A simple process for building innovative products
At times, I’ve felt like my ideas weren’t good enough or building them was too difficult.
It’s also easy to fall for analysis paralysis and even easier to jump from one distraction to another. People invent things to do to distract from what’s important.
The hardest thing to do is to start but starting is difficult because it’s hard to know where to begin. In this article, I share a beginning point and a simple process to build anything.
Step 1: Embrace an assumption
Innovative products start with an assumption — aka a hypothesis.
The difference between lousy assumptions and brilliant ideas is the process of validating, invalidating, and evolving a hypothesis through feedback and iteration.
Start with a “leap of faith” assumption and be willing to change your aim based on incoming data.
Step 2: Do the research
Collect and analyze inputs from your surroundings to determine if your hunch is accurate.
The best research plan combines quantitative and qualitative data but usually relies more on one type, depending on what you’re building.
User interviews are the backbone of any user-centered research plan because they provide direct insight from real people.
After conducting research, extract the key insights. One method I like to use is an affinity diagram where you organize your findings into groups.
Creating a persona is another helpful technique to provide a focal point of the type of person you’re addressing.
Your research insights should help guide your thinking and evolve your idea. The most important thing is to focus on the goals and needs of the people you are building for.
Step 3: Ideate
The ideation process allows you to brainstorm many directions and further refine your idea based on your research insights.
Start with a low-fidelity wireframe — the more rudimentary, the better.
You can also create simple user journeys and flows to shape your understanding.
Always focus on solving needs and enabling the goals of who you’re building for. Create as many iterations as you can.
Step 4: Test, iterate, test
Now the fun part begins. Conduct a usability test with the same people you interviewed in the research phase.
In these tests, ask the participant to perform specific tasks. Observe patiently and listen to feedback. Don’t interject.
Don’t be afraid to test a low-fidelity prototype — even a paper prototype can generate helpful insights.
Make iterations to your prototype based on the findings and conclusions drawn from the usability tests.
Step 5: Launch and repeat
After exhaustive testing and iteration, it’s time to launch.
Once it’s in the real world, continue to go through this 5 step process to refine and add to what you built.
Make sure to always focus on the users’ needs. Unique technology and beautiful design don’t matter if you’re not solving peoples’ problems and helping them reach their goals.
The hardest part is starting
I hope this article inspires you to act. 99% of people never launch. If you’ve read this far, I think the world needs your ideas.
This article barely scratches the surface of the user-centered design process. I plan to elaborate on each step in future articles. Follow me and stay tuned for more.
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