Build desirability. Just viable is not enough.

A new product, service or app is typically seen through 3 lenses by its founders and makers. Viability which dwells on the economics and returns. Feasibility which dwells on the schematics and technical possibilities. And Desirability which draws its power from design.

But as businesses, makers and startups we sometimes don't pay heed to the mix and the need for a balanced diet. The three levers are not a sequence. All of them form the triad which is needed.

The conventional approach amongst many founders and startups has been to ship out a minimum viable product as early as possible and based on the consumer response, think of next steps. Many makers, often in a hurry to ship the product out to customers, pay scant attention to desirability. "Fail-fast" is a mantra frequently touted. But the question is why try to fail when a little caution can help. Why fail when some safety levers can be created?

We add a fourth dimension to this mix, which is Creativity. In a cluttered, attention deficit market and noisy product traffic, creativity can be a boon. While your product/service/platform could be desirable, how distinctive it is can determine whether it stands out. That will determine if the product is bought from amongst all the desirable candidates. After all every one is shipping out products and apps in tons, startups are bursting from the blocks every minute. Your desirability needs to differentiate itself clearly. But that subject is for another day. Today, we will dwell on desirability.

Consider viability as table stakes, not a differentiator

Minimum viable products shipped out in a rush, not designed thoughtfully around customers, go out to market in a hurry seeking patrons. They jostle, shuffle and hustle in the market, amongst discerning consumers (who incidentally are surrounded by beautiful products that deliver on both form and function and meet their needs). And when these consumers and audiences do not sense any desirability or a distinctive character or anything compelling, they pause and look elsewhere. Viability is necessary but not sufficient.

Thetis gives birth to Achilles who, unlike her, is mortal. She attempts to make the baby Achilles immortal, by dipping him in the River Styx (the river that runs through the underworld), while holding him by his heel. The one part of his body left untouched by the waters becomes his only point of weakness, hence the phrase 'Achilles heel'. It is this weakness that ultimately costs him his life.(Source - British Museum)

Lack of design and desirability can be the Achilles heel of new products, platforms and services.

Customers all over the world are increasingly looking at design and desirability as the differentiator. It is a powerful lens for human beings who eat with their eyes as much as with their mouth. Often penny-wise and pound-foolish decisions spur businesses to ignore design for later or limit their understanding of desirability to be just a logo or splash of color and little else. And this is a lesson and insight that budding founders and early-stage startups must pay heed to. Lest it be too late. Design must be thought of at the beginning while the product is taking shape and is being engineered. If not before.

For markets like India, the expectation of design amongst consumers is rising irrespective of price-points. Probably one of the reasons why many slickly-designed products from China have found favor with the Indian market. If function and price are similar, what gets the customer favor of a product is design and desirability. And if someone said design is only to be expected at higher prices, let them take a look at Miniso, Muji, Hyundai, Xiaomi, Harman Kardon, Ikea, the list goes on and across product categories. The point is there is no excuse for the lack of design. That would mean disrespecting users and customers.

Desirability cannot be an afterthought, it must accompany the product and not walk behind it

The irony lies in the fact that often good products, with technical superiority, hardworking associates, investor backing, fail the test on the final leg - their desirability attributes. A leg that is critical for creating sustainable consumer love (in excess of what it costs to make the product).

It is only when the consumer bites that she/he tastes the product. But if folks (many who eat with their eyes first), surrounded by goodies, spurn the new product because they don't find any desirable attributes, then the product fails before it even gets a chance. Nothing can be more unfortunate. The product is not at fault. The business model seemed sound. And yet it missed the bus because of an underlying reason. Probably its makers thought as many do, that design can be an after-thought. And that, it can be added later once the product is successful and mints money. And there lies the catch. Your product can't be successful till it cracks the desirability code and thinks the design through right from the inception.

Ventures are like relays - one cannot have a weak link or a missing link. The one weak-link can hijack the power of the rest of the relay runners who might be fast and furious.

If in doubt, design for it

The idea being propagated here is not a full blown design universe at the beginning of the product, but definitely not a half-formed one. When we say desirability, we look at the design system. Design principally delivers utility, efficiency and desirability. And then gets to think and work across a host of areas.

It spans a spectrum of areas and functions it influences. This includes user-centricity, customer research & competitive niche, distinctive attributes, visual form, sensorial elements, interplay of form and function (UIUX for digital products), the customer journey and experience, authentic story and narrative, branding, channels, tonality and messaging. All of these are powerful arsenals that not only make your products and ventures desirable, but also create an emotional armory for your product. They give your products and services, relatable and human attributes.

Good design, informed design makes it easy for users to understand how to use a product or service, and helps them feel confident and comfortable using it.

This is critical for startups (trying to build markets and grow customers), as they are often trying to create something that is completely new and unfamiliar to users. The customer must not get a sense of the product being alien and strange. Design helps overcome many of these barriers.

Design often times can also be a massive competitive advantage, inspiring its users to adopt it. Think Apple. It blew apart its competitive space by creating a new category to compete on - efficiency through design. Many blue ocean innovations have been products of design thinking.

So if you have a venture, product, platform or business, it is time to take a closer look at it. An audit of its desirability attributes would be a great first step towards growing customer love.

As the saying goes - if in doubt, design for it!

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