Anjum Jarif’s Post

🌟 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 Imagine a world where every decision about your favorite product is guided by a clear vision, ensuring it truly solves your problems. That's the power of product principles. 🗯 So, what are product principles? Think of them as the DNA of your product. They're a set of core beliefs that guide every aspect of development, from brainstorming features to prioritizing bug fixes. Unlike rigid frameworks, these are adaptable, evolving alongside your product and market. Why are product principles so important? Here's the magic 💫 : ✳ 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆: Product principles keep everyone on the same page, ensuring designers, engineers, and marketing all work towards a shared vision. No more feature creep, just laser focus on what matters most - the user. 🚀 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝘂𝗲𝗹: Faced with a tough call? Refer back to your principles for a clear direction. They empower teams to make confident choices that align with the product's core goals. 🔀 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: As your product and market evolve, so can your principles. Regularly revisit and refine them to stay relevant and keep your product at the forefront. 👀 Let's take a peek at Intercom, a company known for its stellar customer communication platform. Their success story is a testament to the power of product principles. Here are a few of Intercom's guiding principles for research and development: ▶ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺: Deep user understanding is paramount before diving into solutions. 🎯 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗶𝗴, 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁: Dream big, but approach execution iteratively, prioritizing experimentation and rapid learning. 🚢 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆, 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻: Get your product in user hands quickly to gather valuable feedback and make adjustments on the fly. By adhering to these, Intercom has built a user-centric product that's both innovative and effective. So, how can you build a set of product principles for your own organization? Here's a quick roadmap: 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘄: Assemble a cross-functional team with diverse perspectives to brainstorm and discuss your product's core values and goals. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Refine your ideas into concise, actionable principles that everyone can understand. 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝘁: Integrate your principles into your daily workflow. Use them to evaluate ideas, prioritize tasks, and make informed decisions. In a nutshell, product principles are the guiding light for your product's journey. By defining and embracing them, you can create a product that resonates deeply with your users and stands the test of time. 🙏 Thank you Shravan bhaiya, for amazing pre-reads and detailed discussions on these core areas. The article link is in the 1st comment. #Productmanagemnet

I revisited an excellent blog post by Ferruccio B., cofounder of June, titled ‘Building Product’. A brief summary of his insights… 💡 PROBLEM DISCOVERY Narrow your focus to a space that you love, or something that would help people you have empathy for. When deciding what to build, sometimes a perfectly good starting point is asking yourself ‘Who do I like talking to?’ In the early days you’ll be writing code, talking to customers, writing code, talking to customers… so you might as well be talking to people you like! → Find a way to get some conversations going with your target userbase. 🗣️ In these interviews, seek to understand the person broadly. Don’t ask leading questions, instead get at the broader context of their life and how they currently approach the problem. Try to understand the pain points in their current workflow. What tasks take up the most time in their day? What is the hardest part about doing what they do? These conversations allow you to validate whether people want the solution you aim to create. Collect common themes from your learning and organize them visually in a ‘User Insights Map’. You’re now in a good place to make some assumptions. Dream about what possible solutions you can build for the people you’re setting out to help. Be sure that what you’re building tests your assumptions! Building product is a process of discovery, so look to validate along the way that you’re working on the right thing. 🐙 PROTOTYPING Turn your idea into something real. Start with low-fidelity mockups and user flows, and evolve these into high-fidelity mockups and even a frontend only prototype. This allows you to see concretely the look and feel of the app. Prototypes will excite and inspire your team, and allow you to start coding with some clear ideas in mind. 🔎 SCOPING This is where you decide what to cut. Be ruthless here. If after this effort your team doesn’t feel sad and embarrassed about what you’re left with, then you probably didn’t cut deep enough. Pick the smallest set of features that makes a lovable product. Then set a deliberately ambitious deadline (2 weeks) to get something that works end to end. Ferruccio notes that scoping is an ongoing process. It’s about prioritization and sequencing the work so that you’re always working to answer your biggest open questions. 🚧 BUILDING This part is the most straightforward. It’s time to implement. Make small bets to get some early wins and build momentum — if you’re working towards a wedding cake, start with a cupcake. There are so many directions you could take while building and the biggest risk is you build something that’s hard to explain and no one wants. Having a good process minimizes this risk. https://lnkd.in/gThEBVb4

When building a software product, it's easy to get caught up in concerns about low quality, lengthy development times, or the challenges of hiring the right staff. However, the most significant risk is often overlooked: creating a well-made product that no one wants to buy. Before diving into full-scale development, the essential first step is demand validation. This means ensuring that there is a market for your product before investing time and resources into building it. Validating demand can save you from the costly mistake of developing a product that has no buyers. Here are four popular techniques for demand validation: 1. Landing Page Test: Create a single web page that describes your product concept and gauge interest by tracking how many visitors sign up for more information. This can give you a clear indication of market demand. 2. Wizard of Oz: Develop a fake front-end interface that looks and feels like the actual product, but manually perform the backend processes yourself. This allows you to test user interest and usability without building the full product. 3. Explainer Video: Produce a video that demonstrates your product idea and its potential benefits. Share this video and ask viewers to sign up for early access if they are interested. This can help you measure interest and collect potential customer feedback. 4. Single Feature MVP: Instead of building a full-featured product, focus on developing just one core feature. This allows you to test the market with minimal resources and refine your product based on user feedback. In summary, demand validation helps reduce the risk of building a product that no one wants by testing the market interest before you commit to full-scale development. #ProductDevelopment #StartupTips #DemandValidation #MVP #Innovation #TechEntrepreneur #SoftwareDevelopment

🌟 Why Product Development is Key to Business Growth 🌟 In today's fast-evolving markets, innovation is no longer optional—it's necessary for survival. Product development is at the heart of this innovation, enabling businesses to bring fresh, competitive offerings to the market and improve existing products to meet changing consumer needs. Why is Product Development Important? - Innovation and Differentiation: A solid product development process allows businesses to innovate, creating solutions that address real customer problems. By consistently developing new products or improving existing ones, businesses can stand out in crowded markets. - Customer-Centric Approach: Successful products are built around the needs of the customer. Understanding user pain points and crafting solutions designed to resolve them builds trust and loyalty. - Efficiency and Cost Savings: Developing a clear roadmap for product creation helps streamline processes, cutting down on unnecessary steps and ensuring resources are allocated efficiently. This translates to both time and cost savings. - Market Adaptability: Market needs evolve, and so should your product. A well-structured product development cycle enables continuous improvement, helping businesses stay agile and responsive to changing consumer demands. - Revenue Growth: By consistently innovating and offering relevant solutions, businesses not only attract new customers but also enhance relationships with existing ones. This can directly impact revenue growth by increasing sales and opening new market opportunities. Essential Steps in the Product Development Process: - Ideation and Brainstorming: Generating ideas based on market research, trends, and customer feedback. - Prototyping: Developing a working model of your product to test functionality and gather feedback. - Development and Testing: Building and refining the product while testing for quality, usability, and performance. - Launch: Planning a market entry strategy to maximize impact and ensure successful adoption. - Continuous Improvement: Gathering post-launch data and feedback to make necessary product adjustments for long-term success. Conclusion Incorporating a strategic approach to product development ensures that your business remains relevant and competitive in today’s dynamic marketplace. Whether you’re launching a new product or enhancing an existing one, the focus should always remain on delivering value to the customer. 🌐 Want to learn more about product development and how it can drive your business forward? Check out our latest blog post! 👉 [Read More] : https://lnkd.in/dCPe4ASf #ProductDevelopment #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #CustomerFocus #RevenueGrowth #AgileDevelopment #MarketAdaptation #BusinessStrategy #TechSolutions #Prototyping #PHP #SoftwareDevelopment

I’m not a fan of MVPs… aka minimum viable product. “Minimum” and “viable” just won’t cut it. What truly matters? Building an exceptional product. When we started, we asked ourselves one key question: “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘦’𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺?” This guided every decision we made ever since. ↳ First, we set out to create something better than LeadPages. I built pages that connected seamlessly to form a funnel. (It was good, but we knew it could be better.) ↳ Then we brought in a designer to take it to the next level. He introduced a drag-and-drop editor. And when we saw it in action? Total lightbulb moment. This was the missing piece. We couldn’t wait to share it, so we launched a beta to get user feedback… The response? They loved it! Our drag-and-drop editor turned out to be exactly what our users needed. It gave them the power to customize and design funnels without touching a line of code. ClickFunnels wasn’t just functional—it was fun and empowering to use. Crazy how it all came together when we pushed past “minimum.” So, if you’re about to build a product, don’t settle for the bare minimum. Keep iterating until you have something that’s truly exceptional. It’s not about being 𝙫𝙞𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚. It’s about being 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚. That’s how you build something people can’t live without.

🚀𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝟲 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 🚀 At EachBlock, we know that navigating product development without a roadmap is like trying to assemble Ikea furniture without instructions—chaos is almost guaranteed! 🛠️ A well-crafted roadmap is essential to turning your vision into a flawless product, guiding your team from idea to execution without missing any screws or extra parts. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽? A product roadmap is a visual representation of your product’s strategic development. It clearly communicates the what and why of your strategy to all stakeholders—from investors to internal teams—helping to foster teamwork and streamline the development process. Some might wonder if a roadmap is really necessary. The truth is, smart roadmaps are game-changers. They help you uncover opportunities, communicate effectively, and create solutions that address real problems. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝟲𝟭⁄𝟮 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀: 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁’𝘀 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲: Start with a clear vision and purpose to guide your roadmap. 2. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Know who will use your roadmap—internal teams, stakeholders, or both. 3. 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to create a well-rounded roadmap. 4. 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀: Identify key objectives or themes that align with your product vision. 5. 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸𝘀: Prioritize and assign time frames to create a clear structure. 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗪𝗲 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸: - 𝗡𝗼𝘄-𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁-𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿: Prioritize tasks by urgency to keep your team focused. - 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱: Plan out individual features and their release dates. - 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱: Align product initiatives with company-wide objectives. - 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆: Communicate high-level goals and initiatives to stakeholders. - 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲: Coordinate planned releases and ensure everyone is on the same page. 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗪𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱: From spreadsheets to specialized software like Roadmunk, ProductPlan, and Jira, we use the best tools to craft roadmaps that bring clarity and focus to the product development process. At EachBlock, our goal is to make your product development journey as smooth and effective as possible. Whether you're building the next big SaaS product or refining an existing solution, we’ve got the roadmap expertise to get you there. Let’s bring your vision to life! 🌟 #ProductDevelopment #SaaS #Roadmap #StartupSuccess #EachBlock #SoftwareDevelopment #TechInnovation #ProjectManagement #ProductStrategy #BusinessGrowth

The post I share below presents an overview of product development importance for business growing. That is why, a smart product development strategy considering innovation from scratch or continuous improvement is needed to short time to market.

Spike, Prototype, MVP, or a Full System - What's the difference? Choosing the right strategy at the right time can save your business time, money, and a lot of headaches. Whether you're testing the feasibility of a new concept or ready to scale your product, each stage plays a crucial role in your product development roadmap. 👉 Check out our latest blog where we break down the differences, giving you the key information for you to make the right decision: https://lnkd.in/ey8k96b6 This guide is perfect for anyone looking to: ✅ Validate ideas quickly ✅ Optimise development costs ✅ Build products that resonate with your audience ✅ Scale effectively from MVP to a full system

Many designers complain that they can’t get their ideas into a product backlog. Most of the time this is true depending on the maturity of your team and if your company sees value in the design field, but most of the time, backlogs are product driven. If you want to advocate how to get your ideas you need to convince how the designs are going to impact the business. Saying to PM’s: “The UI looks bad and outdated” is such a bad pitch and will fall on deaf ears. You need to speak “business” and as a designer you need to know how your ideas can make them money. Now, you’re probably thinking “well how can I do that” considering it’s hard to use ARR on designs. This is where we introduce the RICE framework. https://lnkd.in/exaD4xNY . Learning this will help you know the impact of your designs, the reach of the customer base, how confident you are on the designs and estimations and how much effort the business needs to invest in this idea. I will be writing an in depth post on this soon but thought I’d leave this tip on a Sunday night as I am having the designer insonomia.

Scaling a product is tough—your users expect a seamless experience, and your team needs to keep track of every detail to stay consistent. Here’s how I use them to design intuitive, consistent, and scalable SaaS products: → Pattern Library A pattern library is like a strategy guide for solving recurring design problems. It focuses on user behaviors and offers proven solutions for things like onboarding, search functionality, or error handling. For example, when crafting a SaaS onboarding flow, I’ll rely on patterns like progress indicators or inline validation to make the process intuitive and reduce drop-offs. → Component Library A component library, on the other hand, is the toolbox. It’s full of ready-to-use elements like buttons, dropdowns, or date pickers that are designed and coded for consistency and efficiency. When I’m designing in Figma, I use the component library to create mockups with these assets. Then, developers pull the exact same components from the codebase, keeping everything aligned. → How They Work Together I start with the pattern library to define the best interaction for the user. For example, if a user is searching for a feature, I’ll look at patterns for filtering, sorting, or autocomplete to ensure clarity and ease of use. Then I use the component library to bring it to life—assembling the UI in a way that’s not only consistent but also easy for developers to implement. By using both, I help SaaS startups scale their products without sacrificing quality. This approach reduces development time, minimizes design inconsistencies, and creates a better experience for your users.