Product Design: A step by step process in designing an effective product from scratch with team members.

Step 1: Start With the Problem

Contemplate with team members what problems you experience in your life, and try not to jump to conclusions. Coming up with solutions right off the bat is very easy to do, but not as effective as discussing multiple problem areas in your life. If your group tends to jump to solutions right away, put them in a “parking lot” document, and come back to them later

Step 2: Do your research

Talk to as many people as possible about your problem topic. For instance, ours was a long-distance relationship. We interviewed several people and asked specific questions that would help us identify key problem points that couples experience while in a long-distance relationship. The goal is to find as many patterns within your research as possible. Take a look at your interviews and try to find information that is relevant and repetitive. Also, if doing surveys online with a platform such as “survey monkey,” be sure to pay attention to misleading feedback. Some information that can interfere with your survey results are participants that answer the survey in a shorter amount of time than everyone else.

Step 3: Come up with around 3 solutions and test it

After doing extensive research on your problem, from articles, interviews, etc, come up with around 3 solutions and test them in a rough prototype. Once the prototype has been created, test it on different people and ask for their feedback, Some questions you may ask are, “do you think this product would be something that you would use?” “Can you tell me a little bit more about what you think as you use the product” “Can you tell me what price you would be willing to pay for this?”

Step 3: Talk to Mentors

Talk to people who have experience in product design, test your prototype with the, and get their feedback on what they think of your solution. Let them know who your competitors are, and how big of a market your product will be available to.

Step 4: Choose One Solution

Choose one solution and prototype it further. Fully build out how the product works, what its benefits are, who your target audience is, what the price will be and the engineering required to make it.

Step 5: Do More Research

Once you have fully built out your prototype, test it again on more people and see what they think. Ask them about everything you have thought through including the product features, design, brand colors, and the name. Adjust your product according to feedback.

Step 6: Fully build out your prototype

Now you’re in a position to make your idea truly come alive. You have already built your rough prototype. Now it’s time to get coding, wireframing, creating in Fusion 360, or whatever you need to do in order to make your product come alive. Create a website. Come up with a marketing plan. Create the pitch. Create brand guidelines. Create the full prototype and then get ready to pitch it to investors!

Step 7: Pitch Your Product to Investors

Once you’ve fully built out your product, pitch it to investors. Include the problem, the solution, and the reason why your product is different than the others. Really think about why they should invest in this. Begin the pitch with an intriguing story, then go into the problem. Next state how many people are experiencing this problem and then introduce your product. Give them a walkthrough of how the product works, from step a to z. Create eye-catching visuals that are on-brand.