Digital product development is an innovative process uses agile methods to deliver products quickly while utilizing regular testing toward improvements and updates that meet both evolving software availability and changing user needs.

Read on for a closer look at digital product development, why you should consider studies in this increasingly vital field, and one school that can help you gain the knowledge, skills, and experience you need to thrive in a tech career.

The digital imperative

According to McKinsey, companies employing a traditional approach to business rather than using digital technologies and strategies have lower earnings and earnings growth than their digital-forward competitors.

This is truer now more than ever, as AI is massively transforming both education and work.

Sean Johnson of advisory and product development firm Digital Intent says effective digital product development is driven by one thing above all else: solving customer needs.

“Products that work solve a customer need in a way that is truly differentiated. This requires knowing what needs the customer has, the degree to which those needs need to be solved, and how they go about trying to solve those problems today.”

The digital product development process

• Analysis, research, and preparation
• Sketching and wireframing
• Design
• Prototyping
• Agile implementation
• Launch
• Maintenance, support and iteration

The benefits of digital product development

In today’s world, businesses need to innovate quickly to meet constantly (and rapidly) changing customer expectations. The companies that succeed are those that can create and improve products and services that people truly want and need.

Digital product development plays a key role in this process. By using agile methods and continuous feedback, it helps teams work more efficiently and make better decisions throughout the development cycle. Some of the major benefits include:

• Increased productivity: Teams collaborate better, stay focused, and deliver results faster.
• Quicker time-to-market: Products can launch faster, giving businesses a competitive edge.
• Higher adaptability: Products evolve based on user feedback, leading to better fit and satisfaction.
• Lower costs and faster turnaround: Smart planning reduces waste and speeds up delivery times.

Digital product development trends

New and emerging trends are constantly shaking things up in this rapidly moving industry and shaping its future.

Chris Meering, a Senior Director Analyst at Gartner's Tech Product Manager team, recently identified 3 key product development trends for 2025:

Turning AI into real value

Product designers, developers and managers must focus on where AI can truly help your customers or boost internal efficiency — not just where the hype is. Explore other AI types like agentic AI if GenAI isn’t delivering.

Building smarter with shared tools

Product owners must use common platforms and components across products to save time and money. Work closely with engineering and tech teams to spot shared needs and build reusable solutions.

Making security a top priority from day one

With new tech come new threats. You’ve got to think about security early and often. Team up with security experts to bake protection into your product design, not bolt it on later.

👉 Want to learn how to navigate these trends, or influence them yourself?

Studies in this field can not only help you keep up with the trends but also give you an inside edge with employers.

Here's what students are saying about product development

Dominic, Interaction Design

“An Interaction Designer deals with many different issues such as user experience, visual design and creates therewith a product that is appealing and intuitive for the user at the same time.”

Adrien, Product Management

Student Adrien says, “I chose to study Product Management at CODE because I fell in love with the pedagogy’s description as it reflects perfectly what I was looking for and which values I believe in. Diversity and transdisciplinarity are melted together in the CODE’s environment to support exploration and inventiveness.”

Maya, Interaction Design

Maya’s interest in product development and interaction design comes from her personal experience: being partially deaf has heightened her awareness of the barriers that exist.

“Through a UX course I started a couple of years ago, I was made aware of the problems that people with disabilities are facing with technology. I started to work on my own sign language app idea, and I continued to work on it during my orientation semester.” she says.

Lotta, Software Engineering

With an early interest in software engineering, Lotta grew up in classrooms surrounded by boys, and she believes in the power of increasing visibility of women in tech:

“[The] tech community is hopefully shifting, people are getting more sensitive, and sometimes the prejudice comes out of unawareness. But working in a diverse team is important -- the work is better, and it’s more fun.”

She continues: “Real role models are important, and maybe I can be one”.

Conclusion

As technology keeps evolving, digital product development offers exciting opportunities to shape the future.

Whether you're passionate about design, problem-solving, or innovation, this field gives you the tools to build meaningful solutions and thrive in a fast-paced world.

Read more:

• What is UX Design and Why Study it?
• What Can I Do with a Computer Science Degree?