Product Development - User Centric Focus

I have heard this many times and so have you. Business schools beat this topic to death and consultant types preach it to the point where you feel bad about inadequacy of your product development process. What does "user centric focus" mean"? Is there a "one fits all" approach? Should "user centric focus" be a guideline and just that? It is one of those topics that can be argued both ways. My take on it is that it all DEPENDS on the context.

Dr. Kevin Scoresby has an interesting article on Seven Deadly Excuses for Poor Design. It is a must read for anyone involved in product development activities.

If you feel that the article is too long, here are the seven excuses:

1. We have to be first to market. Translation: “We don’t have time to make sure the product meets our customer’s needs.”
2. Our budget doesn’t allow for design specialists. Translation: “We can’t invest what’s needed to maximize long-term company revenue."
3. The requirements make it clear what has to be done. Translation: “Simply including certain features is more important than how those features are implemented.”
4. Well, it makes sense to me. Translation: "I’m a representative sample of our customer base."
5. It will be so cool if we do it this way. Translation: "My personal target audience is my co-worker (or resume) rather than the customer."
6. Customers will get used to it. Translation: “Customers will continue using the product long enough to lose touch with how difficult it is."
7. That’s what the help desk is for. Translation: The design issues will soon be someone else’s problem.

In principle I agree with Dr. Scoresby but have a different perspective on some of the points. His points are extremely relevant for a mature company that is struggling with an inward looking corporate culture. In a mature corporation user centric focus should be more than just a guideline. It should be a requirement and people should be held accountable using metrics that are user centric (adoption, customer satisfaction etc.)

But for an early stage company things are very different. First, an early stage company is truly innovating (read "trying to create a revolutionary product"). Otherwise it doesn't stand a chance. Don't curb the free flowing innovation early on by forcing a process into the system. Don't get me wrong here. Innovation is still user centric because the premise of a startup is to provide a valuable solution for an existing pain point (well, most of the times). Second, understanding the type of product is crucial. It may be important sometimes to build enough before the potential customers get excited. Till that point is achieved appropriateness of Dr. Scoresby's 4th point is questionable.

User centric focus is important and should be part of the company culture. No exceptions. But the degree and the type of "user centric focus" depend on stage of the company, type of product and your typical customer's profile.