Why design matters for startups?

Steve Jobs said “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. The design is how it works.”

Design is not just how beautifully things function or the aesthetics; it’s an emotional connection that we build for whom the design is being made for. It should delight.

It is very crucial for the founders of a startup to know the value of good design. Educating people about design changes their perspective. It makes them aware of how design can actually contribute to problem-solving in an elegant way. The beauty lies in the simplicity of the design and yet, most startups don’t invest in it early on.

Here are four reasons why startups must put in efforts for good design:

1. Begin with the thoughts: On the off chance that you are pondering where to begin, we recommend you begin at visualization. You don’t need to be creative, just grab a pen and paper and put down your ideas. Get the team together and ask everyone to share their ideas, you never know a thought that you unearth, will be the next prototype you would be working on. Testing the prototypes will help you save hours of effort in the later stages of development. In addition to prototypes, spend time in understanding your consumer and how they will react to your design (behavioral mapping and user personas).
2. Critical thinking with design: We mentioned earlier, design can be used for problem-solving. Design comprehends human conduct and recognizes what will make your consumers tick and consequently sift through the presumption that most new companies have – they know their client! Instead of learning the hard way which is building the product and then making the consumer use it, use a design approach instead. The sooner design is a piece of the development process, the more you can benefit from it.
3. Communicate: The design will be important not simply from the development perspective, once your product is ready you will want to communicate about it. You could film the entire process when the product was in development and then repackage it to tell your story and use it as a marketing tool. Designers already have experience in branding and can package your product or service in a more commercially suited way. And of course, marketing campaigns are just the tip of the iceberg.
4. Gain a competitive edge: A tech startup can add a competitive advantage to its product through a well-designed UX/UI. Integrating design while developing the tech can deliver a good experience to your customers and we all know that customers will spend more on a good product. Now, if you put on your marketing glasses, you can see how much marketing budget you just saved. The early adopters of your product will do the word of mouth marketing for you, and what did you do? Invest in good design to deliver a great experience!

Thus, startups can tap on a goldmine of opportunity if they get design onboard right from the start. A blend of design and technology can make a cocktail of innovation. And that’s why startups need a design!

Image Source: Google Images