Building better products and services, faster

Very Bad Wizards, a product and service design agency, for the first time in Sri Lanka, is bridging the gap between what consumers want and what companies are providing in- terms of products and services.

The question is often asked: Have you ever seen a really good and compelling ad with a big promise only to be let down by the actual product or service? If you have, you are one of many who have been lured into buying badly designed products and services that don’t address the wants and needs of consumers.

This is where Very Bad Wizards comes in and they’re doing it in a whole new way, according to a media release issued by the company.

The methodology they use, created by Google, is a design thinking process that reduces the risk when bringing a new product to market. It includes answering critical business questions through design, prototyping and testing ideas with final users and customers. Together with a small team of specialists and decision makers in the clients’ team, Very Bad Wizards will carry out a rapid prototyping exercise over four days.

The prototype of the product of service is an almost real mock- up of the final. The feedback will help clients decide whether to launch, build, improve or redesign with very little time and resource used.

Mayun Kaluthantri and Shavin Peiris, co- founders of Very Bad Wizards, have helped many companies from digital startups disrupting the food industry to medium enterprises looking to improve their physical customer experience and to large manufacturing lead exporters aiming to streamline their processes, build better products and services faster.

When asked how their approach is different, Mr. Peiris said: “Traditionally, bringing a new product or service to the market is like throwing a dart in a dark room, you don’t know where you’re aiming at.” Adds Mr. Kaluthantri: “What happens with our approach is that, when you put a prototype in front of real users, the lights come on”