I have now overseen the creation of over 300 digital products across web, mobile and social and I thought I’d share with you our list of 7 questions you should ask before you contribute to the digital landscape.
1. Who is going to use this?
You need to determine about your users:
Do they use web? If so, what browsers do they use?
Are they on mobile? Yes? What handsets do they have?
How does their digital day look and how long will they spend on each media?
The responses to the above will define what digital product you should build, be that an app, website, or Facebook embedded product. The answer does not always fit with your first expectation (i.e. we need an app).
2. What do you want to happen to the world once this product is added to it?
It is not the process of building a website or an app that changes behavior, it’s what happens when it’s launched. You need to have a clear vision of what you want to happen. Once you know what and who you want to change you need to have a clear idea of how your product will achieve that and keep those thoughts front of mind.
If you want more people to buy from you that needs to be considered at every stage and woven into the fabric of what’s being made. Otherwise you end up with a brilliantly executed idea that serves no purpose .
3. Do I have enough resources to see this through?
The internet and apps are not a silver bullet.
You cannot take an idea from your powerful mind, put it on the internet/app store and expect millions of people to gather round your brilliance, throwing their hard earned currency at you.
The game is not over when you launch, that is the end of the beginning.
You then need to grow awareness, a loyal following, iterate your offering, amplify what’s working for you whilst winding down what’s not.
A digital product is never finished, it can always serve its purpose better.
4. What are my limits of capability, where does my expertise lie?
Have you done this before? What makes you think you are an expert in this field? What is your expertise? Play to your strengths and fill in the gaps with proven experts.
Who will be your creative, technical, financial, advisory or legal partners?
A successful product is usually a harmony of different talents pushing in the same direction.
5. What is the market need for what I am doing, what problem am I solving?
This is a well used question. Because it is so important.
You need to understand the ‘size of the prize’, who the competition are and how you are going to beat them. You need to watch dragons den and have your own answers to all of their questions.
A market lead strategy is key. Building something brilliant is only a good idea if enough other people are prepared to buy that brilliance.
6. How am I going to measure success?
At the outset you need to understand what your success looks like and how to measure it. Do you have well defined KPI’s. Is it reach, influence or revenue?
How are you going to measure all of these and when will you call it a day? If you are on to a winner you need to know when to buy champagne and bling. If you are onto a losing game you need to kill it and move on.
7. How do I make a success of this all, when will I be a billionaire or get that promotion?
You need to treat your app or web based idea like any other business. You will need a clearly defined market need, an innovative solution, plenty of time, expert knowledge, patience and an allocated budget to pay for it all.
Have you written your business plan yet? It’s a good place to start.
I can help you with all of this, helping to outline the size of your market and offer recommendations to reach your commercial goals and how to measure your success along the way, I can work with you to help you bring your digital dreams to life.
Charles Cadbury 