Posts in Product design

Customer Research: How much do you think you know your customers?

Product design Service design
Customer Research: How much do you think you know your customers?

We were designing a product for a particular customer segment when one of the technical “experts” decided to take one design direction because he knew better.

He said, “I have been doing this for many years, and I “know” what customers want.”

Forget the fact that he wasn’t a designer; he still thought he “knew better.”

Why?
Design is such a subjective topic. Everyone has a point of view. It’s not like you are engineering the system of an autonomous car, right? THAT for sure needs expertise. But design? Everyone can do design. Or so they think.

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Boost your sales with a research-backed method for innovation

Consumer Behavior Product design
The market research method that will drive innovation and boost your sales

“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” – Henry ford

Sometimes, when we think about innovation, creating new products or services, we think about what is familiar to us.

You might think I wish to create something that I want or something that I am passionate about. While your passion is crucial to keep your engine going, it might not necessarily be what your customers want.

There are two primary schools of thoughts when creating new products:

1] Ideation: Ideate, brainstorm, test as many ideas as you can, and fail fast.
2] Needs and challenges: Find out about your customers’ needs and then serve them.

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7 Reasons to conduct usability testing

Customer experience Product design Service design
7 Reasons to conduct usability testing

In one of my previous posts, 6 Dimensions to measure usability, I explained what is usability and why it’s important to measure. 

But… 

More often than not, the budget wouldn’t allow it or the project timeline is just too tight. 

Usability testing then is put in a second priority. Worse, it could be forgotten.

… and so, I have decided to share with you 7 reasons you should conduct usability testing.

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6 Dimensions to measure usability

Customer experience Product design Service design 1 Comment
6 Dimensions to measure usability

Usability is one of the user experience design disciplines. Other disciplines include visual design, information architecture, and interaction design. 

Ignore it, and good luck having users “use” your product, whether that is a website, a mobile app, a system, or a device. 

What is usability?

In simple words, usability is how easy it is to use an interactive device, system, or website. 

When you decide to design a product, you are trying to solve your customer’s problem. You want to provide your customer with a functional product that is easy to use, and therefore useful.

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3 Product design principles that work for every customer

Customer experience Product design Service design
3 Product design principles that work for every customer

Emotions drive our decisions. 

They shape our pains, our joyful moments. If they are good, we keep using the same products or services, and if they are not, we simply stop and walk away.

There is no doubt that customer (or “user”) research is an essential activity to design products and services that truly meet your customer needs. 

We want to understand the challenges that our customers face in order to design products and services that deem helpful to them. 

If we don’t understand what jobs they are trying to do, what challenges they are facing, and what contributes to a better day for them, then what are we doing?

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Do you get frustrated when you can’t open a jar?

Consumer Behavior Product design Service design 1 Comment
Do you get frustrated when you can't open a jar?

Don’t be that jar. 

I bet every designer out there is familiar with the value proposition canvas, on which you basically match how the product or service you are designing, is going to help your customers do the jobs they currently do. It helps you map how you are going to relieve their pains, and how you are going to alleviate their gains. 

It looks something like this.

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Discover how color psychology can increase your conversions

Consumer Behavior Consumer Marketing Product design
Discover how color psychology can increase your conversions

Know your customer. 

In different terms, when it comes to product design or marketing, one key element to your success is knowing your customer. 

Some call it in the broader level of a customer segment, where basically you know specific statistics about your customer, such as age, demographics, etc. 

Those who take a deeper look to empathize with their customers create personas or avatars. A customer avatar is an imaginary representation of your target customer in a specific segment. The avatar or the persona is Amy who in her mid-20s and loves to go swimming every day after work. She is self-aware and motivated to remain healthy because her Grandma died from such and such disease. 

Knowing your customers can help you in so many decisions, from what to say and what not to say, what language to use, where to find them and how to trigger them. 

One of those decisions is color.

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Here’s the secret to behavioral change

Consumer Behavior Product design Service design 1 Comment
Here's the secret to behavioral change

If you are creating a product that isn’t a necessity, you are competing on time. With so many distractions, simply, there isn’t enough time to do all the things we want to do. 

You are competing to convert customers from what they do now to what you want them to do. 

You are competing to convince them to go to Zumba classes instead of the gym. You are competing to influence them to eat gluten-free lactose-free sugar-free muffin instead of the muffin we grew up knowing. You are competing to persuade them to use Uber instead of the taxi. You are competing to have them book airbnb instead of a hotel. You are competing to make them view Instagram stories instead of Snapchat. 

But, hey, how can you do that?

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