Strategic product design for ambitious founders
In this episode of the Tekpon SaaS Podcast, host Cristian Dina interviews Daniel Andor, the founder of Durran. This product design studio primarily works with startups to address activation and retention challenges. Durran provides services such as product design, UX, and product discovery, with occasional UI work.
Daniel emphasizes that Durran’s main focus is on product design, and they have no intention of expanding into other areas such as marketing or development. Instead, they prefer to refer clients to reliable partners if additional services are required. Durran can provide a laser-focused, effective product design service by maintaining its specialization.
Daniel explains the steps involved when a client approaches Durran and that they typically start with a UX audit. However, the process may vary depending on the client’s stage of development. For clients who need an MVP, Durran follows a three to five-week process involving product discovery, prototype testing, design finalization, and handover to development. For clients with an existing product, an audit is conducted to assess what is working and what needs improvement. Durran can leverage customer analytics and feedback to identify patterns and make informed recommendations in these cases.
When asked about the most common challenges founders face, Daniel highlights that, based on their surveys, one of the top challenges is making the product easier to use. Founders often struggle with understanding their customer’s needs and may be reluctant to engage in customer conversations. Durran emphasizes the importance of streamlining the user experience and making the platform self-explanatory. By addressing this challenge, founders can reduce the need for extensive customer support and decrease churn rates. However, achieving this goal often requires experimenting and launching prototypes before going to market, which some founders may be hesitant to do.
Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into the strategic approach to product design for ambitious founders. Durran’s focus on product design, its collaborative process, and its emphasis on making products easier to use demonstrates its commitment to helping startups succeed in their activation and retention efforts. Listeners understand the importance of UX in creating successful SaaS products and how Durran’s specialized services can contribute to their clients’ growth and success.
