Designing for a Product's Lifecycle
By Stephen Gay
As each new product enters the marketplace, it moves through various stages as it relates to the consumer. These stages establish the product lifecycle, and at each stage the consumer formulates opinions regarding the product, affecting their overall perception of product quality.
Business and development teams should formulate decisions about products based on an understanding of the product lifestyle, using an evaluation tool called "Product Lifecycle Assessment." If those involved in developing new products can keep this lifecycle in mind and anticipate consumer perceptions, the resulting products will have greater success in the marketplace.
In particular, designers must be advocates for the user by understanding a product's perceived quality and product lifecycle. This applies to designing a website, designing a computer application, or developing a consumer product. A life cycle assessment is an invaluable tool towards product sustainability and should be included in the development and design process.
The Product Life Cycle
The lifecycle begins with the consumer's initial exposure, when a preliminary opinion is formulated. This is followed by the product comparison, product commitment, and introduction or "out of the box" experience, first use of the product, the continuous use and the end of the lifecycle. While a lifecycle assessment can be applied to any product, for the sake of clarity, this article relates the assessment to various design projects, including Internet related projects, such as Google or Flickr; computer applications such as Photoshop or Skype; and consumer products like Apple's iPod and the Casion Exilim digital camera.
Based on the findings of the assessment, we as professional designers can enhance and enrich the product lifecycle and improve the perceived quality of a product. While it may appear at first to be a daunting task, a realistic approach to the following stages can greatly reduce the design risks associated with poor lifecycle assessment.
Users Perceived Attributes of the Product
Throughout the lifecycle, designers should remember that two types of qualities define the attributes of a product - objective (quantitative) and subjective (qualitative).
Objective or quantitative attributes can include the product feature set, e.g. conformance to professional standards; performance based on metrics; and product support and accessories. Subjective or qualitative attributes include the aesthetics of the design and the user's emotional responses to the product.
Stages of the Product Life Cycle
Stage 1: Exposure
The first stage of a life cycle is the initial product exposure - a display model, website review, testimonial, application sneak peek, or tradeshow product launch. Initial exposure to the product often comes through a product review, description, or presentation. If initial exposure comes through a web channel, advertisement, or word-of-mouth, it may not be first use or even first glimpse. When designing for initial exposure, a designer must understand all the potential design attributes, presenting them in a concise and clear manner. The designer should improve functionality of the application-or better yet, the designer should help the consumer initiate product usage without an inundation of details. Initial exposures are typically brief, and they determine a user moves onto the next stage.
Great Exposure: BMW automobiles combine fit and performance with high-end materials and finishes. Their designers understand these features and utilize marketing to convey these superior attributes through advertisements and imagery.
Stage 2: Comparison
At this stage, the product is swiftly compared to different products with similar characteristics, helping the user better understand the product offering. This might not be the first use of the product, but it could be a time for users to compare product specifications, read reviews, or gather data. To design for comparison, the designer should understand the competition's strengths and weaknesses.
Classic Comparison: Hotels.com, an online travel website, understands consumers' desire for a great price on a quality hotel. To create confidence, the company launched virtual tours and photo galleries, allowing consumers to compare choices and to feel confident they are not getting a discount hotel with the discounted price.
Stage 3: Commitment
The third stage of the lifecycle involves the commitment process. Product commitment is achieved when the features and description prompt the consumer to utilize the product. For example, many websites promote free offerings in an effort to help users move into the commitment stage. During this stage the user has had some exposure to the product, and with minimal experience using the product the user gains a better understanding of the product offering. Because the commitment process should create a positive experience that encourages the user to commit to future product releases, the commitment process is critical for sales and marketing.
Seal the Deal: Amazon.com, an online superstore, launched a book preview feature. The designers understood that, before buying, consumers like to browse the pages of books. This additional feature helped consumers easily commit to a book purchase .
Stage 4: Out-of-the-Box
The fourth stage of the lifecycle is based on a first impressions experience-or an out-of-the-box experience. This first impression exposes the full product features and offerings to the user. In this stage, the designer wants to reveal all product aspects and offerings, from packaging to accessories to support material. This will help shape the user perception of the product, as well as the perceived quality. Hopefully at this stage these features will invoke the intended emotional response.
Precious Box: The designers at Apple realize the package is almost as important as the product. The iPod out-of-the-box experience is extended by creative packaging, easy-to-use instructions, and attention to sequence. Apple designers present the product logo and iPod upon opening the package, and then follow with instructions and stickers that provide guidance for getting started.
Stage 5: First Use
The fifth stage of the life cycle is first use experience. The first use experience is different from the initial exposure or comparison stage because the user has already committed to the product. But, at this stage the product must satisfy or meet the user's expectations set by the product marketing and features list. If the designer has followed a strong design process-based on understanding the end user needsÑthe product will meet these expectations. The user will be able to clearly use or perform the primary tasks associated with the product.
Need Help?: The designers at Microsoft develop office products for all different types of consumers. Complex applications, such as PowerPoint or Excel, need rich functionality to keep business users happy. But what about the novice? The designers of Office introduced a "Getting Started" screen for each application to help new users get started.
Stage 6: Continued Use
The sixth stage of the life cycle constitutes continuous or extended usage. It is in this stage that many products fall short resulting in product usage loss. If the user has a positive experience, they will continue to use the product. A positive judgment can be determined if the user does not return the product, switch to a different service, or uninstall the program. Designers who design for this cycle should carefully consider improving features based on the user's feedback. It is at this stage when the designer must consistently ask what methods would best help users scale their needs.
Keep it Simple: Google wasn't always the most popular search engine, but its designers knew that, for continuous use, search engines should be simple and clearly return accurate results. The search engine homepage has not changed much since its initial launch, and consumers continue to support the brand based on high-perceived quality of simplicity and speed.
Final Stage: Cycle End
Although some products seem to go on forever, regrettably most good things come to an end. Inevitably, a user begins to consider new product offerings or explore different features. The user will gain exposure to other product offerings, so a first-rate designer will anticipate this cycle by designing a product that meets the needs of the new product. The sharp designer will explore questions that consider: What new features will the user look for? What are competitors developing? What features in the current product are frustrating the user? How can I maintain brand loyalty for my users? A good designer will perform an assessment of the end of the product life cycle, revealing a new opportunity. And, the end of the lifecycle for the user is really the first step in the beginning of the design process.
Time for Upgrades: Norton Anti-Virus understands the product lifecycle, but they also understand their primary function is virus protection. Norton designers know users need to install patches often and renew product licenses yearly, so the designers kept it simple with easy download patches in the background. This makes the annual upgrade purchase painless.
And in the End
Keep in mind that the designer must continue asking questions at each lifecycle stage. He or she must persist in learning by gaining a better understanding of the user experience. At the forefront of the designer's mind should always be the most important question: How do I meet the needs of the end user? It is ultimately the designer's job to satisfy all the design attributes and to have the willingness to approach these issues. Thus, a designer can greatly reduce the design risk for the lifecycle of the product.
About the Author
Stephen Gay is a gifted design professional, who has worked closely with many high profile companies including Motorola, Prudential, Sapient and HannaHodge. His skill set and services include design management, information architecture, interface design, graphic/icon design, and usability testing. Through his real world experience and his deep passion for innovation in design, he utilizes his expertise to solve complex business problems related to technology and usability. For further information, you may visit Stephen at his website at www.stephengay.com.
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