Reflection – Learning Launch Tool

Challenge

I work for a Latin American manufacturer company, whose principal purpose in the last years has  been expand their sales through the country and the rest of the world. We usually have a limit  budget and a wide range of ideas that come from different members in the company or from our  current customers. We have the challenge of optimize the budgets as much as we can and take  fast decisions oriented to accomplish our customers’ requirements and also the company principal  goals and growth. For this case I am going to describe the experience with the process of  development and launch for a new product.

Selection

I choose Learning Launch Tool because it gives me and our team the opportunity of prepare a real  test with variety of new products in the real marketplace and finally take the best decision about  what will works better or what we should pivot.

Application:

After working months in the development of 2 new products and the transformation of an old one  adding new accessories and functionalities, we should decide if make the final investment in  tooling and to add those products to the portfolio. To take the best decision I start to evaluate  which can be the best way of keep going with the projects but being the most assertive with our  customer’s needs, and I take the option to put them into a real market test. The products we were  developing was oriented for cinema owners and with this in mind, me and my team start to look  which can be a good scenario for show cinema owners the advantages, characteristics and  benefits of our product and we find an international exhibition fair in Las Vegas that give us that  opportunity.

As second step, we make the reservation in that fair and we try to make a good presentation  there, thinking before travel in items as: who were going to be our public, what they should know  about our company (for example trajectory, quality of our products), how we were going to  present our products and the new things about them, who were going to do the presentation,  how we were going to catch the information from the visitors and how they can give us enough  information to decide keep going with the developments or not.

Finally, having in mind the public we were going direct, we decide that our CEO and the sales  manager should be the people in charge of make the presentation in the fair. Also we decided to  send samples of the products to expect the visitors in the show can test them and give us their  opinions by two ways, one giving verbal information and the other by a short survey. We also  capture the information of the attendees and their future requirements in a data base, to  guarantee the future properly follow up.

After the 3 days in the fair, we can have the results oriented on what we were requiring, and from  the 2 new products we show the attendees we found that one of them was not required because  it was too wide for their scenarios mean while the other one was a really good option for some  markets as the US Market. And for the extra accessories we test for the old product from our  portfolio, was a good result because many of the potential customers, expressed they need the  accessories and that it was the first time they saw it.

Insight

What I have learned by applying the learning launch tool was that is necessary to be very well  prepare for the test to have satisfactory results, and also we should be very mind open with the  information received because not always the ideas that born in the company are the best option  to keep developments. In our case, as a result of using this design thinking tool was that one of the  products we show the attendees was not required and we decided to stop this project. But in the  other hand, the rest of the products we test had a great acceptance and also give as opportunities  of expansion to other counties and help us to accomplish one of our principal goals of expansion.  Another good thing about this exercise was the cost efficiency, because our company gets very  good customer prospects with a low investment compared whit the value of the sales  opportunities we found.

Approach

Next time of using this tool, I would like to combine them with other one, for example the  visualization, in order to have wide information in the moment of testing the products. Also I will  try to socialize more the information we found in the launching process with the rest of the areas  in the company because I think that can help us to grow more efficiently in the company.


Reflection – Learning Launch Tool Challenge I work for a Latin American manufacturer company , whose principal purpose in the last years has been expand their sales through the country and the rest of the world . We usually have a limit budget and a wide range of ideas that come from different members in the company or from our current customers . We have the challenge of optimize the budgets as much as we can and take fast decisions oriented to accomplish our customers ’ requirements and also the company principal goals and growth . For this case I am going to describe the experience with the process of development and launch for a new product . Selection I choose Learning Launch Tool because it gives me and our team the opportunity of prepare a real test with variety of new products in the real marketplace and finally take the best decision about what will works better or what we should pivot . Application : After working months in the development of 2 new products and the transformation of an old one adding new accessories and functionalities , we should decide if make the final investment in tooling and to add those products to the portfolio . To take the best decision I start to evaluate which can be the best way of keep going with the projects but being the most assertive with our customer ’s needs , and I take the option to put them into a real market test . The products we were developing was oriented for cinema owners and with this in mind , me and my team start to look which can be a good scenario for show cinema owners the advantages , characteristics and benefits of our product and we find an international exhibition fair in Las Vegas that give us that opportunity . As second step , we make the reservation in that fair and we try to make a good presentation there , thinking before travel in items as : who were going to be our public , what they should know about our company ( for example trajectory , quality of our products ) , how we were going to present our products and the new things about them , who were going to do the presentation , how we were going to catch the information from the visitors and how they can give us enough information to decide keep going with the developments or not . Finally , having in mind the public we were going direct , we decide that our CEO and the sales manager should be the people in charge of make the presentation in the fair . Also we decided to send samples of the products to expect the visitors in the show can test them and give us their opinions by two ways , one giving verbal information and the other by a short survey . We also capture the information of the attendees and their future requirements in a data base , to guarantee the future properly follow up . After the 3 days in the fair , we can have the results oriented on what we were requiring , and from the 2 new products we show the attendees we found that one of them was not required because it was too wide for their scenarios mean while the other one was a really good option for some markets as the US Market . And for the extra accessories we test for the old product from our portfolio , was a good result because many of the potential customers , expressed they need the accessories and that it was the first time they saw it . Insight What I have learned by applying the learning launch tool was that is necessary to be very well prepare for the test to have satisfactory results , and also we should be very mind open with the information received because not always the ideas that born in the company are the best option to keep developments . In our case , as a result of using this design thinking tool was that one of the products we show the attendees was not required and we decided to stop this project . But in the other hand , the rest of the products we test had a great acceptance and also give as opportunities of expansion to other counties and help us to accomplish one of our principal goals of expansion . Another good thing about this exercise was the cost efficiency , because our company gets very good customer prospects with a low investment compared whit the value of the sales opportunities we found . Approach Next time of using this tool , I would like to combine them with other one , for example the visualization , in order to have wide information in the moment of testing the products . Also I will try to socialize more the information we found in the launching process with the rest of the areas in the company because I think that can help us to grow more efficiently in the company .