Loading...
Answers
MenuPhysical Product Design: is there guidance/books on how to focus on only the most essential features that deliver the most value? (80/20...)
Looking for fundamental best practices. How to design, how to get useful customer feedback, how to be responsive and quickly iterate. I know it's a huge topic. Looking for great starting points. I'm a veteran and MBA teaming up with another vet/MBA to make breathing masks (health care, shooting ranges, motorcycle riders). Validating cost structure now and then first target market. Considering form factor, fashion, design.
Answers
Great question! Here are the basics:
The Lean Startup by Eric Reis
http://www.amazon.com/The-Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous/dp/0307887898
Running Lean by Ash Maurya
http://www.amazon.com/Running-Lean-Iterate-Works-Series/dp/1449305172/ref=pd_sim_b_4?ie=UTF8&refRID=03VER05GWM6QV80D49ZH
*excellent, concrete, super actionable
The Startup Owner's Manual by Steve Blank
http://www.amazon.com/The-Startup-Owners-Manual-Step-By-Step/dp/0984999302/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JNJVNK8B46D6M98W1A5
*the bible!
Lean Customer Development by Cindy Alvarez
http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Customer-Development-Building-Customers/dp/1449356354/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1429290160&sr=1-1&keywords=customer+discovery+validation
*focused on methods you'll need to use to validate feature and value prop ideas
When in doubt, **stop debating**. You are not your customer. Get out of the building. Don't build unless you're testing what you build, and ready to throw away what you build when you get answers.
Good luck! Books are helpful as background, but for specific advice on where you and your company specifically should invest time, set up a call with me.
https://clarity.fm/caneel
You're question is thoughtfully phrased. You asked it here 8 months ago. Are you still looking for help with this? If so, let me know and we'll take it from there.
First. Frame the problem. Tip: absence of a product or solution is not a problem.
Second. Paint and experiential solution. You know, describe a picture of the future where this problem isn't around. This is the WHY your product must exist.
Third. Figure out HOW you're going to do it. Demand meaning from every feature, technology and attribute. If it doesn't get you to point #2 above? it's fluff, get rid of it.
Fourth. Consolidate and Shape ideas from #3 into concepts. Now bounce it against #1 with some really good criteria. Some of this will have come from #2.
Tip: There should only be several things your product MUST do really well. Everything else is secondary. Focus.
Related Questions
-
Is there any typical questions for customers' pain points discovery or it's impossible to standardise?
I have built several multi-million dollar businesses using (2) very simple questions: "What makes you say that...." and "Tell me more...." No matter what someone says to you, you just keep asking one (or both) of the questions. If you do it 4 or 5 times in a row you'll learn everything you ever wanted to know.Dan WaldschmidtDW
-
For an Internet software startup in 2013, what is more important for success: distribution or product? (all other things being equal)
Engagement matters most. Engagement is actually a function of great product and great distribution. Engagement is thought-of mostly as a product issue but in many cases, it also expresses itself as a distribution problem particularly where there is no possibility for a "single player" experience (marketplaces, feedback loops, anything attempting to be inherently social) If you have sustained engagement (a product experience loved by users) you will be successful, limited only by the potential number of people in the world that need the experience you provide and growing at a rate closely correlated to your distribution channels. Inefficient distribution is easier to optimize for then insufficient product. So to this extent, product matters more. But available distribution channels (or more accurately, the unavailable distribution tactics) also can define a company's fundraising options, and more definitively, the overall cultural and corporate DNA of the organization that forms around product & distribution. This is the best, most generalized answer I can provide to your question. Happy to talk to you and provide you a more contextually relevant answer to your own circumstances.Tom WilliamsTW
-
How do you get a product prototype developed in China sitting in the US?
It varies and it's very very specific to what you want to develop. The concrete design of your circuit matters. Also prototype building costs are usually a factor 10-100 higher than series. If you already have your prototype then you can shop around various manufacturing companies. To do that, you need Gerber files (your PCB design) and a bill of materials. You also need to think about casing: designing it and creating the mold is expensive. If you don't have your prototype yet, I recommend having it engineered in eastern Europe. Custom engineering is cheap there and high quality. IP protection is a problem. One thing to do is to distribute the work to different manufacturers. For the design phase you are safer if you design your prototype in Europe or the US where international patent laws apply. I could give you more specific advise in a phone call, getting to know a bit better what you are trying to build.Gerald FriedlandGF
-
Where can I get custom boxes at a reasonable price?
Depending on the specs of your boxes, there are many different great options out there for custom printed boxes, at reasonable prices. From my experience working with online retailers, here's some of the best that I've come across: https://packlane.com/ https://pakible.com/ https://www.boxup.com/ https://packhelp.com/ https://www.companybox.com/ http://brandincolor.com/ Some specialty suppliers: https://www.ecoenclose.com/ - eco-friendly http://www.instabox.com/ - Canada http://www.glbc.com/ - Canada + US https://www.packqueen.com.au/ - Australia Hope that helps and gives you some options to consider! Custom packaging is an important part in building a great brand, so it's smart to be looking into this. If you need any advice around creating an eCommerce brand and driving online retail sales, schedule a call with me and we can dig into it!Danny HalarewichDH
-
Is there any alternative to Yotpo app that can be integrated with any platform?
If you have international customers who speak other languages, response is lower when you speak to them in English. Solutions like Trustpilot handle that. Have implemented them plus some other methods for international customers in various countries, would be good to know a bit more about your specific requirements and share some tips on a phone call.guy spriggsGS
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.
