While developing your product or service, it is important to ask yourself whether the customer is waiting for your product or service. The customer is obviously not going to buy a product or service if he does not need it. Therefore, it is important to properly identify your customer's wants and needs.
But how do you ensure that you can then perfect your product or service without losing sight of the customer? We give you 5 tips to develop a service or product that your customer really wants.
The basics of developing your own service or product
The first step before you start developing your product or service is to conduct market research. While you may be convinced that your potential customer is as enthusiastic about the product you envision as you are, it is important to research this through a market analysis.
After conducting research, you can start implementing your idea. The next step in the process of developing your own product is to create a concept. At this stage, you can put all your ideas together and design what is called a prototype. Next, the prototype must be tested, which is crucial to ensure that your developed idea meets the needs of a potential customer. After a successful product or service development phase, it is time for the testing phase and finally the market launch.
Tip 1: Product development starts with the customer problem
Developing a new product starts with analyzing what the problem is of potential customers. The target group must be properly identified in order to successfully market your product or service. Therefore, start the conversation with your customer and make sure that you identify his problem and needs as sharply as possible. This can be done through a 1-on-1 conversation, but also through a survey. Then you can ask a number of questions:
- In what activity does the problem occur and how does your potential customer deal with it?
- What is the problem during the core activity?
- Does your client recognize the problem?
- How common is this problem?
- How is your potential customer solving the problem so far?
- Did your potential customer search for alternatives? If so, what insights did that yield?
Tip 2: Specific questions during interviews before designing the prototype
Tip #1 should ultimately ensure that you have a good understanding of the problem. It is important to keep in mind that customers often purchase a product or service based on their emotions. Therefore, during interviews, always be keen on feelings and thoughts to find out emotional needs. The following questions can help you find out if your customer has an emotional buying argument:
- In what situation have you purchased our product or a related product (from the competitor) in the past year?
- Where were your frustrations and/or obstacles in purchasing?
- What did you experience as positive?
- What requirements and needs does the product or service meet?
With the answers to these questions you can improve your idea and avoid socially desirable answers. The 'Problem Interview Canvas' and 'Empathy Canvas' could strengthen your research.
Tip 3: Schedule brainstorming sessions and get help
Line up the answers from the interviews and brainstorm possible creative solution directions to meet customer needs. By doing this together with other entrepreneurs, startups or experts in the market, for example during the NOM Startup Program. In this way, new inspiring perspectives will emerge to improve the product and better meet customer needs. In this way, your business idea will become many times more innovative and smart and you will be able to develop your own product or service.
Tip 4: Prototype development
After extensive market research in which you have a clear idea of your target group and customer needs, it is time to develop the first concept into a prototype and test it. User feedback is essential to refine your product or service.
Let the customer watch during testing and listen to their feedback. Use the feedback to make your product or service even better and process the comments in a structured way in a 'Problem Solution Fit Canvas'. Use this canvas to test whether your product or service actually solves the customer problem.
While developing the prototype, keep in mind the cost structure you have outlined. This structure provides clarity on expenses and is the core of the financial approach to your product or service.
Tip 5: Keep talking to your customers
When you enter the market with your product or service, it is important to keep validating and engaging with your customers. Once your website and social media channels are live, you can create surveys that once again engage them and ask for feedback. "How can we make our product even better?" is always the key question in further optimizing your product or service.
The right help for your startup
Do you want support in developing your product or service? We offer the NOM Startup Program, an interactive program with personal coaching, inspiring case studies and feedback from experienced founders. During the program you can get a better understanding of your customers' needs and work on your startup in a structured way.
This way we guide northern startups to success and you can develop a new service or product with help. Contact us for questions or sign up so we can help you develop your product or service.
