When people start talking about redesigning a product, I know it can be scary, but thinking proactively about how to improve products is critical to the survival of a company. With changes in the economy, and the way markets are changing accordingly, it is more important than ever to give your customer a reason to choose your product. Besides, product changes can give you access to a customer you weren’t previously able to reach, save money, and create a safer work environment. So pay attention to the warning signs that your product needs to change, and ask questions to make sure you make the proper changes.

Warning Signs that your product needs to be redesigned:

1. Customers are unhappy with the product
2. The product does not offer any benefits over competitor’s product
3. Product is difficult to produce

How to find the right changes to make:

1. What problems or challenges are we facing, and why?
2. If we had a different product, would we still have this problem?
3. What kinds of products don’t have this problem?
4. What Features of those products can we implement in ours?
5. How can we add these features to our product?

Once you’ve isolated a specific challenge and a feature that would overcome that challenge, be creative about how to implement this feature with your product. Think of several different possibilities, and then rule them out according to what truly adds value to the end customer, what’s cost effective, and what resources you have available. Then, make sure that you can implement the changes without ruining the benefits your product already offers. If you question your product appropriately and you don’t have any of the “warning signs” that’s great! But don’t quit there; keep searching for areas for improvement. Also, make sure you have the best resources to work with, by asking the same questions about the materials and products you use in production.

Although product design isn’t everything, reevaluating your product is a great way to save money and create more business. So make the most of opportunities to improve your products and the way you create them.