Over 80% of product features are rarely or never used.” — Pendo 2019 Feature Adoption Report
That’s one of the most revealing statistics in modern product development — and one of the most alarming.
It means that most of what we design, build, and ship never delivers meaningful value to users or to the business.
This doesn’t happen because teams aren’t capable. It happens because we’ve been building too far from the user — validating too late, relying on assumptions, and treating feedback as a phase rather than a continuous partnership.
That’s why I created the Design Partner Program — a framework designed to connect users and product teams continuously through discovery, prototyping, validation, and iteration.
It’s built on one simple principle:
Innovation accelerates when users and product managers build together.
How It Started
I first designed and refined this program during my time at Deepcrawl, then evolved it further at Keysight Technologies (Eggplant).
At Deepcrawl, we set out to go beyond traditional SEO analytics and create a new product category: SEO Automation. To do that, we needed deep insight into how SEOs and digital teams actually worked.
So we invited our users in — power SEOs, technical specialists, and digital leaders — to co-create with us. They became design partners, contributing directly to discovery sessions, prototype reviews, and early validations.
Their insights shaped not just the product, but the entire strategy.
The result?
We didn’t just launch a feature — we created a category.
When I joined Keysight, I took the framework with me — scaling it globally and embedding user collaboration into AI-first product innovation.
How the Design Partner Program Works
The program connects a small group of curated users (“design partners”) with product managers, designers, and engineers to collaborate throughout the product lifecycle.
The Process
- Discovery
Map real workflows and pain points with users. Understand what matters before defining the “what.” - Co-Design
Rapidly prototype solutions and gather live feedback during design sprints. - Validation
Test ideas early with real users to ensure usability and direction. - Experimentation
Run A/B or live experiments to measure the impact of user-driven ideas. - Iteration
Feed learnings directly into the roadmap, ensuring alignment between user value and business outcomes.
By turning collaboration into a continuous cycle, teams replace assumptions with evidence — and effort with impact.
Why It Works
The success of the program lies in alignment, empathy, and shared ownership.
“When users become partners, feedback turns into foresight.”
Here’s what happens when collaboration is continuous:
- 🗣️ Users feel heard. They see their ideas implemented, building trust and connection.
- ⚙️ Teams learn faster. Validation happens before heavy engineering investment.
- 💡 Retention increases. Engaged users become product champions, driving advocacy and adoption.
- 📉 Waste is reduced. Teams focus only on validated, high-value ideas.
- 🤝 Culture transforms. Product, design, and engineering work from shared context instead of silos.
This approach doesn’t just create better products — it builds stronger relationships.
The Impact
Across companies where I’ve implemented the Design Partner Program, the results have been clear:
| Metric | Impact |
|---|---|
| Time to validation | ↓ 60% faster |
| Feature adoption | ↑ up to 40% higher |
| User satisfaction | ↑ significant improvement |
| Cross-functional alignment | strengthened collaboration |
More importantly, it builds something that can’t be measured in dashboards: trust.
Users trust that their voices matter.
Teams trust that they’re building what counts.
And the business trusts that every release creates measurable value.
The Future of Product Development
As AI transforms how we gather and process insights, human collaboration remains the ultimate differentiator.
AI can tell us what users do — but only collaboration reveals why they do it.
The future of product organizations lies in combining AI for speed with human partnership for direction.
The Design Partner Program is my contribution to that future — a framework that helps teams build smarter, faster, and more meaningfully by turning customers into collaborators.
Because when product teams build with users, not for them, innovation doesn’t just move faster — it moves with purpose.
About the Author
Cosmin Elefterescu is a global Chief Product & Operations Leader with 15+ years’ experience driving SaaS growth, AI adoption, and product transformation across deep-tech and enterprise organizations.
He’s led product teams at Deepcrawl, Keysight Technologies, and Titan Research, and advises startups and executives on building high-impact, user-driven product strategies.