Transformational innovation: How do you practice user-centered design when it’s too early to have a defined user?
Emerging technology creates perplexing problems for user-centered design, such as: how do you take a user-centered approach when it’s too early to have a defined user?
As I attend Austin Tech Week this week, it seems appropriate to revisit my talks from its previous incarnation, Austin Startup Week.
In 2021 I shared an early version of my process for helping emerging technologies find product/market fit. While conventional user-centered design dictates that you should design products around a target user, that gets tricky when you’re designing for early-stage technologies with no established market.
Does this mean you should throw out user-centered design, or choose your target user based solely on TAM?
I don’t think so. I think it just means you have to take a more hybrid approach.
This has new relevance in 2024 as startups and investors look for new users and use cases for generative AI.
If you’re struggling to understand the target users for your product, service, or technology, here are three ways I can help:
✅ Targeted problem-solving for your market research design and strategy
🧑🎓 Training your team on customer matchmaking techniques
🧩 Conducting custom research that you can directly incorporate into your strategy