Building AI Products That Customers Actually Want: Insights from Our AI Product Owner, Nathan Barr

AI products shouldn't just be impressive; they should solve real problems for real people.

At Neural Voice, we believe AI should solve real-world problems, not just look impressive on a pitch deck. That's where Nathan Barr, our AI Product Owner, comes in. He's the bridge between cutting-edge tech and everyday users, making sure our AI products aren't just powerful, but genuinely useful.

We caught up with Nathan to talk about customer-led design, ethical challenges in AI, and why testing with real users is still the best way to know you're on the right track.

What are the biggest mistakes businesses make when developing AI products?

"One of the biggest mistakes a business can make when it comes to developing an AI product is creating what they want and not what the customer wants. Creating an AI product should result in a product that the end user can use, in everyday life, or, every once in a while, but see true benefits regardless."

A flashy AI demo might win applause, but it won't create long-term value unless it meets real needs. Nathan keeps the end user front and centre from day one.

How can you tell if an AI product is truly solving a customer's problem?

"ASK THEM! You will never truly know unless you ask and actively listen. Maybe the feedback you receive is not 100% positive… but this allows you to improve the product in ways good feedback will not."

User feedback isn't just a checkbox. It's a source of innovation. At Neural Voice, we treat every insight as an opportunity to evolve.

What signs show an AI product is succeeding, beyond just sales?

"There are many ways of seeing if an AI product is succeeding such as positive real world impact, user retention, market recognition, and of course speaking with customers to receive precious feedback."

Success can't always be measured in revenue. Longevity, recognition, and retention say more about product-market fit than a sales spike ever will.

What are the most overlooked ethical considerations when developing AI products?

"There are many topics to be discussed when it comes to ethics within AI, one of the lesser discussed topics is Fairness and accountability. When you speak with an AI it does not train itself, a person behind the AI has to give it instructions or guidelines in order to have the desired outcome. If the AI says something that is biased or discriminatory, who is at fault? The AI or the person behind it?"

Ethics in AI isn't theoretical, it's practical. Who's accountable when things go wrong? Nathan believes it starts with responsible human decisions.

How can businesses avoid creating AI features that sound impressive but don't deliver value?

"It is very important to not overhype the ability of AI. Although it is very impressive what AI can achieve right now, new efforts are still being made almost daily in the AI space. As exciting as it is to predict where AI could go, it's important to set realistic standards for what your product can achieve right now. With this being said, it's equally important to be prepared to expand your product's ability as quickly yet sustainable as possible as the AI space changes."

The best AI products balance ambition with realism. It's about building trust, then building on it.

What's the best way to test if an AI product is ready for market?

"It may sound obvious but the best way to test if you are ready for market, is to be hands on and test as your product develops. Once you are confident you are close to being ready for market one of the best ways to test this is to have a small test group of people outside of the business (preferably people that your product in created for), let a select few use the product so you are able to receive valuable feedback before you go to market. This is not only to find bugs in what you currently have but the select few may provide feature suggestions and requests you may have never thought of."

Internal testing is crucial, but nothing beats feedback from real users. That's where you learn what really works (and what needs work).

How do you keep an AI product evolving as customer needs change?

"As mentioned earlier, it's important to keep up to date with the ever growing AI space and always incorporate new features into your product, provided they fit and have a purpose of course. Another way has also been mentioned previously, speak with customers! If you avoid speaking with customers you may not even notice their needs have evolved and could be providing them something they need less and less, Take 'Blockbuster' as an example!"

Adapt or fade out; just ask 'Blockbuster'. Nathan's advice? Stay curious. Keep asking. Keep evolving.

What emerging trends in AI should businesses pay attention to when building new products?

"First of all when looking for emerging trends in AI it is usually not a one stop shop, trends can appear and also disappear overnight so it is important to find time for research regularly, this is due to how large the AI space continues to grow and how many different uses AI has.

So in order to get the best results when trying to find trends it's important you dive deep and wide. Some of the more obvious ways are, news articles, following Industry leaders and experts, experimenting with new technologies and seeing what competitors are up to. Some other ways may be following AI start ups. They may be small and possibly overlooked in comparison to others but this does not mean they are unable to carve a new path for the rest of us, every company starts small. Venture Capital activity is also worth monitoring. If investors are willing to provide financial backing, it's always worth keeping an eye on the outcome."

From VC activity to niche startups, the next big thing in AI might be hiding in plain sight. The key is staying alert, and looking where others aren't.

Final thought? AI products shouldn't just sound impressive. They should work; for your users, your team, and your mission.

At Neural Voice, Nathan helps ensure we build tools that do what we say they'll do, and that keeps getting better with every conversation, release, and customer insight.

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