TEI 002: The Product Manager’s Two Most Powerful Questions: Ask “What Else” and “Why” for Understanding Users - with Industrial Designer Darshan Rane

Welcome to my first “Everyday Innovator†discussion with a product development professional. For my inaugural interview, I had the pleasure of discussing product development with industrial designer, Darshan Rane, who creates prosthetics for Otto Bock Healthcare.  He enjoys creating products that provide an exceptional consumer experience. He has developed products in the fields of healthcare, fitness, and martial arts.

Highlights from the discussion include:

• Industrial designers are found in a wide range of organizations beyond Apple and automotive manufacturers. They are involved in all aspects of innovation, from identifying ideas and conducting user research through product development and commercialization.
• Understand what users need and value by:
  • observing
  • asking “correct†questions and avoiding assumptions
  • “walking in their shoesâ€
• A cradle-to-cradle view is needed when designing a product
• Unlock the power of open-ended questions by adding “what elseâ€
• Understand the constraints of the product development project, such as cost objectives, shipping restrictions, reimbursement levels, etc.
• Only fight with your customers when developing fighting products!
• and, a bit funny, keep units of measurements clear – there is a big difference between inches and centimeters as a designer!

Darshan shared one of his favorite innovation quotes, “If you can dream of it, you can make it happen.†Listen to the discussion to hear the back story about the quote and why it is empowering.

Thank you for joining me again. I love discussing product development and learning from the successes and failures of product innovators. If you enjoyed the discussion, please share it using the social media buttons you see below.

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