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Nick LeFort

May 15 2024

Product research and testing are core elements of the process.

The Product Development Cycle has a few key themes.

Starting in February, we began sharing the key steps of the product development cycle. We did this with a particular focus on how they integrate with product research and testing. Derived from MESH01’s years of first-hand experience in product development, we wanted to share the process with you in detail. In doing that, we wanted to highlight opportunities to engage your customers along the way.

By breaking down the cycle into these six specific steps we provided examples of how they come together and lead to a successful product launch. Here is a quick access point to each of those steps:

First and foremost, thank you for following along with us as we’ve spent the last few months navigating through the product development process. For some of you, this may have been an informed refresher for a method you’ve been using already. For others, this might have been the first time you’ve seen the whole cycle in one place. Either way, we hope that you found it beneficial.

One of the first things we mentioned in this series is that product development is cyclical. When one project ends, the next one begins. In following this process, you become familiar with each step and the benefits of seeing them through. This allows you to become more efficient, and future-focused, and feel less like you’re being confined by your project timeline.

Before we wrap this series up, we wanted to go over two of the most important aspects of product development: feedback and core customers. At MESH01, we believe that by including your core customers in your product development process you can create a wealth of feedback that helps inspire your next project as well as support current projects and products already in the market.

Feedback

Throughout each step, the topic of feedback has been an important focal point. Feedback is a necessary part of product development. Whether it’s internal or external, brands and retailers need feedback to help make choices throughout this product development process. It will help inform your decisions on your current project as well as consequent projects.

Feedback can come from myriad sources. It’s important to know the difference between the right feedback and feedback that can lead you down a rabbit hole and be a significant waste of time. A lot of feedback online is skewed and uninformed, but it can be used to look for correlations when compared to reliable, informed feedback. That’s why it’s important to be proactive and seek out the right, informed feedback so that you can plan for the future of your current product, as well as the next one.

Core Customers

Another theme you should have picked up on is core customers. These people are your control group; the folks who know your brand and your product. They’re the people whose feedback is informed and beneficial because they use the products you launch into the market. They may also have a keen sense of the segment your product lives in as well as what your competitors are doing.

MESH01 has an ever-growing tester community comprised of your core customers. These are people who regularly interact with your brand and your products. They know how to use your product in the environment it was designed to be used in. Their insight adds value to the Product Development Cycle.

Bringing Customers and Feedback Together

The MESH01 product testing platform allows you to work with your core customers to collect the informed feedback you need to successfully complete the product development cycle. By using our product testing platform to interact with our tester community you can involve them in the steps of the development process. Their interactions and the information they supply through concept testing and pre-launch product testing become your informed feedback.

What’s more is when you start your next project, you’ll not only have the feedback you’ve collected, but you’ll have this team of dedicated testers that you can reengage. Their expertise is invaluable, as is the wealth of information they provide you. The more and more you work with them, you’ll find it’s easier to navigate the pre-launch and post-launch waters.

With one project ending and another beginning, both of these resources will allow to be more efficient and effective. This in turn will allow you to have more control over your project timelines and make informed decisions about current and future projects.

SaaS: Software as a Service

The MESH01 product testing platform has an ever-growing community of product testers. Our platform serves as a gateway to those product testers, who represent your core customers. By engaging and interacting with these people you can ask questions, create surveys, and even ask them to field test your product, pre-launch. This ability not only saves you time but eliminates the risk of bringing a product to market that will be poorly received.

Our SaaS solution is growing and evolving. In a recent study, we found that 70% of brands perform formal product testing. Out of that number, 80% of those brands see their product testing process growing and innovating. Part of that innovation and growth is relying on third-party field testing services. By leveraging our best-in-class SaaS product testing solution, you’re less likely to disrupt your project timeline. You’re also more likely to gather informed and authentic feedback.

Find Out More

If you would like to find out more about MESH01 and our ability to help you navigate through the product development cycle, we’re always here to talk. Connect with us today and find out how concept testing, pre-launch product testing, and informed feedback can take the guesswork out of your next product launch.

Thank you for following along as we walked you through the Product Development process. We hope that this series was a beneficial look at how products are developed, how feedback plays a crucial role in that development, and how your core customers really are your closest allies.

Later this summer, we’ll take the next step. At the center of the conversation will be our MESH01 platform. But, if all goes as planned, we’re hoping to get everyone talking to one another, above and beyond.

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