Good product design effectively and efficiently meets the user’s function and because of this, defining the user is a crucial step that must be completed before beginning design. To accomplish this, user profiles are created that target market segmentation and address the user’s:

1. Needs

2. Expectations

3. Demographics

4. Current problems

5. Access to available technology and information

These points make up the contextual knowledge that forms the foundation for co-design. To reach an efficient solution using co-design, it is crucial to keep two things in mind:

1. The users are the experts.

2. Proper planning is absolutely essential.

Users are Experts

Remember that, though the engineers design the product, it is the user who buys it and therefore the product must be tailored to meet the user’s needs. Make it a priority to identify product champions. Involving users for the long term who are creative will provide fantastic product ideas and lead to a better solution.

Proper Planning is Essential

Proper planning is essential for successful co-design. To reach a deeper understanding of the problem, review all the research and analysis by:

1. Creating user scenarios that represent current user workflows.

2. Prepare an agenda with a clear purpose.

3. Highlight the techniques to use.

4. Stage a do-design session to push the project forward in an organized manner.

For more information on co-design, see our full discussion here.