Week 38 - 🚀 Unleash Your Inner Visionary: Master the Art of Product Sense for Exceptional Product Management! 💡
Week 38 - 🚀 Unleash Your Inner Visionary: Master the Art of Product Sense for Exceptional Product Management! 💡
Quote
"Great products are a result of understanding user needs, intuitive design, and exceptional execution." – Julie Zhuo, former VP of Product Design at Facebook
Poll
💯 Framework // Concept // Mental Model
What exactly is product sense?
Product sense is a unique blend of skills, experience, and intuition that allows a product manager to understand what customers need and translate that into a product that meets those needs in a way that is profitable for the business. It's a combination of empathy to discover meaningful user needs and creativity to effectively address those user needs, resulting in a successful product.
To help illustrate this concept, let's explore some examples of products that have triumphed thanks to exceptional product sense:
Apple iPhone - The iPhone, introduced in 2007, revolutionized the mobile phone industry with its unique combination of hardware and software design, making it the go-to smartphone for millions of users worldwide. The iPhone was a result of Apple's strong product sense, which focused on creating a seamless user experience.
Netflix - Netflix started as a DVD-by-mail service, but with the rise of streaming, it quickly pivoted and became the leading streaming service in the world. The company's strong product sense allowed them to anticipate the shift in consumer behavior and pivot their business model to stay ahead of the competition.
Slack - Slack is a workplace communication tool that has become incredibly popular due to its ease of use and ability to streamline communication and collaboration within teams. Slack's success is largely due to its strong product sense, which focused on making workplace communication more efficient and enjoyable.
These are just a few examples of successful products that were built on strong product sense. There are many more out there, and these products continue to be successful due to their ability to continually adapt to changing customer needs and market trends.
How to Develop Product Sense as a Product Manager
Developing product sense is essential for any product manager who wants to consistently create products or make changes to existing products that have a positive impact on users. It's a combination of empathy and creativity that allows product managers to understand the unmet needs of users and develop solutions that effectively address those needs. A product manager with good product sense is capable of championing successful features or products that were not obvious to others.
Product sense is a combination of empathy to discover meaningful user needs and creativity to effectively address those user needs, resulting in a successful product.
Building empathy:
Observe people interacting with products
Deconstruct everyday products
Improving creativity:
Learn from great product thinkers
Be curious about changes in technology and your domain
Building product sense is a key part of the job for product managers and requires constant learning and improvement. In this article, we will discuss four practices that can help you develop your product sense and become a better product manager.
Observe People Interacting with Products
Observing people using products, whether yours or others, is a great way to develop empathy and improve your product sense. By observing people using products, you can get firsthand exposure to user experiences and reactions, and gain a deeper understanding of the subtle user needs that others may miss. When observing users, it's important to pay attention to the micro-details, like facial expressions and moments of hesitation, confusion, or excitement. Asking open-ended questions during these moments can help you better understand why users react the way they do.
For example, let's consider observing users interacting with:
Smart Thermostats: Observe how users interact with smart thermostats like Nest or Ecobee. Watch how they adjust settings, create schedules, and use energy-saving features. Identifying pain points or areas for improvement could lead to a more intuitive interface, better energy management, or additional smart home integrations.
Meal Kit Services: Study how customers engage with meal kit services like Blue Apron or HelloFresh. Analyze how users navigate the ordering process, choose recipes, and interact with the provided ingredients and instructions. This could help you identify opportunities to improve recipe variety, simplify meal preparation, or enhance the overall customer experience.
Virtual Reality (VR) Headsets: Observe users as they interact with VR headsets like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Pay attention to how they navigate the virtual environment, use controllers, and adjust comfort settings. Insights gained from these observations could lead to better user interfaces, more immersive experiences, or improved hardware ergonomics.
E-readers: Watch how people use e-readers like Amazon Kindle or Kobo to read books, magazines, or articles. Observe how they navigate the interface, adjust font size, and use built-in features like highlighting or note-taking. This could help you identify opportunities to improve the reading experience, streamline the interface, or introduce new features to enhance usability.
Deconstruct Everyday Products
To understand how great products are designed, it's helpful to deconstruct everyday products to see what makes them tick. Analyze products that you use regularly and consider their features, design, and user experience. Ask yourself questions like, "What makes this product easy to use?", "What makes it appealing to me?", and "What are the unique selling points of this product?" This exercise can help you understand what makes a great product and how to apply these principles to your own work.
Let's take a closer look at some popular products:
Cash App - Cash App allows users to easily send and receive money through their smartphones. Its popularity can be attributed to its user-friendly interface, instant deposits, robust security measures, and investment features. Users appreciate the sense of security and confidence they gain from using Cash App for their financial transactions.
Notion - Notion offers customizable workspaces for users to manage their tasks, take notes, and create databases. its modular design, powerful features, and seamless integration between different functions makes it popular among its users. Users find Notion easy to use and find that it greatly improves their productivity and organization.
Strava - Strava is a fitness tracking app that primarily focuses on running and cycling activities. Its popularity is due to its clean and user-friendly interface, features like segment leaderboards and personal records, and social sharing capabilities. Users enjoy the motivating and social aspects of Strava, which encourage them to push themselves and connect with others who share their interests
Grammarly - Grammarly is a widely-used writing assistant tool that helps users improve their writing by providing real-time suggestions, document analytics, and personalized goals. Its popularity comes from its seamless integration with various platforms and its ability to enhance writing style, correct grammar and spelling errors, and prevent plagiarism. Users appreciate how Grammarly empowers them to become better writers and communicate more effectively.
Learn from Great Product Thinkers
Reading about the strategies and practices of great product managers and product thinkers can help you improve your product sense. Look for books, articles, and interviews from product leaders, and try to understand the principles they follow and how they approach product development. Reading about successful product launches and how they were executed can also provide valuable insights into what works and what doesn't.
For more resources, check out this list:
🏆 60+ Top Product Management Resources 2022
Stay Curious About Changes in Technology and Your Domain
Staying up to date with changes in technology and your domain is critical for developing good product sense. By constantly learning about new technologies, trends, and user behaviors, you can bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to the table. Attend conferences, trade shows, and other events in your industry to network with other product managers and stay informed about the latest trends and developments.
Here are some ways to stay informed:
Follow industry blogs and news sources
Participate in online forums and communities
Subscribe to newsletters
Listen to podcasts
Conclusion
Developing product sense is a continuous process that requires dedication and a willingness to learn and experiment. By observing users, deconstructing everyday products, learning from great product thinkers, and staying curious about changes in technology and your domain, you can become a better product manager and consistently create products that have the desired impact on users. Remember, product sense is not something you're born with; it's something you develop over time with practice and experience.
Now that you have a better understanding of what product sense is and how to develop it, it's time to put these practices into action. Keep learning, observing, and iterating to hone your product sense and create products that delight users and drive business success. And most importantly, stay enthusiastic and passionate about your work as a product manager, as that passion will shine through in the products you create.
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