pressure

👉 At this point, building an MVP makes sense.

How Asper Brothers Helps Founders Validate and Build MVPs

Validation is where many founders struggle — not because it is complex, but because it is easy to approach incorrectly.

This is where Asper Brothers provides real value.

Our approach goes beyond development. We support founders in reducing risk before and during the product-building process.

What makes our approach effective:

• Structured MVP process
  We guide you from idea clarity to launch with a clear, step-by-step path — helping you avoid chaos and guesswork
• Focus on real market needs
  We help you shape product scope based on actual demand, not assumptions
• Fast execution
  We deliver MVPs in weeks, so you can test your idea quickly and start learning from real users
• Startup experience
  Having worked on dozens of MVPs across industries, we bring practical insight that helps you make better decisions early
• Strategic support
  We don’t just build — we help you prioritize features, design user flows, and define what actually matters

In practice, this means:

• you are not just building an app
• you are building a validation tool for the real market

Final Thoughts

Validating your app idea is not a single step — it’s a process of:

• understanding the problem
• testing assumptions
• observing real user behavior
• learning before building

The goal is simple:

Don’t build faster — learn faster.

Because the best MVP is not the one you launch first.

It’s the one the market actually needs.

How to Validate If the Market Needs Your App (Before You Build It) was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“What do investors actually care about?”

Is it the idea?
The technology?
The pitch deck?
The numbers?

The honest answer is: all of the above — but not in the way most founders think.

Investors see hundreds, sometimes thousands, of startups every year. Patterns emerge very quickly. Over time, most investors start to focus on just a few core signals that help them decide whether a startup is worth their time, attention, and capital.

In this article, we’ll break down three things investors consistently look for in technology startups:

1. People — the team behind the company
2. A strong MVP — proof that you’re solving a real problem
3. Scalability potential — the ability to grow big without breaking

This article is written for founders, not investors. The goal is to help you understand how investors think, so you can build your startup more intentionally — not just pitch it better.

1. People: Why the Team Matters More Than the Idea

Let’s start with the most important and often underestimated factor.

Investors invest in people first.

This may sound like a cliché, but it’s repeated so often because it’s true. Ideas change. Markets evolve. Products get rebuilt. But the people behind the startup are the constant.

Why investors care so much about founders

From an investor’s perspective, an early-stage startup is mostly uncertainty:

• The product might not work
• The market might be smaller than expected
• Customers might behave differently than predicted
• Competitors might appear out of nowhere

Given all this risk, investors ask themselves a simple question:

“Do I trust this team to figure things out when things go wrong?”

Because they will go wrong.

Key traits investors look for in founders

Investors don’t expect founders to know everything. What they look for instead are signals of resilience and adaptability.

Here are some of the most common traits investors value:

1. Ownership and accountability

Strong founders take responsibility. They don’t blame the market, users, or bad luck. When something fails, they ask:

• What did we learn?
• What will we do differently?

2. Ability to learn fast

Early-stage startups are learning machines. Investors want founders who can:

• Absorb feedback
• Challenge their own assumptions
• Change direction without ego

Being wrong is fine. Staying wrong is not.

3. Complementary skills in the team

A solo founder can succeed, but most investors prefer balanced teams, for example:

• Technical + business
• Product + sales
• Visionary + executor

This doesn’t mean everyone must be perfect — it means the team as a whole can move forward without constant external help.

4. Commitment and motivation

Investors can tell when a startup is a “side project.” They look for founders who are:

• Fully committed
• Emotionally invested
• Ready for a long journey

Startups are marathons, not sprints.

Experience helps — but it’s not everything

Many founders worry they don’t have enough experience. The truth is:

• Previous startup experience helps
• Industry knowledge helps
• But attitude and execution matter more

Some of the best founders are first-timers who move fast, listen carefully, and stay persistent.

2. A Good MVP: Showing You Solve a Real Problem

Once investors believe in the team, they move to the next question:

“Is this startup solving a real problem?”

This is where your MVP (Minimum Viable Product) comes in.

What an MVP really is (and isn’t)

An MVP is not:

• A half-finished product
• A buggy prototype nobody uses
• A complex system with dozens of features

A good MVP does one thing well:

It clearly demonstrates how you solve a specific problem for a specific user.

That’s it.

Why investors care about MVPs

Investors use MVPs to answer critical questions:

• Do users actually care?
• Is the problem painful enough?
• Does the solution make sense?
• Can this be built and delivered?

A well-built MVP reduces uncertainty. It turns assumptions into evidence.

What makes an MVP attractive to investors

You don’t need thousands of users or perfect design. What you need is clarity.

Here’s what investors usually look for:

1. Clear problem definition

Can you explain the problem in one or two simple sentences?
If users don’t instantly understand what you’re solving, investors won’t either.

2. Obvious value proposition

After seeing your MVP, investors should immediately understand:

• Who it’s for
• Why it’s better than existing solutions
• Why now is the right time

3. Real user feedback

Nothing is more convincing than actual users:

• Using the product
• Giving feedback
• Coming back again

Even a small number of engaged users is a strong signal.

4. Focus

Founders often try to impress investors with many features. This usually backfires.

A focused MVP shows:

• You understand priorities
• You respect users’ time
• You can say “no” to distractions

MVP as a learning tool, not just a demo

The best founders don’t treat MVPs as something to “show investors.”

They use MVPs to:

• Test assumptions
• Learn from users
• Iterate quickly

Ironically, this mindset is exactly what investors want to see.

3. Scalability: Thinking Beyond the First Customers

Let’s assume:

• You have a strong team
• You’ve built a solid MVP
• Users like what you’re building

The next big question investors ask is:

“Can this become big?”

This is where scalability comes into play.

What scalability really means

Scalability doesn’t just mean “growth.”

It means:

• Growing revenue faster than costs
• Reaching more users without linear effort
• Expanding without rebuilding everything from scratch

Investors are looking for startups that can grow 10x, 50x, or 100x over time.

Market size matters

One of the first things investors evaluate is the market opportunity.

They typically look at:

• Total Addressable Market (TAM)
• How fast the market is growing
• Whether the problem is global or local

Even a perfect product in a tiny market may not be attractive for venture capital.

Business models that support scale

Some business models scale better than others. For example:

• SaaS subscriptions
• Marketplaces
• Platforms with network effects

This doesn’t mean other models can’t work — but investors want to see a clear path to repeatable revenue.

Technology as an enabler of growth

In technology startups, the product itself should support scaling:

• Automation instead of manual work
• Infrastructure that can handle growth
• Systems that don’t depend on founders doing everything

Investors pay attention to how your tech choices affect future growth.

Vision matters more than a perfect plan

No one expects a detailed 10-year roadmap. What investors want is:

• A clear long-term vision
• Logical next steps
• Awareness of challenges

Being honest about what you don’t know is often more impressive than pretending to have all the answers.

Putting It All Together

When investors evaluate a technology startup, they’re not looking for perfection.

They’re looking for signals.

• People who can adapt, learn, and execute
• Products that solve real problems
• Potential to grow into something meaningful

If you’re a founder, the best way to attract investors isn’t to chase funding.

It’s to:

• Build a strong team
• Focus on real users and real problems
• Think long-term while executing short-term

Funding is a consequence — not the goal.

Final Thoughts for Founders

If you remember just one thing from this article, let it be this:

Investors don’t invest in slides — they invest in trajectories.

Your job as a founder is not to be perfect, but to show progress, clarity, and ambition.

Build something useful.
Listen to your users.
Surround yourself with the right people.

The rest will follow.

What Investors Really Look for in Technology Startups was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Many factors make sex so much better. The tidiness of the surrounding space, the atmosphere built from music, long conversations, or a foreplay game with long caresses is something that elevates sex to a higher level.

But if you move on to the technical aspects, there is one aspect that makes lovers feel amazing, it makes sex great, and gives the desired excitement. If lovers take care of it, you don’t have to ask “did you like it?” after all. It is clear to both of them that they liked it, no questions asked.

This secret technique is… RHYTHM. Let me tell you today why it has a lot to do with agile web development.

I have the impression that despite the incredible popularity of the agile web development process, a large part of the Web World so Wide is lost somewhere between Waterfall and Agile.

Cascading/Waterfall approach is criticized by everyone who praises the benefits of the Agile web development process — so literally by everyone in the software development world. However, many do not know how to work in Agile, even though they say they do. Same as with young lovers!

Someone told them: work in Scrum, beware of Waterfall! So they have been watching courses, reading the Scrum Guide, and they’re rightly trying to convince (or sometimes force) everybody to daily meetings thinking that it’s all about them. Well, yes and no.

The issue is that nobody told them what the purpose behind these recurring meetings and practices are.

Everything boils down to the RHYTHM that the whole team set up and follow, and Agile events just facilitate it.

So you can be flexible with it, just like during bedtime! As long as the team has a rhythm, you can adjust each piece of your agile web development process.

You don’t have to force having meetings just because Scrum Guide told you to have daily standups when there’s no rational reason to have them so often.

As a result, everyone is stuck in the middle of nowhere, having unrhythmic work and an undetermined web development workflow.

It’s a bit like with lovers who know what to do, but how — it’s a mysterious art. It is only the possession of knowledge about RHYTHM that determines success and satisfaction.

If you look at it that way, you’ll find it easier to understand and implement Agile, convince others to its ceremonies, and achieve success with your project.

Just like in sex, the rhythmic work will lead your sprints to full success!

What can you do in practice? Repeat to your development teams every day that the Agile development process is about rhythm. Let that word be like a mantra. You can set up a Google Calendar with recurring events that set that rhythm for everyone. And last but not least, be flexible with it — as it is the team that constitutes the rhythm, not a Scrum book you’ve been reading, or the recurring meetings schedule you agreed to host two months ago.

Maybe you didn’t know that sex is all about rhythm? If not, this article will help you in two important areas of private and professional life! ;)

Shocking Way Agile Web Development Process Will Make You Better in Bed was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Software development is one of the most important and profitable areas of business nowadays. With new apps and other types of software coming out left and right at all times, it’s no wonder that more people decide to work in this industry. And make no mistake — this is an exciting field to work in, as many team members will share similar interests and a sense of purpose in their career pursuits. Nevertheless, the industry is very competitive, which may lead to burnout, which is simply another word for a loss of motivation.

• Your skills as a team leader are crucial in keeping spirits up and maintaining your team’s productivity. Today we present ten methods to motivate Software Engineers and Dev teams.
• You will learn how to ensure that your team is ready and raring to go in all the ways that matter.

As a dev team leader, a lot of the responsibility for keeping your team’s motivation up is left up to you. While this might seem like a simple task, since motivational factors are not hard to find, it’s important to distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. It’s the former — intrinsic motivation, which is the form of motivation that comes from within — that you want to nurture. What this means is that a team member that has an internal drive to work on a project because of their love for programing will work better than one that is simply in it for the paycheck. Here are ten methods for you to ensure that your team is ready and raring to go in all the ways that matter.

1. Make sure all the pieces are in order

There’s one thing about the intrinsic motivation that needs to be made clear right at the beginning: motivation can be nurtured, but it cannot be created out of anything. So before you think about how you can raise motivation levels within your team, you have to make sure you have a solid, capable crew of developers that can take on any challenge. The effects on motivation don’t end there, as members that drag the team down in terms of their lack of skill or failure to meet expectations, can end up causing the rest of your team to lose steam. Choosing your team carefully thus becomes paramount.

2. Keeping spirits high

Once you’ve got your team of reliable experts assembled, your task is to make sure that they have the right conditions to thrive. While there are several benefits to stress, there is more than enough of it within the life of a developer as it is, so there’s no need for you to cause more of it. To make sure those stress levels remain sustainable, you’ll need to have a lot of patience and empathy, so that you can prevent conflicts before they escalate. Make sure everyone is comfortable in their work environment to ensure productivity.

3. Encourage healthy communication

The language you use within the dev team environment can have a profound effect on motivation. If your language becomes too controlling, e.g. you use words like “should” or “must” a lot, you run the risk of the dev becoming more stressed and more disheartened as a result. What’s more, do keep in mind that the language you use as a leader will be echoed by the rest of the team to a certain degree, so if you’re losing language that is detrimental to the team’s overall motivation, there’s a good chance this will be further reinforced by others. Instead, consider asking questions. This will encourage your teammates to communicate more and make them feel more like they’re fully-fledged team members, raising their motivation.

4. Appreciate ideas

Motivated developers have a lot to say — don’t miss that! While you need a clear vision for where your project is going, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be open from new ideas from the others. Two heads are better than one, and you might find that your dev team has a couple of good ideas that will make your project run more smoothly. On top of that, the fact that you notice these ideas is bound to make them feel more appreciated, boosting their motivation further.

5. Get everyone on the same page

Nothing is quite the motivation killer is a lack of clear direction. If your dev team is working on a project that they have no idea is heading towards, they will not be working at their best. Everyone will have a different vision of the end goal, causing plenty of chaos and confusion, which will result in poorer productivity. Once again, communication becomes key. Make sure everyone knows where the project is heading and keep them updated whenever something changes.

If you want to read more, click here.

10 Ways to Motivate Software Engineers and Dev teams was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I am sure most of you have been on a holiday with a travel agent. What made it good? Some of you will say the hotel, the weather, the views, but to me, it’s always the guide. They make sure everything goes according to plan — guides work hard to ensure you get a great experience. In software development, software product managers act as guides.

• Today we present the responsibilities of a Software Product Manager. They are dictated by the software development lifecycle.
• You will learn how planning and development/execution phases look like.
• We describe the roles of Product Manager and Product Owner — they are often used interchangeably but their responsibilities are different.

What are the responsibilities of a Software Product Manager?

The software development lifecycle dictates the responsibilities of a Software Product Manager.

Let’s begin with the discovery phase. The Product Manager’s role is about understanding and defining what customers need to create products that meet their demands. The PM is responsible for conducting detailed market research which involves:

Secondary research:

• analyzing the competitive landscape to check what products are available on the market, what customers value about them — this can be done by reading product reviews, testimonials, etc. PM’s must know what the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors are, to develop products that give more value to the customers.
• looking into trend reports, market statistics, industry content, and any available sales data.

Primary research:

• Getting information from current customers to figure out their pain points — it can be done through interviews or surveys
• Gaining insights from potential prospects

All of this information will enable the Software Product Manager to create an ideal customer profile which will dictate what the product will look like and how it will be positioned. The PM sets the vision for the product and is responsible for communicating it to the leadership to get them onboard.

In the planning phase, the Software Product Manager should translate the data from the discovery phase into a list of product requirements. At this stage, the PM comes up with a product roadmap, to provide a plan for a team with timelines and actions that must be completed. They present the findings to the leadership to get their final acceptance.

The roadmap must show the current and future state of product development as well as illustrate the vision and goals — the Software Product Manager ensures that vision is translated into reality. PM’s decide which features should be prioritized, and which ones should be discarded or developed later in the future.

They also produce product-related documentation such as Product Requirement Documents and Functional Specifications Documents.

The development/execution phase — this is where PM’s will spend most of their time. They will closely cooperate with the development and design teams, creating mockups, specifying the requirements for developers and tracking work progress.

They also participate in the Daily Scrum and Sprint Planning, making sure the dev team has a clear understanding of the user stories and know exactly what must be developed.

After the Minimum Viable Product is released, they’ll have to arrange for product testing. This involves building a feedback collection mechanism, gathering the feedback and modifying the product according to the received information.

One of the key responsibilities of every PM is effective stakeholder communication. They must keep all stakeholders i.e. the management and other team members up to date on the strategy and product development progress so that everyone is on the same page.

If you want to read more, click here.

Software Product Manager Responsibilities in Software Development Cycle was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you were to ask a group of IT, project managers, for their very best piece of advice for those running a software development project, it’s highly likely they’d say: “Make sure you have a risk management plan in place”. And it better be a GREAT one, at that!

• Risk management is an indispensable part of any successful software development project. Today we introduce a list of best practices for risk management in software development.

In fact, many a cautionary tale can be found online when you search for examples of bad risk management planning.

There’s the famous Wells Fargo fiasco, where the CEO admitted to not knowing about a major data breach until it had already scaled to a nation-wide crisis. And then there’s also the Panama canal failure, where engineers thought they knew how to build a marine passage through the depts of the jungle just because they’d previously drilled the Suez canal. The list of poor risk management examples goes on and on.

Point being — make sure that you’re not merely learning from your mistakes, but are also prepared for handling them in a timely manner when they do happen.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of best practices for risk management in software development. Whether you want to control risk on an internal project or are looking for a way to work with external contractors, follow the tips below to minimize the occurrence of software development disruptions.

Let’s get to it!

Risk management — software development best practices

For starters…

#1. Create a list of potential risks on your project

You’ll likely be able to list down a couple of risks right from the top of your head. Others will require scrutinizing all aspects of the software you’re developing — perhaps, together with other members of your team who have more expertise.

Once you’ve listed all the potential risks, you should categorize them according to type. This is the first step you need to take to track risks throughout the entire project.

So, how do you categorize them best?

Ian Sommerville, a software engineering professor and systems engineering researcher, suggests breaking them down into the following groups: technology, people, organizational, tools, requirements, and estimation.

You can read more about the categorization process in this great resource.

#2. Analyze the probability of each risk

Think of it this way:

If the risk were to turn into an actual problem, would it entirely halt software development, slow it down, or merely provoke a quick change here and there?

While you can find many prioritization methods online, one recommended way of ordering risks according to their potential impact is: catastrophic, serious, tolerable, and insignificant.

Once you’ve given an appropriate ‘grade’ to each risk, also make sure that you can easily sort them from most threatening at the top to those of trivial importance at the very bottom.

#3. Create an action plan for each risk you define

Do you know the saying “hoping for the best, but expecting the worst?”.

Sometimes, despite our best efforts to foresee and nip problems in the bud, we will have to take action.

Use the list of risks you’ve prepared and made sure you have a mitigation strategy listed down in case any of the risks turn into a burning problem. This way you’ll also be able to quickly onboard anyone else engaged in solving the issue.

We recommend that you create a spreadsheet that features the following columns:

• Potential risk description
• Risk likelihood (you can use the scale we mentioned above or a scale from 1–10)
• Owner of the subject
• Actions that need to be taken to reduce the risk
• Actions that need to be taken if the risk turns into a problem
• Future control measures (if the risk came into life, how it can be prevented in the future)

In most software development teams, it is the Project Manager’s or QA Specialist’s job to maintain and update such a file on an ongoing basis. Which leads us to…

If you want to read more, click here.

Risk Management in Software Development was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Are you familiar with the classic Dr Seuss saying that “the more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go”?

• We will introduce you to 10 amazing books we recommend to every CTO!

Well, it couldn’t be truer of what is needed to be an effective CTO! Like in many other professional disciplines, reading and self-development are indispensable if you want to be a skilled and supportive leader.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 books for CTOs. Among other subjects, they speak on key areas such as productivity, the art of making smart decisions, being a good leader, and understanding UX principles.

Make sure to cross them off of your ‘to-read’ list (or include them in your upcoming Amazon order!).

#1. Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager / Michael Lopp

A humorous recollection of what it was like being a software engineering manager in Silicon Valley for more than 20 years. While you’re likely going to be laughing or shaking your head in disbelief while you peruse the pages of this book (spoiler alert: there’s some chair throwing included), you’ll also take away a lot of wisdom on what it means to be a good manager. A recommended read for anyone looking to ace their role as a tech leader.

#2. The Hard Thing About Hard Things / Ben Horowitz

You might know Ben Horowitz as the person who famously said he was going to use many lead bullets to solve a problem due to the lack of a silver bullet.

In fact, “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” builds upon this exact notion by discussing the ways to tackle difficulties of running a startup. It also helps you understand how to be a leader your team looks up to — even in the most difficult of times.

#3. Don’t make me think! / Steve Krug

If you want to succeed as a CTO, you must learn how to communicate with designers effectively and understand the elements that drive (or disrupt) website usability.

“Don’t make me think!” by Steve Krug is the perfect introductory reading for this! The book gets reprinted nearly year after year and is still relevant 20 years after its initial debut. It’s also one of the best books for CTOs who want to quickly get the hang of the subject — you can read it from beginning to end over weekend coffee or during a long layover.

#4. Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time / Jeff Sutherland

An all-time classic by one of the authors of the Agile Manifesto, and an absolute must-read for anyone who manages employees. Through his extensive experience of running teams (and salvaging entire, multi-million projects), Sutherland makes a strong case for Scrum and why it’s as popular as it is today. Plus, you’ll be intrigued to discover what Sutherland has done for the FBI in the days following 9/11…

If you want to read the whole article, click here.

Top 10 books every CTO should read was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

When your customers land on your product page, it’s only half the success. Now you need to make sure that the product page design is optimized to sell the featured product. Many factors influence conversion rates on product pages.

• In this article, we’ll list out best practices that boost conversion rates and show their successful implementation in some of the biggest e-commerce websites out there.

1. Build Trust Through Reviews

Statistics don’t lie: including verified customer reviews is one of the most effective ways to improve sales.

In fact, product reviews displayed on product pages increased conversion rates by a whopping 270%, according to a Spiegel Research Center study. And there’s more, 92% of shoppers admit that product reviews are often detrimental to their decision to purchase.

Displaying reviews also increases transparency — customers can include potential downsides of a product in their review. Equipped with detailed product information and verified reviews, a prospecting customer can make an informed purchase decision.

On the flip side, a lack of reviews can cause one-third of customers to postpone their purchase until they do more research.

2. Include High-Quality Product Pictures

Customers can’t get a feel of a product when shopping online. That’s why you have let them see what they want in great detail. Remember, however, that merchant-provided photos of low quality can significantly decrease your chances to sell.

A Baymard usability study found that 56% of users explore product images before reading the description. Product images may as well be the most important product page content.

By showing customers high-quality pictures, you come off as having nothing to hide. Plus, you can highlight the best features of certain merchandise:

Multiple-angle, high-quality product images help customers make a purchase decision. Also, uploading “in scale” product photos gives customers a real-life point of reference as to the product’s size, further increasing your chances to sell.

3. Invest in Trust Badges

Following a constant stream of data breach news, customers have become keenly aware of the importance of data security. Among the top reasons for cart abandonment, the lack of trust as to how customer credit card information is handled placed fifth:

…if you want to read the whole article, check the article by ASPER BROTHERS.

Product Page Design — Best Practices and Examples to Boost Conversion Rates was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you’re looking to outsource software development, there are essentially two pricing models you’ll come across in most software houses: time and material model and fixed price projects. It might not be immediately obvious which one to go for and a lot of myths have arisen around both. So if you’re in doubt about how to price your next project, read on to learn about what to watch out for — and why we recommend only one of the approaches (guess which).

• We will introduce the definitions of fixed price and time and material models.
• We will tell you about 5 myths about fixed price agreement…
• and also time and material agreement myths.
• When to use which project pricing method — the main comparison of the two models.
• So…which is better?

First things first — what exactly is fixed price and time and material models?

In simple terms:

• Fixed price: As the name suggests, it’s when you and your software development company agree on a fixed amount for the whole project (or its part).
• Time and material (T&M): It’s when the price you pay reflects the actual time spent by developers working on the project along with any other people like project managers, team leads, etc., their hourly rates, and the resources used in the process.

Both are based on different assumptions and reflect a completely different way of looking at software development projects (think waterfall vs. agile).

In the case of a fixed price agreement, you’re basically buying a product with a single, fixed price. But unless you’re actually buying software off the shelf, you need to remember that’s a tailor-made product, based on your specs and requirements and a detailed scope of work. It’s mostly used by companies working in the waterfall model and never a good idea when you’re agile. And it might work if you have a definite vision and a (very) detailed specification that is certain not to change. With a focus on “might”.

A T&M contract, on the other hand — instead of taking an educated guess — takes into account all the dynamics that go into software development, like changing requirements, upgrades, and probable risks. That’s why most software houses (including ours) favour the time and material pricing model these days, although the fixed price model still has its applications.

At Asper Brothers, we have some strong views on the effectiveness (and ineffectiveness) of both models and definitely favour time & material. Here are some common myths we wanted to debunk — so you’re more comfortable making the call when pricing your next project.

Fixed price agreement

Myth 1: It’s predictable

You know exactly how much you’re paying, and what you’re paying for. So you can include it in your budget and not worry about it ever again. And there are no uncertainties when it comes to the product itself — it’s all you’ll agree on initially.

The reality:

I hate to break it to you, but the experience of software development teams around the world shows it’s hardly ever possible to give a 100% accurate estimate that’s bound to never change.

Besides, a rigid scope of work is more than likely to cost you more, because any improvements or even bug fixes can be treated as “out of scope” work. It leaves hardly any wiggle room, so in the end, you’re in fact paying more — and probably more than you would’ve paid in the time & material model. And that’s without being prepared for it (because, after all, everything was “fixed”), which might mean a domino of consequences for your business.

Plus, from my personal experience, I don’t think I’ve seen a fixed-price project delivered on time in my career. That’s more like a mythical creature to me.

If you want to read the whole article, clik here.

Time and Material (T&M) vs Fixed Price. Pricing in Software Development: The Common Myths was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you’re reading this post, then you’ve likely heard that Laravel is the recommended PHP framework for robust application security. You might wonder, however, what exactly makes Laravel the preferred choice and how far its security options extend.

• We will introduce Laravel’s built-in security features.
• We will also take a look at Laravel’s security best practices.
• See the table we prepared to summarize the Laravel security topic — we’d like to leave you with the main takeaways.

Also, how secure is Laravel itself? Which tools and software, if any, should we pair Laravel up with to create a truly bullet-proof, secure environment?
In the following post, we’ll discuss several key components of Laravel security and recommended best practices for Laravel applications.
For starters, let’s discuss some of the key out-of-the-box security features and how they work.

Laravel’s built-in security features

CSRF (cross-site request forgery) protection

Laravel uses the Form Classes Token Method (for short, CSRF token), which is enabled by default. You can see the token and a predefined CSRF filter embedded in the source code.

In the most simple terms, CSRF protection makes sure that each request actually comes for your app, not a potential XSS attack by a third party. If the CSRF filter detects a potentially threatening request, it returns the HTTP 500 error and denies access.

If you want to read more, read this article by ASPER BROTHERS.

Laravel Security — Best Practices To Protect Your Web App was originally published in asperbrothers on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.