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The Top 8 Design Partner Program Dilemmas
A previous article, entitled The Startup Design Partner Program, described how the Design Partner program is a critical step in your technology startup’s pathway to market success. The Design Partner program entails working with real customers from day one until product release, so you receive timely and accurate feedback about an array of questions — from pinpointing ‘must have’ product features, to identifying personas in the buying cycle, to how best to package your product. There is no better way to ‘do it right the first time’ than to work with customers who will eventually buy your offering. Interacting with customers is the best opportunity to learn about your market and how your product solves customers’ pains. But rarely is the path to success simple and straightforward. Along the journey, you will encounter conflicting and disappointing feedback that leads to dilemmas about how best to proceed.
Executing a Design Partner program is tough because it is fraught with challenges, and it is just one of many business-critical activities you tackle as you get your company off the ground. While you are trying to focus on building a product, you are also looking for office space, hiring developers, and setting up finance and business operations.
