What are the Dos and Don'ts in Product Development

What are the Dos and Don'ts in Product Development

Introducing a new product to the market carries considerable risk, given that most new launches fail. If you are part of its development, you are likely the first to be blamed if it doesn't meet the client's expectations. It's also challenging if you are the owner of the product with excellent marketing skills but limited knowledge of its ins and outs. There are considerations to put in place for successful product development, irrespective of your role in the process.

What are the Dos in Product Development?

1. Work With A Professional Team

Hiring a competent team should be your priority. The professional team will speed up your product development process because they possess the right skills and expertise. They will be there to respond to your queries and guide you so that you can avoid making costly mistakes. Working with qualified staff will help you save money in the long run.

2. Have A Clear Goal

It's essential to have defined goals and a plan to execute them. Distractions are bound to confuse you, and you can lose focus on what you want to achieve. You can write your goals down, which will help you keep an eye on the prize.

3. Market Your Product Early 

Some organizations spend considerable time developing the product and start marketing it a few months or days before its release. This does not allow you to know what consumers want, which would send you back to the drawing board if your product is not well-received. It would be best first to seek consumers' opinions and then: Develop the product. Re-test the prototype. Release the product and Re-test to refine.

4. Double Your Budget

Investors and yourself want a return on investment. However, there will be costs associated with proving business cases. Making decisions needs a budget, so look at it and realize you can overrun it significantly. It's better to plan for sourcing more funds than risking everything and ending up bankrupt before you even launch your product.

What are the Don'ts in Product Development?

1. Don't Complicate It

A product should be developed with the end user in mind. Its features and functions should be customized to meet the consumer's needs. Adding too many unnecessary features does not increase its value but can affect its quality and hinder its performance.

2. Don't Repeat A Mistake You Made Earlier

If you have been in your industry for a long time, you've probably launched another product before and made mistakes. Learn from them because they are costly in terms of money and decrease your morale. You should establish your new product with borrowed lessons from your past mistakes. You can also take a leaf from errors made by players in your industry.

3. Don't Work With An Overloaded Team

Developing a product needs a focused team to speed up the development process. A couple of performing other duties during development will automatically reduce the output. For instance, if your project manager is involved with office interviews and settling disputes between groups, it will be hard to concentrate on the primary task, which can cause inconvenience.

4. Don't Launch Multiple Products At The Same Time

Launching multiple products at the same time can be a risky and costly affair. It can tie up your capital and time, leaving little room for investment in new products.

5. Don't Assume All Product Regulations Are Similar

It's essential to research the regulations that apply to different products in different regions. Launching a product in your area may have different rules in another part. A perfume in your country may be a drug in another country.

What are the steps involved in product development

The product development process is critical in simplifying a launch and encouraging teamwork. The need for coordination of numerous functions and many dependencies between tasks makes it essential to have a systematic process.

Here are the steps involved in product development:

1. Idea Generation

The first step involves generating an idea for a new product by brainstorming product concepts based on customer needs, concept testing, and market research. These are basic ideas that are subject to discussion before implementation. You can source the ideas from:

• Employees
• Competitors
• Journals
• Suppliers
• Customers

This step lays a foundation for the other phases. The ideas generated guide the overall process of developing the product.
 
2. Market Research

In this step, it's essential to determine your target customers' needs. You want to ensure you get value for your money by launching a product that will sell. You can research your target market in the following ways:

• Online Surveys
• Crowdfunding campaigns
• Using social media forums

Feedback from an unbiased target audience will help determine whether people can buy your products.
 
3. Planning

Have a clear plan before you start building your prototype. Approach your manufacturers with a clear idea of how your product will look and how it will work to avoid getting lost in the subsequent steps. You can sketch a product drawing to derive a list of the components needed to bring your product to life.
 
4. Prototyping

In this phase, you create a finished product as the sample you will use in mass production.

 
5. Sourcing

Here you build your supply chain. After creating a prototype, you look for the resources and vendors to finalize your development process and get the product to your customers.
 
6. Costing

After sourcing everything you need, you should focus on determining the cost of producing your product. This should include the following:

• Factory setup costs
• Manufacturing costs
• Shipping costs

7. Commercialization

By now, you have a product ready for introduction in the market. The product development team will hand over the product to the marketing team to launch it. You can accelerate your product's introduction to the market by setting up advertisement campaigns.
 
8. Review Of Market Performance

The organization must answer the following questions:

• Are the users contented with the after-sales service?
• Are business rivals releasing a comparable product in the market?
• How do the consumers receive the new product?
• Are the intermediaries satisfied with their commission?
• Is the marketing manager adjusting the market mix when the environment changes?

Continuously monitoring the product's performance will ensure it does not fail.

What are the Challenges facing Product Development? 

Creating a new product seems viable until it's time to do the actual work. It entails critical thinking and involves many risks. The gap between generating the idea and launching the product can see many changes. Consumers adapt to changing trends which may negatively affect the business. We highlight the problems encountered in product development and how to solve them in the table below;

Conclusion

Following the best practices in product development will ensure your product goes through the processes without any hitches. It will also save you time, money, and your efforts will be fruitful and satisfying. You can be assured of a successful final product by putting all the necessary preparation, from generating an idea to reviewing market performance. Guru solutions are effective in product development services. Reach out for help.