Define Before Diving: An intro to Product Strategy
0 likes88 views
The document outlines Novoda's approach to product strategy, emphasizing user-centric design and collaboration among diverse teams. It discusses the importance of defining product vision, goals, and user needs through iterative processes like design thinking and research approaches such as benchmarking and user interviews. The goal is to create impactful experiences by ensuring a clear understanding of users, fostering team involvement, and maintaining transparency in communication.
Define Before Diving: An intro to Product Strategy
- 1. Anna Youngs & Lydia Selim Define Before Diving — An Intro To Product Strategy
- 2. Novoda is collective of strategists, researchers, designers and engineering experts built on a foundation of community. We work in an environment of knowledge sharing, learning and continuous development. We focus on process, embedding and evolving working practices that enable teams to drive purposeful and impactful experiences. Collaboration plays a vital role in the way we work with our partners, optimising expertise across sectors to enhance direction and delivery. 01 Intro
- 3. Organisations of all sizes have lots of ideas for their product, some might even have a predefined list of features and/or a roadmap ready… However the connection with their users might be missing as well as a defined strategy. This is when we come in play. 02 Problem space
- 4. Product strategy ensures a sensible approach to product development, in the short and long term. It is composed of the product definition & vision, high level goals and will be translated into a product roadmap once the above is defined. 03 Product strategy
- 5. Product strategy Areas of definition Product definition What is the purpose of this product and its vision? Who are the users? High level goals What are the goals of this initiative? How can we connect them to the product vision? Features/solutions How to solve the different problems we identified? How to connect them with the product definition and goals? Roadmap How to connect our plan with the vision and short/long term strategy? How to connect features with the big picture? Success metrics How to measure success? What are the milestones/steps?
- 6. The most critical aspect of the product strategy. The product vision and purpose should be defined and aligned across stakeholders and teams before jumping into solutions. Research is key here. 04 Product definition
- 7. Product definition Areas of definition Vision What is the purpose for creating this product? What positive changes will it bring? Target group Who are the users? What market segment the product addresses? Needs What problem does the product solve? What benefit does it provide? Product What product is it? What makes it stand out? Is it possible to develop it? Business goals What are the business goals? How the product is going to benefit the company?
- 8. A sensible approach to a user-centric product definition is to follow the design thinking principles. This non linear approach gravitates around 5 stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test 05 Design thinking Empathize Define Ideate Prototype Test
- 10. Design thinking Steps Empathize Gain an empathic understanding of your users and the problem you are trying to solve Define Put together this information, analyse your observations and synthesise them in order to define the core problems Ideate Start generating ideas based on what you observed and analysed Prototype Define and refine different concepts and ideas by using various fidelity approaches Test Present your users with stimulus based on the ideas your generated and prioritised
- 11. Design thinking Traditional Business Thinking vs Design Thinking Approach BT: Definitive and linear, based on proof DT: Iterative, non linear, based on learnings and experimentation Validation BT: What users say or ask for DT: What users do and the synthesis of observations and patterns Informed by BT: Market analysis and users behaviour's interpretation DT: "what might be" and users observations Ways of working BT: Linear phases and rigid roadmap DT: Flexible phases. Continually evolving with customers Completion BT: An understanding of the results of users activities DT: Already have understood the result through. Now looking to solve other problems
- 12. Research approaches that have been successful to tackle the product definition phase 06 Research approaches
- 13. Research approach Stakeholders interviews By immersing ourselves in the organisation's world, we can gain an intimate knowledge of their business and needs. Why is it paramount that we solve this problem now? What are you most excited about? If you could ask your customers one thing - what would it be?
- 15. Speaking to users Data analysis
- 16. How to communicate strategy? Explain the journey you went through, any rabbit holes you fell down during the research process could have some importance, what surprised you? 07 Storytelling
- 17. Research approach Benchmarking Benchmarking is the process to research existing digital products and initiatives to explore potential solutions and see how we could reflect some of the ideas in the future product. In this example, the team in place had already defined some key concepts to be prioritised, which helped to refine the focus of the research. All insights are generally analysed and synthesized in a report that will be presented back to the team. Benchmarking can be very helpful at different stages of the product development and the findings can help inform the future strategy. Benchmarking research Creation of concepts around the different areas of opportunity Deep-dive on previous research around this concept Qualitative Interviews with stimulus Concept prioritisation Workshop with the team & stakeholders Benchmarking on prioritised areas Cre diff
- 18. Ux & Market Research Benchmarking
- 19. Speaking to users User interviews A critical step for a user-centric approach. They help the team to gain a rich understanding of the future product's users, their needs and pain points as well as their reaction and feedback to early-stage prototypes and propositions. Depending when they happen in the product cycle, they can include various fidelity stimulus, from paper concepts to prototypes. They are a way to continuously stay in connection with users. Benchmarking research Creation of concepts around the different areas of opportunity ous is Qualitative Interviews with stimulus Concept prioritisation Workshop with the team & stakeholders Benchmarking on prioritised areas Ideation followed by qualitative interviews with higher level of fidelity stimulus Tell me more about the last time you did X. How was it? What went well? What could have been better? Why?
- 20. Speaking to users User Interviews
- 21. Speaking to users Key Moments Concepts testing Usability testing Discovery interviews Empathize DESIGN THINKING Test Prototype Empathize Define Ideate Prototype Test
- 22. How to ensure the team is involved and why is it important to have everyone - all disciplines - involved early on 08 Involving the team
- 23. Involving the team Principles Understanding of the users and problem space. Common vision & goals Ownership, implication & commitment. No fenced gardens ...Resulting in improved team dynamics and overall a better product Transparent communication around goals and decisions. Collaboration Transparency Ownership User-centricity
- 24. Involving the team Practical tools & initiatives User-centric: Invite the team to meet the users, workshops, journeys... Involvement: Feedback rounds, Figma, Zeplin, Miro, cross-discipline collaboration... A collaborative mindset: we are one team with the same goal, serving the users Transparency: Basecamp, Trello, regular share-outs, collaborative documents... Transparency Ownership User-centricity
- 25. 09 Team Feedback
- 26. Feedback loops Principles Try and see through the eyes of the user, and attempt to ignore your own bias. Come with a deep level of empathy. You don’t know why choices are made. (5 whys) How does your feedback help the person receiving it, to learn and grow? Include to multiple disciplines to get different perspectives How does your feedback benefit the user?
- 27. Feedback loops Practical tools & initiatives Use tools that are designed for collaboration. E.g Figma Frequent opportunities for feedback + Extend to multiple disciplines Learn how to give better feedback Set up rhythm of feedback involving stakeholders - no surprises
- 28. Ensure a strong product definition, thorough research and a user centric approach is not only beneficial for the product, but also for the team! 10 Impact of this approach
- 29. Impact of this approach Product quality & confidence Iterative: learnings based, trial and error Clear and common goals aligned with everyone. Focused More confidence to build and increased quality User-centric and directly connected with real people's needs
- 30. Impact of this approach Teams & processes Motivating, with more ownership, more learnings Clear and transparent: everyone knows the "why" Less silos, more empathy for users, happier teams! Highly collaborative: everyone is involved all the time
- 31. Impact of this approach This isn’t just a one time thing — This is an iterative approach.
- 32. Novoda + Condurance Thanks! Icons: Abstract set from Icons8 Novoda’s Design Community @DesignLabMeetup Anna @AnnaYoungs Lydia @Lys_Lydia