Watch webinar here: https://youtu.be/RbpGjNh9Mj0 Defining your product and what you expect from it can be as important as creating the product itself. It is what allows a company to align their strategic vision with short-term and long-terms results, allowing companies to reach their users and market in a more direct and clear way, instead of producing a product whose strategy is too general and ambiguous. Lydia and Anna, Product Design Managers at Novoda, gave a talk at Codurance on the essential concepts of product strategy and the steps to a product definition, the key phases and importance of design thinking and the innovation value it adds plus research methods and tools to analyse the obtained information. We also learn about the huge value of clear communication and good practices when working with the rest of the team. This talk provides an enriching and useful insight for companies and stakeholders looking for a more effective way of making their vision a reality and wanting to know more about the components of a good product strategy.

1. Anna Youngs & Lydia Selim
Define Before Diving
— An Intro To Product
Strategy

2. Novoda is collective of strategists, researchers, designers and engineering experts built on a foundation of community.
We work in an environment of knowledge sharing, learning and continuous development.
We focus on process, embedding and evolving working practices that enable teams to drive purposeful and impactful
experiences. Collaboration plays a vital role in the way we work with our partners, optimising expertise across sectors
to enhance direction and delivery.
01
Intro

3. Organisations of all sizes have lots of ideas for their product, some might
even have a predefined list of features and/or a roadmap ready… However
the connection with their users might be missing as well as a defined
strategy. This is when we come in play.
02
Problem space

4. Product strategy ensures a sensible approach to product
development, in the short and long term. It is composed of the
product definition & vision, high level goals and will be translated
into a product roadmap once the above is defined.
03
Product strategy

5. Product strategy
Areas of definition
Product definition
What is the purpose
of this product and
its vision?
Who are the users?
High level goals
What are the goals of
this initiative?
How can we connect
them to the product
vision?
Features/solutions
How to solve the
different problems
we identified?
How to connect them
with the product
definition and goals?
Roadmap
How to connect our
plan with the vision
and short/long term
strategy?
How to connect
features with the big
picture?
Success metrics
How to measure
success?
What are the
milestones/steps?

6. The most critical aspect of the product strategy. The product vision
and purpose should be defined and aligned across stakeholders and
teams before jumping into solutions. Research is key here.
04
Product definition

7. Product definition
Areas of definition
Vision
What is the purpose
for creating this
product?
What positive
changes will it bring?
Target group
Who are the users?
What market
segment the product
addresses?
Needs
What problem does
the product solve?
What benefit does
it provide?
Product
What product is it?
What makes it stand
out?
Is it possible to
develop it?
Business goals
What are the
business goals?
How the product is
going to benefit the
company?

8. A sensible approach to a user-centric product definition is to
follow the design thinking principles. This non linear approach
gravitates around 5 stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype
and Test
05
Design thinking
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test

9. Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype Test

10. Design thinking
Steps
Empathize
Gain an empathic
understanding of
your users and the
problem you are
trying to solve
Define
Put together this
information, analyse
your observations
and synthesise them
in order to define the
core problems
Ideate
Start generating
ideas based on what
you observed and
analysed
Prototype
Define and refine
different concepts
and ideas by using
various fidelity
approaches
Test
Present your users
with stimulus based
on the ideas your
generated and
prioritised

11. Design thinking
Traditional Business Thinking
vs Design Thinking
Approach
BT: Definitive and
linear, based on
proof
DT: Iterative, non
linear, based on
learnings and
experimentation
Validation
BT: What users say or
ask for
DT: What users do
and the synthesis of
observations and
patterns
Informed by
BT: Market analysis
and users
behaviour's
interpretation
DT: "what might be"
and users
observations
Ways of working
BT: Linear phases
and rigid roadmap
DT: Flexible phases.
Continually evolving
with customers
Completion
BT: An understanding
of the results of
users activities
DT: Already have
understood the
result through. Now
looking to solve other
problems

12. Research approaches that have been successful to tackle the
product definition phase
06
Research approaches

13. Research approach
Stakeholders interviews
By immersing ourselves in the organisation's world, we can gain
an intimate knowledge of their business and needs.
Why is it paramount that we solve
this problem now?
What are you most excited about?
If you could ask your customers
one thing - what would it be?

14. Speaking to users
Surveys

15. Speaking to users
Data analysis

16. How to communicate strategy? Explain the journey you went through,
any rabbit holes you fell down during the research process could
have some importance, what surprised you?
07
Storytelling

17. Research approach
Benchmarking
Benchmarking is the process to research existing digital products and
initiatives to explore potential solutions and see how we could reflect some
of the ideas in the future product. In this example, the team in place had
already defined some key concepts to be prioritised, which helped to refine
the focus of the research. All insights are generally analysed and synthesized
in a report that will be presented back to the team. Benchmarking can be
very helpful at different stages of the product development and the findings
can help inform the future strategy.
Benchmarking
research
Creation of concepts around the
different areas of opportunity
Deep-dive on previous
research around this
concept
Qualitative Interviews
with stimulus
Concept prioritisation
Workshop with the team &
stakeholders
Benchmarking on
prioritised areas
Cre
diff

18. Ux & Market Research
Benchmarking

19. Speaking to users
User interviews
A critical step for a user-centric approach. They help the team to gain
a rich understanding of the future product's users, their needs and
pain points as well as their reaction and feedback to early-stage
prototypes and propositions. Depending when they happen in the
product cycle, they can include various fidelity stimulus, from paper
concepts to prototypes. They are a way to continuously stay in
connection with users.
Benchmarking
research
Creation of concepts around the
different areas of opportunity
ous
is
Qualitative Interviews
with stimulus
Concept prioritisation
Workshop with the team &
stakeholders
Benchmarking on
prioritised areas
Ideation followed by qualitative
interviews with higher level of
fidelity stimulus
Tell me more about the last
time you did X. How was it?
What went well? What could
have been better?
Why?

20. Speaking to users
User Interviews

21. Speaking to users
Key Moments
Concepts
testing
Usability
testing
Discovery
interviews
Empathize
DESIGN THINKING
Test
Prototype
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype Test

22. How to ensure the team is involved and why is it important to have
everyone - all disciplines - involved early on
08
Involving the team

23. Involving the team
Principles
Understanding
of the users
and problem
space. Common
vision & goals
Ownership,
implication &
commitment.
No fenced
gardens
...Resulting in
improved team
dynamics and
overall a better
product
Transparent
communication
around goals
and decisions.
Collaboration
Transparency Ownership
User-centricity

24. Involving the team
Practical tools & initiatives
User-centric:
Invite the team
to meet the
users,
workshops,
journeys...
Involvement:
Feedback
rounds, Figma,
Zeplin, Miro,
cross-discipline
collaboration...
A collaborative
mindset: we
are one team
with the same
goal, serving
the users
Transparency:
Basecamp,
Trello, regular
share-outs,
collaborative
documents...
Transparency Ownership
User-centricity

25. 09
Team Feedback

26. Feedback loops
Principles
Try and see
through the eyes
of the user, and
attempt to
ignore your own
bias.
Come with a
deep level of
empathy.
You don’t know
why choices are
made. (5 whys)
How does your
feedback help
the person
receiving it, to
learn and
grow?
Include to
multiple
disciplines to get
different
perspectives
How does your
feedback
benefit the
user?

27. Feedback loops
Practical tools & initiatives
Use tools that
are designed
for
collaboration.
E.g Figma
Frequent
opportunities
for feedback +
Extend to
multiple
disciplines
Learn how to
give better
feedback
Set up rhythm
of feedback
involving
stakeholders -
no surprises

28. Ensure a strong product definition, thorough research and a user
centric approach is not only beneficial for the product, but also for
the team!
10
Impact of this approach

29. Impact of this approach
Product quality & confidence
Iterative:
learnings
based, trial and
error
Clear and
common goals
aligned with
everyone.
Focused
More
confidence to
build and
increased
quality
User-centric
and directly
connected with
real people's
needs

30. Impact of this approach
Teams & processes
Motivating,
with more
ownership,
more learnings
Clear and
transparent:
everyone
knows the
"why"
Less silos,
more empathy
for users,
happier teams!
Highly
collaborative:
everyone is
involved all the
time

31. Impact of this approach
This isn’t just a
one time thing —
This is an iterative
approach.

32. Novoda + Condurance
Thanks!
Icons: Abstract set from Icons8
Novoda’s Design Community
@DesignLabMeetup
Anna
@AnnaYoungs
Lydia
@Lys_Lydia