Why You Should Eat Your Own Dog Food
August 31, 2009 by Gwendolyn Regina T
No, I don’t mean that literally. And no, I don’t assume that all of us have dogs. What I’m actually referring to by “dog food” here is the product or service you actually provide. It could be a freemium Software-As-A-Service, an iPhone or Android app, or simply a food catering service.
Understanding ~> Improve Product ~> Increase Value
No matter if you’re running a company or a non-profit, eating your own “dog food” – consuming your own product or service is essential to understanding it better. And with understanding comes the ability to improve it and thus increase its value.
(1) See The Non-Obvious
It allows you to stand on the side of the consumer and experience the product or service you provide from their perspective. This is crucial because what may seem obvious to you from the provider point of view is usually totally different from the consumer’s point of view.
(2) Grandpa User Behaviour
Even if you think that you can “see” from the customer’s perspective, it is best to really try out your own product or service, and speak to actual would-be customers. Go to friends and family who fit into your target audience. There’s really no point in speaking to your 17-year-old brother if you’re creating a grandpa-friendly website. User behaviour, likes and dislikes of your target audience is the most pertinent.
(3) Decrease Need For Customer Support
The best service will need no customer support. The worst needs tons of it. With an improved product and service, you will most likely have less of a need of providing customer support, be it in the form of emails or call centers. Strive towards having an idiot-proof product and service that can stand on its own two feet. The extra effort and money invested at the beginning to create this idiot-proof product or service will pay for itself many times over in the long run.
(4) But…You May Not Be The Best Person To Consume Your Dog Food
Having said all of that, you, the founder or creator of your product or service, may not be the best person to consume your own dog food. If you are designing a new phone meant for the elderly’s failing eyesight and clumsy fingers, then like point number two above, you need to target the right audience to understand their needs and behaviourial tendencies.
(5) You Earn The Right Of Tooting Your Own Horn
So, after doing all of the above – eating your own dog food and getting your target audience (aka unlucky friends and family who have to be guinea pigs) to eat your dog food, you should now be able to improve your product to be the best in the market. THEN, you can say with certainty: “Hell yeah, my product kicks ass!”
Image courtesy of TheGiantVermin.
About The Author
Gwendolyn Regina T - Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief
Apart from SGE, Gwen is also a Partner at Thymos Capital, where she focuses on early stage investments in technology firms. She has had two exits out of her investments via the firm, one of which is iHipo. A frequent judge for business competitions both locally and overseas, she graduated from the National University of Singapore. Gwen also spent some time in Silicon Valley and studied in Stanford University under the NUS Overseas College programme. Gwen is a mentor at Spanish incubator Tetuan Valley, Polish incubator Gamma Rebels, the Singapore Ambassador for the Sandbox network and the Singapore curator for StartupDigest. She enjoys languages, travelling, dance and adventure sports. Gwen can be found on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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