In this discussion, Adam Hill, the Director of Product Development and Design at Michael Hyatt & Company, shares fascinating insights into the creation of the Full Focus Planner. He reveals how every detail, from binding to paper quality, is thoughtfully selected. Adam recounts humorous anecdotes about its early design phases, including a manufacturing mistake that led to a beloved version. The conversation sheds light on incorporating user feedback, sustainability efforts, and the journey from concept to a best-selling planner.
The Full Focus Planner's development involves a meticulous process of collaboration, ideation, and design to enhance user experience.
Customer feedback significantly influences the planner's evolution, leading to continuous improvements and new features tailored to user needs.
Deep dives
Introduction of the Full Focus Wellness Planner
The Full Focus Wellness Planner is introduced as an innovative tool designed to enhance self-care and overall well-being. It serves as an upgrade to the traditional Full Focus Planner, integrating familiar elements like goal tracking, daily rituals, and a structured weekly plan. New features include tracking sleep, hydration, nutrition, and stress levels, helping users prioritize their wellness in a comprehensive manner. The addition of specific tools such as a self-care planner and a gratitude section makes it a robust resource for individuals aiming to improve their lifestyle.
The Planner Creation Process
The creation of the planner involves a detailed and collaborative process that begins with ideation and design. Editorial and manufacturing teams work together to determine the planner's features and content, ensuring that it meets customer needs while also being feasible to produce. Factors like paper quality, binding methods, and size specifications are carefully chosen based on user preferences and practicality. The total production time can span several months, including a 12-week manufacturing phase, which highlights the complexity and thought that goes into each planner.
Incorporating Customer Feedback
The development of the planner is heavily influenced by customer feedback, which plays a crucial role in continuous improvement. For instance, to address requests for better transitioning between planners, a new 'Key Projects' section was added, allowing users to capture ongoing tasks more effectively. This responsiveness demonstrates a commitment to enhancing user experience, but it also presents logistical challenges, as updates must be carefully phased into manufacturing schedules. As a result, product iterations reflect a dynamic relationship between creators and users, ensuring that the planner evolves in alignment with actual customer needs.
Ever wondered how the Full Focus Planner came to be? Every spec, from type of binding to paper quality to the cloth wrapped around the covers, has been specially selected to enhance the end user experience. How does that all happen?
In this episode, Courtney, Verbs, and Blake talk with Adam Hill, director of product development and design, about the nuts and bolts behind the Full Focus Planner. They’ll share stories, processes, how decisions are made, and even how the oatmeal planner started out as a mistake. Before it was named the best daily planner by Forbes magazine, this is how the Full Focus Planner went from idea to finished product.
In this episode, you’ll discover—
The many steps between concept ideas and a planner in your hands
How changes and new iterations of the planner are executed
What factors are considered when creating a new planner
The 3 buckets of idea sorting and how to react to each one
Behind-the-scenes stories of the Full Focus Planner’s early days