{"id":284,"date":"2022-05-08T14:05:58","date_gmt":"2022-05-08T14:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/startups\/blog\/?p=284"},"modified":"2024-10-15T01:46:21","modified_gmt":"2024-10-15T09:46:21","slug":"zerotoone-product-design-lifecycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/startups\/blog\/zerotoone-product-design-lifecycle\/","title":{"rendered":"#ZeroToOne:\u200aProduct Design Lifecycle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In week 1, we introduced two concepts, user experience<\/strong> and design thinking<\/strong><\/a>, both important factors in your product journey. One of the main points I highlighted was the ideology of building with the end user in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to use this week as a chance to introduce another important framework, user-experience design<\/strong>, how it compares and differentiates from design thinking<\/strong>, and more importantly look to how that will help you shape and execute your user-centric product design lifecycle<\/strong> as you scale from idea to solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is user-centered design?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last week, I introduced design thinking which requires users to challenge assumptions, ask the right questions, and constantly redefine problems so that we can discover and drive solutions. However, user-centered design and design thinking are both intended to help find solutions to people\u2019s problems, you may be wondering what the big differences between these two methodologies are. While the steps and general mindset of each are similar, the most notable difference is their primary focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

User-centered design (UCD) can be best described as an approach to design that puts the user\u2019s needs front and center and follows an iterative design process that focuses on the user\u2019s needs every step of the way.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now if you\u2019re still scratching your head as to what the differences between the two are, let\u2019s dive into it more:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Design<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To summarize it best, the goal of user-centered design<\/strong> is to focus on the user throughout the entire product lifecycle from ideation until release and be able to create an experience that reflects the user\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a visual person like me, here\u2019s an example of how UCD is put into action with products and services we use every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YouTube<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the main objective of YouTube is to watch and share videos, it also serves as a community where users are actively browsing through comments and suggested videos, all while simultaneously watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flipside, design thinking also requires great knowledge about the user. It also takes technological feasibility and business goals into consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uber Eats<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The design team at UberEats actively utilizes design thinking principles in how they look to drive user experience. A great example in how they achieve that is by implementing The Walkabout Program<\/a> \u2013 where each quarter, their design team will go to a city where they learn more about transportation infrastructure, delivery best practices, and its local food culture to better understand how to deliver a superior experience for their app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Product design lifecycle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019ve introduced UCD as well as highlighted the differences and similarities it has with design thinking, I want to put the emphasis on the process of combining these principles and putting them into action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Product<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By following these guidelines, you and your product team will be better equipped to build a solution that aligns with each user\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a moment to highlight each step and give best practices on how to put it into action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Especially in an enterprise setting, the stakeholder often commissions a project to create a product to solve a perceived problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project vision\/goals<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Think about this as your bottom line, the mission statement about your product. This statement should be understood and by all stakeholders (product, development, marketing, etc.), so that there is no grey area when it comes to what you are building, why you are building it, and who you are building it for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe do (X) for (Y) by doing (Z).\u201d Thank me later, this will save you a lot of time when trying to concisely explain what it is that you are looking to accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brand strategy<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Branding can play as big a role as user experience and functionality. The product must fit into an overall brand strategy. This can include what integrations are targeted to using the same typography and color palette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Measure of success<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t just for your designers, product or dev team. I can\u2019t stress enough how important it is for you and all your stakeholders to create some sort of metric or barometer to reference when it comes to the optimal goal at hand. Measuring success can be subjective depending on the product or team. However, it should ultimately be fully aligned with your product vision\/goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project priority<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Determining which aspects of a product should be prioritized over others as it relates to the scope and project vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discovery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Business requirements<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

These are the \u201cmust-have\u201d aspects of the product. These requirements help establish acceptance criteria later down the line in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analytics review<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Making sense of the numbers. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n