Designing quality information products -8

Barbie E. Keiser

University of Vilnius

May 2007

The issues

Are you providing the right information products, given your current resources?

Is each provided to the best of your abilities?

Where to begin

Develop products which address strategic needs

Concentrate on providing information your clients need (or think they need)

Provide information which will make a difference– In their ability to function– “Profitability”

Product positioning

Know your competition Make certain that the library’s offerings are

identifiably your work Target products to specific, identified needs Tailor products to your clients Use available technology Facilitate sharing/exchange of information Create strategic alliances

Know what business you are in

Determine what business it would be advantageous to appear to be in

Have you set the library’s priorities in terms of the university’s? Faculties within it?

Are you being flexible, showing your customers a willingness to tailor your products and services to their needs?

Know your competition

Internal External

Direct Indirect Potential

Who is your competition?

Know your competition

What products/services are being offered directly to your clients

Determine why they have been acquired Compare the competition’s products/services

with your own– Can you offer a similar service?– Should you piggyback your services onto theirs?– Can you add value to the products/services of

others?

The opportunity

Understand that information can eliminate the confusion caused by a rapidly changing environment

Find out what kinds of information people want and need, and then deliver it

Turn your competitors into allies View every information need as an

opportunity for your library

Product development issues

Are your products consistent with your customers’ current and future needs?

Are these products strategically significant? Do you have a flow of new products?

New product/service development

Know your products/services Tie new products/services to strategic interests of the

organization Maintain a formal, but flexible, development process Seek multifunctional team members Respect market feedback Promise only what you can deliver Measure quality through customer satisfaction Deliver value

What is an information product?

One that is created by your library, not purchased

Core, formal, augmented, and system products

Importance of isolating a product’s core benefit

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The information factory

Creating an integrated product line

How do your products relate to one another? Do they make sense to the customer? Do they help you attain economies of scale? Do you have a number of products in the

pipeline? Do you initiate periodic enhancements of

existing products? Discontinue out-dated/out-moded products?

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Product life cycle

Impact of technological change on the product life cycle

Shorter product life cycle for high-tech products Increased complexity requires an education

component in promotional materials Increased costs mean higher price points, altering

profit margins/strategies Requires increased coordination

– With other products/services you offer– With products/services offered to your user base by others

(competition)

A range of products

Do you have the wherewithal (information, human and financial resources) to create these products?– If not, a strategy to attain them?

Support their production over time? Market them?

Ask yourselves...

Why have we developed this product?– How critical is it?– Could we do without it?

Are there any problems related to its production/delivery that should be addressed?

– Format– Turnaround time– Ease of use

Does the entire staff understand the importance of each product? How it is put together? Used?

How accurate is the information provided? How well have we planned for growth?

Objectives of your product review

Determine new products Determine product enhancements Evaluate existing products for weeding

purposes Define the library in terms of its markets’

needs

A tough competitor learns what its users need

Take a business that you are good at and maximize it by finding new customers for existing products/services

Devise related products and services and market to your existing customer base

Enhance your assets Improve quality Optimize capital Manage risks better

than in the past Control costs

Product/customer matrix

Product line review

What products and services does the library offer? Who uses your products and services? How often?

– Frequency– Timing

How much does it cost to provide them? Are you servicing your most important markets?

Key questions

How effective is the library in targeting current user needs? Strategic information needs of the organization? Which potential customer groups did you identify in the needs

assessment which are not being served adequately? Is there a product to answer each need? What information needs are not being satisfied by the library’s

current product line? Is the library targeting existing products to all potential users? Are new products necessary?

What the product line review will tell you

If you are reaching a variety of user groups If you are reaching those groups of critical

importance to the organization If you are using a variety of media and

formats to provide and distribute your products

Consider product enhancements

Revise “marketing” collateral Use technology to market technology Redesign welcome screens and front-ends Build macros to facilitate end-user searching

and export of data

What does customization entail?

Understand your users and their needs Know the resources you need today, and

those that you will likely need in the future Avoid getting locked into one source or

system Know your information technologies and their

capabilities

Importance of customization

Evaluate output options Customize output Consider alternative methods of delivery Integrate technology into the process

You are responsible for unbiased information gathering

Ability to understand the question being asked

Knowledge of sources available and the ability to choose the optimal source

Integrity of data sources Ability to search effectively and efficiently Facility with communications software

Assuring quality during the information gathering and analysis stage: Ask yourself…

Have you accurately answered the question(s) posed?

Is your response clear, focused, and comprehensive?

Have you been prudent in disregarding “irrelevant” sources; discarding “irrelevant” material? Utilizing technologies available?

Have you noted any discrepancies?

Assuring quality during the post-processing stage

Ability to reformat data Ease of integration Organization/reorganization Enhancing information Customizing output

Post-processing issues

How can we use technology to improve the presentation of information?

What kind of software will facilitate the process? How should we present information?

– What’s available vs. what’s responsive to the question posed

– Make it actionable and tailored to the preferences of users– Tradeoffs

Repackaging of information and customization of output

Content Source Format Graphics Mode of delivery

“New” modes of delivery

Increased speed does not necessarily mean higher cost

Minimize the amount of times digitized data is transferred to print and retransmitted electronically

Make the data’s delivery mode fit its intended use

Assuring quality during the delivery stage

Timely delivery of information Cost-effective mode of delivery Minimize the number of times data must be

converted Review and summation

In summary

Present not the information that’s available, but what is NEEDED

Present information that enhances users’ ability to act, thereby increasing your value to them

Provide information in a cost-effective manner

Tailoring a current awareness update service

Consider product enhancements

Revise marketing “collateral” Use technology to market technology Redesign welcome screens and front-ends Build macros to facilitate end-user searching

Deal effectively with the competition

Understand why they are so popular Compare their products with your own Can you offer a similar one

– at less cost– with added value

Can you/should you piggyback your services onto theirs, adding value?

How do you determine which new products to offer?

Use the results of your needs assessment to identify priority market segments

Determine common information needs among various user groups

Offer complementary products Attract users from the competition

– Add value– Tailor formats– Price competitively

What is a “new” product?

New for your library Modification of existing product Repackaged for a new user segment Brand-new creation

A tough competitor learns what its customers need

Take a business that you are good at and find new customers for it

Devise related products/services and market to your existing customer base

Which new products to offer?

Establish priority target market segments Determine common information needs Offer complementary products Attract users from the competition

– Add value– Tailored formats– Price competitiveness

Issues

Are you providing the right products, given your current resources?

Is each provided to the best of your abilities? Are you presenting not the information that’s

available, but what is NEEDED– In the appropriate format– Using appropriate technology

Meet the information requirements of your users

Develop products and services to meet the needs of your university and each constituency in it

Employ the appropriate technologies Determine the best way to present and

deliver the information required

The opportunity

Don’t be bound by preconceived notions of what the library can offer

Broaden the base of products and services offered by the library

What is quality?

Absolute professionalism Single-minded devotion to satisfying the

customer– Meeting predetermined requirements of users– Exceeding their expectations

Perfectionism in the eyes of the customer

Defining a quality product

The best we can do, given our resources In the eyes of our customers Our product, as compared with our

competitors’ Situation- and application-dependent

The value edge

Availability Reliability Suitability Flexibility

Relevance Validity/accuracy Completeness Aesthetics Timeliness

Assuring quality means...

Taking responsibility: How liable are we? Minimizing risks

Assuring quality throughout

In summary

Establish that there exists an information need Estimate the size of the market for your potential

product Identify current and potential (future) competitors Analyze if you can meet that need now

– If not, what do you require?– How will you sustain/maintain that effort over time?

The Challenge

Find a need and satisfy it

Be a good product manager

Apply successful business management practices

Learn from others Use manufacturing successes in a service

environment

Create a framework for excellence

Focus on the quality principle throughout Focus on sustaining excellence Build a team of players