DTangle Business Analysis & Discovery

Transforming complex technology into a marketable SaaS Product

DTangle’s journey from conceptualization to prototype with expert guidance and innovative design.

About the company + Industry | Country | Timeline + Key outcomes

Company name: DTangle

Industry: Software specializing in processing complex graph data

Country: Switzerland

Timeline: 3 months for business analysis and prototyping; 2 years for full product development and team building

Key Outcomes: 

• Simplified complex technology into a tangible product concept; 
• Created a visual prototype for the SaaS platform; 
• Facilitated workshops to refine the MVP concept and attract investors;
• Provided support in project initiation and team ramp-up by implementing the software project life cycle model.

About the company: 

Established in late 2023 in Geneva, Dtangle SA is a Swiss startup with roots in scientific innovation, emerging as a commercial spin-off of CSX, an open-source software developed at CERN.

With over 30 years of collective experience, the team brings CERN’s legacy to the forefront of technological advancements.

Dtangle is the pioneer in offering IT products based on CSX, aiming to revolutionize interactions between people, data, and AI.

Committed to academic rigor and business excellence, its mission prioritizes positive societal and environmental impacts.

The Context & challenge

Challenge: The primary problem was to translate the client’s ideas into a concrete prototype and specifications for a SaaS product. Integrating the ambitious vision, sdlc life cycle models and detailed project scope of Dtangle with the inherent challenges of creating such comprehensive product specifications illuminates the complexity and the intricate balance required to bring such a pioneering platform to fruition. 

• Understanding and incorporating user needs

One of the primary challenges lies in accurately capturing and integrating the diverse needs of Dtangle’s target audience, which includes data analysts, researchers, and business professionals. 

This requires extensive market research and ongoing engagement with potential users to ensure the platform is versatile enough to address a wide range of data management, analysis, and visualisation needs. 

• Technical feasibility and innovation

The technical ambition of Dtangle—to integrate AI, and advanced data processing within a user-friendly interface—presents a significant challenge. 

Achieving a seamless integration of these technologies while ensuring the platform remains scalable, maintainable, and secure necessitates a high level of technical expertise and innovation. 

• Security and compliance

Given the sensitivity and importance of data integrity, building robust security measures into Dtangle is paramount. 

The platform must not only secure against unauthorized access and data breaches but also comply with a complex web of data protection laws and regulations that vary by region and industry. 

This challenge requires a proactive approach to security and privacy, embedding these considerations into every stage of the platform’s development.

• User experience and accessibility

Crafting an intuitive user experience that caters to users with varying levels of technical expertise, while also providing advanced features for expert users, is a significant challenge. 

DTangle aims to demystify data analysis and visualization, making these processes accessible to a broader audience. 

Achieving this goal necessitates a design that is both powerful and approachable, necessitating iterative testing and user feedback to refine the interface and workflows.

• Collaboration and real-time data handling

Enabling effective collaboration within the Dtangle platform, especially in real-time, introduces complexities in terms of data synchronization, user role management, and conflict resolution. 

The system must ensure that changes made by one user are instantly and accurately reflected for all users, without compromising on performance or data integrity.

• Scalability and future-proofing

Ensuring DTangle is scalable and can easily integrate future technological advancements or respond to changing market needs is a forward-looking challenge. 

Designing the platform with flexibility and extensibility in mind, without knowing exactly how future technologies will evolve, requires a foundational architecture that is both robust and adaptable.

• Education and support

Developing comprehensive training materials and establishing an effective support system to assist users in maximizing the potential of Dtangle is critical for its adoption and success. 

This involves not only creating educational content but also establishing channels for feedback and support that facilitate continuous learning and improvement.

Goals/Objectives: Conduct a comprehensive 3-month business analysis phase and develop a Figma prototype outlining the product’s core functionality.

Benefit after the challenge was solved – what was the outcome?

Key points & operations:

Benefits: The client was able to secure financing, understand the product development needs clearly, and have a well-defined vision of the product’s functionality and operation.

Impact: The outcomes enabled the client to minimize development costs, pitch their idea more effectively, and obtain the necessary investment to build the product

The project with DTangle involved a highly complex and collaborative process, characterized by intensive interaction, implementation of software engineering life cycle phases and strategic planning. The goal was to convert the client’s innovative ideas into a tangible and marketable SaaS product. The process unfolded in the following stages:

• Frequent meetings and communication: the project kicked off with a series of daily and weekly meetings to ensure constant communication and alignment between our team and the client.
  Sdlc in project management is a must. This helped in maintaining a clear understanding of the project’s progress and addressing any emerging issues promptly.

• In-person collaboration: understanding the importance of face-to-face interaction, our team flew to the client’s country to engage in in-depth discussions.
  These sessions focused on exploring all potential uses of the product, which was crucial for shaping the development and design strategies.

• Monetization and market strategy development: a significant part of the process involved mapping out potential monetization strategies and go-to-market approaches.
  This step was essential to understand how to develop the product architecture in a way that aligns with the business model and market demands.

• Involvement of sales and marketing specialists: to better articulate the user and buyer personas, we brought in specialists from sales and marketing.
  Their insights were invaluable in defining the target audience and tailoring the product to meet their needs and expectations.

• Comprehensive business analysis: all the insights and information gathered were channeled into a thorough Business Analysis process.
  This phase was instrumental in converting abstract ideas into structured, actionable plans.

• Prototyping in Figma: the outcomes of the Business Analysis were transformed into a working prototype using Figma.
  This prototype served as a visual and functional representation of the product, enabling the client to visualize the end result and provide feedback.

• Vision and specification refinement: as the project progressed, we continuously adjusted the product vision and specifications in collaboration with the client and potential customers.
  This iterative process ensured that the final product would not only meet but exceed the expectations of its intended users.

Core team