Digital Products

From Project to Product: What We Learned from Our Digital and Branding Projects

Q: How do I know if I'm planning a project or a product?

If success is primarily defined by deadline, scope, and acceptance , you're more in project mode. In product mode, you define success by impact : What gets better for users, what changes for your business, what remains usable? A good test is the question: "What happens 30, 90, and 180 days after launch?" If there is no clear answer (team, budget, measurement points), it will very likely remain a project – even if it's labeled "product."

Q: Do I necessarily need an internal product team for this?

Not necessarily – but you do need clear responsibility . A product without an owner quickly becomes a to-do list. If you cannot or do not want to build a complete team, often a core is sufficient: one person setting priorities (Product Owner logic), plus reliable capacity for design and development – internal or external. Continuity is crucial: The product is not "handed over" but accompanied.

Q: How do I prevent feature sprawl without stifling innovation?

We clearly separate "gathering ideas" from "building ideas." In product mode, the ideas field can be large – but implementation is strict. It helps to formulate each idea as a hypothesis and define a measurement. If 64–80% of features are rarely used, it's not a sign of a lack of creativity, but a lack of validation. Roikonen (2025) Innovation then arises not through mass, but through clean learning loops.

Q: What role does branding play when it's "just" a website or app?

Branding is not decoration – it's orientation . It helps users quickly place you: What do you stand for? Can I trust you? Do I fit with you? In digital products, branding shows in tone, structure, visual clarity, but also in small decisions: error messages, onboarding texts, forms. If these don't match, a break occurs – and that costs trust.

Q: How do I measure "impact" effectively without getting lost in KPIs?

We like to start with a single North Star metric that really counts – and add more only later. It can vary per product: qualified inquiries, completed registrations, recurring usage, or application quality. The key is not to measure output ("We built ten pages"), but outcome ("More people find, understand, and do the right thing"). If you then delve deeper, tools like Matomo or Google Analytics help – but only when your questions are clear.

Q: How does sustainability fit into the product approach – isn't that a separate topic?

For us, it's a part of quality. A lean, fast, accessible solution is often simultaneously more sustainable – less data, less computing effort, less maintenance. Moreover, since 2025, expectations have shifted: Accessibility is no longer "nice" but legally and socially demanded in many areas (keyword European Accessibility Act). Adding accessibility and energy efficiency only post-launch becomes more expensive and turbulent. Product thinking means: integrating responsibility early.

Q: What tools help with the shift from project to product?

It's less about the perfect tool and more about transparency and rhythm. For planning and backlog, Jira or Trello work well. For prototyping and collective decisions, we love Figma . For feedback and behavior in the product, depending on privacy requirements, Hotjar or more data-sparing alternatives like Matomo are useful. The key is: You don’t use tools to "have more data," but to make better decisions.