Product discovery is an ambiguous, unsure, high-stakes exercise crammed with delusion and lore. Consider the tales you’ve heard about your favourite product and the way it got here to be.
For many, it seems like crusing into uncharted waters and not using a set course, map, or GPS — demanding braveness, adaptability, and talent.
No surprise new and seasoned product managers hesitate to go all in on product discovery.
There’s worry of failure, worry of the unknown, stress from usually unreasonably excessive expectations, and extra. In some ways, product discovery is the modern-day equal of being an explorer surveying the world earlier than maps.
But, it’s additionally considered one of product administration’s most impactful and rewarding actions — shaping a method right into a profitable product by means of discovery.
And identical to explorers who sailed the world earlier than it was totally recognized, product managers right now can draw on abilities from prior generations. Many who got here earlier than us have developed strategies, strategies, and techniques to de-risk the product discovery course of.
As a long-time product chief who has performed product discovery extra instances than I can depend, I guarantee you that it’s thrilling, doable, and even enjoyable if you already know the place to start out.
In my expertise, most product managers and groups fail at product discovery for 4 causes:
- Failure to start out
- Failure to go all-in
- Failure to conduct it correctly
- Ignoring the outcomes
I’ve been responsible of every one. And regardless of sounding ridiculous, ignoring the outcomes is commonly essentially the most tough to beat.
While you’ve satisfied your self you already know the reply, it’s onerous to simply accept proof on the contrary. I imply, why would I hesitate to simply accept the outcomes after the workforce made the hassle?
A nagging feeling deep in my unconscious that questioned whether or not I may belief the result — would product discovery be extra dependable than my years of business expertise?
I do know — ridiculous.
This case was no completely different, though, on the time, the many years of expertise have been shorter. Quick sufficient, the truth is, that I didn’t know product discovery was a proper course of — though, in my protection, I used to be at a startup, and fancy names and processes matter a lot much less.
We have been reviewing the findings from ‘product discovery’ — as I mentioned, we didn’t actually use the time period.
“That’s not proper,” I blurted out, my voice echoing endlessly within the in any other case the entire sudden silent room.
Our small, two-person product workforce — this was a startup — had spoken with seven potential prospects, 5 of whom disagreed with my sentiment on the issue I believed our product needed to solve- traceability.
Regardless of this, as a former and barely conceited buyer, I used to be satisfied that a very powerful a part of the product was, the truth is, traceability- the place the information got here from, how we arrived on the reply, and the way the machine studying mannequin corrected the information.
Nonetheless, most potential prospects mentioned they didn’t care about traceability. As long as it was right, it was right.
How dare they contradict me? I snort at my hubris now. I didn’t wish to do ‘product discovery’ within the first place. It felt like we had wasted weeks attending to the incorrect reply. How would our prospects know what they need in the event that they hadn’t seen what was potential?
There I used to be, making a number of errors concurrently — three out of 4 lethal product discovery sins: not eager to do it, failing to go all in, and ignoring the outcomes.
It felt like the method, buyer conversations, and the outcomes have been full BS. But, I put this apart and determined to hearken to the workforce — I do know, I do know — why hassle asking if I wasn’t going to hear?
Then, one thing magical occurred. I modified my tune.
“Okay, I’ll concede — let’s maintain again on the audit and traceability function in our subsequent launch and dedicate extra capability to rushing up the information cleaning course of,” I mentioned, stunned by my response.
In my intestine, it nonetheless felt just like the incorrect resolution, however the workforce did the homework, so I gave it a shot.
Quick-forward two months, and we launched the subsequent iteration of the product—sooner knowledge cleaning, no audit, and traceability. And…. prospects have been thrilled. They obtained their knowledge again per week sooner.
Not considered one of them even requested about audit and traceability. I used to be concurrently pleased and horrified on the final result. How may I be so incorrect?
It turned out prospects wished to do their very own audits of the information, not depend on ours. Looking back, this made sense. “I’d have performed the identical factor once I was a buyer,” I assumed to myself, laughing at my very own shortsightedness.
By way of this expertise, I discovered an essential lesson — if the outcomes of product discovery appear fully off out of your notion of actuality, you’re most likely incorrect.
As long as the invention was performed properly, it is best to comply with the findings and proposals — as a result of the extra satisfied you’re proper, the extra doubtless you’re incorrect.
Reflection is a good trainer. It permits you to replay previous errors and think about the way you would possibly do issues otherwise.
And once I take into consideration my product discovery fail on the audit and traceability function, I cringe.
Given roughly one other decade of expertise and scars, I’d go about it in a wholly completely different manner — in partnership with design, engineering, advertising, and gross sales.
Right here’s how.
- Establish the potential downside. What precisely is the issue I consider I’m fixing with the function — audit, and traceability on this case? Who has the issue? Why does the issue matter to them? What are they attempting to attain? Clearly articulate the issue(s) after gathering knowledge from the product, product workforce, and stakeholders, together with prospects. Please don’t pull the issue out of skinny air whereas sitting in a room alone; work collectively to grasp it.
- Conduct preliminary person analysis. Don’t go all in at this level, however ask round or at the least collect observational knowledge — does anybody have the necessity for audit and traceability, as I assumed? Use instruments like interviews or surveys and pull knowledge out of your product analytics answer or buyer success workforce. Attempt to get some preliminary info that validates the issue is actual for multiple or two individuals. It will assist de-risk additional funding.
- Generate just a few hypotheses. So begins the ideation section. As soon as you already know the issue is ‘actual,’ begin fascinated about why. Why would possibly the issue exist? Do prospects want audit and traceability capabilities to show to administration that they’re taking steps, to point out stakeholders how they arrived on the knowledge adjustments, and to show to regulators why and the way they made the adjustments? What are the potential causes the issue exists and why it’s an issue? Brainstorm with the workforce.
- Prototype and take a look at. Okay, so now, how would possibly we remedy the issue? If audit and traceability capabilities are wanted, as within the instance I shared, what’s one of the simplest ways to offer these capabilities? How can we present choices to prospects and customers with out an enormous funding to validate that we’re heading in the right direction? Collective qualitative and quantitative suggestions.
- Iterate and refine. This step is the place issues begin to enter a loop. As you full steps 1–4, you be taught. Every time you do, you iterate on and refine your speculation and prototypes. Discovery is a steady course of. After getting a well-defined speculation and well-received prototype, transfer into MVP. Nonetheless, don’t lose sight of the truth that it is best to interact in steady discovery, studying, and iteration. Discovery solely ends when the product or function dies.
Although I now know the place to start out, product discovery nonetheless appears dangerous!?
No nice endeavor is with out threat. However I can confidently say it’s a lot riskier to develop a product with out discovery than to spend money on it.
That mentioned, there are three methods you should use to cut back the chance related to product discovery additional.
- Quick cycles. Steps 1–5 above ought to take weeks, not months. It’s essential go from figuring out the issue by means of iteration and refinement in 2–3 week sprints with steady readouts. I’ve seen conditions the place discovery can drag on. The outcomes are by no means higher when the time is prolonged. Transfer quick, be taught, and iterate.
- Concentrate on outcomes. Similar to options in a product, discovery ought to have clear outcomes. What do you wish to obtain? What are the targets, key outcomes, and finish outcomes you might be in search of? With out outcomes, it’s onerous to inform if discovery ought to proceed.
- Steady funds launch. This level is a giant one. Don’t launch the funds . Launch the funds as discovery strikes ahead. Should you don’t comply with a steady funds launch course of, the cash is commonly spent earlier than the outcomes are produced. It is best to allocate the funds to quick sprints. And solely the quantity wanted for every dash. Concentrate on effectivity and maximizing the return on {dollars} invested in discovery.
Discovery doesn’t sound so scary in spite of everything, now does it?
So why are product managers usually afraid to undertake product discovery?
A part of it, at the least for me, was admitting I may not know as a lot as I assumed. In some unusual manner, the thought of product discovery made me really feel much less valued, particularly as an ‘business skilled.’
However that’s the purpose. Understanding your prospects and customers higher than your opponents by means of product discovery is a aggressive benefit that an business skilled can’t match.
So, strategy product discovery with childlike surprise and curiosity quite than dread and despair. Put your effort into working a top quality discovery course of primarily based on confirmed steps, shorter cycles, and clear outcomes.
The chance will likely be considerably decrease, and the insights will likely be invaluable.
Go forth and uncover! Your prospects will thanks.
