Formulate a point of view and be ready to defend it

While sharing your ideas with customers, do not get into a requirements gathering mode where you show up and ask them what they want. That is not an effective approach for product design because you won’t challenge your customer to think out of the box.  Start by talking to friends, colleagues and thought leaders to develop a point of view, before approaching a customer. You need to research and refine your thought process so that you can defend your point of view in front of a customer. Being in front of a customer is very different from an internal product workshop. A customer will have very little time for you if what you are presenting has no value for them. So, you should be able to clearly and concisely articulate the value of your product and the design of your product your audience. Naturally, the more refined your concepts are, the more effective your product conversations will be.

While telling your product story to customers, present your point of view first and take a stand. Be ready to defend your point of view with facts and empirical evidence. If customers challenge your point of view, listen to them carefully and ask them to tell more about their experience. This is when your learning happens. They key word here is experience. It is important that customers talk about it from their experience and not just air their opinions.

Be willing to change your ideas if  your customers have valid points against them. Remember that customers expect you to bring innovation and value. However, even if your ideas are valuable customers are in a better position to know if your ideas will work within their unique organizational settings. Find the right balance between the the right thing to do and the practical thing to do. After all, you want the customer to adopt your product.