How do you experiment with product vision assumptions?

DEFINE WITH A VENN DIAGRAM: While many 'product visions' are written statements about a 'before' and 'after' product experience, often those become ambiguous creative writing assignments that waste time and cognition. A 'crisp' vision is two or three principles, often the words "Desirable, Feasible, Defensible," but other principles can be chosen. Each gets its own definition, such as, "Desirable = Offers highest performing 'X' Benefit in all the product category." In this way, a vision assures coverage of competing requirements, can align the overarching principles, articulates specifics, and possible to measure progress toward achievement.

Alguns questionamentos ajudam a definir a visão do produto: Persona, o problema percebido pela persona, qual o nosso produto, o que ele é e o que principalmente faz, diferente de qual produto/empresa, entregamos o quê (proposta de valor)? É possível montar um mapa visual, de forma que todos os envolvidos possam contribuir com a definição da visão do produto respondendo essas perguntas, e construir o produto de fato dentro dessa visão.

ALL THINGS ASSUMPTIONS BEFORE EVIDENCE: Truly all claims of reality are baseless assumptions until validated by fact or supported by some degree of logic. Ultimately a business is an assumption that a certain person will make a purchase decision that can be served. Sales are the ultimate validation. But until there is revenue, your entire business plan or thesis is a whole cluster of assumptions. Therefore treat everything as an assumption and only identify that which is finally validated. That means notating the small parts of your plans that are truly reliable rather than making the critical mistake of thinking a few minutes of making an assumptions list is going to ward off threats and risk.

Após criar a visão do produto (hipotética), inicia-se a construção. Primeira etapa: validação, confirmar se a visão está correta e se o produto encaixa com o mercado. Essa etapa envolve validar persona/problema, o problema definido é percebido pela persona, com? Depois, validar a solução. Ela resolve o problema, como a persona resolve o problema? Como é possível resolver? O mercado paga por uma solução, qual? Pontos validados, validação técnica e de negócios é o próximo passo. É tecnicamente possível desenvolver o produto? É viável para o negócio, está dentro da missão/objetivo e orçamento? Validar hipóteses é uma constante em produtos inovadores e fundamental pra entregar um produto de real valor para o mercado e para o negócio.

EXPERIMENT OR EXPLOIT: Research is a means to an end, and that end is to make a choice. Would you like to invest significant time and resources to get the right answer or could you just flip a coin? Consider a middle way by designing where you merely design enough of an experiment to re-validate the success approaches of competitors... that is to 'me too' copy the competition. This saves time and ensures validation of the design on a known result to calibrate the experiment for primary research.

Assim como para modelagem do negócio pode-se utilizar um CANVAS BMG, por exemplo, para validar as hipóteses pode-se utilizar um CANVAS de hipóteses. Esse CANVAS é elaborado com base no BMG e descreve como cada hipótese do negócio será validada. Essas duas ferramentas podem auxiliar na elaboração dos testes do produto, e aplicação prática dos mesmos. Existem outras ferramentas para definição de testes, o importante é testar de maneira prática e real junto ao mercado.

ALLS WELL THAT COMMUNICATES WELL: As good as any experiment may be to gather up data, the decision made at the end of the day is what matters most. Running the experiment completely is to focus on the end-game. Make it easy to communicate by considering three different formats: > Framework - Conceptually diagram the decision > Chart - Graph the data results for easy interpretation > Table - Array raw and summary data for convenient reference to the math and original inputs.

Steve Blank, says it perfectly, “No business plan survives first contact with customers. As soon as your assumptions meet reality, they will change. Your job is to adapt quickly.” Assumptions if not tested as soon as are risks. Our Product Vision should account for a thorough validations process .

Esse é o momento que se descobre se o produto pensado no início do processo deve ou não ser desenvolvido e lançado no mercado. Pode ser que apenas algumas melhorias e ajustes sejam necessários na visão do produto ou pode ser que a visão inteira seja inválida e o produto deve ser modificado ou "pivotado". É importante que nesse momento o gestor do produto saiba se adaptar às mudanças e fazer as correções ou modificações necessárias de forma rápida para não perder o timing da solução.

HIT OR MISS: Analysis of results for a Product Vision is very simple... it is about whether consumer or customer value has been added and how that aligns with other competing principles like Desirability, Feasibility, and Defensibility. Biases, errors, or anomalies are things that may occur at the data collection level but can be mitigated with proper research design, not the analysis. What may inform your product vision is the discovery of other factors that contribute to consumer value or recently hidden assumptions, which leads to the need for further experimentation. Your Product Strategy (unique combination of Benefits that make a Value Proposition) may change if weighted values are updated.

PRINCIPLES, FACTORS, WEIGHTS: A Product Vision, that isn't a creative writing assignment, is a hypothesis that by the synergy of creating consumer value, with available means, and some advantage to win, your enterprise will be economically profitable. Therefore adaptation exists within each of those areas of value creation, operation, and competition. > Value Creation: New Benefits and Performance Levels > Operation: Different Sourcing, Production, and Channels > Competition: Alternative Claims, Branding, Design, Positioning, and Pricing Classically this is called the "Marketing Mix" (4 Ps) but you might use other frameworks to update what constitutes the unique combination of choices that make up the "whole product experience."

MANY FORMATS SAME IDEA: A Product Vision may need to live in various formats to fully articulate the ideal future. It could be: > Ideal Scenario with the Product > Forecast/Proforma > Journey Map with Product Experience > Venn Diagram (2, 3, or more circles) > Kano Analysis