How I Brought My First Product to Market – Idea to Launch | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Matt Encina shares the process of designing and launching a note-taking kit in collaboration with Grovemade.

Key Insights

• 🚀 In 2021, Matthew Encina quit his job to explore new opportunities as a creative and collaborated with Grovemade to design a desk accessory product. The process of bringing a product to market involves a series of iterative phases known as The Double Diamond.
• 📝 The first phase, Discover, involves exploring the problem and observing with an open mind. Through in-person interviews and online surveys, it was observed that taking notes is essential but there is a lack of a good way to store them.
• 🔍 The second phase, Define, focuses on making sense of the discoveries and narrowing down to a clear design challenge. The challenge they decided to address was how to design a better way to capture, review, and store notes.
• 💡 The third phase, Develop, involves exploring potential solutions. This phase includes remote collaboration, sketching ideas, and creating prototypes using materials such as cardboard and 3D printing. One unexpected challenge was finding the perfect notepad paper stock.
• 🏭 The final phase, Deliver, is about turning the prototype into a production model. The implementation team at Grovemade finalizes the sourcing of materials, production processes, and costs. After several months, the final product is completed.
• 🌟 Naming, messaging, and marketing are crucial steps in getting the product ready to sell. The product was named the "Note-Taking Kit" and the messaging focused on helping users capture, review, and recall their notes.
• 📣 Marketing efforts were focused on existing audiences through YouTube, Instagram, email lists, and the Grovemade website. Shopify was mentioned as an all-in-one commerce platform that helps businesses open and manage their shops.
• 👏 After two years of design and development, the Note-Taking Kit by Grovemade and Mod Musings is finally available. It features a notepad, display rail, and vertical organizer to clear clutter, organize thoughts, and keep important tasks top of mind.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: What is the Double Diamond design process?

The Double Diamond is a design process that involves iterative phases of exploration and refinement to bring a product to market. It starts with discovery and ends with delivery.

Q: How did Matt and the Grovemade team gather insights for the note-taking kit?

Matt and the Grovemade team conducted in-person interviews, online surveys, and brainstorming sessions to understand the challenges and needs of note-taking.

Q: What are the key components of the note-taking kit?

The note-taking kit includes a notepad with DOT grid pattern paper, a display rail to hold notes and devices, and a vertical organizer to store and sort notes.

Q: How did Matt and the Grovemade team finalize the design of the note-taking kit?

They went through cycles of refining ideas, testing prototypes, and adjusting the form, function, dimensions, angles, and materials of the kit until they settled on a direction.

Q: What steps did they take to prepare the product for market?

They worked on naming, messaging, and marketing the kit. They came up with names like the "Note-Taking Kit," "Notepad," "Display Rail," and "Vertical Organizer." Their marketing efforts included creating videos and posts on their respective channels and websites.

Q: How long did the design and development process take?

The design and development process for the note-taking kit took two years from start to finish.

Q: Where can the note-taking kit be purchased?

The note-taking kit is available for purchase on the Grovemade website grovemade.com in various finishes including Maple, Walnut, and a limited Mod Musings Edition.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Matt Encina collaborates with Grovemade to design a note-taking kit as a desk accessory product.

• The design process follows the Double Diamond framework, starting with discovery and ending with delivery.

• The note-taking kit includes a notepad, display rail, and vertical organizer to help users capture, review, and store notes.