ACCELERATING DIGITAL PRODUCT INNOVATION

5 easy-to follow tips for a better digital product development experience

1Involve all the right people from the very beginning of the process

Innovation is about taking an idea and exploring all of its facets to determine what is possible, desirable, and profit-able. Doing so requires input from the experts in product, design, and technology – each bringing their own expertise and experience to the conversation and ensuring that the user stays at the center of the discussion.

1. Involve all the right people from the very beginning of the process

2Slow down to speed up

There are inherent dangers in moving too fast and rushing a product to market that’s not really ready. There may be a fatal flaw in the design itself, or it may lack key functionality that’s needed to make it truly adoptable and usable for users. It’s important at this point to take the time to properly define the digital product that’s being created.

2. Slow down to speed up

3Prototype, test, refine, validate

A key component to the prototype-test-refine portion of the program is putting the design in the hands of real users through market testing, online testing, even live-on-the-street testing for validation. If you want to know what customers will actually adopt and use, you have to engage them in the design process.

3. Prototype, test, refine, validate

4Build for chapter 1, not the whole story

Despite the provisos tip 2 and 3 about moving too quickly or not doing enough validation, you don’t want to go too far in the other direction either and try to write the whole story, when only chapter 1 is needed.

Getting your innovation out to users in a timely fashion for greater validation and refinement by the market is essential.

4. Build for chapter 1, not the whole story

5Decide how to go to market and when to refresh

Once you’ve completed your planning, your iteration and validation, your branding, design and functionality, and your market channel, it’s time to execute. And then recycle and refresh your design, based on market feedback and performance, and do it all again.

5. Decide how to go to market and when to refresh

Thank youThelton McMillianFounder, CEO

thelton@comradeagency.comComradeagency.com