The Early-Stage Company Product Design Checklist

Launching a new product can feel exciting, and a little overwhelming. It’s completely normal to have questions about product design and development. Many early-stage innovators reach out to us at the very start of their journey, which is the perfect time to get guidance and support.

To help you prepare for a conversation with an agency like Motiv, we’ve put together a list of useful items to have on hand. Don’t worry if you don’t have everything, our team is here to guide you through the process and fill in any gaps.

Before Reaching Out​

  • Research and Define Your Idea: Clearly outline your value proposition, unique selling points, and the problems your product aims to solve. Competitive analysis and market research are a plus.
  • Be Prepared to Discuss Budget & Constraints: Innovative products can require significant time and effort from concept to production. Having a sense of your budget helps us tailor the process to your goals.

Key Documents Needed

  • Primary
  • Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
  • Product brief with key specifications
  • Top-level Go-to-market (GTM) strategy
  • Intellectual Property (IP) strategy
  • Secondary (if available)
  • Competitive analysis
  • Market research
  • Mock-ups or prototypes
  • Pitch deck

Getting Started

  • Create a Detailed Brief: Based on your business plan, outline your big idea, objectives, target audience, and any specific requirements. Prioritize features and functionalities for launch versus future iterations. Include branding considerations and associated launch materials.
  • Define Metrics of Success: Identify the indicators that will define success. These could include usability test results, customer receptivity, or initial milestones for fundraising.
  • Strategize Your Initial Go-To-Market (GTM) Strategy: Develop a marketing plan with achievable sales goals to reduce risk and increase the chance of a successful product launch.
  • Understand Your Target Audience: Identify your potential customers, their needs, pain points, and preferences. Recognize knowledge gaps so we can better align the product with your audience.
  • Budgets & Timelines: Design and development work proceeds in phases on a time-and-materials basis. Motiv can provide rough order-of-magnitude estimates early on, with more precise details emerging as initial phases are completed.

Every product journey is unique, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. This checklist is meant to give you a starting point and help you feel confident as you take the first steps toward bringing your idea to life. Whether you have all the details in place or are just beginning to explore possibilities, the Motiv team is here to guide you, answer your questions, and help turn your vision into a reality.

Contact Us to Get Started

Connect with a product  design expert at Motiv to get started with your next project.

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