You could charge users based on their behavior. For example, car insurance
policies such as Insure the Box in the UK, base pricing on actual driver
behavior rather than demographics. This may benefit responsible drivers who
are in a demographic category considered to be at high risk of accidents, such
as under 25s.
Products can proactively maintain themselves or provide data to enable
smarter support: as discussed earlier, boilers could identify when they are
developing a fault and be serviced before they break down; appliances could
share fault data with the manufacturer so customer support can help users
diagnose and fix more of their own problems. It is possible to vary pricing
based on time of use, for example charging more for electricity at certain times
of day to manage demand.
A good UX design needs to balance the needs of the business with the needs
of the user. Even if you are not shaping the business model of the product you
are working on, you at least need to understand it. The best business models
serve the interests of customers as well as the business. The car insurance
example above provides cheaper insurance to drivers who would otherwise be
penalized on grounds of age, but also allows the company to reduce costs and
uncertainty through more accurate risk profiling. User and business needs can
be in tension: for example, a connected home service might rely on heavy
upselling of new products. Here, design can make the difference between the
upsell advertising being either useful or at least minimally intrusive, or
downright irritating or something that causes users to stop using the system
altogether.
Summary
A clear value proposition ensures users understand what your product does,
and whether they want it. This is essential in order for them to understand how
it works, and how to use it.
Innovators and early adopters are inherently interested in technology and
forgiving of imperfections. Mass-market consumers often have different
needs.