The Product Design Balance
Product Design and creation is a contentious issue. In all cases there are three factors that need to be considered within the product design function. These factors are especially important within small organisations.
Usually, within a small business product development will fall onto the shoulders of one person, in some cases there is only one person within the team! The three elements to consider here are…
- Are we designing the right product?
- Are we delivering quick enough?
- Are we designing the product right?
Balance is the key
Without balance here we may have a team, or a person, wasting their time creating a product that is not required by the marketplace. We might have a product that is incorrectly structured, or we might have missed our opportunity because we have not created our product quick enough.
If you are a small business or sole trader it would be worth having a confidant or two, people around you, that you can bounce your ideas off at the early stages of product design, prior to wasting too much time on creating without valid feedback from people within your market. You might consider speaking to any user groups or checking out comparative and competitive products. You could consider speaking to industry professionals to ensure you have this balance correct.
Ask yourself the questions above and ensure you have a balance.
When creating your products, a good place to start is to fill in the gaps to this statement….
I (user), need a (product) so that I can (benefit) so I can feel (emotion).
If you can write this sentence relating to your product, your marketplace and the benefits and emotions that people will enjoy then you are on the right track to creating an effective and desirable product. If you cannot fill in the blanks to this sentence, the likelihood is that you will create a product that is either confusing or not required by your specific market.
Using this sentence and filling in the blanks will ensure your product offering is correct. Worth noting it may also highlight product variations that you can create in the future or it might just steer you to create or refine new products that supersede your original thoughts.
Don’t fear slowing down to speed up here
Using this model outside of Product Design
The product design model is not exclusive to the process of product design. The three elements above can, and should, be considered with almost every task that we endeavour to complete within our business, especially, if we are hampered by timings or capacity.
Ensuring tasks being completed are the correct ones, checking we are doing them accurately and safeguarding against required timelines is just as important in all our business activities, not just limited to that of product design.
Again, if you are a small business owner, this is one of the critical challenges that you will face to ensure you maximise on your time and productivity. Having a third party to bounce ideas off and speak to, to ratify your decisions or help to clarify the tasks within your to-do list would be advantageous, making certain you are completing the tasks that need to be done, allowing you to work more efficiency and productivity.
If you want to know more or chat through any element of your business feel free to get in touch, we would love to hear from you.
