--- title: "How to develop products and services based on user needs? · Sunergos" description: "A service consists of many links – customer service, devices, maintenance, technical support and so on. These links all play an important role, but they are usually fragmented within the company. When the service is provided, all…" url: https://www.sunergos.ee/en/blog/how-to-develop-products-and-services-around-user-needs/ language: en --- [Home](https://www.sunergos.ee/en/) / [Blog](https://www.sunergos.ee/en/blog/) / Leadership Article · Leadership # How to develop products and services based on user needs? Enn Saar Founder, partner · 17 April 2019 · 2 min read FemaleMale **Products and services have been designed through the centuries, and new solutions come onto the market every day. But very often the focus is mainly on developing either the service or the product, not on the problem the solution is being created for. As a result, when the service or product reaches the customer, the question arises: which problem does it solve? I talked about service design and customer-centricity in solving problems on [Äripäev’s programme “Juhtimislabor”](https://soundcloud.com/aripaeva-raadio/270219-juhtimislabor-kuidas-luua-teenuseid-kasutaja-vajadustest-lahtuvalt) (in Estonian).** In short, service design is a thought-through process of developing, creating and improving, in which noticing the user’s expectations matters most. It is not a short-term process with a fixed start and end date, but continuous work to help and positively surprise the user with the product or service. A service consists of many links – customer service, devices, maintenance, technical support and so on. These links all play an important role, but they are usually fragmented within the company. When the service is provided, all teams do their part, but there is little cooperation – feedback from the sales department doesn’t reach the suppliers or producers so that customer needs and expectations can be met better. The focus is on the department’s priorities rather than the user’s, and everyday processes are run without asking the hard and important questions. In the end, there is no clarity about customers’ expectations and wishes, and the end user is dissatisfied. **How to involve and listen to the user?** To understand the user’s problem and develop an existing product or service, the most important thing is to get real, meaningful feedback. Feedback is being asked for more and more in the Estonian market, but it mostly stays at the 5-star level. An average rating lets you follow the general trend across the customer base, but it doesn’t describe users’ real needs: what the glitch is, why people abandon the process, what the user actually bought, and how to make it easier for them to find what they bought next time. Answers to these questions can be found by observing the user, anonymously in a good sense, through the system: how customers arrive, how they behave, what happens to them, how long they wait for one service or another, how topics are explained to them. Expectations and pain points can also be found out very quickly by asking directly. End-user interviews are worth their weight in gold, but they require the user’s willingness to share. Direct feedback gives a lot of substance that a survey usually doesn’t capture. **A continuous process** At some point, when the service is ready, we start discovering nuances where we made assumptions or didn’t know to ask. That is why you have to keep asking all the time – what is the user’s view of this service, is our problem also a problem for you or are we only imagining it? And once there is a solution, validate it: is what we solved the problem with actually being used? Listen to more about developing service design and common mistakes on Äripäev’s radio programme “Juhtimislabor” (in Estonian): [https://soundcloud.com/aripaeva-raadio/270219-juhtimislabor-kuidas-luua-teenuseid-kasutaja-vajadustest-lahtuvalt](https://soundcloud.com/aripaeva-raadio/270219-juhtimislabor-kuidas-luua-teenuseid-kasutaja-vajadustest-lahtuvalt) ![Enn Saar](https://www.sunergos.ee/images/team/enn-saar.jpg) About the author Enn Saar An experienced leader, team trainer and supporter of leadership development. Formerly head of development at Telia and Eesti Telekom and head of MicroLink. 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