What You Need to Know Before Beginning Product Design Development

This Element is an excerpt from From Concept to Consumer: How to Turn Ideas Into Money (9780137137473) by Phil Baker. Available in print and digital formats.

Start any product design project the right way--and dramatically improve your odds of success!

Every product should have a Market Requirements Document (MRD) that briefly describes the product and how it relates to the market. MRDs provide product goals, set priorities, and become a catalyst for discussion between marketing and development teams. Had one of the original Apple Newton’s top priorities not been handwriting recognition, things might have turned out better....