By Too many digital products launch with a bang, only to fade into obscurity within months. The reason is that they missed the market.
It’s not a lack of passion. Founders are passionate. It’s not even a lack of technical skill. Many have great developers. What’s often missing is a repeatable, strategic approach to designing products that align with real market needs from day one. A product doesn’t win because it exists. It wins because it fits.
Let’s talk about how founders can build that into the design process early and get ahead of the curve.
Why Great Products Still Fail
Let’s be honest. Most startup founders don’t suffer from a shortage of ideas. They suffer from building the wrong version of the right idea or even the right version of the wrong idea.
One major reason is poor product-market fit. Founders build features based on assumptions rather than evidence. Teams move quickly but without validating core problems or testing desirability. According to CB Insights, 35% of startups fail because there’s no market need for what they built.
Another problem is timing. Some products hit the market too early, before the infrastructure or audience is ready. Others arrive too late, trying to enter saturated spaces without a unique angle.
There’s also a tendency to focus too much on building and too little on positioning. A beautifully engineered product that nobody understands, or that doesn’t speak to a clear use case, will always struggle to gain traction.
And then there’s internal bias. When you’re close to the product, you start to believe in it too early, too much. That belief, while essential, can blind founders to feedback or warning signs. In many teams, user interviews are treated as a checkbox, not a goldmine of insight.
So, how do you design differently? Strategically. Intentionally. With the market in mind from the very beginning.
The Strategic Framework
At the heart of market-relevant product design is a mindset shift, from “what can we build?” to “what should we build?” Here’s how founders can approach this shift more strategically:
- Start with deep, real-world problem validation.
Before you write a single line of code, immerse yourself in the user’s world. Conduct interviews, observe behaviours, and gather complaints. Validate that the pain point is urgent and worth solving. Look for patterns, not just one-off insights.
- Define your core user persona clearly.
Don’t build for “everyone.” Narrow your focus. Who are the first 1,000 true believer users? What frustrates them today? What language do they use? What triggers their buying decisions?
- Build your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) around core value delivery.
An MVP isn’t about launching fast; it’s about learning fast. Strip your product down to the smallest version that delivers a clear, measurable solution to one problem. Every additional feature should be tested against this metric: Does it help users achieve success faster?
- Test messaging alongside functionality.
Relevance isn’t just about features, it’s about clarity. As you develop the product, also test the story. Can users instantly understand what your product is, who it’s for, and why it matters? If not, you’re not ready to launch.
- Set up continuous feedback loops.
Use early adopters not just as testers, but as co-creators. Set up structured feedback channels such as user sessions, in-app prompts, or short surveys. Don’t just collect the data; respond to it visibly. Users stick with products that listen and evolve.
- Know your differentiator and double down on it.
Even if your space is crowded, your product can win with a unique twist. It could be your design, pricing model, onboarding flow, or ecosystem integration. Find that difference and make it obvious.
Locally, we’ve seen startups grow fast not just because they solved problems, but because they made those solutions simple, clear, and culturally aligned with their users. That’s market relevance in action.
Conclusion
Too many founders confuse building fast with building right. If your product doesn’t connect with users, no amount of funding or marketing can fix it. But if your product speaks to a clear need, beautifully, simply, and early, then growth becomes natural.
Here’s the truth: Anyone can build. The real edge is in thoughtful design. Design with purpose. Design with users in mind. Design for relevance.
Because in today’s crowded digital market, the best product doesn’t always win, but the most relevant one usually does.
By Epaphras Adelabi
