Phases of product design

The small business environment today is very dynamic and competitive,

and product design is a crucial process if you want to survive. For small
enterprises to withstand competition from multinationals, they have to
continuously update their products to conform to current trends. The product
design process is the cycle that a new product has to undergo from
conceptualization to the final introduction into the market. The phases for
product design are as follows:
1) Idea generation& screening:
This is the initial stage where a business sources for ideas regarding a new
product. Some of the sources for new product ideas include the business
customers, competitors, newspapers, journals, employees and suppliers. In some
cases the idea comes out of a brainstorming session, while other ideas develop as
a direct response to a need in the market or a response to a competitor product.
Once the idea generation phase ends, the ideas must undergo a screening process
to weed out all but the best ideas. The screening process typically includes a
variety of general projections including cost, market reception and profitability.
This stage is crucial as it lays the foundation for all the other phases. Ideas can
come from various source;
2) Concept Development/testing:
The concept development and testing phase seeks to gauge consumer
reaction to the overall idea of the new product. Large companies often use focus
groups to collect data about whether consumers would buy the product, how
often they might purchase and acceptable price levels. Small-business owners can
use focus groups, though informal questions to existing customers can also yield
valuable information about interest in a new product.
3) Product specification:
Product specification involves detailed descriptions of what is needed to
meet customer needs and wants, and requires collaboration between legal,
marketing, and operations. The product features are identified.
4) Process specification:
Process specification is the next phase on which specifications for the
process which will be needed to produce the product is identified.
5) Prototype development:
Prototype development is the development is the development of samples
which are developed to see if there are any problems with the product or process
specifications.

6) Design review:
In design review any necessary changes are made or abandon.
7) Market test:
A market test is conducted to determine the extend of consumer
acceptance.

8) Product information:
Once the market test is successful product is introduce in the market and
promoted. This phase is handed by marketing.
9) Follow-up evaluation:
Once the product is in the market, it is evaluated, forecasts is refined and
changes are determined if needed.
 THE 3 KEY ELEMENTS OF PRODUCT DESIGN

Developing a product from start to finish is a huge undertaking for any company.
There are so many things to think about when it comes to creating a product.

Questions like “Is there a need for this in my market?”, and, “Will people actually
buy my product?” are all questions that seem to haunt every business owner in
every industry.

But, once you do your research and find that there is a need for your product
idea, you can begin to think about actually designing your product for your
customers.
The 3 key elements of product design are:
The Functional Use of the Product
The Outward Appearance Design
The Quality Delivered to Your Customers
When you go shopping for something in a store or online you already have in
mind what you need, and what the product needs to do for you. Granted, there
are people who like to window shop and find things they were not necessarily
looking for but have to have it (I do that all the time in Target - yep I have a light
up coffee sign to prove it), but when a customer is looking for a solution, they
know what they need already. It is up to you to fill that need and provide a
functional, beautifully designed, quality solution if you want them to be your
customer.

You also have to keep delivering great solutions over and over again if you want
them to stay your customer.
Let’s begin discussing these key components of outstanding product design so
you can start planning something incredible to create for your future customers.

1.) The Functional Use of the Product

Before you can start thinking about how your product should look, you need to
think about how it works and what it does for your buyer. The definition of the
word Functional, is “designed to be practical and useful, rather than attractive.”
(Source - Google's definition results box)

Think about how useful your product would be to your customer and put yourself
in their shoes. Does it solve a pain point for them? What feature can you
incorporate into the design of the product that will really “wow” them?

A great product is incredibly useful, incorporates great functionality, and usually

solves a problem for your buyer.

2.) The Outward Appearance Design

The outward design and look of your product is the surface design. Depending on
what the product is, the design can be minimal or detailed; it can apply to just a
small area of the surface of the product; or it can cover the entire product with a
pattern design or artwork.
To save time in developing a product, many brands decide to hire or license
artwork and pattern designs to create the look for their products. Or they have an
in-house design team to develop the overall design of the product. Research is
done to see who the ideal buyer is for their product, and what design themes are
trending in the market. Based on this information you can develop a product the
customer will fall in love with because it connects their functional product need
with their personal style, who they are, and what the product will reflect about
them.

3.) The Quality Delivered to Your Customers

Quality is probably the most important thing to get right in today’s marketplace.
Care must be taken in developing a very high quality product. I spend months
developing a new product and focus on creating highly valuable artwork and
solutions for my clients first.

The quality of the product delivered to your customers is just one part of what I
mean when talking about quality. What I look for when I am buying a product is
not just the quality of the product itself, but the quality of the company, as well. A
company should serve its employees and its customers in a mutually beneficial
way.
Today’s buyer values quality companies that care. Buying from a quality company
is important to me, and I try to use companies and services that put their
customers and employees happiness first whenever possible.

If you never lose sight of caring for your customers, they will feel it and you will
find so much joy in their happiness. What a really wonderful way to earn their
trust and grow your business!