Apple’s design thinking and innovation helped it build some of the most loved products in the world.
It is now globally rated as the brand with the 2nd highest levels of customer loyalty and has also managed to quadruple revenue in the past 10 years.
Since its inception, Apple has successfully managed to launch a whole suite of products including the iPod, iPhone, MacBook, Apple Watch and iTunes, and these have set the standard for what high quality tech products should look like.
Building great products takes more than just design skills. It takes strategic thinking, a deep understanding of user behavior and psychology, and strong leadership.
Here is what Apple does differently to win at this game:
1. Building experiences and not just products
Apple thinks of products as mini experiences instead of bits of hardware or software to be pieced together. The Apple way is to storyboard the entire user journey to build the most unrivalled experiences for their customers. Apple products tend to work seamlessly, and a product exists to support or automate all everyday problems, from payment services to social connectivity and health and fitness.
What also makes this possible is extreme attention to detail, right down to how the rounded corners of Apple products are shaped.
Apple’s flagship stores all over the world epitomize this principle by offering aesthetically designed spaces to display their products and taking potential customers through the process of understanding and using the product before purchase.
2. A structured product development cycle
A well-defined and structured product development cycle is essential for any product-led organization if it wants to deliver exactly what customers want and need. Apple realizes this.
At the start of each development cycle, design teams map out a plan defining what needs to be developed, how many phases the development cycle will consist of, and who will be involved in each phase. An iterative process is followed where each product goes through build and test cycles and is reviewed by Apple executives before rollout.
With clearly defined roles and outcomes, an iterative approach and executive buy-in, Apple ensures that only the best of the best products make it to market.
3. Championing design above all else
Apple champions design above all else, and there is no greater evidence of this than in how its design organization is set up.
Design functions independently as its own decision-making unit when a product needs to be launched. They work separately from the rest of the company, have their own reporting lines and work directly with the executive team. The executive team, in turn, is deeply involved in the details, which helps get a lot of eyes on the product before it reaches a customer.
4. Using the right success metrics
An essential element of Apple’s approach towards products is using the right metrics to track a product’s success in the market.
Apple actively monitors Net Promoter Score (NPS) which measures the willingness of a customer to recommend Apple products to other people. This metric is being watched daily by all of Apple’s retail teams. In case of receiving a low NPS score, Apple teams reach out to customers within the first 24 hours to understand and resolve the issue. This way, Apple is not mechanically shipping products but constantly taking the pulse of the market and critically analyzing its products.
5. Breeding innovation
Innovation is one of the things Apple is best known for, and it is their approach towards leadership, organizational structure and financial incentives that makes innovation possible.
Instead of having general managers with little domain knowledge, Apple organizes itself into functional departments led by domain experts who must be fully immersed in the details of whatever Apple is building. Armed with industry knowledge and hands-on experience, these leaders can float innovative ideas within their teams and help with their implementation.
Moreover, the incentive structure of R&D teams at Apple is tied to overall company performance rather than revenue brought in from specific products. This takes away the pressure to make every product successful and gives teams the freedom to practice an innovative mindset.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Apple’s unparalleled success in product design and innovation can be attributed to its unique approach. By viewing products as experiences, maintaining a structured development cycle, championing design autonomy, using the right success metrics, and fostering a culture of innovation, Apple has set the gold standard in the tech industry.
Looking ahead, the future of product development will likely be shaped by similar principles. As technology advances, an iterative and flexible approach will be needed to address increasingly complex needs while staying true to the intuitiveness and simplicity of product design.
At Data Pilot, we embrace these principles in our approach to product design. Our team of specialists understands the significance of strategic thinking and user behavior in crafting exceptional products. If you’re looking to design a web-based product or app for your business, reach out to Data Pilot and connect with our product specialists. We are committed to delivering not just products but extraordinary experiences that resonate with users.
By Manaal Shuja