Gallery
Share
Explore

Product Discovery

Agenda today:

Defining product discovery & its scope
Why is it important?
Understanding the market
Frameworks and Principles
Double Diamond Framework
Application: Public Transport for users with disabilities
Opportunity Solution Tree
Application: Case Study 2
Questions?
Exercises & Rubric

What is product discovery?

⁠
image.png
⁠
⁠
(Generated by GPT-4; it gets a lot of things right, except the spelling. :D)

Continuous process of uncovering what users need and building successful products to address those needs.
usually is:
User-centric:
revolves around understanding user needs, pain points, and desires.
involves research using methods like surveys, interviews, and user testing.
Iterative and experimental:
Ideas tested and refined through prototypes, experiments, and A/B testing.
Failure is embraced as a learning opportunity to improve the product.
Data-driven:
Decisions are based on quantitative and qualitative data, not just gut feelings.
Metrics and user feedback are constantly analyzed to optimize the product.
Cross-functional:
Effective product discovery involves collaboration between different teams, such as product, design, engineering, and marketing.

Why is it important?



Frameworks and Principles

⁠
image.png
⁠
⁠
You can use a variety of frameworks to build product discovery, but there are some general guiding principles to apply:
Focus on customer outcomes: Prioritise delivering value to users over simply building features.
Validate before building: Reduce uncertainty by testing assumptions and hypotheses before investing in development.
Seek feasible solutions: Aim for solutions that are realistic to implement within your resources and constraints.
Embrace iteration and learning: Continuously learn and adapt your product based on user feedback and data.
Build a culture of collaboration: Foster open communication and teamwork between different teams involved in product discovery.

Understanding Users

This can be happen in two ways:
Qualitative vs Quantitative
Qualitative
Aims to understand users’ experiences and perspectives, often through interviews and observations
Example question: On Facebook, do they like browsing other people’s profiles?
Quantitative
Aims to collect measurable data, often through surveys and analytics.
Example question: On Facebook, what % of people click on other’s profiles?
Behavioural vs Attitudinal
Behavioural
what people do
Example: *user does not enjoy logging calories on their health app*
Attitudinal
what people say
Example: “Yes, I want to stick to my diet plan this New Year’s!”


⁠
image.png
⁠
⁠
List of various user research methods
User Research Method
Description
Example
1
Interviews
In-depth conversations with individual users.
Interviewing app users about their frustrations and preferred features.
2
Focus Groups
Moderated discussion with a small group of users.
Conducting a focus group to understand how a website can be made more user-friendly for senior citizens.
3
Ethnographic Field Studies
Observing users in their natural environment.
Observing doctors in a hospital setting to see how they use a new medical software program.
4
Participatory Design
Involving users directly in the design process.
Having potential customers help brainstorm ideas for a new clothing line.
5
Diary Studies
Asking users to keep a record of their thoughts and experiences over time.
Users document their daily experiences with a new fitness tracker in a journal.
6
Customer Feedback
Gathering user opinions and sentiments through various methods.
Analyzing customer reviews on an app store to identify common pain points.
7
True Intent Studies
Understanding users' underlying needs and motivations.
Eye-tracking software might reveal users are drawn to a specific section of a website even if they say they didn't notice it.
8
Desirability Studies
Evaluating how appealing a product or service is to users.
Showing users different design concepts for a product and gauging their emotional response to each.
9
Surveys (Email Surveys)
Collecting data from a large number of users through questionnaires.
Sending an email survey to website visitors to understand their satisfaction level.
10
Usability Benchmarking
Comparing the usability of a product to industry standards.
Evaluating a new e-commerce website against known best practices for online shopping experiences.
11
A/B Testing
Comparing two versions of a product or feature.
Testing two different layouts for a product landing page to see which one generates more clicks.
12
Clickstream Analysis
Analyzing user interactions with a website or app.
Seeing which sections of a website users visit most often and how long they stay on each page.
13
Eyetracking
Tracking where users look on a screen.
Using eye-tracking to see if users notice a critical call-to-action button on a website.
14
Moderate Remote Usability Studies
Remote usability testing with a moderator.
Users complete tasks on a new mobile app while a researcher observes and asks questions remotely.
15
Unmoderated Remote Panel Studies
Remote usability testing without a moderator.
Users test a new website prototype on their own computers and provide feedback through surveys or recordings.
16
Usability Lab Studies
Usability testing conducted in a controlled environment.
Bringing users into a lab to test a new software program and identify any usability issues.
17
Unmoderated UX Studies
Remote UX research methods beyond usability testing.
Similar to unmoderated remote panel studies, but can encompass a wider range of methods.
18
Card Sorting
Asking users to organize items or information into categories.
Having users sort different website navigation menus to see how they group similar items together.
There are no rows in this table
⁠
Questions:
You are a PM at Instagram Stories. You want to measure what is the right time a story should play before moving to the next story. Which user research method would you use?
You are the CPO of a fin-tech startup that is launching a new product - which is a neo-bank. You want to specifically address young, blue-collar workers who are just starting their career. What would you use?

Answers:
You are a PM at Instagram Stories. You want to measure what is the right time a story should play before moving to the next story. Which user research method would you use?
AB analysis shines!
Run control group for existing period = 5s, variant = 10s
Measure:
% users will swipe right faster / % users exit
% people who open Stories again
User interview doesn’t work → which age? which gender? which country? which consumption style?
customer feedback doesn’t work → users don’t give feedback on this; feedback on utility products is clear, but not on engagement product
You are the CPO of a fin-tech startup that is launching a new product - which is a neo-bank. You want to specifically address young, blue-collar workers who are just starting their career. What would you use?
A user interview & a focus group shines!
surveys → hard for them to follow and answer
AB analysis → what to do an AB with?


Case Studies (using frameworks)

We will cover two such frameworks:
Double Diamond Framework
Opportunity Solution Tree
megaphone
Remember - frameworks are a tool and not the solution.
Feel free to use them or avoid them as you like.. but it’s usually the critical and creative thinking you will inside them that will make or break your approach.

Double Diamond framework
The Double Diamond framework is a popular and versatile tool for product discovery, often visualized as two interlocking diamonds representing two phases: diverge and converge. It helps teams to approach problem-solving and solution development in a structured and user-centric way.

⁠
image.png
⁠
⁠

The two diamonds represent:
First Diamond (Diverge):
Discover: This phase is about uncovering user needs, pain points, and opportunities. It involves research activities like user interviews, surveys, and observations to understand the user landscape.
Define: Once you have a good understanding of user needs, the next step is to synthesize and consolidate the findings. This involves identifying patterns, prioritizing problems, and defining a clear problem statement.
Second Diamond (Converge):
Develop: Now that you know the problem you're trying to solve, it's time to brainstorm and generate possible solutions. Encourage creative thinking and explore various options without limitations.
Deliver: This final phase involves choosing the best solution, prototyping and testing it with users, and iterating based on their feedback. The goal is to deliver a solution that effectively addresses the identified user needs.


megaphone

Problem:

Improve Whatsapp for children.

How can we solve this?

Problem Phase: Identifying & Prioritizing User Pain Points
User Pain Points/Problems (15+):
Exposure to inappropriate content: Risk of encountering harmful messages, images, or videos.
Cyberbullying: Vulnerable to online harassment and bullying from peers.
Contact with strangers: Potential for unwanted contact or grooming by unknown adults.
Privacy concerns: Sharing personal information or location without understanding the risks.
Addiction/excessive screen time: Difficulty managing usage and balancing with other activities.
Peer pressure: Feeling obligated to respond to messages or participate in group chats immediately.
Misinformation/fake news: Exposure to false or misleading information.
Group chat management: Difficulty leaving or managing group chats with unwanted participants.
Understanding privacy settings: Complex settings may not be age-appropriate or easily understood.
Data collection/usage: Concerns about how personal data is collected and used by WhatsApp.
Inappropriate language/content sharing: May share content without understanding potential consequences.
Lack of parental controls: Limited tools for parents to monitor or restrict usage.
Distraction: Impacts focus on schoolwork, hobbies, and other responsibilities.
Sleep disruption: Late-night messaging can interfere with sleep patterns.
Mental health impact: Negative online experiences can contribute to anxiety, depression, etc.
Top 3 Prioritized Problems:
Exposure to inappropriate content (High Impact, Medium Effort): Critical for child safety and can be addressed with content filtering/reporting tools.
Cyberbullying (High Impact, Medium Effort): Significant impact on well-being, and solutions can include blocking/reporting features and awareness campaigns.
Addiction/excessive screen time (High Impact, Medium Effort): Affects overall development and well-being, can be addressed with usage management tools and educational resources.
Solution Phase: Generating & Prioritizing Solutions
User Solutions (15+):
Content filtering: Implement AI-powered filters to detect and block inappropriate content.
Stronger reporting mechanisms: Easy reporting of harmful content and prompt action from WhatsApp.
Enhanced privacy settings: Default to more restrictive settings for children, control over profile visibility.
Parental controls: Allow parents to monitor contacts, set time limits, block certain features, etc.
Education/awareness campaigns: Teach children about online safety, responsible communication, and digital citizenship.
Age-appropriate design: Simpler interface, clear explanations of features and privacy settings.
In-app safety resources: Provide access to help lines, support organizations, and safety tips.
Restricted group chat participation: Require parental approval for joining groups or limit group size.
Improved reporting of fake news: Partner with fact-checking organizations, flag potentially false information.
Clearer data privacy policies: Explain data usage in child-friendly language.
Limited data collection: Collect only essential data, prioritize data security.
Warning labels for sensitive content: Alert children before they view potentially upsetting content.
Time management tools: Allow children to set usage limits and take breaks.
"Quiet hours" mode: Silence notifications during designated times (e.g., sleep, homework).
Integration with parental control apps: Allow parents to manage WhatsApp usage through external apps.
Rewards for offline activities: Encourage time spent on hobbies, sports, or other activities.
Screen time tracking and insights: Provide data on usage patterns to help children and parents understand habits.
Top 3 Prioritized Solutions:
Parental controls (High Value, High Feasibility): Gives parents essential tools to manage and monitor usage, relatively easy to implement.
Time management tools (High Value, High Feasibility): Empowers children to self-regulate usage, can be built into the app's interface.
Screen time tracking and insights (High Value, Medium Feasibility): Provides valuable data for understanding usage patterns, requires some data collection and analysis capabilities.
One framework to prioritise:
RICE framework
⁠
⁠
megaphone

Problem:

Want to print your doc?
This is not the way.
Try clicking the ⋯ next to your doc name or using a keyboard shortcut (
CtrlP
) instead.