The Product Development Stool, Part 2

Last week on the blog, we looked at the role of UCD and the customer in the product development process.

Cathy Espy posted a response to the post and then went to so far as to create a rendition of the 3-legged product development stool. The points in her blog response and her image prompted me to include them here as part of their own post.

Cathy wrote, “Another angle would be to consider UCD and our customer input/view as the seat of the stool, the one thing that each of the legs “plugs into” in order to make it whole and functional. If all the legs aren't "plugged in" to the seat, the customer and/or product that tries to sit on that stool falls down!”
 

C. Espy

Although, as Cathy noted, this is a non-artist’s rendition of  user-centered design, I like it and think its effective because 1) it uses the whole stool and 2) it communicates the idea that every part of the stool is necessary. EVERY PART.

Imagine, if you will, what would happen:  

• if we remove the seat (the customer and UCD) from the picture. We would have 3 legs on their own, not plugged into anything, and we would be creating the content, marketing and design of the product in a vacuum, disconnected from the purpose for which or person for whom it exists.
• if we remove the design leg of the stool. Aside from the fact that the stool is now wobbly, we may have wonderful content that is marketed well, however, there will be no design or form to the way the content is laid out. All of the sudden, that super content, is not as usable for the customer. 
• if we remove the marketing leg of the stool. Though we have wonderful content, designed in a useful way, the customer has no way to learn about it.   
• if we remove the development leg of the stool. We are left with nothing to design except a marketing piece whose function is to market-I’m not sure what.

Every part of the stool is necessary if we want to create products that allow our customers to carry out the tasks of their respective ministries, efficiently, effectively and satisfactorily.

The fact is, every part of the stool is necessary if we want to create a product that reflects fully, the Saint Mary’s Press brand and standard of products and the type of interaction our customers have come to expect when they choose to partner with Saint Mary’s Press.

Be on the lookout for this UCD rendition to pop-up in new areas at the press.