Product Discovery at Droids On Roids: How to Protect Your Mobile App’s ROI

Have you ever wondered what has to happen for hot water to come out of your tap? The water is there because your faucet is connected to pipes that are part of the building’s plumbing system. That’s just a surface-level look at what’s going on underneath.

Every building, whether it’s a house, school, office, shipping terminal, or clinic, is made up of connected pieces designed and assembled according to a carefully thought-out plan. That plan accounted for how the interior spaces would be used. The architect considered not only those uses but also the people who would use them.

That’s why you find wheelchair ramps for accessibility, low sinks in preschool bathrooms, and peepholes set at eye level. The architect also considered the materials the building needed, how they would interact with each other, the lay of the land, the surroundings, and even the type of soil. In some places, you also have to consider cultural context, seismic activity, and local zoning rules.

The project will only be successful if you take all of these factors into account and turn them into a solid plan that builders, interior designers, and finishing crews carry out precisely. The building will stand the test of time and serve the people using it as expected.

The same goes for digital products. Sure, you can always buy an off-the-shelf design, but, as with a house, it’s common for the person paying for it to not know what they don’t know, which usually results in expensive changes later on. It’s easier to prevent problems than to fix them later.

To minimize risk and set your project up for success — especially given how competitive things are out there — you need a solid plan with clearly defined dependencies. This enables you to verify that you are still headed in the right direction at every stage of development.

Before you start building a new app or overhauling its key components, you need a full diagnosis of everything mentioned above. You need to understand how your business plans translate into IT architecture, the actual user experience with the product, and how the mobile app fits into your entire business ecosystem.

What is Product Discovery at Droids On Roids, and why isn’t it just UX research?

At Droids On Roids, our experts perform a thorough analysis and develop comprehensive plans for developing and growing your product — that’s the essence of our Product Discovery service. It’s a strategic process in which our senior-level experts (architects, UX researchers, business strategists, and product owners) not only map out technology, business, and product risks, but also identify opportunities and plan work on your product before you spend money on code. We don’t focus on just one aspect of the app, such as user data. Instead, we examine the entire picture — the full set of data — to see the whole app and its ecosystem clearly.

When does a Discovery phase make sense, and when can you skip it?

You might be wondering if every product needs to go through the discovery process. The answer is no. Connecting the worlds of business, technology, and the user is important at every stage of product development. However, it’s absolutely critical when bringing something innovative to market, planning a big-budget investment, or making decisions with little prior knowledge about your end users or the right product strategy. This is precisely when you should consider running a “diagnostic” on your digital product and creating a detailed plan for developing and growing it.

Conversely, if your product has a clear long-term strategy, as well as defined product, business, and marketing goals, and you understand your users’ behaviors and motivations thoroughly, then you’re ready for the definition phase. That’s when we’ll finalize your digital product’s features, prioritize the work, and create a long-term roadmap. Once your strategy is finalized, you can start coding without risking your budget.

What does Product Discovery look like in practice? 5 business scenarios

There is no one-size-fits-all diagnostic path for every product. The tools we use and the time required to run Product Discovery on your app depend on several factors, including the scale and stage of your business, your industry, and the challenges preventing you from achieving a strong ROI.

That’s why we keep this process flexible, building the service around modules that fit your specific needs. Below are the most common product discovery scenarios that we see with our clients, based on our team’s recommendations. See if you recognize yours.

Startups: Validating market hypotheses and building a product vision

Do you have an idea for an innovative shopping or lifestyle app? Instead of jumping straight to development, we’ll assess how your idea holds up against market reality and the decisions that should follow. We’ll also gauge early user reactions and deliver a tested, clickable prototype or AI app concept for your investors. Our goal is to reduce the risk of one of the top reasons startups fail, according to CB Insights (2023): poor product-market fit.

Modules that fit: Product Discovery or Validation, Market & User Research, Pre-MVP feasibility study (technical feasibility analysis).

When do they fit? When you’re testing market hypotheses, looking for investors, or shifting your business assumptions.

What we do in these modules:

• Building the strategic foundation (context, ambition & risk assessment): We define a clear product vision (what we’re building, for whom, and why), analyze your position in the competitive market, and map the critical risks to your business model right from the idea stage.
• Defining and prioritizing hypotheses (hypothesis definition): We map out every assumption about the business, users, and information architecture, then flag the riskiest ones for your business’s success.
• Prototyping (early/solution concept testing): We build lo-fi or AI-generated mockups of the core user journey to quickly visualize the product and put the concept in front of your target audience.
• Gathering insight on your target audience (user & problem validation): We dig into market reports, talk to potential users, and show them clickable prototypes — gauging their first reactions and how likely they are to actually use the app.
• Making recommendations (decision & roadmap): Based on everything we’ve gathered, we assess how to build the product, which features will bring it closer to market success, and which direction to pivot in if the current assumptions don’t hold up.

Scale-ups: Preventing product chaos and stabilizing growth

Do you have an e-commerce or B2B app that generates revenue but whose growth is slowing down while the cost of retaining each customer keeps climbing? Do you feel like you’re making decisions without solid data on how customers use the app? Our team of experts can help. We’ll identify those gaps, organize your user data, and set a clear direction for your app’s growth.

Modules that fit: Product-Market-Fit Assessment, Product Strategy & Vision, UX Research & Testing.

When do they fit? When you’re managing app growth in a tough environment, or when you want to pull different sources of app data into one coherent picture.

What we do in these modules:

• Auditing the quantitative and qualitative data (analysis & product review): We analyze conversion funnels, look at how users behave in the current app, and dig into the reasons behind churn.
• Running user research ( goals, scope & interviews): We don’t guess. We back up the quantitative data with qualitative research, such as in-depth interviews (IDIs), usability testing, or surveys with your current customers. We turn those findings into strategic recommendations.
• Analyzing gaps and value (user & value analysis / gap identification): We identify the gaps between where your product stands now, what users actually need, and what the market expects. We check your current Product-Market Fit.
• Building recovery scenarios (PMF improvement scenarios): We create a prioritized backlog of changes (User Story Mapping) so you can plan the product’s growth and get a handle on the friction points in the app.
• Running strategy workshops (value proposition & positioning): We redefine your product’s unique value and where it stands in the market as competition heats up.

Corporations: Digital transformation or innovation, and reducing investment risk

Are you a retailer looking to roll out a new loyalty app that connects to ERP systems and POS registers across hundreds of locations? Or do you need to rebuild an outdated app to keep up with the market? Before closing the tender process, we will map your business departments’ needs against what IT can deliver and establish the direction of the transformation.

Modules that fit: Product Strategy & Vision, UX Research & Testing.

When do they fit? When you’re going through digital transformation or rolling out something innovative, and you need to cut the risk on a costly investment.

What we do in these modules:

• Running stakeholder workshops (context & ambition alignment): We run workshops with key stakeholders across departments (C-level, IT, marketing, finance) to align business goals and industry requirements.
• Mapping technology risks (risk assessment): We map tech risks (ERP/CRM integrations, legacy code) as well as operational risks.
• Running market research (synthesis & insights): We analyze the global competitive landscape and run in-depth research with your current and potential corporate customers.
• Translating findings into product decisions (implications for product): We turn complex organizational business goals into concrete functional guidelines for the new app.

Industry lens: Retail with high CAC (customer acquisition cost)

Do you have an m-commerce app and want to redesign the purchase process to reduce cart abandonment? Are you unsure how to respond to negative reviews of your app? Are you wondering which loyalty features actually engage your users? Our experts will analyze your cart abandonment data and customer feedback to help you build a loyalty program that keeps users engaged.

Modules that fit: Product Audit, UX Audit & Optimisation, UX for Conversion & Retention, Product Strategy Sprint.

When do they fit? When customers are abandoning carts and unhappy with how the app works, or when customer loyalty is in question.

What we do in these modules:

• App UX analysis (design improvements): We check the design patterns used in the app and evaluate them against interface design best practices, with an eye on ROI. We suggest changes to boost conversion.
• Product analytics (analysis & recommendations): We dig into cart data, focusing especially on abandoned purchases, and check error logs, conversion funnels, and CRM data. We flag the key areas for improvement and translate them into business value.
• User research (research goals, scope & interviews): We don’t guess. We back up the quantitative data with qualitative research, such as in-depth interviews (IDIs), usability testing, or surveys with your current customers. We turn those findings into strategic recommendations.
• Product implications (implications for product): We turn complex organizational business goals into concrete functional guidelines for redesigning the app or its key features.

Industry lens: B2B apps connecting multiple operational roles

Do you manage a B2B product that connects various operational roles and the end user, and does building an intuitive interface for everyone feel like a real challenge? Or does your business model make it difficult to reach your end users through a mobile channel? We’ll examine your specific situation and design (or redesign) your app to help you achieve your business goals and deliver the strongest possible ROI across every role and channel.

Modules that fit: Product Strategy & Vision, Product Audit, UX Research & Testing, Pre-MVP feasibility study.

When do they fit? When digitalization is a challenge for your business model, or needs to connect multiple operational roles.

What we do in these modules:

• Stakeholder workshops (context & ambition alignment): We run workshops with key stakeholders across departments (C-level, IT, marketing, finance) to align business goals, industry requirements, and map out the challenges in your business model.
• Mapping the needs of different target groups: We analyze which target groups and segments the app reaches.
• User research (research goals, scope & interviews): We don’t guess. We back up our hypotheses about users with behavioral data. We run in-depth interviews (IDIs), usability testing, or surveys with your current customers, and turn those findings into strategic recommendations.
• Tech capability audit: We check integration and technology capabilities, and recommend a tech approach that matches the challenges in your business model.

What exactly do we do during Discovery?

As you now know, every digital product is constantly changing. That’s why our Product Discovery process is flexible. We recommend the right modules and specific actions based on your business. Depending on the scale of your business (startup, scale-up, or corporation) and the industry challenges you face (retail, B2B, etc.), we plan the appropriate steps. Here are the key building blocks that we mix and match to create a Product Discovery process.

Strategic + research kick-off: We know “why we’re doing this”

What we do: We map the app across your entire business ecosystem together with key stakeholders (C-level, IT, marketing, sales, customer service).

Why we do it: To figure out how the new mobile app should work with your current sales channels (omnichannel), operational processes, and marketing strategy.

Customer Journey Mapping (CJM): We know what’s getting in users’ way

What we do: We identify and optimize the entire user journey through the product.

Why we do it: We map every touchpoint between the customer and the app — from the first time they open it, through browsing the catalog and checking out, all the way to customer service — so we can pinpoint the barriers holding back conversion and loyalty. Based on what we find, we form research hypotheses and test them against technology, marketing, and the end customer’s experience.

Value Proposition Canvas: We know what users will actually pay for

What we do: We work together to match your value proposition to what the market needs.

Why we do it: We line up your customers’ goals, everyday tasks, and challenges against the features of the app you’re planning in order to build a value proposition that sets your product apart from the competition.

Testing on a clickable UX prototype (wireframes) or your existing app: We know if our hypotheses hold up

What we do: We test how end users actually interact with the product before a single line of code gets written.

Why we do it: We build interactive mockups of the core user path, or take a close look at your live app. We run usability tests with real users, gathering feedback on navigation and information architecture so we can design interactions that actually work.

UX analysis and KPI audit: We know what it’ll take to make money on the app

What we do: We evaluate your app’s interface against market standards and business data.

Why we do it: We audit the app or its key modules, combine that with qualitative data and feedback from users rating the app, and flag the spots that need immediate optimization.

Product Vision Statement: We know where to take development next

What we do: We put together a clear, long-term product vision that lines up with your business strategy.

Why we do it: We define what the product is, who it’s for, what problem it solves, and its key success metrics (North Star Metric), all in a concise strategic document.

Market Landscape Summary: We know what we’re up against

What we do: We analyze the market landscape, competitors, and tech trends.

Why we do it: We check out your direct and indirect competitors, locally and globally. We look at current trends in m-commerce/B2B (AI solutions, personalization, fast payments, etc.) and see how your app can get ahead.

Growth Blockers Map: We know what’s holding growth back

What we do: We identify the tech and product barriers.

Why we do it: We map out the factors currently slowing down the app’s development or its adoption in the market. Then we build a clear improvement matrix based on the tradeoff between dev team effort and business value (using a framework like RICE/ICE).

How long does it take, what does it depend on, and roughly how much does it cost?

A lot of things affect how long Product Discovery takes:

• Your business model
• The number of stakeholders (business, marketing, product, IT departments, etc.)
• The size of the app
• How much input data you have (analytics, NPS scores, user feedback, etc.)
• Technical dependencies
• Access to a user research sample

The more information you have going in, the faster our Product Discovery runs, and the better we can match the right modules to your case.

How long Product Discovery takes: On average, Product Discovery takes us 2-6 weeks of work, with several roles involved at once: product, UX research, and product engineering.

Roughly how much Product Discovery costs: Depending on the factors above, this service typically runs you an average of €21K. €18K-25K.

Do you want a precise estimate for the product discovery phase of your app? Get in touch, and we’ll select the appropriate modules and provide a quote for the Discovery phase.

If you’re unsure about investing in Product Discovery before spending money on development, consider this statistic from Pendo cited by Forbes, a platform with data on 850 major global clients: roughly 80% of the features in typical cloud software are rarely or never used, meaning about $29.5 billion is wasted.

How Product Discovery generated a projected ROI of 17 million PLN

If you’re wondering what this looks like in practice and how it translates to business results, let us walk you through a quick example from the grocery retail sector.

One of the major players in the Polish grocery retail market was facing a few challenges with their mobile app, including UX issues and backend dependencies. Over the course of our collaboration, we performed a series of activities based on our modular Product Discovery approach: a tech audit, app regression testing, a UX audit, NPS analysis, and product analytics. 

After that stage, we knew where to look for the main cause of cart abandonment. However, we still needed to understand why users were dropping off in the specific area we’d identified. To find out, we backed up our analysis with qualitative research on the app. During that process, we experienced the problems firsthand from the user’s perspective and traced them back to their source.

Impact for the client’s business: Through this analysis, we identified huge revenue growth potential for this grocery app. Fixing the funnel at step 1 of the mobile session and clearing up the cart bugs is projected to generate an extra 17.5 million PLN in revenue for the client every year.

Here’s a look at some of the fixes behind that number:

Cart and checkout

• We eliminated payment failures that were blocking checkout with no explanation given to the user.
• We added white-label in-app payment methods — BLIK, code-free BLIK, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and one-off payments — for faster checkout.
• We redesigned the cart’s visual layer, making it easier to manage delivery dates and addresses and cutting down on user error.
• We integrated the invoicing system with KSeF, Poland’s national e-invoicing platform.
• We improved product tiles so they reflect active promotions dynamically, pulling from the complete, accurate data set.
• We standardized how out-of-stock items are shown for a user’s requested delivery window, so shoppers know when a product will be back in stock and get a clearer view of substitute options.

Search

• We added instant search results as users type.
• We added search-term suggestions to help users find products faster.
• We streamlined navigation across categories and subcategories, helping users find what they’re looking for more quickly.

Wrap-up

At Droids On Roids, the Product Discovery phase is a strategic diagnostic process that connects user needs with your organization’s IT architecture and business goals. It also serves as a direct bridge to the Definition phase, in which we define the scope, build a roadmap, and prioritize features. Discovery enables you to make big decisions based on real data instead of writing code based on untested assumptions. The result?

• Your IT budget stays protected from being spent on features customers don’t actually need
• A shorter time-to-market
• Maximized ROI, backed by real market validation

Want a precise estimate for Product Discovery on your app? Get in touch, and we’ll pick the right modules and quote out the Discovery phase.