Build Better Products by Jeremy Bell

Products are not just a collection of features. In this ProductTank Toronto talk, Jeremy Bell, VP of Design at Connected Lab, gives us a three-step guide explaining how we, as product people, can build better products.

Watch the video to see Jeremy’s talk in full. Or read on for an overview of his key points:

• What customers want
• What does better look like?
• How to build better

What Customers Want

Products are meant to satisfy a need or a want for a customer. People often buy products because they need it to solve a particular problem they are having, they essentially hire products to do a job. As a result, people aren’t necessarily interested if a product has fancy features unless it can solve the problem they are having.

Jeremy takes us through the examples of how Bill Bowerman of Nike realized this fact while developing athletic shoes. Once you know the job the product does, then you can work on making it better.

What Does Better Look Like?

Being better is a contextual concept. It really depends on the person. However, the main goal is for the product to be better at the job to be done. When developing new products if you want to make it better than you should look at the best products and see how you can build on the job to be done. You can start by figuring out what people are using the product for by conducting customer interviews.

But how much better is better? Ideally, aim for 10X better. Products shouldn’t just be good enough and you need to be aware that competition spawns rapidly.

How to Build Better

You need to leverage technology to gain a 10X advantage. Designers and engineers should work closely together at the start of a project and foster a culture of experimentation and sharing.

The final takeaway is that there is no single process behind shipping a product. However, if you follow a playbook that focuses on the key stakeholders you can effectively map out your product development approach from start to finish.