I’ve been getting lots of questions about product development processes, so I thought I’d share something exciting we’re working on. Have you ever wondered how a product goes from idea to reality? Let me take you on this journey using our Spice Sage project as our guide.

Think of Spice Sage as our “teaching product” – it’s a direct-to-consumer platform that connects spice lovers with amazing small-batch spices. But what makes this project special isn’t just the fantastic flavors we’re working with – it’s how we’re using it to demonstrate each phase of modern product development.

Today, we’re deep in the requirements phase, and let me tell you, it’s like building the foundation of a house. We started by creating these amazingly detailed user stories. My favorite is “Curious Carla” – she’s this awesome home chef who wants to explore global cuisines but gets overwhelmed by traditional spice shopping. Sound familiar to anyone? 😅

Here’s what makes this approach different: instead of just listing features, we’re building entire user journeys. For example, when Carla scans her spice jar with her phone, she doesn’t just see “2 months until expiration” – she gets recipe suggestions, storage tips, and even the story of the farmer who grew that specific batch. How cool is that?

We’re documenting every step of this process because, honestly, product development can feel overwhelming when you’re starting out. I remember my first project – I wished someone had walked me through it all!

Next up in our journey:

– Turning these user stories into actual JIRA tickets (I’ll show you how!)

– Setting up our first sprint planning session

– Getting our development environment ready

– Starting on those first prototypes

Want to see the detailed user stories and technical requirements we’re working with? I’ve put together a complete document here:

I’d love to hear about your experiences! What was the most surprising thing you learned in your first product development journey? Drop a comment below!

P.S. Stay tuned – next week, I’ll share how we’re handling the technical architecture phase. Trust me, you won’t want to miss how we’re solving the “fresh spice tracking” challenge! 🌶️

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