If you’re developing a product, I bet you’re pretty excited about the product itself. The features and components. The pedagogy and methodologies. The user experience.
I’ve had my fair share of highly effective and—just as importantly—less-than-ideal product development experiences.
Developing successful education products requires a deep understanding of the needs of our customers and clients, users, and the market.
For publishers and edtech companies, products are the heart of your business.
For content developers, making high-quality products is what you deliver to clients.
For thought leaders and consulting firms, products are an extension of your brand.
Whatever role products have in your education business, a great product can boost growth and your reputation. A poor product can waste time and money, create confusion for your clients & customers, or damage your reputation.
Here are four key ways to develop successful education products. Address these four areas early and often in your product development process:
Know your target audience. It is crucial to understand the target audience, including their challenges, ideal outcomes, fears and desires. This information can help you create products that are relevant, engaging, and effective.
Understand the problem you aim to solve. Knowing the problem you’re solving is more important than what you’re creating in order to solve it. As you move through development, keep the problem front and center of every decision you make.
Identify your competitors and how your product is better. Even before you start developing prototypes, understand what’s in the market. Identify what’s missing in products your customers and clients can currently choose from.
Incorporate feedback. Feedback from users can help to improve the quality and effectiveness of education products. Gathering feedback through surveys, focus groups, and user testing can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the product meets the needs of learners and educators.
Creating high-quality, market-successful products can be more reliable with these best practices.
What strategies have helped you create the most successful education products?