Great Design, Winning Experience

As a market researcher by training and profession, I have the chance of testing and researching on a number of products for my clients. Very often, clients are at my doorstep with design prototypes (unfinished products) wanting me to validate and improve their offerings. Over the years, I have conducted studies which range from chocolates to petroleum. I would like to take this chance to share some my personal thoughts with you on how to attain winning products for your customers.

Product experience matters.
A great product experience delivers impactful emotional branding. It is far easier and cheaper to retain a customer which has a pleasant experience with you before than finding a new one. Pleasant experience form deep emotional bonds between your brand and your business. It is priceless. Look for the ‘experience architect’ in your business. They are the ones that closes their eyes, holding the prototype in their hands and imagining what the customer will feel when they use their products or services. Design experience, it matters.

Purposeful design that meets a need is fundamental.

Many products are created for the sake of bringing in sales or ‘it’s already in the pipeline’. Too often, designers design for the sake of fulfilling project requirements and not knowing what is it designed for. Has the product lost its initial purpose? Do designers know why customers need them in the first place? Do they need another 10 TB drive that stores more media? Or do we need one that integrates all your media files that you have and make them ubiquitously accessible to make their lives easier? Sell your product benefits by first having a strategic purpose and meeting the needs of your customers.

Be open about your innovation. Involve your customers. Customers talk, be it to you or to each other. Point is that customers talk. With the prevalence of internet and social networking tools, you can stay in your rabbit hole and they will still be talking about you or your products. Why not make them talk to you and become your asset by integrating product research with them? Lego Factory is created for that purpose to integrate customers into their product design.

I hope you go on to improve your offerings for your customers and great product experience for them.

Please leave your comments, if any.