Product Discovery Framework
Summary
This framework will help you ensure that your development team is fully prepared and equipped with the knowledge they need to start building your product. Define your goals, validate your ideas, and optimize your user experience. Understand the problem space first, and then transition into the solution space, creating a tailored experience for a given problem.
The framework guides you with the following tools:
- Problem Statement Worksheet
- Product Concept Template
- User Journey Mapping
- User Story Mapping Technique
- Outcome-Driven Roadmap Template
Problem Statement Worksheet
In the initial product discovery phase, focus on getting as much information as possible. It's OK to have unstructured information and storm of ideas - you will organize and structure the data later. Try to understand what is the product idea, who is it for and does the product do for them, why do you want to build it, are there competitive products in the market, etc. This will be used to build an initial hypothesis for your product.
Use the Problem Statement worksheet to align on your problem, objectives, constraints, and possible solutions. This will set clear expectations and you will onboard your team quickly.
Product Concept Template
Define and communicate your product vision and strategy, ensuring that everyone involved in the development process is aligned and working towards the same goal. Specify your target audience, identify their needs and outline how your product responds to their needs in an original and innovative way. This will give you the first outline of your product and lead you to the ultimate solution.
User Journey Mapping
Create a holistic view of the customer experience, revealing the pain points as inputs for product solution brainstorming.
- Describe the journey for each user and specific scenario
- Specify the steps and phases required to achieve the goal
- Generate insights and identify opportunities for improvement
User Story Mapping
Create a visual map of the user's journey through the lens of your product, from start to finish. Define how your product helps users with each step throughout the journey. This tool helps teams effectively visualize and understand the user's journey, identify key activities that lead to the user's end goal, and segment the product into attainable and actionable work items. It also enables teams to prioritize and divide work into iterative releases, ensuring each release provides business value and is an improvement over the previous version.
Outcome-driven Product Roadmap
Focus on the outcomes or results that the product or feature is expected to deliver, rather than the specific features or functions that will be delivered. It is a visual representation of the strategic goals and objectives of a product or project, and the steps that will be taken to achieve those goals.
- Executive roadmap - high level
- Storyboard roadmap - outline key features
- Engineering roadmap - full-blown product backlog
You can learn more about this framework here:
https://www.narrativeplus.net/frameworks-product-discovery.html