The debate between Product Orientation of Market Orientation has been rekindled with the growth of the internet. It is important for a company to understand where they are in the market before deciding on a product. Companies must know their target customer, be it students, parents, work colleagues, or any other group. They must be clear about what they want to do with the product. A business can use the following steps to differentiate its product from others and thereby win customer loyalty.
Analyze the Competition
Product-oriented companies usually have a clear idea about their product’s competition. In order to be successful, a company has to understand its market and find out what its competitor’s goals are. Identify how your product will satisfy or beat that of your competitors. Analyze your product based on the feedback received from the market research. This step is a crucial one if you want to be successful in product-oriented design.
Understand your Target Customers
Always remember that the products you design should cater to your targeted customers. You should have a clear idea about who you are trying to reach. For instance, you might sell clothes to students. Your clothes should look attractive to attract these students. However, you can’t put cute cartoon designs on children’s clothes, as this would not only be unappealing to the children but also to their parents.
Create an Overall Appearance
When it comes to product-oriented design, the appearance of the product has an extremely crucial role. Companies should pay attention to every single aspect of the product. The color, the shape, the design, and the material used should all work together to create an appealing package.
Design Process
The concept of product design goes beyond just throwing up some graphics and text. It is the entire process that is carried out. You need to decide what the final product should look like, for example. It is important to conduct a lot of research beforehand, especially since most companies now have the Internet as a tool for their product design processes. It is advisable to collaborate with a number of companies in your target market so that you can see what their process entails.
Research and Development
Even though research and development can involve a considerable amount of money, it is still an essential part of the process. After all, you don’t want to start manufacturing products before you’ve fully developed your concept or you run the risk of seeing your products declined by competitors. You need to thoroughly investigate every aspect of your product in order to make sure that it has all the desirable qualities and that it meets all the market needs.
Marketability
It is important to consider whether your product is marketable. The main problem with many products is that they do not appeal to the right market. This can be due to poor packaging, poor quality, or an inability to create particular ‘stand-out’ designs. Some companies simply ignore the marketability of their products and focus on improving the features rather than their overall appeal.
These are just a few of the factors to take into account when developing a product-oriented design. The actual creation of your product will come down to your unique ideas and capabilities. It is always best to start with a document, containing the basic ideas, so that you can refine and modify it as necessary. A product-oriented design is nothing without a good idea. Always keep this in mind at every stage of the design process. Remember, the more you know about your product the better you will be able to adjust it to suit your customers’ needs and tastes.
