Our industry is changing rapidly by the moment and it’s based on the innovation growth curve that supports Big Data needs. In our interactions with clients, the main focus has always been on product development strategies via data visualization application solutions. Simply put, customers want to build products on data they already have and figure out how to scale it with more data in an innovative way to support their needs. From those experiences, the most frequently asked question is: “What technology should we be using?”.
This chart visualizes the popularity of different technology being used on GitHub. We understand that GitHub isn’t the only repository used, but it is a good source of intelligence nonetheless. What’s important are the activity trends of the available tech being used by developers (within the GitHub community). This knowledge helps supply Product Owners’ with the following intelligence:
- Shelf life of popular tech assists with scalable architecture planning for the data visualization product
- Usage activity of popular tech helps to determine the size of resources pool
- Resource retention aids with shaping educational programs for existing resources to stay current
Amongst the many costs associated with product builds, labor costs are a major portion to it. With the popularity of open source languages like JavaScript, Python, etc., the demand for people to have these skill sets are proving to be more than what the real supply is currently available. With the added rarity of years of hands-on experience with a specific technology, this begins to put a ceiling on the level of possible innovation.
How can you apply this information? As a Product Manager, the selection process for resources/vendors can be daunting and, with this information, you will be able to:
- Evaluate the right resources/vendors for your product based on the chosen tech
- Understand the available options for the technology (pros/cons)
- Understand the value of the right resources/vendors process for product build
Unfortunately, there’s never a one-size-fits-all scenario when answering the question: “What technology should we be using?”. It’s largely dependent on the vision of the overall product. Technology is only one part of it, but plays a vital role during product feature planning. Deciding on the right tech, the cost associated, and the availability of talent becomes a larger issue when the actual work begins. An effective product plan is the initial step to determining the success of a final solution.
Need additional help? We have built many product plans with our clients and can help you answer questions you may have about the process to ultimately achieve your data visualization product goals.