This means conducting research to identify their needs, wants, and pain points. The research can take many forms, such as interviews, surveys, and user testing. Itâs important to understand not only what users say they want, but also how they behave and what their underlying motivations are. Empathy is keyâWatch people interacting with products (your own and othersâ), and pick apart products to consider how each design feature accommodates or fails to accommodate users.
This can be done through brainstorming sessions or design thinking workshops, but core to this is generating a wide range of ideas, even if they seem far fetched. Always be learning about changes in technology and the field.
Determine which ideas have the most potential and which are the most viable. This can be market research, competitive analysis, or other methods such as the RICE model. In terms of business viability, itâs important to also consider factors such as market size, target audience, and the resources required to build and market the product.
Create a working model of the product that can be tested with users to get feedback and make improvements.
Develop a minimum viable product and launch it to market.
Analyze metrics, stay informed on industry trends, continue to gather feedback from users and make improvements based on this feedback. Good questions to ask include: âWhat do you think the purpose of this product is? Who do you think itâs for?â âNow that youâre in the product, what actions do you want to take?â âWhat are you thinking right now? How does that make you feel?â