Hey, I am a product junkie who's been playing the startup game for over a decade already. I've lived and breathed the startup scene - the highs, the lows, everything in between. Probably you this harsh truth about startups - only 1 out of 10 start-ups hit a home run in the major league of VC-backed ventures. My passion for entrepreneurship didn’t leave me thinking of my impact on improving this equation and thinking, "How can I level up the playing field?" So, I took a leap into my favourite playground - Product Development!
Are you familiar with that spiral of doom, where a genius idea falls flat on its face after failing to find the problem that it can solve? The product development maze can be a ride without a map - every turn leads to a dead-end or a costly detour. There is a whole universe of frameworks & best practices of how to build a startup. I get it, it can get overwhelming and too much for moving fast. But, there are must-do steps that I like to call the Customer-Centric Product Development Framework!
Alright, here's the framework in four essential steps:
- Determine your destination: Specify your company's mission, vision and current goals.
- Know your audience: identify your target audience by defining personas or ideal customer profiles.
- Define pressing needs: Chalk out the product blueprint: write down problems you believe your audience has, best simply by talking to potential customers.
- Deliver measurable outcomes: define projects that will bring value through targeting specific needs of personas or customers.
The majority of product teams at this point just return back and try to find the next shiny object to build. One thing sets great teams apart at this stage and this is a secret weapon of the product loop. Once a feature’s built, hands up, eyes closed is not the way to go. Your marketing and sales buddies don't always hold the golden ticket – remember, the ball doesn't drop when the product's ready for release. Delivering a new feature to the market is vital.
Usually, teams end up in two situations:
- Startups who don’t have customers yet. Use the information linked to your project for a targeted killer Go-To-Market strategy.
- Startups who have existing customers. Now's your time to shine, pal! Get to your accomplished needs, reach out to those users & show 'em what you've got!
Are we done yet? We are already at the stratosphere, but there is one important last step. Once your shiny new feature is out in the wild exploring its market terrain, circle back to those initial goals in let’s say four weeks and reflect. It's crucial to gauge the feature's ripple effect on the product's success pond. We aren't merely about stirring a few metrics - it's about customer journey validation! If the feature didn’t perform well, don’t be shy to go back and remove it from the product. Don’t leave noise in the product that will grow out into stale functionality.
That sums up why Pandalign could be your next big move! Say goodbye to pricey detours and ambiguous routes. With Pandalign, it's all about smart customer-centric moves edging you closer to success. Ready for your next adventure? Let's make your next move a free plan with Pandalign. Trust me, you're in for a ride!
P.S.: I can almost hear you reaching out, asking, "Edgar, love the product, but we've got something similar with Confluence/Notion/Coda. What makes you different?" You’ve got a point. It's possible to cobble together this strategy using various tools and spend hours trying to keep everyone on the same page. But here's what makes Pandalign stand out, and this is what we usually ask our users to get the “Aha!” Moment:
- When was the last time you updated your Personas with actual user feedback?
- Is there a comprehensive resource capturing all user needs and connecting them to specific users?
- Can each team member articulate their work’s purpose and its contribution to the bigger picture?
- Could your marketing/sales folks explain why the last feature was developed and how it aligns with your customer interviews?
Essentially, it's about streamlining and embedding purpose in everyone's role, which translates into more effective and efficient work. Now, isn't that worth considering?
