In the world of product design and operation, an often overlooked truth is that a good product is not only a stack of functions, but also an accurate insight into user needs. However, many product managers often get stuck in the details when faced with user feedback and market data, ignoring the core question – what do users really want?
I have seen too many failed product cases: some product managers feel that they have found a good need, but the user does not buy it at all; There are also products that are updated very diligently, but no one uses them.
To make a product, the core ability is not to draw prototypes and write documents, but to “ask” – ask the right question, pierce the layer of window paper, and grasp the lifeline of the problem. If the question is asked correctly, the essence is grasped, the product is not far from “living”.
I met Xiao Zhang, who took over a half-cut of the product at that time, and it was about to get cold. He was not in a hurry to change it, but asked three questions in a row, pointing to the core. After more than half a year of hard optimization, this breath was just lifted back. A year or two later, it became the pillar of the company.
Product managers who can’t grasp the key points and ask the key questions are like running blindfolded in a dark room, hitting their heads and bleeding and can’t find an exit. The success or failure of the product is not how slippery you play with Axure and how beautifully the document is written, but whether you can be like an old hunter, peel back the fog of user discourse with a series of fatal questions, see their thirst in their bones, and smell the real money in the market.
B-end product manager’s ability model and learning improvement
The first challenge faced by B-end product managers is how to correctly analyze and diagnose business problems. This is also the most difficult part, product design knowledge is basically not helpful for this part of the work, if you want to do a good job in business analysis and diagnosis, you must have a solid …
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It summarizes a set of particularly practical questioning methods that can help you quickly find what users really want. It is recommended that you write down these questions, check them against each important stage of the product, and ask yourself more. As long as you learn to use these questions to analyze and think, I believe that the product is not far from success.
1. Product strategy layer: anchor business coordinates with questioning
Product strategy is the top-level design that determines life and death, and any ambiguity and luck may make the product lose its way in the market torrent. The question at this stage must be as precise as a scalpel to dissect the essence of business.
For example, if you use “Is the market size sufficient to support it?” “How long can our core competitiveness be maintained?” and other questions to verify the correctness of the direction.
2. Tactical executive layer: Polishing the details of the implementation with questioning
No matter how grand the strategy is, it also needs to be implemented through tactical execution. The questions at this stage should focus on every detail of the business scenario, process and experience like a microscope.
For example, through “How often is this function used?” “Do development costs match benefits?” Evaluate the feasibility of the scheme.
3. Iterative operation layer: Drive continuous evolution with questioning
The launch of the product is only the starting point, and continuous questioning can keep the product alive in the competition. This stage requires a keen radar to capture market changes and user feedback.
For example, with the help of “Where are the key nodes of user churn?” “Where could the next growth point be?” Drive continuous optimization.
4. Method of asking questions
5W1H questioning method, repeatedly asking Why, Who, What, Where, When, and How for each requirement. For example, if a user says, “I want a more beautiful interface,” he asks, “Why do I think the current interface is bad?” Is it inefficient information acquisition, or is the visual style mismatched? ”
Reverse deduction, assuming that the product will die violently tomorrow, who will the user turn to? What is the point of the competition that hooks the soul? Are we too slow, too expensive, too difficult to use, or are we not scratching the itch at all? Standing next to the “corpse” and reflecting, the weaknesses are exposed the fastest.
The scene is granular, and the abstract requirements described by the user are broken down into specific scenarios. From “wanting faster transportation” to “commuting 30 kilometers a day, the subway is crowded, and taxis are too expensive”, the more detailed the scene is, the whiter the truth will be revealed.
The practice of product managers is an upgrade of asking questions to fight monsters. Insight into users from chaos, positioning products in the red sea, polishing the experience in details, and driving growth in the smoke of gunpowder – every link requires you to use precise, sharp, and even cold questions to pierce through the fog and get to the essence. When you practice the skill of “asking death” needs, like a top hunter, locking the throat of your prey with a series of deadly questions, you are no longer a porter of needs, but a person who defines the battlefield and sets the rules with your own hands.
Disclaimer: It only represents personal opinions and has nothing to do with the organization you work for
