5 Product Development Tips

It’s that time again. Product creation time is the time to knuckle down and create that piece of product magic that will change how people do stuff!

I have been on and off with this for the last few weeks, but deadlines are looming, and I need to get this created quickly and efficiently and get it out there and start the next product. I wonder if planning your next product in the middle of a new creation is good.

Anyway, as I was working today, it got me thinking about some tips I could give to my blog readers for a little extra help when product creation time arrives, so here they are:

5 tips to help you get started with that all-important product

1. Focus, focus, focus. Before you start product creation, structure your process in a way to help you step by step complete your product creation. Creating a product structure allows you to map your tasks as individual modules within a whole product. It lets you stay structured and focused on the process, completing individual tasks rather than rushing headlong into it and getting lost. Aim to complete certain tasks before the end of the day or within your time frame.

Structure your product development like this:

Part 1 – Complete X and Y

Part 2 – Complete Z

Part 3 – Complete 1, 2 and 3

2. Less distraction. My day started a little like this. Woke up, spent time with my wife and kids, had breakfast, switched systems on, logged in to get started, checked my schedule, then proceeded to inconveniently update Camtasia, Adobe, Sun Systems, and Windows updates. The phone rang, then the doorbell rang, and just about every conceivable inconvenience occurred within the first hour of starting my day. My wife ran into the room when I had just hit record saying “sorry,” and “sorry” had me almost to the point of quitting (she is forgiven).

If you work from home as I do, removing all distractions from your project is advisable. The more you become distracted, the less productive you will become. Some tips to lessen distraction could be:

• Remove the phone lead
• Place a note on your doorbell to say don’t ring or knock until a certain time.
• Remove the TV from your working location.
• Structure some working time with your family when you need to work without distraction
• Close Email
• Turn off your mobile (cell phone)
• Close curtains, blinds, and windows (if outside distracts you)
• Close the internet (get off Facebook and Twitter)

By reducing these distractions, your productivity should increase dramatically. Try it the next time you want to get some work done, but don’t fall out or argue with your partner about it

3. Tools of the trade. You are going to need some software tools to start your product development. This is why it’s a good idea to get your product creation toolbox in order.

I use various tools to help me create products, including HTML editors, graphics programs, video screen capture, and text editors.

Some of the tools I use are:

1. Macromedia Dreamweaver
2. Macromedia Fireworks (graphics)
3. Camtasia (screen capture)
4. Pages for mac
5. Microsoft Word
6. Mind Node (mind mapping software)
7. Keynote (MAC Powerpoint)
8. Notepad
9. Filezilla (for FTP)
10. Evernote (syncing note taker for iPhone and pc)

Some of the above tools can be expensive, especially Dreamweaver, Camtasia, and Fireworks. There are some alternatives to the above, but they could be better. For a Dreamweaver alternative, you can use Coffee Cup and Page Breeze, although none of these programs come close to Dreamweaver. For Camtastia you can use Jing and CamStudio. For graphics programs, you can use Gimp, which is quite good for editing minor graphics. If you have purchased a professional graphics program, you shouldn’t need to create complex graphics, just some simple text graphics, which Gimp is great for.

For a simple text editor, you can use Open Office, which is a great alternative to Page and Word.

4. Outsourcing for speed and professionalism. The one thing that some people need to learn about is outsourcing. Did you know you can outsource everything to do with product creation? Who can outsource everything from graphics to eBooks to sales page creation?

The biggest problem that people need help with product creation is skill level.

The sooner you realize your skill level, the sooner you can cut out the task that will drag you down. Take me, for example. I suck at graphic creation; this is why I don’t even attempt to create graphics. Instead, I outsource them for speed and professionalism. I write my copy and create my own sales pages and content. Believe it or not, some internet marketers don’t even do this (I won’t say who, so don’t ask).

There are reasons people t outsource, which usually implies needing to know where or how. You can run up quite a bill completely outsourcing. So my advice to anyone creating products is to play to your skills:

• If you can write content, then use this talent
• If you are good with graphics and sale pages, then utilize this talent
• If you are great with HTML and web design, play to this strength
• If you are not a bad writer and an ok web designer, keep it you will get better

Alternatively:

• If you suck at graphics like me and don’t have the time to learn, then outsource
• Evaluate your situation if you need help getting the hang of HTML or design. Is it worth learning? How valuable is your time? Time vs. Outsourcing

You will always find some great outsourcing contractors from Odesk and Elance. You can also use Fiver but be careful. Usually, jobs that cost a fiver are a fiver’s worth of quality. I have used all three but always go back to Elance.

Don’t be afraid to outsource

I have spent over 10 thousand dollars on outsourcing. Yes, I have been burned, but I have had many more successes than failures and have always been refunded for the bad ones. As long as you use a reputable contractor, you should be fine. Here are a few simple rules to remember when outsourcing:

• Check feedback
• Always agree on a fee
• Always agree on a deadline
• Never pay before agreeing on terms and deadlines
• If it’s not good enough, don’t accept it

Stick with these rules, and you will be just fine.

5. Make sure your product is manageable. When you look at the big picture, product creation is a simple process. It’s only made hard by you trying to do things beyond your level of skill and over-complicating the product. Look at it this way:

• The product should solve a problem
• You have a solution to that problem
• Please take it as for as you can with your skills
• Outsource what you can’t do
• Don’t pack it out with fluff that makes no difference or overcomplicates

If you manage to do this, you can create a product. Of course, your product can be something other than a masterpiece of product creation, and it simply has to work. I have read 10-page eBooks which have made more of an impact on me than $200 products.

Don’t over-complicate

Know your limits and know when to keep it simple. During the development phase of my latest product, I reached a limit of just over 50 video tutorials for the course. Fifty online videos is a lot of creative time, and the more I looked at the program, the more it spiraled out of control, turning into a full coaching program. The more videos and modules I added, the more videos I needed to create to compensate for the last. It was becoming something I didn’t want, so I cut it.

I made a limit and stuck to it. The point is that by keeping it simple, you solve the problems you aim to solve rather than the ones you don’t want to.

I hope you enjoyed this post today and found these 5 product creation tips helpful.

If you liked the post and have something to add, please do so in the comment section. I would love to hear your thoughts.