While recently researching and looking for new ways to improve my current business and possibly start another, I recently began reading about a new phenomenon: User Driven Product Development. Gone are the days of the old Research and Development models which were focus group and out sourced research based. Welcome the new days, and it’s quite a novel idea; it’s simplicity is the key. (Isn’t that the case with most great ideas? It’s grounded in simplicity and it’s self propelling.)
The great idea is to let your customers decide what you sell. Not only do they decide what you sell, they help design it. It eliminates the agnst ridden launch of a new idea or product, wondering if you the customer will appreciate what you’ve done for them. The nail biting as you hope the consumer looks favorably upon your invention. Those fears are made obsolete when you take the guess work out of the equation. If the person you’re targeting is the one telling you what they want and what they are willing to buy, then you’ve just avoided a lot of heart burn and many sleepless nights.
The question is, how do you incorporate this strategy into your current work? It’s more than the old focus group, where the mom’s and teachers gather around to tell you the toys they need to develop healthy minds. It’s more than that. You cannot simply get their input, they have to be a part of the selling model. Many companies are using User Driven Product Development in conjunction with User Driven Marketplaces. What a glorious day when the person buying it is the one designing it, the one putting it on the market and then buying it. You need not lose sleep at a product launch if all the guess work is gone.
It’s so simple it doesn’t require paragraphs of explanation.
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