<aside> 💬 “Any damn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple.”
- Pete Seeger (Musician)
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First things first, before you start designing, you should figure out what it is you’re actually building: what problem(s) are you solving, what features should your product have to solve them, and what should you build first?
Building your product starts with speaking with your customers. You might have a vision in your head of what you want to build, but until you validate or invalidate your assumptions about the problem through engaging with customers, you can’t know for sure that what you’re building is actually solving the problem. Take a look at Customer validation for guidance.
This is an ongoing process. For as long as you are developing a product (i.e. for as long as you have a business), you should be speaking with customers to get feedback and prioritise what you will develop next.
The minimum viable product (MVP) is the first version of the product with enough features to attract early-adopter customers and start receiving feedback.
<aside> 💬 “If you’re not embarrassed when you ship your first version you waited too long.”
- Reid Hoffman (Co-Founder of LinkedIn)
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Throughout your startup's journey, learning to prioritise is crucial. In the early stages, resources like personnel, time, and money are limited, so maximising their use is essential. For product development, this means determining which features to build immediately and which can wait. The MoSCoW framework is a valuable tool for setting these priorities.
⬆ Graphic designed by the Edinburgh Innovations Student Enterprise Team.
Alongside speaking with customers and deciding what features your MVP will have, you can start designing the look, feel, and user flow of your product or service. You should continue engaging with customers and prioritising alongside this process, as it’s not linear.
Show, don’t tell. A visual representation of your product or service serves as a communication tool that conveys your vision to your audience, whether they are potential collaborators, grant funding bodies, or investors, and enhances your credibility.
You do not need technical skills for this part, just a willingness to learn.
Check out this article on Usability Heuristics for help with your design choices.
Design Thinking is a user-centered approach to problem-solving that is particularly valuable in the prototyping process. This methodology emphasizes understanding the needs and experiences of end-users, fostering creativity, and iterating solutions based on real-world feedback.
Here’s a detailed look at the five key principles of Design Thinking and how they integrate into the prototyping process:
⬆ “5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process” - Interaction Design Foundation