Iterative Product Design
Why we do revisions
Have you recently stopped to think ‘Wow this product I am using is really well thought out’? Chances are you haven’t because you either subconsciously enjoy the product and take it for granted, or you gave it some thought because it is flawed and does not deliver the best possible user experience.
Products do not simply appear in the world in their polished form. They undergo an almost never-ending iterative design process during which each product makes steady improvements until its creators are satisfied with the result. This doesn’t mean the creators simply ‘like’ the product they have made, but that it satisfies their vision and it is ‘approved’ by the customers.
At MyCodi we are developing a wearable and mountable digital coach for sports. We had our vision of a final product, but we did extensive research, sketches and iterations until we arrived at our final designs.
As a product designer, the biggest mistake you can do is rushing the development process and going straight for the final product.
The first step you should take is make sure you work with professionals in their respective fields. Whether that is app developers or industrial designers, over the course of the development process you will encounter issues that you are not aware of just yet. During the design and development process at MyCodi, we partnered with industrial designers Rogue ID and gave them a description of our vision and technology.
Only after the sketches of multiple variations and possibilities should you decide on a specific direction you will take.
After multiple rounds of iteration, sketches, prototyping and testing you will arrive at a clear picture of what your product will be most likely be like. This may include anything from UX designs to physical mockups of a real product. In either case, make sure you are aware of the technical limitations and possibilities such as software, coding languages, materials etc. You do not want to end up with a design that cannot be made for variety of reasons.
The more time you spend during concept phase, the better the preparation of your product will be.
In our case at MyCodi, we had all the necessary skills and people to work on our design and development. However we have improved our own skills and knowledge by working with others, consulting with experts and through networking. It is only by doing this that you will understand the whole process, learn skills from others and ultimately make those skills your own and apply them further down the design process.
Iterative design process takes time and it is entirely possible you will ‘fail’ several times during this process. However with each ‘failure’ you will become smarter and you should embrace the concept of Fail fast, Learn faster. At MyCodi our first mountable prototype was quite large and bulky, however it worked extremely well. All we had to do was iterate on the size, material, durability, polishing the design and keep testing with every iteration to make it feel ‘perfect’.
With each further iteration our product was becoming exactly what we envisioned it to be. Our mounts were getting smaller and more durable, our wrist straps we getting more comfortable and secure, our hardware went through 4 revisions and memory upgrades, and our device case got adjusted with each revision until we arrived at the smallest and lightest size we could.
If we would have stopped iterating after the 3rd or 4th time, surely the product would be OK, but as designers we are not striving for OK, we are going after perfection.
Whether the iterations take days or weeks, know that you are on the right track. You do not have to control every detail by yourself personally, but as a Product Designer you manage the whole process and step in to handle the little details when necessary.
Over the course of our wearables development, we went through 7 or 8 iterations, with at least 6 more during the first two R&D phases. That is why Product Design is an iterative process. Your design may already be nearly your perfect vision, but through testing you discover yet another possible improvement that you haven’t thought of previously. It may not be a crucial or even necessary ‘upgrade’, but could be just a small feature that makes your customers happier and they come back to your product.
Every product whether a digital or physical has different requirements and outcomes, but the iterative process is the same. Make sure you test after every iteration to confirm whether you are successful or not. If you are not sure how to conduct testing or why it is important, you are welcome to check out my previous articles on Why user testing matters.
