Ben Holliday

What does a successful product or service look like?

Success looks like a product or service that solves a real problem for people.

By solving a problem for people, a product or service creates a sustainable business model. It can then be operated, scaled and improved.

Outside the public sector this creates customers. People willing to pay money for the product or service you provide. Inside the public sector this means meeting user needs in a way that everyone can access.

Successful products and services make the best use of technology to design for the best possible human experiences. The best policies, ideas and services connect rather than isolate people. Automation is a powerful tool for removing obstacles and bureaucracy.

A sustainable organisation built around products and services is adaptable to change. This means market change, or when thinking about human experiences, context change. Everything everywhere moves and so does every problem space.

Continuous discovery and delivery is needed for sustained success.

To summarise. Successful products or services:

  • solve a real problem for people
  • create sustainable organisations or business models with potential for future growth
  • make the best use of the latest technology available. Automation shouldn’t happen at the expense of human connection
  • are adaptable to future change. They keep moving and keep improving.

This is my blog where I’ve been writing for 18 years. You can follow all of my posts by subscribing to this RSS feed. You can also find me on Bluesky, less frequently now on X (formally Twitter), and on LinkedIn.