| dc.description.abstract | This master thesis explores the influence of COVID-19 and the shift to remote working on product development, examining the advantages and difficulties associated with this transition. Through a qualitative study, the thesis draws insights from in-depth interviews conducted with 12 employees across 8 different tech companies. These individuals hold key roles in product development and product management, providing their experiences and perspectives on the pre-pandemic, during-pandemic, and post-pandemic product development processes. The study aims to uncover the impact of the pandemic on digital product development practices and the implications of this.
The research question guiding the study is: What impact has COVID-19 had on digital product development? Further, the research question is divided in two:
1. How has the normalization of remote work changed product development practices?
2. What are the benefits and challenges of remote product development?
The findings suggest that the shift to remote work has both advantages and challenges, and the ability of individuals and organizations to navigate these effectively will play a crucial role in the future of post-pandemic work.
Certain phases of product development have been affected by the transition to remote work to a larger extent than others, particularly ideation and concept development. The practices in these phases have gone from being physical and interactive, using post-its and whiteboards, to being conducted via digital conferencing platforms such as Google Meet or Zoom, aided by tools like Mural. The implications of this depend on how the identified challenges are addressed. | |
