Week 8 : Design the Launch

In week 8, I learned the following things:

Design the launch (Learning Launch)

Introduction

The prequel to any product or service being launched into the real-world market is the learning launch. A learning launch is like an experiment in the real-world environment to seek quick, inexpensive feedback from the marketplace. The process is also known as “Play Testing”, and it’s important to be open to feedback in this phase.

            To execute a learning launch, one must plan the launch being cognizant of the following factors:

·        The nature of the product/service being launched.

·        Any assumptions to be tested.

·        Metrics crucial to the product/service success.

·        Financial capital requirements.

Execution

Once the planning phase is done, the launch is ready to be executed with tight boundaries such as goals and environment of launch. A diverse team with a mixture of optimists and realists is required to ensure a successful learning launch. The team must be having fast feedback cycles and must respond to issues that pop-up quickly. It’s crucial for the team to gather as much user feedback as possible using their interviewing skills.

Analysis

After an iteration of the learning launch the team must pool together their resources to critically analyse the market place feedback and be open to radical changes needed to enhance the product/service marketability. It’s important for the team to be mindful about the ethics when collecting, analysing and disseminating the feedback from the marketplace. After one or more iterations the team should be confident enough to get to a consensus on all aspects of the product/service so that they can decide whether to proceed with the launch or kill the idea. Once the green light for the real launch is voted, the team must start planning the actual launch.

The Real Launch

Aim at this stage of the life cycle is to offer the solution to real users and build momentum. The launch may or may not be supported with a physical event. During the launch planning stage, the product/service must have attained a fully marketable form by incorporating the feedback from the learning launch. Pre-launch promotion and narrowing down on the suppliers and locations are critical prior to the execution of the launch. At this stage the team transitions from a creative mode to a business mode and needs to expand the resources to support the same.

            Once through the planning process, the team must be clear about the approach to use, the launch timing and key players in the launch such as the press, early adopters etc. At this point the team would have developed a sound Launch Readiness Plan.

Activity:

This activity was just to present the launch of the product.lot of  students [presented well and i was noting important points from their presentations.I am not good at fast hand writing. I used to make use of the mind mapping technique to overcome this.Slowly i realised that design thinking has bought many changes to me.I have started to think like a design thinker.It made me happy.

we explained our prototype in class.The prototype was done along with my group members.The audience gave some suggestions to our prototype.They also asked some doubts regarding our concept.All the suggestions were noted by us.So we have enough time to edit the prototype before our final launch.We had done enough calculations and we can launch the product after modifying it carefully.We also gave some suggestions to other presentations during their prototype launch.I understood from this activity that i am not comfortable with uncertainities and some unpredicatable situations.I realised that this is one of my weakness and i need to change it.

I understood that Blogging is helping me to gain more knowledge about this subject.It is also increasing my creative thinking skill.Regular blogging is just helping me realise what all things happened in class and what all things i studied that day.So i would say blogging was a good decision by the 'Design it' unit coordinator and lecturers.