- \n
- Desirability<\/strong><\/a>, a product that people want or need<\/li>\n
- Feasibility<\/strong><\/a>, a product that can be created with new or existing technology<\/li>\n
- Viability<\/strong><\/a>, a product that will be profitable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Desirability,](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Desirability_2022_01_1-1.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nTogether these three criteria create the ideal conditions for innovation. However, designing, building and launching the product becomes riskier if a product doesn\u2019t check one or more of these boxes. To make sure your product is desirable, feasible and viable you need to perform research and review your ideas early in the design process to determine if your product idea meets each of these criteria.<\/p>\n
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In this post we\u2019ll define desirability, feasibility and viability and provide examples to illustrate how these criteria keep you on the right track when designing any product.<\/p>\n
Desirability<\/h2>\n
Products that meet the criteria of desirability are wanted or needed by customers or users. After all, if you haven\u2019t come up with a product someone is willing to buy, you won\u2019t make any money from it. To ensure the desirability of your product, it has to solve a problem for someone in a way that\u2019s intuitive and pleasing.<\/p>\n
![\"Desirability,](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Desirability_2022_01-02-1.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nMany companies don\u2019t have employees who think like designers. Therefore, they tend to focus on a product\u2019s viability and feasibility while overlooking its desirability. This is a big mistake as it could contribute to people not using the company\u2019s latest product.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where UX designers come in. UX designers<\/a> are experts at determining if a product is desirable. In particular, performing UX research<\/a> early in the design process can help UX designers determine if a product idea is solving a real problem for people. UX research<\/a> can also help UX designers figure out if there\u2019s a more important problem users need solved and if a product should then be refocused.<\/p>\n
Example: Instagram Reels<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"Instagram](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Reels_IOSX_1.webp\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nFor example,\u00a0 Instagram<\/a> built a reputation as a great place to share still images, yet recently it introduced Reels, a feature that promote video over still images. The company implemented these features so it could compete with the video-centric app TikTok<\/a>. As a result, the features that were introduced were viable because there was a clear business case<\/a> for them.<\/p>\n
They were intended to take away users from TikTok and increase Instagram’s user base – two outcomes that would be economically beneficial to the company. The video features were feasible because Instagram was capable of building them quickly and without spending too much money to do so.However, once Instagram launched its new video features, it quickly became clear that they weren\u2019t desirable.<\/p>\n
Instagram users didn\u2019t want or need the platform they used to share still photos to become a repository for video instead. They already had TikTok for that. Instagram\u2019s new video features led to a backlash among its existing users, not the increase in new users and increase in engagement Instagram had hoped for. In other words, Instagram was solving a problem that users didn\u2019t really have and its video features were rejected because of it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only once we know we\u2019re solving the right user problem that we can delve deeper into the design process but the quest for desirability doesn\u2019t stop there.<\/p>\n
We need to continue to make sure we\u2019re creating a desirable product by ensuring our solution actually solves the problem we intend and that it does so in a way that will create a positive experience for users. When we\u2019ve done each of these things, as seen in the diagram below, that we\u2019ve achieved desirability.<\/p>\n
Feasibility<\/h2>\n
Feasibility means a product can be built, either by the company that came up with the idea for the product or a third-party that has the technological know-how.\u00a0 In order for a product to be feasible, the company must be confident that the technology needed to build the product can be developed. They also have to be confident that it can be done so in a reasonable time-frame and at a price point that ensures the product remains viable.<\/p>\n
Feasibility doesn\u2019t focus solely on whether or not the technology can be implemented.\u00a0 It also depends on whether\u00a0 new team members need to build the product, if the new technology could benefit the company\u2019s other products and whether the product can be distributed in a way that will ensure it reaches the right customers.<\/p>\n
Example: electric car chargers<\/strong><\/p>\n
![\"Example:](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/ernest-ojeh-aEytUoE1Tkc-unsplash-1-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nA motor company wants to design a charger that will charge electric cars in the same amount of time that it currently takes to fill up a car\u2019s gas tank. Given that charging an electric vehicle takes several hours, this would certainly be a desirable product for those who own eclectic cars and, as long as the price was reasonable, it would also be viable.<\/p>\n
However, the technology for the product doesn\u2019t yet exist, so the product may not be feasible.<\/p>\n
In order to decide if it makes sense to design this product, the company must ask:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Can we develop the technology for this product?<\/li>\n
- How long will it take?<\/li>\n
- How much will it cost?<\/li>\n
- How will the product be distributed so the right people can use it?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If the answers to any of those questions aren\u2019t favourable to the company and the long-term viability of the product, the product won\u2019t be feasible.<\/p>\n
Viability<\/h2>\n
- Feasibility<\/strong><\/a>, a product that can be created with new or existing technology<\/li>\n
![\"Example:](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/glenn-carstens-peters-EOQhsfFBhRk-unsplash.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n