"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."
You wouldn't think these types of words would come out of Steve Jobs, but they did. I mention them because I'm extremely wary of focus group and relying on the type of consumer input Jobs was talking about. It's similar to taking part in a poll; if a question is asked a certain way, the answer can be completely different.
That's one of the issues Jobs was getting at. The truth is most people don't know what they want, that's why businesses exist - to help show them.
So how do you serve customers with what they want if they're not sure of what it is? Isn't it impossible?
Sure it's possible, or there wouldn't be such an thing as a market. The key is in understanding overall trends and where things are going, and from there create the types of products or services that ride them.
For example, the introduction of the iPod was the result of understanding the general desire by music lovers to be able to listen to music while they were mobile. While that type of product had existed for some time, the way it integrated with the Internet, while adding the type of design Apple (AAPL) was famous for, created something that rode the ongoing trend of the desire to listen or access music wherever you were.
What's important is understanding where the trend is going, while integrating some unique design and function that makes it a must to own. In other words, it must work great, but also be something that adds status in the users' eyes.
People still are sheep, whether you like that way of saying it or not. They're not quite sure specifically what they want, even if they have a general idea. They also aren't able to enter into the nuances that creating products or services entail.
The best we can do is understand the trends, and from there build prototypes and test them to see how they're received. It doesn't take long from there to find out what works or doesn't. This is why on the Internet there are so many things that are in what is called "beta." That just means it's being tested until the kinks are worked out of it and people give feedback on how they like it.
This is different than focus groups in that there is something operational which can be interacted with and responded to.
What's the answer according to Jobs? Show them something tangible. We won't know if they'll want it until we do.
Other Steve Jobs Resources:
You've got to find what you love
Steve Jobs, Business Personality
Steve Jobs' Greatest Presentation
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Tracked on: July 26, 2007 12:55 AM | Permalink to Trackback