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| In this section:
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User
participation during the development process helps to build a better product. |
Why? |
| If
you are building products or applications for a defined customer base with whom you have
an established relationship, then getting your users to participate in the development
process is a primary means to ensure that the product or application you are building
actually meets their requirements, and that those requirements have not changed since you
first asked them what they wanted.
It is also a very
good way of building relationships with your customers, it can and should be part of the
marketing effort. Customers who have helped design the product are more likely to buy it. |
Cement customer relationships |
| Alternatively,
if you are building products for a wider customer base such as a consumer market,
then getting some current or potential customers involved allows you to confirm the
guesses that your marketing department may have made as to needs, preferences and wants.
Gut feel and guesswork is not enough.
Standard
techniques such as Focus groups can be used with consumer
software products. But you do need people who understand the technology and how consumers
use software to run the Focus Group effectively. |
Confirm consumer needs and wants |
| The
techniques you can apply depend on where you are in the development cycle. There are
things you can do at the start such as Prototyping, and
things that must wait until the product is ready for release, such as Benchmarking. |
Techniques throughout the development cycle |
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