Which step in the product development process is the most important?

Objective: Find the problem to solve and define the MVP

Product discovery is the initial phase of delivery. This is when the PM will talk to potential customers, listen to feedback and keep an eye on the competition. Once we know which features are the most valuable for our users, the main goal is to obtain, validate and implement user feedback.

The goal is to have the minimum set of features to test critical assumptions. In this phase, it is essential to really focus resources and avoid waste. Work until there is a clear understanding of the problem and the necessary features.

This is where you define a bare-bones version of the product or Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with just enough functionality to solve the main issue discovered. A successful MVP demonstrates enough promise to retain new adopters. It also serves as a tool to receive better feedback in this early stage. And for your product team, developing the MVP gives valuable insight into future issues that might come.

Define a clear-cut MVP

To successfully prioritise an MVP development, it is helpful to define some Objective Key Results (OKRs). OKRs is a system of creating measurable goals, purposely high and mainly unachievable. They do, however, help focus the efforts and priorities.

This framework will help define the MVP on essential things, and because the resources are limited, prioritisation is imperative.

Then is just Build-measure-learn AND iterate.

As any product manager knows, the product is never really finished. After the initial release is back to the drawing board to add or remove features, informed by feedback from users, interviews with customers, or internal stakeholders.

Defining a vision

A product or company must have a WHY and a “North Star” by which it guides itself. But although these concepts are critical, the starting point is the Product Vision, expressed simply in a Vision Statement for product managers.

Product managers should work with their team, stakeholders and users to define a Product Vision and not be afraid to rework it as time goes on.

Customer Insights — One of the most common mistakes done by product managers is to assume customer needs and behaviour without proper testing. Every assumption should be tested and data acquired for every feature of the hypothesis. Sometimes, a fresh perspective from someone outside the development team or even outside the company is beneficial. A new pair of eyes can break down assumptions by looking at the data.

What can you create with the data from customer insights?

Personas Segments of your potential customers by behaviours and characteristics. Personas help the team know who are you building this product for and inform any crucial decision making.

Journey Maps
A map of how the users navigate your product and use it. This will help inform the UX designers on what to improve and how to remove some pain points.

Empathy Maps
Maps how the users feel about using your product. Can highlight any concerns your users have regarding your product and how to address them.

End of Discovery
Phase You will know if the Product Discovery phase is completed and you are ready to move to the next stage once the following has been achieved.

✓A Vision Statement
✓An MVP
✓Data-backed customer insights
✓Journey maps, empathy maps and/or personas

Phase 2 — Design & Implementation

Objective: Get in sync with all the teams.

Now it’s time to work with your product designers to create mockups and test with users to see what works. The objective is to iterate over designs and test until a well-defined product addresses the critical problems for your users. Again, the role of the product manager is to organise and oversee this process.

At this point, you will be creating a product roadmap, a crucial tool for the product teams.

A roadmap is essential:

• A journey plan for a product from inception to release
• It reflects the product vision and plots out specific goals and targets
• It helps plan what resources and tools are needed and when
• It communicates the direction of the product effectively and alights everyone in the same path

It is vital to involve the entire product team to develop the roadmap. Designers, engineers, and marketers will inform the roadmap creation and detail any blockers and challenges. Bad planning or lack of communication causes teams to diverge, resulting in bad design.

Managing your team

The mindset of a product manager profoundly influences the team.

1. Your teams’ problems are your problems.

Employing empathy is a huge asset and works wonders for a colleague relationship. Helping your colleagues achieve their objectives will surely help you reach your collective objectives.

2. Have a shared vision

You need your team to unite behind the product vision. Be honest about the impact the product will have on the company. Sharing a vision will share the same motivation.

3. Employ open communication

Openness is crucial to achieving alignment. Although sometimes your job is to say ‘no’, as a product manager, you’re the one that knows how features connect on a higher level, so communicating openly will ensure your colleagues understand the motivations.

Implementation

During this time, designers and engineers build the product while the product managers oversee everything, working closely with the tech team and project manager and ensuring everything runs on time and on budget.

Being a product manager is all about being adaptable and keeping the team aligned to a goal and vision, working cohesively, and learning from mistakes. And while it’s essential to keep to an original plan, issues will arise during development, and new insights will demand design changes. Therefore, you must protect the vision and ensure your team has guidance during this process.

Phase 3 — Product Marketing

Objective: Define Marketing Goals

Now it’s time to build some buzz before the launch. This is a job for the Product Marketing Managers (PMM’s). They coordinate the launch period and bridge the technical product knowledge and the messaging to users. Product marketing managers (PMMs) and product managers work together to roll out the product technically and in the market.

The product marketing manager works in the position of the product in the market and addresses the pain points of the target audience. Using upcoming features and the product launch to create customer-facing marketing content. They analyse data from marketing funnels and usage to better educate and align the message to end-users.

The product marketing manager works with the product manager to create in-app messaging, onboarding material, and email campaigns to increase product adoption and share the product value.

Product lifecycle

PMs and PMMs work together to design a marketing strategy. As the owner of customer insights data, the PM influences the PMMs decisions on best reaching the target audience.

The product marketing manager uses the product strategy created by the PM to create a go-to-market strategy. This lays out the plan on how and who to reach. This usually results in a go-to-market roadmap that aligns closely with the product roadmap created by the PM.

PMMs create buyer personas, which focus on the buying habits of the target users. As well as creating a press kit and working with bloggers, influencers and publications to share the product features.

Early positive feedback can significantly increase sales and product adoption. Some products can run an open beta testing programme for selected users. This works well to get early feedback and as a marketing tool.

This phase of product development is crucial to keep regular communication between product and marketing teams.

Phase 4 — Product Launch

Objective: Send product to market

The product launch is easily one of the most stress filled moments of the product lifecycle, as the public eye is turned to your product, so preparation is critical to avoid any embarrassing moments.

Having a well thought out plan is crucial to ensure success, even though there is no playbook for a product launch as every product is unique and the target audience is different.

Product Launch Checklist

1. Market research & position — The most crucial step of the product launch, because the positioning in the marketing will be the fundamental factor in the entire marketing strategy. Things like defining the target audience, where and how to reach them, the UX content and copy, onboarding materials and messaging.
2. Buying personas — Do your research about the target audience. What are their pain points? What delights them? They divide them into segments with relevant data and what is their goal with your product.
3. Align with other teams — Once the product is launched, the sales teams are crucial. They must be well trained in using the product, explaining the features and demonstrating its value to your buying personas. To deliver a great customer experience, you must also go over the FAQs, make sure they are accurate, detail and document any problems and build tutorials with the customer service team.
4. Beta Stage — Find your early adopters, people that are really interested in the product, and ask them to join a beta testing programme. Track and analyse their behaviour and keep constant contact with them. They might be your most loyal users and will provide a lot of valuable feedback.
5. Prepare a press kit — On the launch date, you should announce your product in various mediums. Therefore, it is essential to have copy, content and visuals ready for a press junket and ensure all have the same messaging.
6. Be ready to gain insights — Have your tools ready before the launch to analyse and capture your users’ behaviour. This means working with your product team to implement things like google analytics, hotjar, amplitude, etc.
7. Have a follow-up plan — The product is ready to launch, but the work is not done. Have a strategy on how the product will be updated after launch, how to deal with a crisis and what is next.

What to avoid

Avoid over-hyping the product; you can find many cases where an over-hyped product resulted in disaster, more recently Theranos. Product managers are well aware of their product potential and limitations, so a simple and truthful marketing campaign works better.

Have your product marketing manager involved right at the beginning of the development. Their knowledge of the market and the target audience will prove valuable to have perfect alignment between marketing and product.

After the launch

Your work is not done just because the product was launched. You must look back at the goals set at the beginning and compare them to the end result. It is essential to understand why some goals were not met, and if you have crushed some goals, it is equally important to understand what you did right. As you know, the product is never finished, so now is your chance to deep dive into user feedback and start gathering data to inform your subsequent development.

Phase 5 — Train your users

Objective: Inform your user about the product

Often with complex products, the user fails to fully understand the features and capabilities. If a user cannot use the product to its full potential, you risk not solving their crucial objective. This is why onboarding is a necessary process.

Onboarding

User onboarding is an essential step that starts when a user first acquires your product or service. A successful user onboarding ensures the user gradually and fully understands what the product can offer and give a great first impression.

Onboarding does not simply mean teaching the user on to use the product. Instead, it means walking them through their first experience and establishing a positive relationship, ensuring that they understand the product can solve their needs.

Good user onboarding elements can mean easy-to-use UX, interactive tutorials, and explanations. Depending on the product, this can be easier or harder to implement.

Why does onboarding matter?

You want to keep your users loyal. The most crucial period for retention is between when the users first acquire your product and when they fully understand the product, in other words, the user onboarding process. If you keep your users satisfied with their initial experience, there is a greater chance they become loyal and active users.

User onboarding is one of the defining factors in user adoption and, ultimately, product success. It first introduces the user to your brand and become a lifetime user of your product. But most importantly, satisfied users will write positive reviews and spread your product via social media, blogs and word of mouth. A high percentage of early positive reviews will increase adoption and acquisition, attracting new users and investors that satisfy stakeholders.

Why UX matters to onboarding

The goal of UX is to satisfy customers via utility and visuals. Products with a well-designed onboarding process probably also offer a great UX design. An efficient and sincere onboarding process will surely help your customer relations and share visions. More and more users want to use products from honest and genuine companies, which should be included in the onboarding. Efficient onboarding and product are equally important, as users don’t want to feel they are wasting their time or that other products will likely allow them to achieve the same results in less time.

New UX Trends

This type of onboarding is more and more prevalent in digital products, where the users get achievements and rewards for onboarding tasks and using the product. This is an efficient way to share new features and introduce users to new capabilities they didn’t know previously.

Personalisation

This trend is slowly starting to become more and more used. As more data is available about users, products can use AI to customise the experience to an individual level, creating a solid relationship between the user and company.

Why onboarding is vital?

The onboarding process directly affects AARRR metrics, specially Activation and retention. As these are the usual metrics by which product success is measured, it is clear that the PM should take a particular interest in onboarding users.

Key takeaways

Product development is a complicated endeavour, and it relies on good team management, excellent communication, and understanding your target audience’s issues. Product managers do not build products alone, but they are the keepers of the vision. Their job is to make sure everyone is rowing in the same direction, from engineers and designers to marketers and customer service. Everyone plays a crucial role in getting a product launched and adopted by the user. Critical aspects of the product contribute significantly to user adoption and retention, such as an intuitive design and excellent onboarding.

What do you think makes excellent products?

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