Unlocking Product Success: Applying the Business Model Canvas in Design Workshops

As interaction designers, we often focus on user experience while overlooking the product’s commercial model, especially in B‑to‑B contexts. To address this, the NetEase UEDC‑TB interaction team organized a workshop on the Business Model Canvas (BMC) for product X, documenting the process and explaining the tool.

1. Business Model Canvas Overview

Definition : A Business Model describes how a company creates, delivers, and captures value, encompassing profit, promotion, product, and user models. The BMC structures this abstract concept into nine blocks to help describe, evaluate, and iterate a product’s commercial model.

The nine blocks are Customer Segments, Value Propositions, Channels, Customer Relationships, Key Activities, Key Resources, Key Partners, Cost Structure, and Revenue Streams.

1.2 Relationships and Order

Customer Segments and Value Propositions are tightly linked: identifying target users and their pain points informs the value proposition.

Channels describe how the value proposition reaches users and must be evaluated for cost‑effectiveness.

Customer Relationships define how to attract, retain, and convert users.

Key Activities and Key Resources are the internal foundations that enable the business.

Key Partners include suppliers, VIP customers, joint‑venture partners, and competitors that affect the model’s effectiveness.

Cost Structure outlines the expenses of partners, activities, and resources, while Revenue Streams detail how value translates into income (e.g., ad‑based, commission, subscription, or fee models).

2. Classic Business Models

Understanding successful cases helps inspire our own canvas.

2.1 Multi‑sided Platform

Brings together distinct but interdependent customer groups; the challenge lies in selecting groups and pricing to attract them.

2.2 Freemium Model

Free advertising: a platform offers free content to attract users, then sells user attention to advertisers.

Free‑plus‑premium: basic services are free, advanced features are paid.

Hook model: low‑price or free entry encourages repeat purchases.

2.3 Long‑Tail Model

Focuses on serving niche markets with a large variety of low‑volume products, relying on extensive storage and distribution enabled by the internet.

2.4 Emerging Models

O2O (Online‑to‑Offline)

Sharing economy (e.g., Uber, Airbnb)

New retail (Alibaba’s concept)

…

3. Workshop Execution

Tools : 2 whiteboards, paper, pens, sticky notes, PPT.

3.1 Empathy Map Brainstorm (10 min)

The empathy map helps participants view the product from the user’s perspective, enhancing engagement and guiding later group discussions.

3.2 Group Ideation (15 min)

Participants split into two groups, using the nine BMC blocks to discuss X‑product’s commercial elements, recording ideas on sticky notes and placing them on the canvas.

3.3 Consolidated Discussion (30 min)

Each group presents its draft canvas, a facilitator ensures orderly discussion, and the team evaluates strengths and weaknesses of each block.

3.4 Final Summaries (10 min)

Each group summarizes its canvas, explaining the rationale behind each block and highlighting advantages. Facilitators record the outcomes via photos and audio for later integration.

Conclusion

By applying the Business Model Canvas, teams can focus on critical commercial elements at specific product stages and achieve clearer long‑term planning. Continuous exploration of the business model, supported by tools like the Business Model Evaluation Sheet, should involve all project roles throughout product growth.