(M3) Product Design

Product design

one of the crucial steps. Customers have many alternatives to choose from. Unless the product is designed to attract their attention, the company may find it difficult to sell the item.

Product Design Process

Product design in operations management is not a single step but a detailed process. It is essential to know the process well if you aspire to become a product designer. This process starts with the user, who you have to satisfy with the item. The organization must make sure that there is a need for the product

User Research

One can do user research in different ways. It depends on the product and the customer segment as to which method is best. Sometimes all the methods will be used to understand what the customer wants

• user interview

• contextual inquiry

• online surveys

• market research

User Research

user interview

This is a method users are interviewed either in person or by telephone to understand their needs and what they expect from a new product. This process is time-consuming but can give you the most accurate insights.

contextual inquiry

In this method, the company publishes questionnaires online and requests users to fill them out. This method can provide a large quantity of data in a very short time. This is an inexpensive method to collect information, but it may not be as accurate as the interviews.

online surveys

Customers are observed when they use the products in a natural environment. It is an excellent way to empathise with the users and put yourself in their shoes.

market research

Studying the competitors and how they satisfy the customers is an excellent way to know what the market needs. It allows you to learn from the mistakes made by other companies and improve upon them

Narrow Down and Define

It is the next phase of product design in operations management, where a huge amount of data is analyzed to determine the exact customer needs. In this stage, it is essential to understand the customer fully. Companies create user personas at this stage to help them narrow down the product design.

Ideate

Once the team has an idea about what the customers need, it is time for them to sit down and ideate. The members have a brainstorming session where they discuss the different features that can provide answers to the users’ problems. With the flow of creative ideas, this stage also helps get the stakeholders’ confidence.

Create Prototype And Deliver

The next step is to put the ideas into practice. The company starts by creating a prototype that only has the necessary functions. The prototype helps the company test the product and ensure it delivers what is promised. Once the prototype is tested and found good to use, the product design teams create a minimum viable product or MVP.