Randal B.’s Post

Reading “Improve the Product Development Process With This Simple, But Powerful, User Flow Analysis" #QuantumIDG #BuildBrandGrow #Success >

€5k to solve your product problems. A no-brainer? Let's find out. Product 'good looks' are often glorified. While solid development is neglected. Here’s what I mean: - You judge product quality by the looks of your UI - You don't care about code, unit tests, architecture - You prioritize innovation above modernization I get that. But consider this: Companies neglecting solid development experience 2-3X more defects and longer time-to-market for new features (McKinsey). Stings, doesn’t it? No worries. I have good news. You don’t have to choose between aesthetics and development: You can have both. Imagine this scenario for your product: Its foundation is future-proof. Your team is effective: they stopped wasting time deciphering code and fixing bugs. Focus shifted to maximize UX and product-market fit. Users are happy and your product generates revenue. Sounds too good to be true? It’s not. Tikkie is the most popular peer-to-peer payment system in the Netherlands with over 7M users and processed €10 billion in transactions. We helped Tikkie modernize its code, architecture, cloud-infra, and UX. In normal language: we improved their product. You can get the beauty and the brains. Think of getting your dream car: elegant, fast, and classy. People want it. Has tons of horsepower under the hood. You want to take it for a test drive. And you can. We have a low-end solution for you: 1. Existing products: our Health Scan maps out high-impact quick wins to resolve urgent IT concerns. 2. New products: our Product Discovery Sprint maps out a high-velocity product roadmap to reduce dev-time and costs. → Investment: €5k. → ROI: Reduced dev costs. Happy users. Validation. We only have 2 spots a month for this. Interesting? Health Scan: https://lnkd.in/edKuAwtN Product Discovery: https://lnkd.in/erNY84H3 or Book me for a free strategy call to ask me about how it works, what it has done for clients, and how it will help you. Link in my profile ↑

Start small, get feedback, and grow through user-driven development. That is the idea behind creating a minimum viable product. After all, your users are #1 🏆 Read more about MVP and how it applies to your business: https://shorturl.at/dlnH4

We’re about to start Phase 2 with one of our largest clients from last year. One of the most common mistakes I see in digital product development is founders biting off more than they can chew for the first release of their product. Whether it’s from being over-ambitious right from the beginning, or the project process falling victim to scope creep, this never ends well. Likely it means a tangled expensive build, and sudden drastic compromises at the end. It's the perfect recipe for bad UX and a high bounce rate. MVPs and MLPs are standard practice these days — in theory. But the process with which they’re created is still uncharted territory for many. If it's your first time creating a digital product, be as ruthless as you possibly can when cutting functionality from your 1.0. After launching and validating, then you can add those treasured additional features. This will allow to you move faster, more accurately, and avoid sunk costs.

We need content and design systems that support product metrics ***Functional metrics*** Different teams use some metrics to evaluate their performance or role in the product’s success. For example UX metrics can be task success rate, error rate, adoption rate, task based efficiency, usability score, and others. Engineering metrics such as build time, code volume, code churn or code shelved, reliability score, incident rate (DevOps), throughput are somehow mapped to the product metrics, either as a function of time, or as human-hours, or human-efficiency. Likewise for content metrics, research metrics, and DesignOps metrics. ***Product or SaaS metrics*** Take an example of a SaaS where a few common and important metrics are the CAC (Cost to Acquire Customers), LTV (Lifetime Value), MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue), churn rate, burn rate, ARPU, and others. ***Product Success Criteria*** Onboarding is not about design or content or code. It is a thoughtful and strategic intersection of different skills and roles, including product marketing, UX content, and a lot of product sense. If customers drop off at a certain stage, or if the product is not inspiring enough for the customers to start paying (or continue paying if they are already paying), it directly shows in the product metrics and the individual metrics of different teams. Remember that all these teams used the design system. And remember that the design system might still show the ROI as hours saved, and efficiency, and the increased speed in build and shipping. We need to plan the design systems that show the direct and measurable impact on the product metrics. ------- PS: Planning to host a workshop on this topic.

Revamp your product strategy and take your business to the next level 🚀 Our latest blog post shares tips from top product designers on fixing a broken product strategy. Learn how to identify key problems and set measurable goals for success. Check it out now: https://lnkd.in/et9KZrQD #productdesign #productstrategy #businessgrowth #Hyyer

The Time of Scrappy MVPs May Be Over. Enter the MLP, the Minimum Lovable Product. I've been pondering a significant shift in the product development landscape. Until some years ago, launching a very scrappy first version of your product was the norm. As long as it solved the users problem, they were fine with bugs, bad UI and bad performance. But today, most users expect a much better user experience from new software tools to even consider them viable. Think about Figma, Miro, Notion, Webflow, and others – their user experience sets a high bar. So, what could be the underlying reasons for this shift? 1. Emotional Engagement Matters: Products that create an emotional connection resonate more. MLPs aim for this – not just utility, but delight and engagement. 2. The Competitive Edge: In crowded markets, standing out is crucial. An MLP offers that edge with unique user experiences and designs. 3. Deep Dive into User Needs: MLPs focus on what users genuinely love, not just what they need. This goes beyond the functionality-focused MVPs. 4. Loyalty Through Love: Products that users love foster stronger loyalty. It's about creating advocates, not just customers. 5. Functional and Fun: MVPs often ask 'can it work?', while MLPs ask 'will it be loved?'. A subtle, yet powerful difference. 6. Impact from the Start: MLPs aim for immediate and memorable impact, unlike the incremental approach of MVPs. 7. Thinking Long-Term: MLPs might require more upfront, but they focus on long-term user engagement and market relevance. To get this straight, I'm not suggesting we abandon the principle of launching quickly to learn and iterate with real user feedback. However, when we do launch, customers now expect a better experience - something they can actually love. This shift in expectations doesn't diminish the value of fast launches; it simply raises the bar for what we need to deliver initially.

User outcomes that drive business impact should be at the center of any product's success. That's why I built a flywheel that showcases how focusing on user behaviors can lead to more predictable and efficient ways to achieve business objectives. With user-centered design, we can test and measure before building, ensuring that our products are successful from the start. #UserOutcomes #UserCenteredDesign #ProductSuccess https://lnkd.in/e_mgZCDp

Inspired by a recent project… The KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle is a timeless strategy that emphasizes the importance of simplicity in design and execution. When applied to the development of a Software as a Service (SaaS) product, this principle can be a powerful guideline to enhance product effectiveness, usability, and customer satisfaction. Here’s how the KISS principle can be effectively implemented in SaaS development: 1. User-Centric Design Start with a focus on the user experience. A SaaS product should be intuitive and easy to navigate, even for those who are not technically savvy. This means designing interfaces that are clean and simple, with core functionalities accessible within just a few clicks. Avoid clutter and ensure that every element serves a purpose. 2. Feature Simplicity While it's tempting to pack a SaaS product with a multitude of features to cater to every possible need, this can often lead to a bloated and confusing product. Instead, identify the core features that address the main problems your users face and focus on executing them well. This not only makes your product more appealing due to its clarity and ease of use but also streamlines development and maintenance. 3. Clear Communication Communicate clearly and directly in all aspects of your product, from the user interface (UI) text to help documentation. Avoid technical jargon and use plain language that your customers will understand. This helps in reducing the learning curve and enhances user adoption. 4. Iterative Development Adopt an iterative approach to development. Launch with a minimal viable product (MVP) that includes only the most essential features. This approach allows you to gather user feedback early and iterate based on actual user needs rather than assumptions. It helps in keeping the product development focused and aligned with user expectations. 5. Automation of Processes Simplify the backend as much as the frontend. Automate repetitive tasks and processes where possible to reduce the potential for errors and to free up your team to focus on more important aspects of product development and customer service. 6. Consistent Improvement Continuously seek to simplify your product. Regularly review features and processes, and be ready to cut out or refine anything that complicates the user experience or does not add significant value. This ongoing commitment to simplicity can lead to a more polished, efficient, and competitive product. 7. Scalability Keep scalability in mind, but don't overcomplicate the architecture from the beginning. Develop a system that is easy to scale up but start with what is necessary for the current state of your business. This keeps the initial setup simpler and more manageable while retaining the flexibility to expand as needed. By prioritizing simplicity, developers can create SaaS products that deliver value efficiently and effectively.