Sneak Peek
Self Paced 20-hour course to help you develop products
Learn to take a product through a properly considered development phase. Businesses produce, develop, then market and sell products. Experts may be able to grow or make products very well; but then fail in these later stages.
A good product that is not properly developed can be difficult to sell, or of less value to the customer.
This course develops an understanding of what is involved in developing any type of product. That includes tangible products that are grown, through to things that are made and services that are provided. In it’s broadest sense, products can be goods or services, and what you learn about product development for one type of product can largely translate to other types of products.
THE CONTENTS OF THE COURSE - How to work through this course
LESSON 1 NATURE AND SCOPE OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
What type of product is it?
Who is your customer?
The development process
Research and development
Product planning
Prototypes and testing
Pre-production phase
Commercial release
Product lifecycle
Lesson 1 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 2 VIABILITY ASSESSMENT
Product concept analysis
Supply and demand
Product validation
Competitor analysis
Product differentiation
Lesson 2 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 3 DEFINING THE PRODUCT AND THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
Generating ideas
Brainstorming
Product planning
Production and plant equipment
Sourcing raw materials and components
Staffing requirements
Getting others involved in product planning
Product planning for lone wolves
Product roadmap
Outsourcing
Lesson 3 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 4 PRODUCT LEARNABILITY
Learnability factors
Important considerations
Learnability for the right audience
Children and learnability
Evaluating learnability
Testing learnability
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 5 COSTING
Cost of development
Cost of packaging design
Cost of certifications
Cost of manufacture
Marketing costs
Product delivery
Product pricing
Pricing strategies
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 6 PRESENTATION AND PACKAGING
Packaging design
Packaging supply
Lesson 6 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 7 TESTING THE PRODUCT
Useability
Reliability
Process of testing
Rapid prototyping
Ongoing market research
Lesson 7 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 8 PRODUCT LIFECYCLE
Development and introduction
Growth phase
Maturity phase
Decline phase
Rebirth
Review what you have been learning
LESSON 9 FUTURE PLANNING AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Success metrics
Product evolution
Predictive product development
Considerations on product marketing
Online marketing
Social media
Search engine optimisation
Direct marketing via email
Advantages and disadvantages of being first to market
Protecting your product
Lesson 9 additional reading
Review what you have been learning
Final assessment