DEFINING THE RIGHT PRODUCT

Ryan GlasgowSenior Product Manager

Weebly

BackgroundCAREER PATH

Front-end engineer, designer, now product

WEEBLYMost recently the iPad launch

THE FOREST

THE TREES

THE TREE

THE FOREST

Product

“It’s common for entrepreneurs to pitch their products

as a list of features, tech specs, or explain an abstract,

convoluted idea. What they should do instead is a story — something everyone can understand and relate to,

from investors and employees to friends and family.

Something that is memorable, easily passed around,

and well-received by even the least tech-savvy.”

Stories

InstagramWHAT

It’s a fast, beautiful, and fun way to share your photos with friends and family.

HOWSnap a picture, choose a filter to transform its look and

feel, then post to Instagram. Share to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr too – it’s as easy as pie. It’s photo

sharing, reinvented.

Features need stories too

SnapTuneWHAT

Enjoy a fast and fun way to share your songs with your friends.

HOWEnter a song, choose a clip, add a caption, then send it

to your friends. It’s the easiest way to share music.

THE TREE

User stories

User Stories- Things real people are going to need the software

to do for them- The building blocks of the product backlog

- Include who, what, and why- Combination of conversations and acceptance

criteria- Token for a conversation

FormatAs a [type of user],

I want to [do something], So that I can [get something].

Sign UpAs a potential SnapTune user,

I want to signup with Facebook,so I don’t have to enter my profile information.

Requirements

Delegate Goals, Not Tasks

DesignTASKS

Design a responsive Facebook Connect button that includes:

- Active state- Down state

- Deactive state- Hover state

- An icon- A text label

As a potential SnapTune user,

I want to signup with Facebook,so I don’t have to enter my

profile information.

EngineeringTASKS

- When user clicks button, link them to Facebook auth window

- Integrate Facebook Connect SDK- Import profile information and

friends list- Create new account in Database

As a potential SnapTune user,

I want to signup with Facebook,so I don’t have to enter my

profile information.

QATASKS

- Test new Facebook account- Test existing Facebook account- Test new Facebook account with

email already in Database- Try Continuously clicking on

Facebook button- Test new Facebook account with

missing information

As a potential SnapTune user,

I want to signup with Facebook,so I don’t have to enter my

profile information.

User stories are the baton in the relay race that is building a product

AgileDefer commitments to the last responsible moment

Overflowing BacklogHow do I prioritize the stories?

When should I user test?How do I define my MVP?

What use cases am I addressing?Is the project on schedule?

When can I launch?What stories are nice-to-haves?

THE TREES

User Story Mapping

Traditional ProcessSpec process has little to no collaboration

IDEA INPUTS SPEC REVIEW

Product SpecIdentity a product that’s valuable, usable, and feasible

Valuable Usable

FeasibleFeasible

“It’s rare if not impossible for a single person to possess the business, user interface design, and

engineering skills to find that valuable-usable-feasible sweet spot”

Fundamental ShiftProduct managers ideate and define ideas

Product managers curate and refine the best ideas with team members who hold different perspectives

Purpose- Curate different perspectives

- Organize and prioritize releases- Build shared understanding

XXXX Downloads MAU DAU /

MAU

Enter App

Send a song

View songs shared

Learn about app Sign Up

Songs shared by month

KPIs

Activities

Use Cases

Steps

Details

Share a song when I

hear it

Looking for new music

to listen to

Log In

View screensho

ts

Watch video

Frame It

1) Frame it

Set the Boundaries- Product manager creates framework for

brainstorming- Starts everyone involved with the same context

- An anchor for discussions and a reference point for debates

GoalsWhat are we trying to accomplish?

Complement music streaming

services and stores

XXXX Downloads

Connect friends

through music

Become synonymous with music sharing

Use CasesWhat outcomes are we building for?

Hear song on radio, club, bar and want to

share it

Looking for new music friends are listening to

Browse trending songs

Connect with individuals with

similar tastes in music

Hear a song through earbuds or headphones and want to

share it

Music junkie

XXXX Downloa

ds

Taste maker

Passive listener

PersonasWho is our target user?

KPIsHow do we measure success?

App downloads per month

XXXX Downloa

ds

MAU

Songs listened

per monthSongs

shared per month

DAU / MAU

2) Construct a narrative

Activities- Focus on breadth before depth of story- In the order you wish to tell the story

- ...and then...

SnapTuneWHAT

It’s a fast and fun way to share your songs with your friends right from your phone.

HOWEnter a song, choose a clip, add a caption, then send it

to your friends. It’s the easiest way to share music.

Enter the app

Send a song to friends

Listen to what’s been shared with

me

Listen to what’s been shared with

me

... and then ... ... and then ... ... and then ...

Activity

3) Add the Steps

Break down the story- The steps users have to take

- Epics to later be broken into user stories

Enter artist, album, or

song

Select a song from

search results

View selected

song

Send a song

Activity

Steps

4) Add the Details

Full functionality- User stories

- Specific things users can do- Alternative things they can do

- When things go wrong

Enter artist,

album, or song

Select a song from

search results

View selected

song

Send a song

Capture ambient audio

Enter search string with

keyboard

Option to clear string input

Activities

Steps

Details

5) Prioritize

What’s most important?- Narrow outcomes and use cases

- Prioritize details based on refined framing and goals

Enter artist,

album, or song

Select a song from

search results

View selected

song

Send a song

Capture ambient audio

Enter search string with

keyboard

Option to clear string input

Activities

Steps

Details

6) Slice Releases

Slicing- Slice out tasks that help you reach a specific

outcome - Involve entire development team to create

ownership of milestones- Let team identify risks and opportunities

- 1 launch, 3 releases

Opening game- See it work

- Minimum viable solution- Just enough to validate the feature

- Are we on the right track?

Mid game- Make it better

- Integrate feedback from user testing- Round out features

End game- Make it releasable

- Edge cases- What did we miss?

- Add the sizzle

Future Ideas- What we shouldn’t launch with

- Version 2

XXXX Downloads MAU DAU /

MAU

Enter App MAU DAU /

MAU

Learn about app Sign Up

Songs shared by month

KPIs

Activities

Use Cases

Steps

Details

Share a song when I

hear it

Looking for new music

to listen to

Log In

View screensho

ts

Watch video

Frame It

Backlog is now OrganizedPrioritized stories

Know when you should user testMVP is defined

Use cases are outlinedKnow if the project is on schedule

Can set a launch dateDifferentiated nice-to-haves from deal breakers

Share It

Release Map- Often in presentation format

- The “trees”- The KPIs, “activities”, and milestones with dates

- To be shared with management and the team - Updated and reviewed regularly- Useful for project management

Product Spec- Often a word doc or spreadsheet

- Day to day details- A functional specification that includes the goals,

use cases, and user stories - To be used by design, engineering, and QA

CRAFT YOUR PRODUCT’S STORY

USER STORY MAPPING

USER STORIES

Try It!- User stories

- User story mapping- Creating shared understanding

- Slicing- Release mapping

- Curating ideas- Delegating goals not tasks

Further Reading

Thanks!@ryanglasgow

http://rglasgow.comhttp://medium.com/@ryanglasgow