Perspectives On Design Thinking

The brains behind a near-perfect product

Think of a product we use every day. Would you prefer the same product, but with a different brand? Why would you not have an alternative? The answer lies in the convenience and use of the product. The feeling associated with a product after its use is content and satisfaction. Behind that successful product design, there is a designer, who has crafted the idea behind it by understanding customer needs.

With that said, product designers are subject matter experts who combine business and development skills to create products that meet customer needs and deliver value to the business. They identify the needs of the customer and larger business objectives that a product or a feature would fulfill.

Typically a product manager would be involved in developing a new product or a product line. What is essential before product development is customer development. Who would buy, why would customers buy and what problem does it solve are essential questions to be asked by the product manager before coming up with a new product.

Design Thinking plays a crucial role for product managers in understanding the customer’s requirements. Requirements of the customer are of two types- Stated and Unstated. Stated needs are clear and are fundamental in developing the product. Unstated needs are felt needs, which are more on the emotional aspect of the customer. These two requirements are to be understood by the product manager before coming up with the product in the market.

Understanding unstated needs and unearthing blindspots are key to understanding the customer to the last mile. The more the understanding, the better the competitive edge for the company.

How would Design Thinking help in better understanding the customer?

Understanding Unstated Needs of the customer

It may seem that customers are clear with what they want. The truth is, they are not. The stated needs that the customer would convey is not entirely what they would want. However, the unstated needs that are in the mind of the customer is what they exactly expect.

Customers usually have an expectation on how a particular product should look, feel and serve the purpose. But, they would mostly convey 70% of the requirement; the remaining 30% is untold, unstated. This is by design and customers would typically convey the remaining 30% as a feedback to improve. The last percentages of the expectation would mostly be an emotional factor. The last 2% as we call it.

If product designers could understand the last 2% of the needs of the customer, which would become the ‘wow’ factor of the product, it also becomes a competitive edge in the market.

To understand the unstated needs of the customer, the product designer would have to assume the role of the customer. To step into the shoes of the customer. How would the customer use the product? Where would the customer use it? These are some questions that would help understand the user much deeper.

Next, observe customers who use a similar product in various circumstances, note down how they would use it and what is the purpose behind it. Being in the shoes of the customer is essential, but walking in the shoes of the customer- Being able to relate to the everyday journey and struggles of the customer – is necessary. This process would discover new possibilities to improve and come up with products that are much more intimate to the customer and end-user.


Unearthing Blindspots- Beyond the obvious. 

Once the stated and unstated requirements are gathered, we are nearing a competitive edge. But the job is not finished; there are a few unseen areas which may need some attention. When the obvious-stated and unstated, is discovered, what is beyond the obvious? The blindspots. Unearthing blindspots would require more than observation of the customer. It requires careful observation. Careful observation would involve analysing their feelings during the utilisation of the product and the lasting/lingering feeling which stays after using the product. Steps of the customer journey in using the product is also carefully recorded. Each step becomes crucial to understand what other products are missing. It is almost like finding the new Michelin star recipe with a sensory analyst. 


The Last 2% difference- Wow factor / Experience
The ‘Wow’ Factor is the final feeling of ‘Wow’ that continuously stays with the customer even after using the product. The amazement, a particular feature could give, or the satisfaction of the requirement having been fulfilled, in which it exceeds the expectations of the customer, is the last 2% difference the product can offer.

The brains behind a near-perfect product design.

The last 2% factor differentiates one product from the other. And gives the customer a feeling of trust followed by delight in using the product. The Wow factor or the experience usually caters to the emotional needs of the customer.

Here is a case of an ice cream scoop which is designed.

Zyllis Ice cream scoop case
One such example of applying Design Thinking in Product Management is the case of Zyllis in creating an “Ice cream” scoop.

Example case:
Tom and David Kelley of the award-winning Palo Alto-based global design firm (IDEO) have been helping private and public sector organizations innovate, grow, and bring to market new ideas for 35 years. They share an excerpt from the book that demonstrates the power of observation as a tool for designers.

‘While working with Swiss housewares company Zyliss on a line of twenty-four handy kitchen tools, our team at IDEO conducted field observations of people using everyday items like ice cream scoops. We could have sat at our desks imagining that people use the tools exactly the way we do. We might have designed an ergonomic handle or a smooth scooping action. But when we spent time with people in the kitchen, we saw customer behaviors that pointed to other, less obvious needs.

Zyllis Ice cream scoop

After using the scoop, several people absent-mindedly licked the ice cream off the scoop before putting it in the sink. We realized that a great ice cream scoop would not only be good at getting ice cream out of the carton, but it would also lend itself to licking off that last bit of ice cream when you were done with the job. So we set out to make a “mouth-friendly” scoop. For starters, that meant ensuring no sharp edges or moving parts that a tongue could catch on.

We could have simply asked people how they use an ice cream scoop. But they probably wouldn’t have mentioned licking the scoop and might have even denied it. In other words, field research entails more than simply asking people what they want. And it doesn’t absolve you of the need to generate good ideas. But it does help you get at latent needs, the non-obvious ones that people aren’t conscious of. An interview won’t give you that. Sometimes you need to follow consumers into the kitchen.’

Hence Design Thinking would aid product managers to come up with product design that serve the purpose and the customer’s emotions, and maybe serve better ice-creams as well!

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