Thoughts on NM4210

I must say NM4210 is by far the most difficult yet most interesting module I have taken in NUS. In this module, the research techniques, such as laddering, four pleasure analysis, cultural probe, ethnographic studies, etc, used are very different from the usual surveys and questionnaires.

The emphasis on user studies and user understanding is stronger in the initial stages of product design as compared to the physical product or service itself. It is not about designing and developing the product and finding the potential customers. Rather it is about defining and understanding the needs of specific customers and designing the product to cater to their needs. One might not understand or see the difference between these two processes. But after completing the final project, I have clearly understood the difference between the user-centric and product-centric approach. The user-centric approach allows the designer to place himself in the shoes of the user. In this way the designer would be able to better understand the pro and cons of his product in an unbiased fashion.

Designing or developing a new product is definitely not an easy task. You cannot just simply come up with an idea or concept and except others to feel the same way as you. And even after performing all the user research techniques and almost fully understanding our target group, prototyping, user testing and heuristic evaluations are still required. These procedures are important as they provide valuable feedback to the designer, telling him/her whether his/her product is good or bad. Without such feedback, the product could be mass produced and sold on the market, and having the potential of nobody purchasing or liking the product. Hence, the prototyping phase and user testing is very important, the designer would be able to constantly modify and fine tune his product to better suit the target group. This would ensure a higher success rate when the product is released in the market.

After completing the final project and thinking back, I realized that a Good product does not have to be very technologically advanced or extremely complicated. A simple genuine product which provides excellent user experience could prove to be much more successful. Good user experience can come from the visual/social pleasure obtained from the product, or the easy usability of the product, or the excellent after-service, or just the interaction between the product and the user. The list goes on. It is about the user and how he/her feels about the product. If the product is curved and shaped to fit the exact requirements and expectations of the user, the product would definitely provide the user with good user experience.

As a whole, the module has shown how difficult designing can be. However, if one follows the step-by-step process with the mindset of providing good user experience, one could achieve remarkable results. I would not say this module has enabled my group to create one of the best products in the world, but it has definitely taught us the importance and relevance of the process of designing a product.