Case Study: How I Applied Design Thinking to Product Marketing.
And why doing exactly what customers ask can be risky.
In 2016, I spearheaded the launch of a stunning new product at MOO: our own vibrant and colorful MOO notebook. Before this, we heavily relied on third-party vendors, often facing issues with out of stock issues or complete product retirements, which left our customers frustrated. To solve this, and to reinvent the perfect notebook, we introduced the MOO notebook, and it quickly became a favorite among both consumers and businesses.
The following year, we expanded our offering by introducing custom notebooks, giving businesses the opportunity to personalize them and express their unique identities.
Soon, customers began asking for more than just six colors. In response, our product team diligently researched the trendiest shades and expanded our selection to 42 vibrant colors.
Jumping from 6 to 42 colors was no easy feat, so imagine our disappointment when customers still weren't pleased.
Because there’s always that customer that wants the 43rd color you don’t have.
Let me tell you what went wrong and how it was solved applying design thinking principles.
What went wrong
The major problem was that we applied a linear analytic approach.