Start with Strategy to Go Farther, Faster
We know that diving headfirst into design can be fun. And we see a lot of our clients doing just that. A new project or initiative that will require design changes comes up, and everyone looks to the design team to put some new layouts together that solve all the problems, meet all the metrics, and look sexy while doing it. Then, during the design review session, someone asks a big question like, "What problems are we trying to solve here?" or "Why is this direction the best path forward?" And the conversation veers off the cliff with everyone chiming in with their own opinions.
Without a strategic foundation to stand on, the team struggles to find alignment on answers to the big questions, and the designers struggle to tie their decisions back to more than their instincts (which are important, but not always reliable as the only source of inspiration). Whether you're revisiting an existing strategy to accommodate new priorities, or building something completely new, starting with a strategic foundation that everyone is aligned on can save time, resources and headaches while setting the team up for more success in the end.
Start with Strategy
Align on Your Strategic Foundation to Go Farther, Faster
What is a Strategic Foundation?
A strategic foundation is like blueprint for the success of your product. It's the comprehensive plan that outlines the product's purpose and goals, defines your target users, and reflects their real needs and the problems the product is solving for them. Without this clear picture of what you're doing and why, even the most beautiful designs can fall flat.
An informed strategic foundation offers so much to you and your teams! Here are just a few benefits to be found...
Alignment and Clarity
A solid strategic foundation ensures everyone on your team is on the same page. Whether you're a senior leader, product manager, UX designer, or engineer, having a shared understanding of the product's vision and goals eliminates confusion and misalignment. It’s like having a GPS for your product journey—everyone knows the destination and, therefore, can more quickly identify the best route to get there.
User-Centered Design
At the heart of any successful product is a deep understanding of the user. A strategic foundation is rooted in user insights—knowing their needs, pain points, and behaviors. This user-centric approach ensures that the product you design isn't just functional but genuinely resonates with your audience. After all, if your product doesn't solve a real problem for real people, what's the point?
Prioritization and Focus
In the hustle and bustle of product development, it's easy to get sidetracked by shiny features and cool designs. A strategic foundation helps you prioritize what truly matters. By clearly defining your product's core value proposition and the primary problems it's meant to solve, you can focus your efforts on what will make the biggest impact, rather than spreading yourself too thin.
Risk Mitigation
Investing time in building a strategic foundation allows you to identify potential risks early on. This could be anything from market competition to technical challenges. By anticipating these hurdles, you can develop strategies to address them before they become major roadblocks, saving you time, money, and headaches down the line.
Informed Decision Making
Our favorite benefit! Every decision you make during the product development process should be informed by your strategic foundation. This ensures consistency and coherence across all aspects of the product, from design and functionality to marketing and beyond. When everyone understands the "why" behind decisions, it leads to more thoughtful and deliberate choices. And better collaboration.
How to Build a Strong Strategic Foundation
Done well, a strategic foundation involves rigorous research, thoughtful collaboration, and a clear vision for success. It requires input from the business, fresh user insights, and skilled technical guidance.
5 important steps to a strong strategic foundation:
1. Conduct Thorough Research
Start with generative, qualitative research to gather insights about your users, market trends, and industry landscape. This will help you understand the context in which your product will exist.
2. Define Clear Goals and Objectives
What do you want your product to achieve? Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that will guide your development process.
3. Understand your Users
Make sure to identify your target users, and take the necessary steps to understand their needs, motivations, and challenges. This will keep your product requirements and designs focused and user-centered.
4. Map Out User Journeys
At Common Marvel, we love a good User Journey Map! This framework helps teams identify user expectations, needs, pain points, tech considerations and opportunities for improvement, no matter what stage of the product lifecycle they're in. to articulate the strategic foundation with and for our clients.
5. Establish Key Metrics
Determine how you will measure the success of your product. Whether it's user engagement, conversion rates, or customer satisfaction, having clear metrics will help you track progress and make data-driven decisions.
Whether you are building a strategic foundation for a brand new product, or revisiting and revising an existing foundation to accommodate changes in the market, it's one of the most crucial steps in a healthy process. It sets the stage for smart, user-centered design and ensures that your product not only looks great but also meets real needs and achieves your business goals.