In an era where technological advances are redefining the fundamentals of product development, Deep Impact has developed an approach that goes beyond previous standards. Instead of limiting ourselves to static prototypes that only provide a limited insight into reality, we create fully functional applications in just four days. This process is at the cutting edge of innovation, pushing the boundaries of what is technically possible by delivering not just functional, but ready-to-use solutions.
In the fast-paced world of product development, design sprints have become an indispensable tool for driving innovation quickly and efficiently. Traditionally, these sprints end with a static prototype – a visual mock-up that simulates the user experience but offers no real functionality. At Deep Impact, however, we have taken a bold step forward: we are replacing these static prototypes with fully functional applications that are built and tested within the same four-day sprint. This shift not only improves the testing phase, but also significantly accelerates the entire development process.
The limitations of static prototypes
Static prototypes are useful, but they have significant limitations:
- Static nature: They do not interact with real data, which makes it difficult to test dynamic functions.
- Difficult customisations: Every change requires manual updates, which are time-consuming and tedious.
- Handling dynamic data: It is impossible to simulate real-time data interactions.
- Limited user journeys: Typically, only a single user path is mapped, which does not reflect the complexity of real user interactions.
- Device limitations: Often designed for only one device type, either mobile or desktop, not both.
These limitations make it difficult to get a true picture of how a product works in practice – a problem we at Deep Impact were no longer willing to accept.
The advantages of a fully functional application
By creating a real application during the design sprint, we overcome these challenges and create completely new possibilities:
- Dynamic data processing: The integration of real data enables authentic user experiences.
- Fast adaptability: Changes can be made spontaneously, even during user testing.
- Technical foundation: The application serves as a starting point for further development.
- Cross-device compatibility: Works seamlessly on mobile and desktop devices right from the start.
- Real-time adjustments: Feedback can be implemented immediately, significantly improving the testing phase.
This approach transforms the design sprint from a mere concept test into a real starting point for product development.
The tools behind the success
To enable this groundbreaking change, we have relied on innovative tools:
- Lovable: an AI-driven website generator that allows us to create appealing and functional frontends using simple conversational prompts. Lovable does the heavy lifting of coding by using modern technologies like React and Tailwind and seamlessly connects to backend services. It acts like an AI-based full-stack engineer that turns our ideas into code in no time.
- Supabase: An open-source backend-as-a-service that provides a scalable PostgreSQL database, user authentication, and real-time data synchronisation. Supabase simplifies backend setup so that we can focus on developing features instead of infrastructure.
The combination of Lovable and Supabase creates a perfect symbiosis between front-end and back-end, which drastically reduces our development time.
The case: design sprint with Metrade
In mid-February, we worked with Metrade on an ambitious design sprint. The goal: to create the largest marketplace for copy-trading strategies in the crypto space. In just four days, we developed a fully functional application that includes the following features:
- Dynamic filtering of trading strategies: Users can sort strategies in real time according to their needs.
- Integrated user login: Thanks to Supabase, authentication was implemented quickly and securely.
- Dynamically generated content pages: All website content was created flexibly and automatically.
During the sprint, we used Lovable to generate the front-end components such as the strategy filter interface, while Supabase managed the user data and enabled live updates. User testing showed that the application was not only functional, but also intuitive and responsive – a real hit!
Results and future implications
The results speak for themselves: what would have traditionally taken three to four months to develop was realised in just six weeks. The application will go live in the second half of March – proof that our approach not only saves time but also delivers a robust, market-ready product. This paradigm shift could permanently change the way design sprints are conducted in the industry.
With tools like Lovable and Supabase, Deep Impact proved that it is possible to go from static prototypes to fully functional applications in just four days. This approach improves the quality of user testing, accelerates development and lays the foundation for future innovations.
Curious about how these tools work? Stay tuned for our next article, in which we delve deeper into the technology behind this success.
