By Ashini K Ekanayake
One of the most challenging category of products designers have to work on are dubbed White Label Products, also known as products which allow their clients to rebrand and alter according to their individual needs. The main selling point this group of products possesses is their customizability.
A White Label Product is a product or service which is created by a company which other companies can purchase and rebrand to make it look as if the latter had made it. This therefore displays two layers of clients. The first of which is the direct client which buys the product, while the second is the final user who will utilize the product once it has been rebranded or customized according to the former. The following are some important considerations to be made while going through the design and development of such products:
Understand all your clients
This might seem like an obvious rule initially. However, this is easily the most important. Oftentimes when working on a white label product, one tends to only focus on the final user who will use the platform to perform a particular action. It is crucial that design teams need to focus on not only the final user, but on the purchasing client as well. As the research is completed and the problem is designed, the teams in charge myst always keep the needs of the clients who will be redefining the tool created for their branding and localization needs, as well as usability factors which will impact the final users involved. Hence, before any preliminary designing, it is best to understand the full scope of the User Journey, motivations and expected outcomes for both categories of users.
Strategize, Research and Scale
Due to the complexities involved in designing and developing a White Label Product, a larger amount thought is required regarding the particular aspects of the solution can be customized in order to fulfill the needs of the client. As a result, the strategy may not only link to design and development of the product, but also of additional complements such as a side application or platform which can be customized by the client and allowing for effective rendering and execution. This lends to add to the importance preliminary research holds in building up to the design of a White Label Product. Scaling is of tremendous importance as well. White Label Products often envision scaling from the perspective of users in terms of growth and retention, and also due to growing demands of globalization. Localization often plays an important role in product design and development on a variety of levels, from the architecture of the product to the application itself, as well as elements such as font definition and branding co-existence.
Ideate, Test and Iterate
It is crucial to also remember that different types of characters will focus on different aspects of the solution provided. Ultimately, whether the previous points were discussed or not, it is best to begin testing form the early sketching sessions in order to ensure that the path you are currently on is the right one. When receiving feedback, design teams should be mindful of the feedback received, and that there will be occasions that the feedback may be contradictory, since final users and clients will have differing intents during the flow of the product. However, this often means that the research process did not cover enough cases. The ability to test with both user categories is very important.
Document
Documentation is another important aspect to consider when designing White Label Products. In order for these products to have successful scaling, any team which comes in touch with the product should understand all the variables involved when dealing with the particular project. Considerations such as design systems are very important in such documentation, since they inform what particular feature of the product will retain its integrity, and what can be adjusted by clients, and can extend to facets such as technical feasibility, branding and other factors. By documenting all the processes, decisions and outcomes, there is more effective share ability of these processes and findings, and will aid in building context and team integration
All in all, White Label Products pose a huge challenge to product designers. They force these designers and teams to contemplate demands from differing clients with potentially conflicting needs. This acts as a testament to the rigor and flexibility of the design discipline and design thinking process, where it is evident that there are multiple paths to go about achieving a single aim. By identifying these paths, this will differentiate successful White Label Products from their less successful counterparts.