Digital Product Management

Session 2
Recap : What is a product
• In Layman’s Vocabulary
• A product is an item or substance that is manufactured or refined for sale
• A product is an item offered for sale
• For business professionals
• A product is a solution offered by a firm for customer’s problem
• A product is a bundle of benefits that address customer needs
• Product management is the business process of planning,
developing, launching, and managing a product or service. It
includes the entire lifecycle of a product, from ideation to
development to go to market (Wikipedia)
Recap: Roles of a Product Manager
• Defining a vision for a product.
• Aligning stakeholders around the vision for the product.
• Understanding and representing user needs.
• Monitoring the market and developing competitor analyses.
• Prioritizing product features and capabilities.
• Creating a shared agreement across teams to enable separate and
connected work
• Go to Market and ROI over the life cycle of the product
• Product improvements and revisions
Recap: Products that sell
• Can we solve a customer problem in a way that is better than existing
solutions?
• For that
• We need to know the customer – Empathy
• We need to go through cycles of trial and error – Iteration
• We need to consider several possibilities – Divergent thinking
• We need to visualize our vague and abstract ideas to some thing more
concrete so that our customers can see and interact –Prototyping
• We need to have people from different expertise areas to work together-
Collaborate
• We need to ensure that our own ideas are acceptable to the users- testing
our assumptions
Activity 1
• Download the app ‘NewsOnAir’ , identify a song which you like, play
it.
• What aspects of the app do you LIKE and do you DISLIKE?
• If you are managing this app, what will you consider as successful outcomes?
Activity 2
• Go through your mobile and identify ONE app which you think is an
example of a GREAT product
• What aspects do you like and what aspects do you think can be improved?
• If you are managing this app, what will you consider as successful outcomes?
Activity 3
• Think about the ‘’work from home’’ context and identify a
problem/opportunity that can be solved by a digital product
A Product Vision
• Align the product discovery and development with the purpose of the
Organization.
• Engage and inspire the team by aligning their efforts to a larger goal
• Help the team ideate and choose enhancements to the product
• Envision how the products would lead to a better future for the
customers.
Creating a Product Vision

• What is the value of the product? What do we offer?

• Who will use the product? Customers? Buyers, Users?
• Why would the customers/users need this product?
• Who are the competitors in this market space?
• How will your product compare to other competing products in the
market?
• What will differentiate this product and makes it unique?
Product Vision Template
• For [our users],
• whose [problem to solve, user needs],
• the [name of the product],
• is a [product category],
• that [key-benefits, reason to buy it].
• Different from [competition alternative],
• our product [key-difference, unique selling point].
What could be the Product Vision for Zoom
• For [our users],
• whose [problem to solve, user
needs],
• the [name of the product],
• is a [product category],
• that [key-benefits, reason to buy
it].
• Different from [competition
alternative],
• our product [key-difference, unique
selling point].
Product Vision-music streaming service
• For [our users], • For [paid subscribers and
audiophiles],
• whose [problem to solve, user
• who [want to listen to the best
needs], quality music on the go],
• the [name of the product], • The [Brand],
• is a [product category], • is a [streaming service],
• that [key-benefits, reason to buy • that [allows you to listen to
it]. anything you’d like to from the
world’s best artists].
• Different from [competition
• Different from [Spotify],
alternative],
• our product [lets you listen to
• our product [key-difference, unique recording-studio quality HiFi].
selling point].
Product Vision simplified
• Our product vision is a world where the [target customer] no longer
suffers from the [identified problem] because of [product] they
[benefit].

• Our product vision is a world where [audiophiles] no longer suffer

from [poor music quality] because of [our lossless high-fidelity music]
they [experience music as the artist intended, as if they were in a
studio quality environment].
Product Vision further simplified

• Our product vision is to provide a high-fidelity music experience that

is as good as the experience of listening to music in a world-class
studio.
Product Vision further examples
• For [our users], • For young, eco-conscious
• whose [problem to solve, user consumers
needs], • Who want sustainable, homemade
• the [name of the product], candles
• is a [product category], • The Cookie Candles Formula is a
patented wax blend that uses
• that [key-benefits, reason to buy locally sourced materials
it]. • That creates a fragrant, but safe
• Different from [competition and healthy scent
alternative], • Unlike popular blends for candles
• our product [key-difference, unique • Our product does not harm
selling point]. consumers’ lungs or breathing
Product Vision further examples
• For [our users], • For marketing professionals
• whose [problem to solve, user • Who struggle to manage their
needs], calendars and workflow
• the [name of the product], • The Reimagined Workflow tool is a
• is a [product category], productivity software
• that [key-benefits, reason to buy • That simplifies the process of
it]. managing a marketing leader’s
schedule and workflow
• Different from [competition • Unlike other generic productivity
alternative], tools
• our product [key-difference, unique • Our product caters to the specific
selling point]. functions and needs of marketing
leaders
Testing the product vision statement
• Will it offer a specific benefit to your customers?
• Is it both broad and ambitious but short and sweet?
• Does it reflect your motivation for developing your products?
• Does it reflect your intent and inspire your stakeholders and team?
• Does it provide a picture of a desirable future that you want to work
for?
 Product Vision Prioritization

Less about this Our Product Vision More about this

should be
 Product Vision Board
What do you sell? Who buys it? What problem What benefit will Why do they buy it
does it solve for people enjoy from from you and not
them? owning it? from your
competitor?

Why do they really What motivates How do you make What is your When your work is
buy your products? your staff to work money from selling organization great done, why will the
(What is said and on this project it? at? world be a better
unsaid?, any other than money? place thanks to the
hidden motives?) existence of your
product?
Product Vision Template
• For [our users],
• whose [problem to solve, user needs],
• the [name of the product],
• is a [product category],
• that [key-benefits, reason to buy it].
• Different from [competition alternative],
• our product [key-difference, unique selling point].
Affinity Diagram: KJ Method

Structured
• Developed by Prof. Jiro Kawakita (University
brainstorming Of Kyoto)
and analysis

How to make • Collect data and compile into cards

an affinity • Sort and label cards (clustering)
diagram • Develop the KJ diagram and present to team
KAWAKITA Jiro (KJ) Method (Example)

Dries Quiet Colorful

Fast Operating
Easy to Hold Portable Cost
Reliable Easy Good
to Safe Style
Long
Lasting Use
Fan
Motor
Weight Heater
Control
Switch Handle
Heat
Grip
Airflow
Casing
Sort and Cluster
Functional Ergonomic Aesthetic

Dries Quiet Colorful

Fast Portable Operating
Easy to Hold Easy Cost
Good
Reliable Long to Style
Use Safe
Lasting

Fan
Motor
Weight Heater
Control
Switch Handle
Heat
Grip
Airflow
Casing

Product Characteristic
Structural Attribute
Product – Market Fit
 User Persona
Marci, 55
Married with children, one grandchild. Empty-nester. All her help for set-up comes from the web.
Husband, George, is the local pastor, and she has started a blog for his church, wanting to
proactively be modern and support him. She is unwittingly about 5 years behind technological
trends.
Enthusiastic, a bit flighty.
Located in the American Midwest – Ohio
AOL user
Needs:
•Upload videos or shortcode from the YouTube
•Find the right theme
•Add users/subscribers
•Add posts
•Create a custom menu
Tech-savviness rating: 1/10 (1 is least tech-savvy, 10 is most)
I’ve read the page for custom menus three times and been following it, and I can’t see my pages
 User Persona
Angelo, 40
Small business owner
He’s pretty successful locally
Someone told him about .Org, and he struggled with it, but learned about plugins and themes.
He doesn’t want to spend a lot of time on this – it has to just work. He will be stingy with his money
depending on how much perceived value something has.
He has a teenaged son.
Married to his high school sweetheart
Hotmail user.
Needs:
•Theme
•Upload a logo
•Much more a static site, but will eventually branch into some light blogging.
•Wants to have increasing traffic over time to increase business
Tech-savviness rating: 4/10 (1 is least tech-savvy, 10 is most)
“I’ve spent 5 hours of my time on this. I don’t have time, I need this done.”
 User persona
Jessica, 20s
Personal blogger
A few years out of college.
Relatively savvy – grew up with technology. Has an iPhone.
Knows a little HTML, but not that into it.
Has been blogging on Tumblr for a few years, but now wants to be able to have more themes and a bit
more control behind the scenes.
Stays on top of trends.
Gmail user.
Needs:
•Themes
•Flexibility to change domains when hobby changes
•Wants to curate followers/increase followers
•Publicize on social media
Tech-savviness rating: 7/10 (1 is least tech-savvy, 10 is most)
“How do I pick the image that gets posted to Facebook”
User persona
David, 35
Does web design work professionally, but not on WordPress
Lost a bet on a basketball game, and now has to set up a site for a friend.
Very savvy, knows a lot about computers.
Thought that setting up the site on WordPress would be a 10 minute job, and now it’s been a few
hours and he’s frustrated.
Comes in with very specific expectations that may not actually be accurate on how things should
work.
Hosts his own email address through Gmail on his host.
Needs:
•Themes
•Set up site structure (pages, maybe a blog)
•Set up a home page
•Where does the HTML go?
Tech-savviness rating: 9/10 (1 is least tech-savvy, 10 is most)
“I work with websites a lot, and I’m setting up a site for my friend and I can’t figure out this WordPress thing. How
is this easy exactly?!?”
Personas
• Why do it?
• Personas give us a person to connect and empathise with,
someone with goals for using the product, ensuring human-centred
design.
• When to do it
• Can be done at the initial stage to develop a common shared
understanding of the user
• Revised subsequently after interviews and journey mapping
Personas
• Who is involved?
• Design and Development team, internal stakeholders
Personas
• A persona is a representation of the needs, thoughts and goals of the
target user.
• Think of a persona as your typical or ideal user - who do you see using your
product?
• It helps prevent you from generalizing all users into one bucket and
thinking that everyone has the same needs and goals.
• It also prevents you from falling into the pattern of thinking that you are
going to experience the application the same way that other users will.
• Personas are designed to help you to empathize with individuals who might
use the app, so think of them more as a bio that you might see on a social
website than a job description.
Personas
• How to create a persona
• Using your interview notes, create one or two personas to represent your core users.
Each should have a slightly different story and use case.
• Write down and make a list
• Craft a scenario in which that person would like to use your product or service.
• What would that user’s motivations, goals and needs be?
• What are their pain points and challenges?
• Fine Tune the persona by including an image, name, and quote that
expresses the needs and goals of the user.
• Discuss internally
• Try to find people who fit your persona, speak to them
• Iterate and revise