Factors Underpinning the Launch Success of New Products: A Comprehensive Review
The triumph of bringing a product to market is a team accomplishment. Though designers take charge of the user experience, utility, and usability, success or failure in new product development often depends on factors beyond a designer's control. Gonzales and Palacios' model from 2002 outlines the primary elements contributing to NPD success:
- Knowledge Management: While a designer might not oversee the organizational structures, they can advocate for open-knowledge management and aid in sharing market and user research data to foster creativity and improve the product.
- Market Orientation: A designer's role is crucial in promoting the company philosophy that emphasizes customer needs and desires. Conducting user research and market analysis can help designers influence the company philosophy to deliver products that meet the market's expectations.
- New Product Development Process: Designers are instrumental in implementing user-centered design practices, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing to ensure the product is tailored to the needs of the users.
- New Product Development Speed: Designers play a significant role in speeding up the development process through efficiency, reducing delays, and accelerating the time-to-market.
- New Product Development Strategies: Designers have a say in setting product strategies by providing insights from user research to guide the strategies to meet the preferences of users.
- New Product Development Teams: Encouraging teamwork, communication, and cross-functional collaboration are essential responsibilities for designers to ensure a cohesive and creative approach.
- Technology: Designers drive innovation by employing new technologies to better the user experience and product features while collaborating with engineering teams on their integration.
- Top Management Support: Designers can advocate for resources, alignment, and demonstrate the business value of design investments to gain the support necessary for success.
As Michael Jordan said, "Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." While not every factor is within a designer's direct control, they can make significant contributions to ensuring the product's success by strategically utilizing their influence and fostering collaboration across teams.
In the realm of new product development (NPD), designers can champion open-knowledge management and market research data sharing (knowledge management) to bolster creativity and enhance the product. Additionally, designers can implement user-centered design practices, such as rapid prototyping and iterative testing, to ensure the product's usability and accessibility, and collaborate with engineers in leveraging new technologies (technology) to improve the user experience and product features.
