{"id":80493,"date":"2022-10-06T05:35:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T09:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=80493"},"modified":"2022-10-11T13:43:49","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T17:43:49","slug":"must-have-product","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/must-have-product\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Must-Have Product or Service"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do you create a must-have product? What are some of the characteristics of products that are considered “must-haves”?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To create a product<\/a> or service that won’t go out of business, you need to ensure that your customers won\u2019t want to miss out on it. A must-have product delivers so well on a target market\u2019s needs that people would be unhappy if they lost it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s how to create a must-have product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Ensure Customers Can\u2019t Go Without Your Product<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A must-have product should deliver a \u201cclick\u201d moment\u2014an experience where customers suddenly see how the product is indispensable to them (the authors call this an \u201caha\u201d moment). For instance, a cloud-based writing platform might \u201cclick\u201d for a remotely distributed writing team when they see how it lets them collaborate without time or location constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the authors, you can determine whether your product is indispensable by running a simple survey. In short, they recommend that you ask your users how they would feel if they could no longer use your product. Offer the following multiple choice answers: Very disappointed, disappointed, neutral, not bothered.<\/em> If at least 40% of your users would be very disappointed, your product is indispensable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Product Validation Methods<\/strong>

The authors\u2019 above strategy is one way of validating <\/em>a business idea<\/a>. Validating your product<\/a> or service is a common strategy that many businesses perform before heading to market. Other validation methods include<\/a>:

Ask yourself what problem you\u2019re trying to solve<\/strong>, research whether there\u2019s a market for your solution, and clearly articulate the unique value<\/a> you\u2019ll provide.

Interview potential customers<\/strong> to ensure that the problem you\u2019re trying to solve actually matters to them.

Try test-selling a prototype<\/strong> of your product to see whether it can sell well.

Note as well that user surveys aren\u2019t always reliable<\/a>, for more than one reason. Often, the sample size for a survey (how many people you ask) is too small and doesn\u2019t accurately represent the larger population. In addition, survey writers can inadvertently write biased questions that prompt people to give certain answers\u2014for instance, asking your users about their level of disappointment only allows them to answer in terms of disappointment. In reality, they might feel a wider set of emotions about the product, but the question hems them in. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To determine your \u201cclick\u201d moment, use these two tactics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n