Value proposition, experience, communication

At a recent IDEO talk I came across this diagram, and really liked the simplicity of it.

When designing a new product or service you should start from the centre at the value proposition. After you’ve nailed what the value proposition is you should now start to think about how to build a great customer experience around it. Once that is done you think about how to communicate the unique benefits you have created.

Then it’s time to test it with the outside world by reversing the process. Can someone understand the product or service from the communication media you’ve designed? And can they understand the unique benefits of your offering?

By iterating through this cycle a few times you should arrive at a product which is both more marketable, and more understandable.