The design sprint process is one of the most prominent strategies to solve difficult business problems. Introduced by Jake Knapp (Former GV design partner), the technique was first used at Google in 2010, and has been improved by experts over the years. Many businesses and startups rely on it to innovate ideas to create products that meet users’ needs. 

What is the Design Sprint process? 

A design sprint process is a design methodology, which runs over a period of fixed days where people with diverse mindsets discuss how to create a simplified UI/UX experience. As the time span is short, everyone keeps a constructive mindset. In his book Sprint (2016), Jake Knapp explained the process as “a five-day schedule where a board of team discusses how to resolve one major challenge of product/service by creating and testing prototypes.” During the process, the entire team brainstorms a more suitable idea to reach the end goal (a simple yet engaging product/service). 

The answers a team seeks from a sprint are: 

⦁ How to create a prototype faster? 

⦁ What are the inputs of your expert team to improve the product/process? 

⦁ Is it worth investing money in this idea? 

⦁ Do users need the product? 

Before starting a remote sprint session, ensure the following: 

Availability of team members: schedule the meetings and share a five-day agenda with the team beforehand. 

A quiet environment: Ask the participants to keep their doors shut during the sprint and to work from a quiet place. Also, they must keep their videos on so that everyone can see what the other person is doing. 

No technical glitches: Make sure that the technology part is on-point before the sprint starts.  Internet connection, microphone, video camera, etc. should be checked before starting the session. 

As this will be an exhaustive process, where every participant is expected on a video call, give your team ample breaks to recharge and refresh. 

A remote process requires some more tools that we will discuss below in the 5-day guide: 

Day 0 – Get all your tools sorted/Prepping 

⦁ What is the big challenge you want to take up? Keep a clear eye on the goal. (Keep in mind that the challenge must be worth investing five days of discussion.) 

⦁ Select the team of experts who will be a part of the sprint process. 

⦁ Block your calendar for five days to conduct the sprint  

⦁ For meeting in person, you must arrange a room to conduct the meetings. Be ready with whitespaces/whiteboards to brainstorm and design and office supplies such as markers, papers, etc. ready. 

You need to prepare a little more when you are on the remote. Here are a few ways to do that: 

⦁ A remote team must agree on using a video conferencing platform that most people are comfortable with. Some popular options are Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. You may also want to invest in a good microphone and webcam to have bright and sharp images during the discussion. 

⦁ Whiteboards are still necessary even if you are on remote. However, there can be interruptions when your teammates ask to click pictures of the content. Instead, you can work on virtual whiteboards and store it on the cloud forever; no erasing or redraws required. For whiteboards, you can use Miro, InVision, Limnu, MURAL, Stormboard, etc. 

Day 1 – Understanding the problem – deciding one key point to resolve in the project 

⦁ Introduce the agenda of the meeting. 

⦁ Conduct a knowledge-sharing session where you and the team share your views about the challenge. 

⦁ Set the end goal assuming a scene where your product/service runs perfectly, and knowing what makes it possible. This way your entire team is aligned to achieve the same goal. 

⦁ Map the problem, for example if you want to improve user experience on an app, map your user’s journey and select a specific point that you want to focus on and improve during the sprint. 

⦁ List out all the questions, risks, and factors that might prevent you from reaching your end goal. Pick the questions that you want to address in this sprint. 

Give your team time to absorb this information so that they can come up with ideas. Taking a break will give members some time to brainstorm. 

⦁ Once you are back, ask your experts to suggest ideas on how to overcome the challenges related to the questions and risks that you have listed. Each of these experts must have a specific role in improving the map; that way they can provide suggestions with relevant context. This will help you set achievable targets in smaller chunks to reach the end goal. 

⦁ Your team can use HMW technique (How might we?). For instance, how might we fail to address the challenges with specific steps to improve the customer journey. 

⦁ Put all that information in one place (preferably on cloud) and share it with your team so that they have the takeaways from the meeting to start with their designs on solving the big spot. 

With this, you are all set for Day 2; however, the team must stay connected offline for project coordination. Select a project management tool (Asana, Notion, Confluence, HubSpot, Zoho, basecamp) for team discussions and updates. You can use this tool throughout the sprint process. 

Day 2 – Finding solutions – building blocks for the prototype 

Once you have understood the problem, take inspiration from other companies who faced a similar challenge in the past and found solutions. By looking at these demos, your team can come up with something of their own that uniquely fits your requirements. 

Remember that work for each day needs a separate space for activities. You have unlimited space on the cloud, which can be used to keep track of your day-to-day progress. You can use the space to store examples, give instructions, etc. 

To come up with great ideas everyone must 

⦁ Take notes from the existing ideas in the demos. 

⦁ Jot down some rough ideas or create abstracts at home using office supplies. (These can be rectangular frames combined with explanatory words or a process diagram written step-by-step depending on your problem.) 

⦁ Pick the best ideas and sketch concrete diagrams on a whiteboard. Give each a title.  

⦁ Consider sketches from every participant. Give each participant a separate space on the whiteboard(s) for their activity and then move the work to the shared space for voting. (Keep the names anonymous for sketches and polling.) 

Simultaneously, you can start finding customers for a survey test as this too will take time. You must have a few people ready when it’s time to test the new solution. Have a clear idea about whom you want to recruit: 

⦁ people who haven’t used your product; 

⦁ People who signed-up but don’t use your product often; 

⦁ Those who are using the product and would like to see a change; 

Create a screener questionnaire on Google Forms or any other convenient method and share it with users. Facebook Ads can also draw responses from target groups. Give your questionnaire an appealing title or offer attractive compensation for participants selected for the user test. You can conduct interviews via Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, etc. 

Day 3 – Deciding on the strongest sketches and storyboarding 

⦁ Let every participant observe the sketches to capture the best ideas or add their thoughts to improve a sketch. 

⦁ Now, that everyone can see the highlights and critiques of each design, go for polling. 

⦁ After the polling, let the most experienced person select the design that the team should base the prototype on. 

⦁ Once the prototype design is ready, create a storyboard. Participants can suggest steps on the whiteboard anonymously and finalise the feasible steps together to create a prototype. 

Day 4 – Assigning tasks to create a prototype 

Select the right tools to create a prototype. Figma is the most used platform for designing prototypes as it is easily understandable even by non-designers. 

Assign tasks to the participants: a writer to take note of all the components, a designer to design the different prototype layouts, an expert to combine all the layouts together. Once everything is put together, perform a trial run with all participants present. This will help you find any inconsistencies against the storyboard and fix them right away. 

Day 5 – Day to conduct customer interviews 

Now it’s time to test the prototype with the customers (the target group you have been building from day two when you had some clarity on the new idea). Make sure that you ask them to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before you share your prototype. 

To make the most out of this test, ensure that your user needs to make minimum efforts to understand how to use your product. Sending instructions will be a great idea or you can explain the objective of this e-meet on a video/audio call. 

As the entire interview will be conducted via electronic devices, expect technical glitches, failures, and thus keep backups ready. 

Ensure that your users are in a comfortable environment, and you provide every possible convenience to them while they try out your product. 

It is going to be an e-meet and your team will want to take notes during the interview.  But for a new person, it can be distracting to have too many people on a call. Therefore, keep a minimum number of people in the interview and get consent from the user to record the session for future references. 

Score your prototype based on important questions such as: 

⦁ Was the user able to understand the purpose of the product? 

⦁ Was the product easy to use for them? 

⦁ Would they be interested in using a product like this? 

⦁ Are there any tweaks they expected; if yes, what are they? 

Now that you have tested your prototype with customers and have their feedback, thank them along with the promised compensation. 

Kudos! You have successfully gathered all the necessary data for your future product. Get along with an app development team to make it a reality.

Discussions for Web 3.0 have been on the air since 2006. Today, digital content creators want an internet version that keeps their data/content secure, eliminating middlemen that control user data. The shift towards a new internet version built on a shared ledger (blockchain technology) started with the introduction of NFTs and cryptocurrencies. The keen interest people have in NFTs and cryptocurrencies shows that they are ready to welcome an internet version where users own their data. However, it won’t be possible to replace Web 2.0 completely and immediately because of its extensive usage; it will run alongside Web 3.0. 

Now, let us understand what Web 3.0 is. 

According to experts, Web 3.0 is the future of the internet with improved web interactions where users do not have data controllers above them. On the new web version, computers will host data on blockchain networks replacing the single server storage of tech giants. Additionally, people will receive more relevant results for their searches on Web 3.0. 

Search results with more relevance 

Currently, we extract keyword-based results on search engines; 3.0 will be smarter and the search results will make more sense than just keyword extraction. An interesting example is if you search for “Jaguar” on Google, it will not give you the results for the animal, it will direct you to the luxury vehicle brand. In fact, the Wiki result for Jaguar (animal) appears last on the first page. You may be searching for the animal, but the luxury brand shows up because it is more popular. The next version of the web will be more intuitive, discarding irrelevant searches and creating an immersive experience instead. Speculators say that search engines will inquire about users’ search before displaying results; for instance, you may be asked whether you are seeking information about the animal or the vehicle brand. 

Blockchain security 

Keeping the security of user data in mind, Web 3.0 is built on the blockchain system. It is expected that in the coming years, most users will have ownership of their digital assets as tokens, and they can accrue real value for data exchange. Hence, the current practice where users share valuable data with firms, unaware of where the data is used, may eventually stop. No company will be able to own user data; instead, it will be shared over decentralsed networks, subject to collective management. Copy-protected files will be transferred without any intermediaries for peer to peer (P2P) transactions. Users can keep track of these transactions and material ownership of their digital asset in the form of digital certificates’ record stored on blockchain.0 

We can already see the change coming with the arrival of Bitcoin. Bitcoin blockchain and other protocols together created networks enabling distributed nodes for data management. This means that a hacker would have to break into multiple nodes to access data in one node. Each native network contributed to network security and its maintenance. 

Blockchain has already supported the governance layer where two unknown people can reach an agreement and settle transactions online. It is changing the backend of the internet completely to make Web 3.0 more secure. Till now, Ethereum is a more popular blockchain for the new internet version. 

Metaverse Innovations 

Many are using the terms Metaverse and Web 3.0 interchangeably, but here’s the difference – Web3 is a future internet concept, a decentralised web, where people will be able to control and transfer their data without the intervention of big corporations.  

Whereas Metaverse is an intersection of Web 3.0, augmented reality (AR), and blockchain technology. Metaverse is not the same as Web3 but will introduce an embodied internet experience where users don’t just see the internet but are inside it. 

With Facebook changing its name to Meta, we can already see big companies heading towards Metaverse. Experts support the Metaverse reality, where users can interact with a computer-generated environment. It means that to visit London, one need not travel, but do it virtually in real-time with Metaverse. 

Creators to get more control on their digital data 

Digital data ownership is encouraged in Web 3.0 for users to take back control, which they lost in the hands of tech giants in Web 2.0. The big tech companies collect user data and sell it to third parties. The purpose behind selling this data could be research, creating survey reports, showing highly targeted ads, etc.  

Generally, the tech firms take consent before collecting user data. Message like, “By checking the box you agree to our privacy policy” will pop up on their websites; however, no user has the time, patience, or legal understanding to comprehend the terms of a privacy policy (unless they have a law qualification). Most users will check the box without reading the policy. Consequently, firms take the leeway to collect user data and use it for industrial benefits without rewarding the users for their contribution.  

Version 3 of the internet will be more transparent in terms of data transfer. The privacy policies will be understandable for users to help users decide whether to share information. Users can also monetise the data they share with corporations on Web 3.0. In fact, sharing data through forms or surveys can become a source of income for Web 3.0 users. 

Distinction between Web 3.0 and Web 2.0 

Web2 is the internet we all know and use today. It is dominated by big brands, content is centralised (stored in one place or on the servers of limited firms—the tech giants), which places power in the hands of brands.  At present, Google collects most of the information as the entire business is based on collecting and providing data. Apart from that it also shares the collected data with publishers, advertisers, etc. Also, Facebook collects tons of personal information from users and sells it to a third party. Web 3.0 will give control to users whether or not they want to share data, or how they want to distribute it. 

As an example, at present, Twitter can censor accounts and tweets. With Web 3.0, tweets would be uncensorable with decentralised control. Payment services are also controlled by organisations with Web 2.0: organisations can deny certain transactions they don’t feel right. However, on version 3 of the internet, payments will be made without intervening into personal data, and it cannot prevent payments. 

While web 2.0 focused more on building interactions and sharing data by filling forms, sharing locations, age, phone number, etc. Web 3.0 will give users ownership of their digital data.  

Expected pros and cons of Web 3.0 

Web3 is still under development, but is much in discussion for the huge changes it will bring. Below are a few pros and cons that experts are talking about: 

To conclude 

A few contradictions also suggest that putting all the data on blockchains will remove several intermediaries, but will give the entire data control to one i.e., blockchain distributor. Hence, suggesting the importance of centralised data over fragmented data. For now, we can say that the next version of the internet will surely improve user experience, but will not knock out the tech giants completely. In addition, we also need appropriate legal regulations to abide by for a secure data flow on Web 3.0.

Digital products that solve user-problem in just a few clicks have become increasingly popular now. But, a lot of thought goes into preparing such a product that the audience will continue to use. Therefore, creating a product demands extensive research, planning, designing, and other essentials to meet user expectations.  

So what makes users rely on a digital product?  

The answer is a good user experience. To deliver a good user experience, the product design should have the essential elements that will  result in users relying on it.  

Here are five elements that help build a good user experience  

Authentic idea: The genuine purpose of the product should be clear in product design. If the purpose is not clear, the team will not know what to add or omit from the product design. This will confuse users about  the product and they may find it irrelevant.  You should be clear -about how you help the user reach from situation A to B with zero distractions.  

Unique experience: People are likely to stick to habits that are  easy to perform. Similar is the case with digital products—users prefer easy-to-use products. Therefore, we cannot compromise on delivering a unique and intuitive user experience. Exploring the app should be very easy for users.  

Effective product design: A study by Forrester says that a good design can boost conversion by 400%. Your product design should offer a friction-free experience. An impactful design like that never goes unnoticed. A design where every detail is not visible, but does its work, improves performance while reducing distraction.  

Solve one problem, but do it well: Trying to solve multiple user problems from one product can confuse users.  Your product’s focus should be to solve one problem and do it extremely well to increase users’ dependency. This will also avoid clutter on your product. A focused product idea that has a simple design and zero clutter always works. 

Make interesting product interactions: Solve pain points for users while delivering them an interactive experience. This will engage the users with your product and increase the chances of product use.  

The Process of Digital Product Design   

Digital Product Design refers to the process of creating and designing user-centered digital products, such as websites, mobile apps, software interfaces, and other digital platforms. It encompasses a holistic approach that combines aesthetics, functionality, user experience, and business objectives to craft compelling and effective digital products. Once you have an understanding of the elements of digital product design, you can start creating the design. Let’s take a look at the steps.   

• Visualise and Define   

When you plan to solve a real problem for users, you start with visualizing the customer journey. Mapping the user journey will help you define the goals of the product. In this phase, the stakeholders and the design team together create a product strategy for how the product will resolve a specific pain point for users. The team will create user personas to understand the psychology of potential customer. On the basis of this, they will introduce features that grab users’ attention and hook them to the platform. It is all about creating an intuitive design that helps users rely on your product.   

• Ideate Solutions   

Pay attention to possible issues or lags that might  spoil the user experience. Try and find different solutions to those issues. Ideating solutions will help you add UX/UI features that simplify exploring /using a digital product. Users are more willing to stay with products that are easy to use and solve problems in real life.   

• Wireframing and Prototypes  

A wireframe is a basic structure having all the important features of the digital product knit together. Wireframes help create a prototype, an interactive layout of a website or application, that can be used for testing. You can build a prototype to see how the product functions and the kind of experience it offers to users.    

• Creating design specifications   

With design specifications, developers can turn a prototype into a working model. They place all the visual design assets on the basis of the final specifications.  

• Creating design systems   

Design systems simplify the design process for large projects. Creating a design system will enable efficient coordination between designers and developers, and avoid confusion about the design process.  

• Testing   

The product undergoes testing before the final launch. To check how people will interact with the digital product, you can test it in a closed group. Pick the right questions for users to seek their response if the product meets their expectations and what changes can be made to improve the user experience.  Therefore, testing helps to resolve glitches or fix errors that impact the product’s performance and user experience.  

Conclusion  

Creating a good product involves extensive research, creativity, and a skilled team that can bring the idea to life. At Nickelfox, we have the right assets, in terms of tools as well as a team to help you turn your idea into a usable product. 

There are a large number of firms offering software product engineering services, today. This is because the demand for digital products is increasing. Everyone wants to make profits by launching their digital ideas in the market. 

Businesses create a product to ensure value for their users as well as for the creators. Users get the benefit of finding a solution to their existing problem and creators make income through its distribution. To bring an idea to life, stakeholders seek digital product engineering services and expect a skilled team to work on their projects. The product undergoes a product development life cycle (PDLC), which generally looks like this: 

• Discover a solution to resolve (Market Research)  
• Define your product goals (Defining features to create a Minimum Viable Product)  
• Design the product (Create a wireframe, prototype)  
• Test the product (Check for user expectations and feedback)  
• Implement changes and create the final product  
• Launch  

Let’s talk about the development approaches we offer: 

Waterfall Methodology 

In the waterfall methodology, product development takes place in sequential order. So, the project development team completes one phase of Development and Testing before proceeding to the next. Completion of one development phase acts as an input for the next.   

This systematic approach is a good fit for businesses that have well-defined requirements. The requirements can’t be modified later and hence demand complete clarity at the start of a project. There are different phases in the waterfall model: 

Requirements / Analysis   

This is the first phase of the waterfall model in which the purpose of the product is defined. Accordingly, the requirements are set, and product specifications are mentioned and documented. 

Design   

Once the requirement is clear, the team performs a thorough study to prepare a system design. The system design specifies the hardware and technological needs of the project.    

Implementation / Coding   

Software is now split into small units to start coding. Then these units are integrated to create a complete product.   

Testing   

The product undergoes several testing phases to ensure error-free execution. Also, the team takes note of all the requirements they can meet.    

Deployment/Installation   

After confirming an error-free code, the product is deployed in the customer environment or released into the user market.   

Maintenance   

The team makes a few modifications to the product to improve performance. These changes are only done on the client’s request or to rectify errors that were not fixed during testing. The team also shares a regular maintenance report with the client.   

Agile Methodology  

In Agile methodology, the development phases are the same as in the waterfall model, but there are continuous iterations between the development and testing phases. Unlike the waterfall model, we can go back to previous development stages to modify or change product attributes depending on the client’s requirement/changing requirements.  

Agile methodology also demands more communication between the project stakeholders and the project development teamso that changing requirements, development feedback, etc. are clearly understood. Due to concurrent client interactions, agile development teams stay more focused and motivated. Hence, this approach results in better project quality. Moreover, with consistent feedback from stakeholders, the chances of project failure also reduce. 

Product Development Models Based on Costing 

Fixed Price Model 

A fixed price model is based on specified project requirements. These requirements are documented along with the scope of work it would demand. A time and resource estimate are defined at the beginning of product development. This model involves scope-related risks. Any additional requirement undergoes an additional agreement as the client needs to pay extra for it. This model is a good fit when:  

• Product requirements are clear  
• You are creating a minimum viable product  
• You only need limited features in the product 
• You have a budget and a clear timeframe 

Time and Material Model / Retainer Model  

A retainer model is a good fit when you have a product idea but lack the skillset and plan to bring it to life. We can turn your idea into a usable product by evaluating its scope, checking the feasibility, and providing the right assets to develop it.  

Since the product requirements are unclear, the development process will demand flexibility. Several changes are expected during the development cycle, implying that the approach is suited for long-term projects. A retainer model is suited for projects with:  

• Ambiguous project scope  
• Dynamic requirements  
• Requirement for flexibility  
• Long-term projects  

Depending on the clarity of product requirements, you can choose either of the cost-based product development models. 

Product Development Solutions as Per Component Stages of Product 

Depending on the product component stage, you may be looking for product development or product engineering solutions. Here are the different possibilities where you can seek our services: 

• If you have a product idea, we can help you with complete product development. 
• We also offer product engineering solutions to build a minimum viable product (MVP). 
• If you have your MVP ready, we can help you find your product market fit (PMF). 
• Our team can help you scale up your PMF to a broader range of users. 
•  We can also help you scale globally. 

Depending on the component stage of your product, the skill requirement can vary. Our team is equipped with the right tools, the latest technology, and the skillset to sail you through the product development life cycle. We can customize our services to best suit your demand. 

Here’s the product development life cycle we follow at Nickelfox:  

 Understand Your Business Process, Vision & Expectations  

Before we start ideating, we build a firm understanding of your business. The key stakeholders can help us map out their expectations with the product. This way it gets easier to create something that upholds your brand value.  

Once we are clear on the expectations, a team of experienced enthusiasts builds strategies.  

 Market Dynamics Research  

Understanding the market dynamics helps in defining product goals by building knowledge on:  

• Do users expect digital solution/product like yours in the market?  
• Are there any products for you to compete with?  
• How can we make your product better?  
• What elements can shift user preference to your solution or simplify resolving their problem? 

– Test Your Business Idea  

With specific product goals in mind, we create a minimum viable product (MVP) to test your business idea and create a proof of concept (POC)  

We conduct extensive testing of your business idea on various grounds and also create a POC if required. Idea testing helps us validate the elements that are involved during the execution of the product strategy.  

-Create a High-Level Product Strategy 

We believe in creating strategies that are in sync with the client’s plan. Questions like: 

• What do our clients want to accomplish with their product? 
• Who is their target audience? 
• And what is their vision behind the entire product development cycle? 

Answers to these questions are important for us to understand and build the fundamental knowledge around the project. Correct knowledge transfer helps to create a high-level product strategy with which the team can proactively take up the tasks. 

– Stay on top of technological trends 

To best fit the current market demand, products must follow the latest tech trends. Our team understands the significance of staying technologically updated and ensures to deliver top-notch solutions following technological trends. 

Conclusion 

With the right product strategy, you can develop impactful products that add value to the life of users. However, we operate in a competitive market today, where sustaining a product can seem challenging. When multiple brands promise identical solutions, how do you stay relevant to users? 

Sustaining a product in the diverse and constantly changing market that we have today is only possible through:   

• Aligning with the brand vision and changing behavior of users   
• Staying at the top of tech trends   
• Innovation   

A digital product undergoes development iterations to stay aligned with business and consumer requirements. As an agile company, we recommend agile development for successful products but we can assist you with development solutions that uniquely fit your project requirements. 

Book consultation with our expert 

The Design arm of Nickelfox launched a new initiative – TALES OF DESIGN. This webinar series is dedicated to creating meaningful dialogues with experts around the world on UI/UX design, with the aim of giving back to the design community.  

Our first external speaker was Nate Gunderson, Director – Product Design at Getty Images. As he shared his thoughts on product and design, Nate also explained his cross-functional role at Getty Images and inspired us to be open to diverse responsibilities. 

Here are the top five takeaways from the webinar that can help designers perform better in and beyond their roles: 

Stay curious – Staying curious about roles beyond your work can bring clarity about what other teams do, and the purpose of their projects. This may offer you a chance to develop new skills, and you will gain clarity on why your organization is doing what. This knowledge may then reflect in your own work. 

Design for emotional connections – Designs communicate and must be created by deeply understanding the users. While technology takes care of the basic stuff, designs must add meaning to the product and build emotional connections with users.  

Client vs Usability – Resolve conflicting design ideas between you and your client with the help of user testing (A/B testing). Factual data always helps in creating ideal design solutions. 

Limit the timeline for projects – When you communicate clearly with stakeholders to set the objectives right, the unnecessary tasks automatically get reduced, saving you a lot of time. You can easily meet deadlines with clear objectives in mind. 

Look beyond your team, how you impact the business metrics, and can make your company successful – Your role is unique and has value but looking at the bigger picture can help you realize the impact of your role in your company and how you can be of more value to your peers. This is necessary for your growth as well as the growth of your organisation. 

Individuals with the attitude to learn and grow, proactively take part in roles beyond their profile. They engage with different teams to exchange ideas, share knowledge, and are open to new perspectives. That’s how everyone in a firm grows together.

Find the complete webinar video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnA56tDCji4&t=321s

Artistic professionals often feel deeply attached to their work. Turning down their ideas can hurt them deeply. However, it is impossible to avoid the rejections entirely. Similar is the case with creative designs. While you as a designer may be marveling at the beauty of your concept idea, you may receive a big no or soft rejections to repurpose the design elements. Such situations can be difficult, but there are ways to cope.  

Understanding the intention of your stakeholder  

Your stakeholder may not know how to create designs, but they have the same intent as you, i.e. to deliver good end-user product. Hence, they are solution-oriented. They are not trying to get to you; they are focussed on improving the end-user experience. While suggesting changes, they are only trying come up with something valuable and deliver a real solution.  

Trying to develop a new perspective 

Your stakeholder can enlighten you on areas that you may not know. In a discussion to improve a design, you will always find yourself and them advocating for a better user experience. Sometimes they will not suggest a specific solution; they can comment something like – can you make this a little better? Somehow, I don’t like it. 

By paying attention to the rejection pattern, you can understand where they are running into issues. You can think of your stakeholder as one of the end-users who is only trying to give you a new perspective to create a better solution. Problems are a part of work, but you can develop an admirable trait of finding solutions and taking the project along.  

Parse out constructive criticism and turn it into actionable feedback  

Most of the time, you will find the feedback to be useful. Sometimes, the comments can feel more negative and unhelpful. Stakeholders struggle to provide a specific solution around a complex topic, and their feedback can come as vague. Sometimes, they might even offer design solutions while not being designer themselves. You can simplify their feelings into actionable feedback. Asking for clarity or some examples can also save you the guesswork.  

These are a few instances when you receive a soft rejection. What if your design is trashed out but you think it’s relevant?  

There’s a chance to receive harsh feedback when your design gets rejected. While you provide a new idea to your stakeholder, here’s what you can do with your rejected design:  

• Keep it safe and sit with it some other day. You may develop a new perspective on your work, or you can get more creative with your design. You will be surprised with self-analyses.  
• When you have several designs in your idea bank (rejected idea bank ?), shuffle and mix two or more ideas to create something new. 
• Showcase your work in your portfolio. Sharing it on personal social media handles will not only add value to your portfolio but will track a lot of attention.  

Allow rejections to better you at work or in life. Feedback can come as a challenge to pull you out of comfort zone, but your effort will only improve your creativity. If not, it will teach you the process to follow when creating a new design. Never let yourself be spiteful and develop a toxic mindset. Know that with hard work and conviction, you will only improve in your career.

At Nickelfox, we value the vision and ideas of our partners. It’s our mission to help businesses overcome their digital challenges through smart, reliable technology solutions. With over seven years of experience, we deliver groundbreaking and game-changing technology services to empower our customers. 

Nickelfox has three business offerings: 

1. Staff Augmentation 

2. Software Development 

3. UI/UX Design 

We focus on providing impact through these specializations, contributing to the growth of our partners 

Just recently, we’ve received another 5-star feedback on Clutch, from WD Creative Collective: 

For context, Clutch is a B2B ratings and reviews platform committed to helping organizations find capable service providers to deliver their needs. Clutch is a resource where companies can browse a list of top-performing companies, allowing them to identify their next potential business partner. More importantly, Clutch collects unbiased and unfiltered feedback directly from clients of vendors registered on the platform. 

Our newest review came from Damian Mogavero, the CEO of WD Creative Collective. The client discussed the challenges that they were facing and why they chose to engage with us for their mobile app development. 

After determining the type of product they wanted, we proceeded with the development. WD Creative Collective required the following features: 

• Livestreaming capabilities 
• Invitation card creation 
• Photo upload 
• Video sharing 

Essentially, the client wanted an online guestbook that allowed gatherings for end-users to be held at the height of the pandemic. 

“They brought our app to life in a beautiful way. Nickelfox did a good job taking our vision and making a warm and personalized app, unlike what was out in the market. Many couples got married using the app, and the guests were happy to be part of a wedding that otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to attend. People responded positively to the app.” 

— Damian Mogavero, CEO, WD Creative Collective 

Thank you again to Damian and his team for taking the time to write their informative review about our engagement. Find out more by reading the full case study on our Clutch profile. We’re also featured on The Manifest as a top development company in Delhi! 

If you need a capable partner for building your mobile app solution, get in touch today! 

Launching a new product is all about hitting the right buttons in a customer to motivate them to purchase your product. Today, customers don’t seek a representative to boast about a product. They have the power, choice, and resources to make purchase decisions even from the comforts of their home, by clicking a few buttons. 

Customers take referrals from friends, families, and even influencers, before buying a product. Your product must fulfil their requirement like no other to make it to their preference list. You must know what complements the customer research, shopping ideas, and purchase habits. It requires a lot of effort to understand your customers deeply. You must know your potential customer, specific markets, and how you can influence them to make purchase decisions in your favor. Without research, you may develop a product that doesn’t measure up to the user expectations. If users don’t like it, they know their way out of unfavorable items. 

What is market research? 

Market research means collecting information about the specific market to know if your product can compete. You can verify the product’s success and how to draw more customers to utilize it. Thorough research will help you understand the market / potential customers and how to deliver them value. Once you know how to deliver value to customers, you can build strategies around your ‘how?’.  

Why is market research crucial before launching a new product? 

Market research is important for several reasons. It can make your product a big success. Let’s take a look at a few of the reasons why you can’t skip market research before a new product launch: 

• It helps you know your customers and their pain points. 

• When you are specific about which pain point you can resolve for which category of audience, it can draw a larger audience than your competitors. 

• You can gather information about unaddressed customer needs and turn them into selling opportunities. 

• It gives you information on what’s trending in the industry and among your potential buyers. 

• You will know whether there’s demand for the product or service you are investing in. 

• Market research helps you scrutinize where your current and potential customers research for products. 

• You may be able to influence customers to make purchase decisions. 

• You can learn about customer attitude about pricing, brand, etc. of a product. 

• With all the information, you can create a product that naturally appeals to them. 

• The market research also helps you meet the buyer where they are and simplify their purchase experience. 

How to conduct market research before a new product launch?  

Primary Research – It helps to gather first-hand information from your potential customers. Here’s how to do it: 

• To conduct market research, you must first know your target. Be specific about your target audience based on age, gender, location, job title, etc., depending on your offerings.  

• Now, look for the right people to engage with. Access people through networks, social media, and an active customer base. Always plan an incentive for the participants as they are offering you some valuable information. 

• Prepare a questionnaire to learn about them. Your questionnaire can be specific about resolving an identified problem. Your questionnaire can also be open-ended around potential problem that people haven’t identified yet. 

• Keep the records safe to get back to whenever necessary. 

Secondary Research – Secondary research helps analyze your competitors. 

• You can use the public resources provided by the government. 

• You can also use the commercial reports that come in a portable and distributable format by paying them a cost to download the information. 

• You can also utilize the market data your organization has internally. 

• It can help you build a good understanding of your competitors and how you can do better than them. 

Market research offers critical pieces of information that lead to the success of your product. It’s an inevitable step for a successful products launch. 

Our previous article, 9 key design principles talked about the science of human behavior and the behavioral patterns that designers can tap into for influencing users. In this article, let’s dive deeper into the psychological aspects of design interface. The information will help UI/UX designers to create more impactful applications. 

Priming 

Priming in psychology means subconsciously influencing people to get a desired response from them. The influence happens without any conscious guidance or intent. When creating a design, an expert can influence users by giving visual hints, with the intent of inducing a response. A great example is when grocery stores place the daily requirements products like egg, rice, pulses at the farthest corner, or at times, close to the billing kiosk. The idea is that when customers have to reach out for the regular groceries, they are able to see all the other items in the store and add them to the cart.  

A similar influence is created by travel apps with scenic panoramas in the background. The idea is to induce potential clients plan their next trip seeing the lush beauty of nature. Therefore, priming inspires customers to try a new product, service, food, etc. 

Progressive disclosure 

People need time to learn about the different features of your app; progressive disclosure ensures that users get that time. So, what is progressive disclosure? It is to disclose information progressively, step by step one feature at a time. This is helpful because users cannot absorb a bunch of information at once. If a task involves too much information processing, users may discard the app. Progressive disclosure reduces the cognitive load for users.  

A good example of progressive disclosure is when you tap on the Settings icon of most apps, and a dropdown of different categories open up. Once you tap on one category, other options in that category unfolds while the rest of the categories remain static. Hence, they give only focused information at a time with no distractions. 

Labour illusion 

In today’s world of instant gratification, customers expect services at the click of a button. However, transparency about processes and delivery can keep customers informed about the labour involved. Take note that labour illusion doesn’t give you the freedom to deliver late; you must only use it as a trust-building practice. Not sticking to your estimated deadlines can backfire. One example of labour illusion is Bluedart tracking, which shows entire transit details. Amazon and other e-commerce sites also show updates on where products have reached or send notifications about delayed deliveries.  

Reactance 

When too many notifications or nudges are sent to a user, they react unexpectedly; it is due to reactance arousal. Users may delete the app, stop using a service, unsubscribe, or worse leave negative feedback on public platforms. This is why a designer must create the right balance to maintain user interest. If a user’s device is swamped with notifications, they are sure to react. Therefore, know where to stop when trying to keep the users engaged. 

Temptation Bundling 

Professor Katherine Milkman from the Wharton University of Penn coined the term temptation bundling. She explained that people are more likely to perform a task when it brings a reward with it. When selling a product/service, temptation bundling is cautiously used to reward customers for their purchases. For example, a coffee shop runs an offer that every six online orders of coffee will get you one coffee serving free on your next visit. Coffee lovers will love the idea and visit the shop to get their free beverage. You can create your temptation bundle to entice your users. 

Centre-stage option 

According to research by the University of Chester, when similar items are linearly arranged, people mostly choose items that are placed in the middle or at the extremes. Audiences are naturally biased for items placed in the middle. You can utilise this customer preference to increase the sales of a product or service on your app/website. All you have to do is, place an item you want to sell more in the middle of the product arrangement. 

Decoy Effect 

The decoy effect is another way to influence user choices. According to the decoy effect, a user gets enticed to select an option when other less desirable choices surround it. Let’s take an example of buying a newsletter subscription where we have three options:  

1. One monthly newsletter @ INR 100  

2. 4 monthly newsletters (weekly update) @ INR 250  

3. Two monthly newsletters (fortnight update) @ INR 180  

Here, the third option creates a decoy effect. You are influencing users to either take the first subscription or the second. Choices first and second both dominate the third choice significantly. Similarly, designers can implement the decoy effect driving users to take action.  

Decision fatigue 

Giving too many options to select from can only seem like a good idea, but it’s not. When users spend more time comparing several options, their ability to pick one item decreases causing decision fatigue. Designers have to be careful about providing just the correct number of options to select from. As a designer, you must always help the users with logical decision-making.  

Are you ready to create apps that drive user attention? The mentioned techniques will help you in achieving your goals.