In week 2 we started by discussing our digital product ideas, with brief input from Chris guiding us as to which route to go down. He used site map kits as an example for when creating a digital product, things we need to consider when creating products similar to this include what format they are in e.g. adobe illustrator, sketch or figma, another factor to consider is what typeface you use in downloadable resources, these need to be an open source typeface e.g. Open Sans.

Another aspect we looked at is having ‘1000 true fans’ something that Kelvin Kelly has spoken about previously, the general idea being that you don’t need millions of fans to make a business successful, it is possible to have a successful business with 1000 true fans - it is possible to make a living from a niche area. We also looked at the 3 main areas of creating a successful business “passion, money and skills” we focussed on money, as without it a business is no longer producing an income, therefore it becomes a hobby.

We briefly discussed how product story telling important and how that can boost sales. For example with the site map kits, if we released new colours for every season or holiday that would boost sales each time, by naming these Christmas colours or autumn tones.

Next, we looked at research styles

• Desk research : a term that is used loosely and it generally refers to the collection of secondary data or that which has already been collected. To most people it suggests published reports and statistics and these are certainly important sources. The term is referred to as this because in theory you don’t need to go anywhere to collect this information and can do it from your desk.
• Published Market Research : is the process of determining the viability of a new service or product through research conducted directly with potential customers. Market research allows a company to discover the target market and get opinions and other feedback from consumers about their interest in the product or service.
• Field Research : involves a range of well-defined, although variable, methods such as informal interviews, direct observation, participation in the life of the group, collective discussions, analyses of personal documents produced within the group, self-analysis, results from activities undertaken off- or on-line

When creating a product, it is important to remember that it doesn’t have to be a new idea, you can take an idea to reimagine it or make it a better experience. It is also important to remember that a product can be created to make another designers life easier, if your product saves a designer 30 hours creating their own versions you are saving them time and time = money. It is easy for us to assume our customers are limited to northern ireland, when we need to see that our customers are all around the world. With this it is important to know our worth within the market and price our products accordingly. Making sure that we do not overprice or underprice our products.

IXD302 - Creative Entrepreneurship