Do we wait for a product to be great before rollout?
Or is good acceptable?
Good design is at the backbone of our everyday lives, and those very designs can radically change the way we do things. In my short time designing, I must admit I truly love designing. I love the feeling of continuously getting a design or product that much closer to perfect (for the user, of course). However, do we wait for a product to be great or near-perfect before deployment? When is good good enough?
Although it may sound cliché, the honest answer is “it depends.” If we apply what I consider the “perfection” principle to all our products, we are well on our way to failure. The “one-size-fits-all” principle should not and cannot be the approach of product design. Product design is a process; it is not the product itself. At the end of the day, our goal is to create a great product that is useful, usable, and desirable, but it must solve a problem efficiently for its users and the business.
Although the “one-size-fits-all” approach can be damaging to product design, there are some points to consider that often signal a product’s readiness for deployment.
Product is useful
I consider usefulness to be the first and most important requirement. Any time we design a product, the goal is to solve a problem for the user. It must have a purpose. The biggest oversight with usefulness is when designers mistake action for problem-solving. If a user completes a task or considers a product entertaining but fails to solve the problem, is the product really useful then? Another way to look at it is through our habits as consumers. We buy products for two reasons: to ease pain; and to provide pleasure. Customers are more likely to buy a product that addresses their pain points than a product that gives them pleasure.
Product is usable
When you think of usable, you have to ask yourself how well a product is at performing its purpose. The Nielsen Norman Group defines five core components to usability:
- Learnability — The ease with which the user can figure out how to use the product for the first time.
- Efficiency — The ease with which users can accomplish tasks.
- Memorability — How well a user can recall the system after a period without using it.
- Errors — The amount and severity of errors both from the system and the user.
- Satisfaction — The pleasure a user gets from using the product.
Product is desirable
Or cool. Cool is good too. Yes, products should be functional, and usefulness and performance 100% matter. However, that’s not the only criterion. Joshua Porter, creator of the What to Wear daily report, recognizes that “the experience is the product.”
Imagine if you are at a startup. You have to make sure your product is desirable from the get-go because you want to validate your product where it can hold its place against the more well-known products in its product category. Remember that useful is in the eye of the beholder, so a product can be considered “useful” if the user finds it to be desirable.
Product solves an existing problem
Any successful product has solved an existing problem. If the product does not solve a problem, then it simply becomes eye candy or perhaps, a distant memory over time. It is easier to offer users a solution for a problem they are currently experiencing than it is to convince them they have a problem they didn’t know they had.
Product is ready for deployment
It’s extremely challenging to pinpoint when the perfect time is for product deployment. We grow so attached to our (product) design that we often forget it’s less for us and more for the users. We want to protect it, and the work is a true reflection of our design capabilities.
Releasing a product timely is crucial to success. Many factors can contribute to the timeline of deployment, but I hope you remember that you are not designing for yourself. You are ultimately designing for others. Sometimes you just need that small reminder to know that you are ready.
