You’d think that introducing a new product design on the market only needs a well-crafted product development process, right? Well, no.
The first thing you need to know about digital product creation is that it’s completely different from conventional manufacturing. Despite the fact that the outputs are always changing, it is far more unpredictable. You always know what you’re delivering with actual things.
There isn’t a lot of room for error when it comes to using software or when you’re in the early stages of product design. So, keep on reading as we dispel some misconceptions regarding product development and creation in the manufacturing industry.
Product Development Myth: Increasing Resource Usage Improves Performance
Product development resources are being used to the fullest extent by most organizations, according to our research and advisory work.
To put it simply, projects take longer when employees aren’t working 100 percent of the time, thus a company that is effective at making use of its resources is going to be more productive and quicker.
However, in reality, this reasoning is flawed. Managers that overburden their product-development staff, no matter how talented they may be, always have a negative impact on project pace, efficiency, and quality. There are dangerous repercussions to overuse.
Customers Will Enjoy the Product if It Is Overloaded With Features
As a general rule, the more features a product has, the more likely it is that buyers will enjoy it. This is not the case at all. How many times have you tried to utilize a product just to discover that it was too difficult?
It’s a common occurrence. Television remote controls are troublesome to operate, LCD screens need a lot of fiddling before they can be used, and wireless charging is still a pipe dream. Because of these two key reasons, it is difficult to persuade a product developer to keep things simple.
Clutter of Ideas
Product developers tend to brainstorm too many ideas without deciding which ones to pursue further. I’ve found that most of the time, there isn’t a filter in place.
An addict can’t bear to look at an empty spot in their schedule. They must use it for something useful.
Competition to Shine
Second, product developers like bragging about their competence. As a result, they may overlook the fact that the client experience is more important than the technical aspects.
Only the most demanding customers are looking for a solution that is easy to use.
How to Fix the Situation
In order to do so, product developers must know which features to exclude from their products. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes and see things from their perspective.
Buying a refrigerator with an in-built music system seems like a good idea. At first, listening to music on a refrigerator seems cool, but it quickly becomes tedious.
Reduce the number of things on your to-do list. There are two options when it comes to product features: either they are vital or they make the product unique. A product isn’t complete when you can no longer add features; rather, it’s complete when you can no longer remove features without making it worse.
But, you’ll want the basics of the product to be solid in design. So, make sure to check out the product development firm’s portfolio. For example, you can take a look at Sundberg-Ferar design work.
Processing Work in Big Batches Makes for More Economical Project
Batch size is another factor that contributes to product development delays. For example, let’s imagine that a new product has 200 components. Alternatively, you might design and manufacture each of the 200 pieces before testing them.
The batch size would be 90% less if you instead planned and constructed only 20 components before testing. Because the average queue length of a process is directly proportional to the batch size, this would have a significant impact on wait time.
It is a fundamental idea of lean manufacturing to reduce batch sizes. There are several benefits associated with small batches, such as reducing the amount of work in progress and accelerating feedback. Many developers are unaware of the benefits of small batches in product development.
You Just Need to Stick To Your Development Strategy
No product-development project we’ve worked on or researched has ever had solid criteria throughout the design phase. Despite this, many businesses invest an excessive amount of trust in their strategies.
Any variations are attributed to poor management and execution; hence, they meticulously monitor every step against intermediate goals and milestones. The repetitious nature of well-established production processes lends itself to this kind of thinking.
However, in the fast-paced world of product creation, where new ideas and situations emerge on a regular basis, this may have disastrous consequences.
Projects Will Be Completed on Time if They Begin as Soon as Possible
Managers despise squandered time, as we stated before. When there is a lull in activity, they are more likely to start a new endeavor.
People may be forced to return to another project, but management argues that everything achieved on the new project saves them from having to do it again. A company’s resources are diluted if it pursues too many initiatives at once, which is the result of this kind of thinking.
This is quite hazardous. Before the firm gets the necessary resources, it will stumble through the project’s development. The difficulty with it is that product development is very time-sensitive: Assumptions about technology and the market may soon become out of date.
Redirecting projects when they take too long to get going increases the risk of having to do it all over again.
Product Development and the Manufacturing Process Myths: Explained
You might be heading a new product development project, or you’re a product designer yourself. Regardless, it’s critical to keep an eye out for the most common myths about product development in the market.
We hope that our guide has shed some light on what those are, and how to avoid falling into the same pitfalls as your predecessors. And, if you liked reading our guide, then you’ll want to check out our other strategy tips and explainers in our design and business sections.
