How can you ensure customers understand the value of your design?

1 Understand your customer

Before you present your design, you need to understand who your customer is, what they want, and what they care about. Research their goals, challenges, preferences, and motivations. Use empathy maps, personas, interviews, surveys, or other methods to get insights into their perspective. This will help you tailor your design to their specific needs and expectations, and avoid irrelevant or inappropriate features or solutions.

2 Define the value proposition

A value proposition is a clear and concise statement that summarizes the benefits and outcomes of your design for your customer. It answers the question: why should they choose your design over other alternatives? A good value proposition should highlight the unique features and advantages of your design, the problems it solves, and the value it creates. Use simple and specific language, avoid jargon and technical terms, and focus on the benefits, not the features.

4 Align with their criteria

Another way to ensure your customers understand the value of your design is to align it with their criteria for evaluation and decision making. These criteria may include quality, functionality, usability, reliability, cost, sustainability, or other factors that matter to them. Find out what criteria they use, how they measure them, and how they rank them. Then, show how your design meets or exceeds their criteria, and provide evidence or data to back up your claims.

5 Address their objections

No matter how good your design is, you may face some objections or questions from your customers. These may be related to the feasibility, viability, desirability, or compatibility of your design. To address these objections, you need to anticipate them, prepare responses, and handle them with confidence and respect. Don't ignore or dismiss them, but listen to them, acknowledge them, and provide solutions or alternatives. Show that you understand their concerns, and that you are willing to work with them to overcome them.

6 Follow up and get feedback

Finally, to ensure your customers understand the value of your design, you need to follow up and get feedback. Don't assume that your presentation or proposal is enough to convince them or close the deal. Follow up with them to see if they have any questions, doubts, or comments. Ask for their feedback on your design, and how it meets their needs and expectations. Use their feedback to improve your design, or to clarify or reinforce your value proposition. Show that you value their input, and that you are committed to delivering the best solution for them.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?