Global design firm offers three guidelines for those looking
to break into new markets.
By Bob Coon, Design Director, Product Development
Technologies (PDT), a global, full-service product development firm.
Traditionally, products offered in developing countries have
been based more on what trickled down from products in the U.S. and Europe
rather than on unique user needs in such countries. However, as the world changes, more companies
are seeing these markets not as afterthoughts, but as new areas for growth via
a specific offering.
Designing products for developing countries presents unique
challenges and an awareness of critical nuances. Over the course of several years working to
design products for use in countries like India,
Malawi, and Mexico, we’ve
developed several guidelines that allow us to create successful products that
properly serve our clients in these emerging markets. This three-step strategy is outlined below.
1. Don’t make assumptions
The first step in successfully designing for developing
countries is to check assumptions at the door.
It’s tempting to make preliminary judgments based on what one thinks he
already knows, but holding on to assumptions can actually hurt the development
process.
The U.S.
is very focused on product aesthetics and market fit, while developing
countries tend to prioritize function and utility. However, this doesn’t mean that users in
developing nations don’t care about product aesthetics. Holding on to these assumptions hampers the
development of successful products.
Product developers often begin product development cycles with these
assumptions in place, and therefore already have ideas about the product and
what needs to be created.
Oftentimes, product managers also have strong assumptions
about what they believe will give them more market share. We want our clients’ products to do well in
the market – so we know we need to first verify their ideas, otherwise we risk
creating unsuccessful product offerings.
Ultimately, it’s necessary for the development team to fully
immerse themselves in the respective culture and market for which they’re
designing in order to verify or reframe initial perceptions and ideas before
moving forward.
2. Understand the
culture and market
While the importance of beginning with a good understanding
of the culture and market for which a product is targeted may seem obvious,
it’s often a step that is glossed over. Product
developers need to truly immerse themselves in the culture and market in order
to develop an understanding of its intricacies.
Needs and desires can differ within nations and tend to change from
nation to nation as well. Product developers need to avoid generalization and
get to know each different area.
Developing countries often have common attributes - but they are not all the
same. A developer must understand the different cultural and environmental
forces at work for each area. As an example,
when designing a pill dispenser for India, product developers have to
keep in mind the very specific cultural and social stigmas that surround a
particular disease and the implications of taking medication for that disease. Such a product may result in divulging to family
and friends that the user has a disease, and ultimately be a barrier to helping
the patient in any meaningful way, or worse, be a destructive and alienating
force. It is imperative for the
development team to understand the cultural and lifestyle aspects in play and remain
unbiased by their own belief systems.
Beyond environmental concerns, product developers should
also consider factors such as maintenance, wear and tear, reliability, cost and
accessibility when designing for developing countries. Premium materials and emerging technologies might
be tempting to incorporate into a new design, but if the end-users can’t afford
the product or maintenance that comes with them, the design can really be a
failure.
3. Know that flexibility
is key
It’s important to let the product evolve throughout the
process. To this point, we advocate an
open development process where the entire team – from researchers to engineers
– is involved from beginning to end.
This helps the team as a whole understand user needs from the start, and
ensure that the product is fulfilling its intended purpose. This means adopting an iterative process
where development and prototyping are both done several times. While this type of cyclical process can seem
inefficient at first, it’s truly necessary to produce a successful end
product.
Product developers have to be extremely adaptive and roll
with the punches during any product development program, especially when they’re
designing a product for use in another country.
Be prepared to be flexible, especially when the future of a product
offering and company brand are at stake.
Source