How this 10 questions will change your product thinking
A 10-step guide to solving problems and growing impact in your role as a designer/product manager.
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How can I sharpen my thinking to drive impact in my company’s product?
Product thinking is not only one of the most important Designer/PM skills. And it’s often the hardest to learn.
Contrary to what a lot of people believe, product thinking is not something you need to be born with. It’s a learned skill, just like any other Design/PM skill. Sure, some people are naturally better at it, but that’s OK.
Product Thinking = Problem-Solving as a designer/PM.
As the world becomes more complex, product thinking is becoming an increasingly important skill. But how do you develop this skill?
Here are 10 explorative questions in 3 sections to help you sharpen your thinking and problem-solving skills.
1️⃣ Part 1: Is this problem worth solving?
1. Is it aligned with the product's long-term vision and strategy?
Even if a problem is significant for customers and beneficial for the company to address, it may not be consistent with its long-term vision. For example, if the issue is related to the web while the company wants to prioritize the app.
Declining to address a critical problem that conflicts with the company or product's vision is crucial for maintaining focus.
2. How impactful will this be for users?
The answer to this question is not as straightforward as categorizing it as "nice to have" or "must have." There are three dimensions to consider when evaluating the impact of a problem:
Reach: This is the number of customers affected by the problem. It is a concrete, measurable number.
Intensity: This refers to how severe the pain caused by the problem is. This can be assessed using a subjective scale of low-medium-high or a numeric scale of 1-10. Ideally, the score should be based on user research.
User segment: This refers to which customers are affected by the problem. Some customers may be more valuable to the business than others, and this can be factored in using a multiplier.
Impact = reach * intensity * user segment
3. What do you need to deprioritize to work on this?
You only have a finite resource and when you work on a certain problem, it means you’re not working on other problems. That’s your opportunity cost: the potential loss from a missed opportunity.
Think about the next thing(s) you’re going to work on if you’re not working on this problem, and make sure that you can afford that cost.
2️⃣ Part 2: First principles thinking
4. What is the problem?
The first step in solving any problem is to understand what the problem is. This involves identifying the symptoms and underlying causes of the problem.
Clearly define the problem in a succinct statement.
Identify what led to the problem and the symptoms that are indicating its existence.