Life is too short to design features that no one actually uses. If we want to become a more mature designer, we can’t just be clever at these little itching spots. We should start to integrate product thinking into our design, and try to design more meaningful solutions to users’ problems. Now, I might be able to give you a little help and thought on this question.
It’s easy for designers in the growth stage to focus too much on something else and lose sight of some important principles. This article is for you on the way up. Let’s focus more on what makes sense for the product itself.
While “user experience” is the buzzword, I suspect most designers will think of clever, neat, and user-friendly little features. These fun designs are certainly worthy of recognition, and they have their own value. But in reality, we cannot deny that these tiny functions are only a small part of the product, and most of them are designed to solve users’ part of the “itch point”. If we want to become a more mature designer, we can not just shake a few clever on these small itch point. We should start to integrate product thinking into our design, and try to design more meaningful solutions to users’ problems. Now, I might be able to give you a little help and thought on this question.
As with all products, the core user experience does not come from a few clever little features. Users use your product, and ultimately, and most importantly, expect it to have some positive impact on their lives. For users, Uber’s core user experience is the ability to hail a ride anytime, anywhere. The countdown, the ability to tell the user when the car is likely to arrive, is a nice little feature that enhances the core functionality of the experience. But if Uber were to eliminate this small feature, it wouldn’t have much of a material impact on its main job, but it wouldn’t exist independently of the product.
Design with product thinking, not always focus on small functions
To find out what the product meets the user’s needs
Products have core functions. That’s why they exist. It either meets the user’s needs or helps the user feel something is wrong, and therefore is a meaningful product. If a requirement does not exist, or is a fake requirement (e.g. car wash service), or a product does not solve the problem well, then such a product is meaningless, and no user will choose such a product. If the problem is solved in a bad way, we can fix it. If the need or problem doesn’t exist, then we can rest for a while. If there is no such thing, how can we design? So, how do we help users solve real problems? That is to discover what the user needs to meet first.
It’s not the user’s job to know what they want — Joe
Clay Christensen, who sells milkshakes, has been trying to figure out how to increase sales of milkshakes. There have been a lot of attempts to sweeten them, to create different flavors, but, you know, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of difference. He learned to watch milkshake customers. He found that most of the people who came to buy the milkshakes were motorists who wanted to make their commute to work less boring (hungry or itchy, as the Chinese say). One good thing about smoothies is that they’re thicker, so instead of being consumed instantly like other drinks, you can suck on them and enjoy their silky texture. But the people who drove to work didn’t know that this was the reason they chose milkshake as their driving drink. But the smart guy guessed, so they started selling thicker milkshakes than usual, and saw a significant increase in sales.
Live with the problem first, don’t focus on the “solution” — Laura Javier
Design features that incorporate product thinking for those who need them
Product thinking will help you design features that “really work.”
- Define what problem the product is trying to solve to answer the question “Why do we make a product like this?” That’s the question.
- Identify your target audience “Who has this problem?”
- “How can we solve this problem?” .
Being able to answer these questions will give a very clear guide to the design of product features, and the answer to these questions is a very good gauge of the success or failure of functional design.
Good solution
Don’t always focus on small features, small functions, try to find more problems that really relate to user needs, and then design good solutions to make the product more meaningful. Note that this is not to encourage you to ignore the details, but to let you know that these relatively granular features support the core user experience, but do not replace the core user experience, which is our core features. Interaction designers and visual designers can make a product look good, easy to use, and stand out from the competition, but the ability of designers to make a product truly meaningful is our ultimate goal, and the key to a successful product.
Product definition
When building a product, we should be able to answer the following questions ourselves. I drew a picture, so let’s think about it more.
The benefits of product thinking
Designers who truly design with a product in mind are more likely to make something meaningful to their target audience. It gives designers a more complete understanding of the user experience of the entire product, rather than just surface interaction and visual design. Thinking with a product in mind and putting the real problem you need to solve in the first place will make it harder to stray from the thinking path and prevent you from designing features that no one really needs.
Designing features is easy, but designing features that people want is a challenge.
Product thinking at the same time also allows you as a designer to ask more good questions and make team communication more efficient. After receiving a need, you pause, “Is this need really there? What does it mean? What should I do?” Ask a few questions about the core user experience of your product before you rush out to draw a fancy demo, and pay more attention to the actual situation of your product. This will often lead to more positive results.
conclusion
Product thinking enables designers to design effective problem solutions for real needs. It allows the design process to make more good decisions and make the work that people want. Product thinking is the guarantee that designers can truly understand the product, designers can not just look at the requirements of the design.
Author: Zhu Yuxuan
Source: Youshi
The article links: http://www.uisdc.com/production-method-involve-in-design#