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Turn your idea into a product that people actually use

by Owen FarMay 15th, 2017

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<strong>We are all inspired by great ideas and thoughts towards which we strive to accomplish,</strong> but this doesn’t mean they will be done by the next day. If you are inspired by a great idea or you have thought about something you <em>really</em> want to do, you will also notice that you instantly get this urge to follow it through till the end to finally see the finished product. But how long does this feeling last? It’s these rare moments that give us such motive, and you should make use of this time before it starts fading away.

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Turn your idea into a product that people actually use

We are all inspired by great ideas and thoughts towards which we strive to accomplish, but this doesn’t mean they will be done by the next day. If you are inspired by a great idea or you have thought about something you really want to do, you will also notice that you instantly get this urge to follow it through till the end to finally see the finished product. But how long does this feeling last? It’s these rare moments that give us such motive, and you should make use of this time before it starts fading away.

Let’s find out how we can apply the best strategies, and how they can help us turn these ideas into a real product.

Planning ahead

This is a perfect period to start adjusting and planning ahead, organizing yourself to be prepared for the coming weeks and months of productivity. You will eventually start to understand that it is not always going to be fun, and taken by such enthusiasm. I’m quite sure that at one point or another, you will also face parts of the project that may start to seem boring. There will always be tasks that are daunting, and we tend to look at these tedious (but important) tasks and have second thoughts or doubts about the whole project.

Don’t get too lost into your vision of what the product might come up to be in the future. What I mean by this is that you shouldn’t start having too many expectations from the very beginning. If you came up with a great idea and you are convinced that “this is it!”, then that’s great! Go ahead and start writing down those thoughts. Now that you have written down what you envision, you might already feel the excitement piling up. But — be patient, don’t rush immediately into building future plans about the whole idea that you just thought about a few minutes ago.

Take some time, and think about it thoroughly. Ask these questions to yourself:

Is this idea a solution to a current problem?
What is the problem that it might help me or others overcome?
Are there already available products that have a similar outcome?
How well are they doing?
Is there a large enough market for my idea to grow?

Answering these questions should already start making things clearer. Don’t let yourself be disappointed if you realize there are already other applications or products that do the same thing. Actually, that’s a good start! This is expected, I’d be more skeptical if you don’t find any other similar product which already exists, as that might mean there is no market for your idea (make sure you carry your research well). Innovation comes in improving what already exists, and making it better. Some people are usually already scared to even think about using something new, especially if it’s something unheard of.

Your next step is to ask yourself the following questions:

What methods are being used by my competitors?
Are the customers happy with the outcome?
How can this product be improved? Is there room for improvement?
How can I make it better? How can I be different?
What will be the Unique Selling Proposition(USP) of my idea?

Analyze well what already exist, and find the weak spots that you could improve and which would make your product unique. Discussing it with your friends and family is always a good start, as most of the time we get so lost into the idea and the final product, that we ignore other important facts. Listen carefully when they share their thoughts and opinions about your idea, and don’t be too quick to dismiss any suggestions which do not conform to your plan. Feedback is a very crucial step. Don’t let criticism slow you down! Try to understand what they mean, because most of the time they are usually right in what they have to say. Take this as an opportunity to find ways to continue improving on your idea.

If you believe in your idea, go ahead and do it! You will be amazed by how much you will learn from doing so, even if the product does not turn out to be as successful as you thought. You have now gained tons of more experience that you can immediately apply for the next project you undertake!

Closing thoughts

You have to stay patient and keep looking ahead. Taking a project from a simple idea, to finalizing the product and being ready for shipment is not an easy task — far from it actually. The more you plan ahead and be prepared, the easier it will be to face such situations.

Have a look at the term Minimum Viable Product (MVP). MVP is a product with the most basic features that would be enough to make it useful, and show your unique approach. Basically ask yourself this; What are the most important features that would make my product usable (or viable)? In doing so, you will not invest too much time on building a full-fledged product that only a couple of users sign-up for.

Apply the best and most viable features to your early release, and see what happens from there. Ask for feedback and evaluate the users’ responses and the usability of the product. If no one is interested in using your product as it is, don’t expect the audience to grow on your next release. In return, you wouldn’t have invested so much time, but if it does reach a certain audience, then you have hit the right spot! You can now focus on building and applying the features you wanted to implement from the very beginning, resting assured that your product will most certainly keep growing, and not take a dive and disappear with the rest of the Internet graveyard.

What will make you different from others is that you will not give up, you have improved your patience skills. You will keep moving forward, and this is what will make you unique. Do not think about having the best product in the market, making loads of money, or gaining fame. Rather — think about how you can improve your productivity everyday, step-by-step. The more days, months, or even years that pass by, the more you are becoming comfortable within your field of interest. You are becoming an expert on the subject and slowly heading towards the direction of becoming a professional. You’re on the pathway to becoming self-sustainable!

Thank you for reading!

These are just some of my thoughts that are discussed in further detail in my eBook — Mastering Web Development