Examples of Behind-the-Scenes of Product Development: 3 Standout Examples (Plus More)

Imagine a small remote software team spread across four time zones, trying to ship a new AI-powered feature before a big conference. Instead of hiding in silence for six months, they turn the entire process into content. That’s one of the best examples of behind-the-scenes of product development done right.

They start with a short founder video on LinkedIn: a two-minute screen recording of a rough prototype, cursor awkwardly hovering over half-working buttons. The caption explains the problem they’re trying to solve, invites comments, and openly shares their roadmap. Over the next eight weeks, their behind-the-scenes examples include:

• A screenshot of a Notion task board showing bugs, priorities, and who’s working on what.
• A side-by-side comparison of V1 vs. V4 of a user interface, with annotations explaining why they changed button colors, spacing, and wording.
• A clip from a real user interview (with permission), highlighting a moment when the user gets frustrated—and then excited.
• A short Loom video of the engineering lead explaining a “tradeoff” they had to make to hit the deadline.

This is a textbook example of behind-the-scenes of product development: 3 examples from this one launch alone could be the prototype demo, the user interview clip, and the UI before/after. None of it is glamorous, but that’s the point. It feels honest.

Why this works in 2024–2025:

• Buyers are more skeptical. They’ve seen too many polished promises. Showing the messy middle builds credibility.
• “Building in public” is now a recognized strategy in the startup world, especially on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn. It attracts early adopters who want influence, not just access.
• Short-form video is dominant. A quick dev-log or feature diary fits perfectly into TikTok, Reels, or YouTube Shorts.

If you want your own examples of behind-the-scenes of product development to feel this real, focus less on the big launch and more on the tiny decisions: renaming a feature, removing a button, rewriting a tooltip.

2. Consumer Brand: From Sketch to Shelf at a CPG Company

Picture a mid-sized beverage brand working on a new low-sugar drink. The final can design looks effortless on the shelf, but the path to get there is anything but. This brand turns that hidden chaos into a steady stream of behind-the-scenes content.

First, the design team posts a messy desk shot on Instagram Stories: printouts of thirty different label concepts, some with hand-written notes like “too busy” or “hard to read at 3 feet.” Then comes an internal taste-test day, filmed on a phone. Employees sip different versions and rank sweetness on a 1–10 scale. Someone makes a face at batch #7, and that 3-second reaction becomes the hook of the Reel.

Over a few months, their examples include:

• A time-lapse of a designer iterating on the label in Illustrator, from blank canvas to near-final mockup.
• A simple chart showing how they reduced added sugar compared to an older product, with a link to nutrition guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for context.
• A short Q&A with their food scientist about how they balance flavor and shelf life.
• A behind-the-scenes shot at the manufacturing line during test runs, with captions pointing out where quality checks happen.

Here, the brand isn’t just dropping one example of behind-the-scenes of product development; 3 examples appear naturally: flavor testing, label design, and pilot production. They could easily stretch this into a dozen posts without repeating themselves.

What makes this style powerful:

• It humanizes a faceless brand. Suddenly, there are real people arguing about mango vs. berry.
• It quietly educates. Referencing external sources like USDA nutrition guidelines or NIH research on sugar consumption can anchor your story in credible science while still keeping it accessible.
• It invites participation. Asking followers to vote on label options or flavor names turns the audience into collaborators.

If you sell anything physical, your own best examples of behind-the-scenes of product development might be sitting in your trash can: rejected labels, failed prototypes, and scribbled notes.

3. Creator-Led Brand: A Solo Founder Launching a Digital Product

Now shift to a very different scene: a solo creator—maybe a designer, fitness coach, or writing teacher—building a new digital course. No office. No lab. Just a laptop, a coffee shop, and a slightly unhealthy relationship with Google Docs.

This creator doesn’t have a big budget, but they do have something big brands often lack: direct access to their audience. They turn that into one of the cleanest examples of behind-the-scenes of product development: 3 examples emerge almost automatically from their daily workflow.

First, they share a screenshot of their course outline on Instagram Stories with half the sections labeled “???” and a poll asking, “What do you struggle with most: getting started or staying consistent?” That poll data literally shapes the next version of the outline.

Next, they post a short clip from a test recording where the audio goes wrong or they stumble over a sentence. Instead of hiding it, they caption it: “Proof that I do 7 takes before you see 1.” Followers love it because it’s honest and funny.

Finally, they invite a few long-time subscribers to a free beta round. They record a Zoom call (again, with permission) where someone says, “This part lost me.” That feedback leads to a revised module, which becomes another piece of content: a before/after of the lesson structure.

Across this one launch, their examples include:

• Polls and question boxes to shape the curriculum.
• Clips of failed takes and behind-the-scenes recording setups.
• Screenshots of feedback and how it changed the product.

For creators, the line between marketing and making doesn’t really exist. Every step—brainstorming, scripting, recording, revising—can become a real example of behind-the-scenes of product development that builds hype and trust at the same time.

More Real Examples of Behind-the-Scenes of Product Development You Can Steal

Those three stories are just a starting point. If you’re trying to brainstorm your own content, it helps to see more specific, real examples of behind-the-scenes of product development that work across industries.

Here are several formats that brands are using in 2024–2025, along with how you might adapt them.

R&D Diaries from Hardware and Wearables

Hardware teams have some of the best examples because physical prototypes are inherently visual.

Think of a wearable health-tech startup testing a new fitness tracker. Their content might include:

• A sequence of photos showing Prototype A, B, and C lined up with notes like “too bulky,” “band irritates skin,” “battery life still bad.”
• A short interview with a biomedical engineer explaining how they test heart-rate accuracy, linking to background information from the National Institutes of Health about heart health.
• A clip from a field test where athletes wear early prototypes in real workouts, sweat and all.

These examples of behind-the-scenes of product development do two things at once: they show effort and they show care, especially around health-related claims where trust matters.

UX Research as Storytelling in Product Teams

If your work is more digital and less physical, user research is your goldmine.

A product team at a fintech app, for instance, might share:

• A blurred screenshot of a user-testing session with sticky notes everywhere, highlighting three recurring pain points (without exposing private data).
• A “day in the life” thread on LinkedIn from their UX researcher, walking through how many users they talk to, what they listen for, and how those insights change the roadmap.
• A “before and after” of a confusing onboarding flow vs. the simplified version after testing.

This is another example of behind-the-scenes of product development: 3 examples easily arise from just one research sprint—interview clips, insight summaries, and design changes. It also educates your audience on why a feature looks the way it does.

Sustainability and Compliance as Content

In regulated or sensitive industries—food, health, finance—there’s growing pressure to show not just what you make, but how responsibly you make it.

A skincare brand, for instance, could:

• Share a short explainer on how they test for skin sensitivity, linking to guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about cosmetics safety.
• Post a behind-the-scenes story at their lab, walking through a batch test and what happens if a sample fails.
• Highlight how they choose ingredients, referencing sources like Mayo Clinic or WebMD when talking about common concerns (fragrances, allergens, etc.).

These are quiet but powerful examples of behind-the-scenes of product development that reassure a skeptical, health-conscious audience.

Internal Debates and Tradeoffs

Some of the best examples of behind-the-scenes of product development aren’t about shiny objects at all—they’re about disagreements.

A streaming platform deciding whether to autoplay the next episode might share:

• A post describing the internal debate: engagement vs. viewer well-being, with references to external research on screen time or sleep from sources like Harvard Medical School.
• A sketch of two competing UX flows, asking followers which they prefer and why.
• A follow-up explaining which option they chose and what metrics they’ll watch.

Handled thoughtfully (and with privacy in mind), this kind of transparency shows that your features are intentional, not random.

How to Turn Your Own Work into Examples of Behind-the-Scenes Content

If you’re thinking, “We don’t have anything interesting to show,” that’s almost never true. You’re just used to it.

To create your own best examples of behind-the-scenes of product development:

1. Follow the life of one feature or product. From idea to launch, document each step: the first sketch, the first test, the first failure, the first user reaction.
2. Capture decisions, not just artifacts. A whiteboard is boring until you explain, “We removed this feature because it confused users.” The story is the decision.
3. Protect privacy and compliance. Blur sensitive data, get consent for interviews, and fact-check health or safety claims against reputable sources like NIH, FDA, Mayo Clinic, or WebMD.
4. Invite your audience into the process. Polls, Q&As, beta access, or naming contests turn passive viewers into co-creators.
5. Repeat the formats that resonate. If your audience loves seeing sketches, make it a recurring series: “Sketch to Screen, Week 4.”

Over time, you’ll build a library of real examples of behind-the-scenes of product development that not only promote each launch, but also teach your audience how you think.

FAQ: Behind-the-Scenes of Product Development Examples

What are some simple examples of behind-the-scenes of product development I can post this week?

You can start with low-effort, high-trust content: a snapshot of your brainstorming notes, a quick video explaining why you killed a feature, or a side-by-side of an early mockup vs. the current version. Any example of a decision, a change, or a test can become a post.

Are there good examples of behind-the-scenes content for regulated or health-related products?

Yes. Brands in health, wellness, or food often share lab testing processes, ingredient selection, quality checks, and how they interpret guidelines from organizations like the FDA, NIH, or Mayo Clinic. These examples include both the visual process (labs, equipment, checklists) and the reasoning behind choices.

How often should I share behind-the-scenes of product development?

Think of it as a steady drumbeat, not a one-time event. For a major launch, many teams share at least one behind-the-scenes post per week leading up to release, then a few follow-ups showing how they’re iterating based on user feedback. You can repurpose the same work into multiple examples of behind-the-scenes of product development across platforms.

What’s one example of behind-the-scenes content that works for both B2B and B2C?

A “feature origin story” works almost everywhere. Pick one feature or product, and tell the story of how it started: the original problem, the first sketch or prototype, what users said, and how it changed. This single narrative can be broken into multiple posts and becomes a reusable template for future launches.

How do I keep behind-the-scenes content from feeling boring or overly technical?

Focus on people, stakes, and change. Who was frustrated? What were you trying to fix? What almost went wrong? Even the driest process becomes engaging when you highlight the human moments—the debate in the meeting, the surprise in the user test, the relief when a test finally passes.

In the end, the best examples of behind-the-scenes of product development don’t try to impress with perfection. They invite people into the messy, thoughtful work that happens before anything is ready for the spotlight.