Important Phases of Smartphone Product Development

Technologies extensively used by people across the world have considerably evolved over time. The days of black and white television, and bulky landline phones are long gone. Today one can explore the internet, watch movies, make calls and more, through a pocket-sized, touchscreen smartphone. Earlier, Anand Jayapalan had spoken about how the process of smartphone product development process has also evolved quite a bit over time. This is an iterative, complex journey that generally involves a combination of design, innovation, engineering, testing, and marketing.  The phases involved in this journey typically include:

• Conception:  Product development starts from an idea. In the conception phase, a team of engineers, designers and other company members sit together to brainstorm and decide what the smartphone would be like. Several ideas are thrown around in this stage, in regards to the style, shape, features look of the phone, and more. After multiple time-consuming brainstorming sessions, decisions are made about the final look, features and design of the phone.
• Making prototype: The phase would involve turning the idea into something tangible. For this purpose, a non-functional prototype tends to be created. The prototype does not typically have an internal kit, and is largely used for measuring aesthetics of the smartphone, instead of its performance. This dummy version is reviewed by the relevant people, and all suggested amendments and alterations are made accordingly to finalize the phone design.
• Working on internal features:  As the design of the smartphone is decided, mobile engineers take over the task of working on its processor and memory.  They determine the technologies to be used for the phone, the type of front and rear cameras, and so on. Engineers work closely with manufacturers to ensure the integration of components like the motherboard, display, camera modules, and battery are done in a compact and efficient manner. After selecting the key components, the working performance of the phone is checked and reviewed by relevant parties.
• Installation of software: In this phase, the software team tries to infuse life in the phone by loading the pre-decided operating system. They make sure that phone hardware and software show smooth compatibility. Installation of software is a time consuming process, and has to be monitored by a team of experts to make sure that the smartphone is working as expected. Compatibility testing with various apps and services is needed at this stage to guarantee a seamless user experience.
• Testing of smartphone: After all the appropriate hardware and software are installed, the smartphone undergoes a rigorous testing process to make sure that it is fit for mass production. These tests can be of varying types, ranging from drop and water tests to ensure that the smartphone is sturdy enough to simple browsing and usability tests.
• Mass production of the phone: After the prototype passes all the tests, the mass production of the smartphone begins. Manufacturers tend to produce the necessary components, assemble them, and conduct quality control checks throughout the production line.

Earlier, Anand Jayapalan had spoken about how the smartphone product development process is a multifaceted journey that requires the collaboration of teams across multiple disciplines. While the exact process followed by companies may differ from one another, most of them do go through the major steps discussed above.