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Go out and talk to people
I’m currently studying at university, interaction design to be exact. We had a project where we had to make a brand for a bank through what felt like an endless amount of tasks. During the progress, there was one task that stood out. Even though this project is personal, the bank will never exist. It’s just a school project, we had to interact with people, even those we don’t know to get their opinion. I’ve been taught from a young age by a father that works with UX about the importance of public opinion, but I never thought to apply it to a project like this, which isn’t going to be published for the public anyways.
Of course, it was to teach us students about how to make a brand and to show our competence, you need to find the audience for what you’re making, is your idea going to work? I have never before had to be in a position of making something based on what people want, it was inspiring, and it ignited a spark inside me that I didn’t know I had. I probably spent more time gathering information from people than any other part of the project, to make it fit the (almost) public opinion.
There are a lot of young people following influencers online talking about their stories and how they became rich from opening their own businesses. Believing that they will make it as big and pour their entire savings account into it, and is only met with disappointment. During the pandemic there was a surge of new businesses appearing online, thinking this is what the public wants, spending money on materials, and pouring countless hours into their work only to be met with thousands of people selling the same product, and not buying theirs.
When you work with something that people are going to use or potentially purchase, the most important part is the research, not just reading books and articles, but getting out to the public and speaking to them directly instead of seeing what sells online. Get to know your customers, what they want, what they need and what they’re missing from their life. You’re not your customer/user, neither are your friends or your family, but everyone else. You can’t expect the customers to automatically like what you’re doing, based on your own opinion alone. Because you might have a terrible idea, that will end you up in debt.
I’m not saying that people should give up their dreams because of a business idea that might not work, but do your research beforehand. Ask people about their opinion, get to know your potential customers and from there you can move forward. On your way forward you might learn and maybe change your way of thinking, changing your opinion on certain things that might eventually take you further than what you expected.
This was a really fun article to write, I felt like I could properly express myself, my thoughts as well as arguments.