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Advice You - Keeping Your Offerings Easy to Use (Part 2)
Striving for simplicity in the design of our products and services is a major step we can take toward ensuring customer satisfaction, boosting our bottom line, and keeping our relationships smooth and headache-free.
In Part 1 of this series, we explored a formula for custom
In Part 1 of this series, we explored a formula for custom
According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product
er happiness -- through the lens of what makes customers unhappy. One reason for customer frustration is that over time, many products and services tend to evolve, eventually becoming too complicated and difficult to use. In Part 2 (this article), we'll probe more deeply int
; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.
Examples of combination products may in
Examples of combination products may in
o how to reverse this trend by simplifying what we have to offer.
A Quick Review of the Ease-of-Use Basics
In Part 1, we recognized that consumers expect our offerings to work exactly as advertised. Yet our products and services can introduce complex requirements and burde
A Quick Review of the Ease-of-Use Basics
In Part 1, we recognized that consumers expect our offerings to work exactly as advertised. Yet our products and services can introduce complex requirements and burde
lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.
ns of their own, some of which can even prevent customers from doing what they were trying to accomplish in the first place! When this occurs, buyers not only fail to become "raving fans," they often take their business elsewhere without ever telling us why.
We then explore
We then explore
here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe
d four ease-of-use considerations:
-- Designing offerings to function as simply as possible, without adding busywork -- Striving to support customers' primary goals, ideally through built-in guidance -- Enabling customers to explore more complex features only when they're
-- Designing offerings to function as simply as possible, without adding busywork -- Striving to support customers' primary goals, ideally through built-in guidance -- Enabling customers to explore more complex features only when they're
d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.
Combination pro
Combination pro
ready
-- Making all elements of a product or system fully compatible and consistent
Where Do You Draw the Line?
Where should you draw the line between simplicity and complexity when creating or enhancing your products or services? Especially when customers are asking for
Where Do You Draw the Line?
Where should you draw the line between simplicity and complexity when creating or enhancing your products or services? Especially when customers are asking for
ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc
new enhancements left and right -- demanding endless features and options -- how do you know when it's time to rein in the expansion and revert back to basics? Isn't the goal to give customers everything they ask for? Won't that make them happy?
The easiest way I can think
The easiest way I can think
easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi
of to draw the line between simplicity and complexity is along two relative dimensions:
-- Making sure the system is easy to use from your customers' point of view, such as by repeatedly testing the interface design with representative users.
-- Making sure the system is
-- Making sure the system is easy to use from your customers' point of view, such as by repeatedly testing the interface design with representative users.
-- Making sure the system is
nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically
easy to maintain and test from your point of view. Unfortunately, there's no single alarm bell that goes off to warn everyone that a system has become too complicated to manage. Consider evaluating these angles each time you plan to upgrade your offerings, since over-complex
and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ
ity is a phenomenon that can easily overtake us.
To gain even more insight into this problem from an intriguing point of view, I recommend a book called "Necessary But Not Sufficient" by Eli Goldratt. It's an enjoyable example of a type of writing called "business fiction"
To gain even more insight into this problem from an intriguing point of view, I recommend a book called "Necessary But Not Sufficient" by Eli Goldratt. It's an enjoyable example of a type of writing called "business fiction"
ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi
-- because it lets fabricated characters explore a puzzling business problem and gradually discover the many sides of the solution. A main theme of this book exposes why an exceedingly competent software development team suddenly cannot figure out how to continue to maintain
ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.
Following aspects would a
Following aspects would a
a highly successful but extremely complex software product.
The team is experiencing this problem because the product had grown over time to contain too much functionality. That situation occurred because (you guessed it!) customers kept asking for more and more features.
The team is experiencing this problem because the product had grown over time to contain too much functionality. That situation occurred because (you guessed it!) customers kept asking for more and more features.
dd to the challenges in developing combination products:
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
Each new feature set increased the possible interactions within the system almost exponentially! It thus had become too complex to test or maintain, and equally challenging to use.
That's the problem with complex systems -- they can quickly reach a point at which they conta
That's the problem with complex systems -- they can quickly reach a point at which they conta
cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
in too many combinations of variables to validate in a lifetime, much less within the time available to release the product.
How Do We Know When Something Is as Easy to Use as Possible?
Often, we may try to think about simplicity and ease of use in terms of some kind of me
How Do We Know When Something Is as Easy to Use as Possible?
Often, we may try to think about simplicity and ease of use in terms of some kind of me
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
asurement. In that respect, ease of use might mean making something easy to follow from the standpoint of comprehension, for example, such as a reading grade level. If we apply a reading comprehension formula to our documents, we can find out how easily people at a certain g
t?
As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
rade level can understand them.
While measurements are important tools that offer useful ways to compare things, I would like to raise the bar even higher -- much higher -- even if it sounds idealistic. That is, I would like to have us consider what it would take to make ou
While measurements are important tools that offer useful ways to compare things, I would like to raise the bar even higher -- much higher -- even if it sounds idealistic. That is, I would like to have us consider what it would take to make ou
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
r products or services completely transparent to our customers, as if our offerings could act almost invisibly.
Imagine that each time your customers use your offerings, it's as if they have a personal assistant working the behind the scenes to do whatever the product or se
Imagine that each time your customers use your offerings, it's as if they have a personal assistant working the behind the scenes to do whatever the product or se
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
rvice is supposed to do. Imagine that assistant or agent anticipating what each customer needs to have done, and then doing it, practically without being asked!
I realize that's a tall order, and some people will surely feel that you'd need some pretty fancy programming to
I realize that's a tall order, and some people will surely feel that you'd need some pretty fancy programming to
.
As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
make anything work so transparently. But the next best thing should sound more achievable -- and that is, making our offerings as self-guiding and foolproof as possible.
In conclusion, drawing the line between simplicity and complexity can be difficult to do. Simplification
In conclusion, drawing the line between simplicity and complexity can be difficult to do. Simplification
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
brings many rewards. But if you must add more complexity, consider whether you can either hide it elegantly, or guide people through it effortlessly and painlessly. Let these be your next major goals, and I guarantee you'll applaud the results!
Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers
Copyright 2006 Adele Sommers
tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products
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