You can often think of some abstract concepts such as various arrow charts on a whiteboard.

But in fact, evaluating a product is about understanding why some products have a user experience that people like and others who don't want to pay.

Product design is not a natural skill, requires the designer to form a good intuition of the product, that is, the user like what kind of function, what kind of products will succeed has a keen sixth sense. This requires the designer to hold two core principles:

Understanding people's needs and understanding how people respond to things

By feeling all the new things around you can hone your product intuition and experience a new app is a great way to download apps from app stores, open it, use it, and start judging your product.

Before use

1. How does this app attract your attention?

Is it a friend recommendation? Why did he recommend it to you? Or did you see the app in an article? If so, what motivates you to find this app to download it? Does its icon or name appeal to you? Have you ever heard of it before? Heard a few times, why did not download and now download it?

2. Give this app a word before you use it, what would you say?

It would be interesting to compare the evaluation before and after use.

3. How do you feel about it now?

Do you think it will be popular? Does it work? Did you read the ratings, comments, and descriptions when you downloaded the app?

Your first impression of a new app will help you better understand the image of an app's "Value proposition", marketing, and what the team behind the product wants to create.

Start using

Now open this app and start playing with it. Try to use it as normal as possible (it may be a few minutes or half an hour) and ask yourself the following questions:

1. What about the beginning of the product interface or registration experience?

Is it easy to press a few buttons or a bunch of complex validation steps?

2. How does this application lead to use in the first place?

Does it clearly show how to use it? is the boot interface friendly? Do you read the introductory information? Would it be a long and boring introduction to the information?

3. What is the usability of this app?

Can you immediately understand how to use it, or do you have to study it? Is there a lot of boot flow in the app, or is the whole feeling familiar and simple?

4. How does it feel when using this app?

Is it relaxing or is it frustrating to find the return button? Does this app make you feel smarter and more efficient? Did you find any small details that surprised you?

5. Does this app match your expectations?

Think about what you originally wanted this app to do, and in practice, did it reach your expectations? If it's a content-focused app, what are you interested in? If it's a tool app, does it solve the real problem?

6. How long did you spend on this app?

Use time is directly related to user interest, if you spend a long time, then what is the reason?

Most people's impressions of products are formed in the first few minutes, and reviewing this process will give you a better understanding of how an app creates value, how it's easy to use, and how people feel the developer's intentions.

Use again

A few days or even weeks after the first use of the app is also important, allowing you to see the durability and growth of the product.

1. How often do you use this app? When do you use it? What prompted you to open it?

Is it because of the notification push? Or is it because friends around you use and discuss it? Are you increasingly dependent on this app or are you a barrier to achieving your goals? Can it be a part of your daily routine? Why?

2. How does this app compare to other similar apps?

Where do you do better and where is it bad? Why would you choose this instead of another app?

3. What do other people think about this app?

Look at how people comment on the Internet, how do your friends and family use it? Do other people's evaluations match your opinion? If not, why not?

4. Based on what you know, what do you think this app will look like in a year's history?

Keeping a record of your thoughts and storing them is useful for future summary analysis.

5. After a while, see if your predictions were correct.

If not, why not? How is your personal preference different from the market performance? You must understand this, so that in the future you will be able to correct your opinion.

The development of a good product there is no shortcut, only through careful observation and learning. Ask yourself these questions as you experience every new thing, and you will be better able to determine what kind of detail will lead to behavior.

Great products are by no means accidental, first-class designers and products people can read the heart. They have been watching and studying people from a long time ago, including themselves, and they understand why successful products or services succeed and why losers fail.

This process is not necessarily a product evaluation, not a test or interview questions, not others rigid requirements. Just because they are interested and curious enough to repeat the process over and over again, they will eventually be able to develop excellent products.