In the cluttered Website and mobile application (“app”) landscape, it can be challenging to create something useful that will help users solve problems. This book introduces the concept of product management as a process that will improve the likelihood that digital content will indeed solve problems for users.
An assumption is made early in this book that the reader is very familiar with the technical process of developing and testing content for Websites and mobile apps. The focus of this book is to get the reader to go beyond these technical steps in the development process to comprehend how the process could be enhanced using product management. A forward written by Whitney Hess highlights the need for developers to determine the purpose of their products and suggests that product management is the “art and science of crafting a product with purpose” (p. xiii). After the forward, a brief introduction elaborates on the idea of product management, and eight concise chapters and an appendix of product design resources guide the reader through the digital product management process.
Chapter 1. What is a product?
Products are “things that help you get stuff done or make your life better” (p. 2) With this definition in mind, all companies have something to sell and the Websites and apps can be thought of as products because they contribute to the experience that the user has with the company or brand, and even products that are offered for free, should solve problems for the user. Realizing that apps and Websites are products makes product management which is described as “making adjustments for quality and success” (p. 2) seem appropriate.
Chapter 2. Understanding markets and customer expectations
Web designers and app developers need to empathize with both markets and customers as a “central responsibility” of product management. The concepts of markets, demand, value and supply are explained with a simple example that relates selling a house to developing Websites or apps. Designers must appreciate the needs of both internal customers – those within the organization who understand the role of the business or product in terms of their own responsibilities – and external customers – those who will actually use the site or app.
Chapter 3. Writing user stories
Thinking like consumers and thinking about how they would use the app or Website is crucial. A constructive way to identify consumer uses is to compose a user story, which is a simple statement about how and why people expect to use a Website or app. The chapter provides guidelines for how to write user stories, and it gives examples and provides three criteria for identifying a great user story – output, outcome and impact. Output is what a customer expects to accomplish, outcome is what the customer hopes to accomplish and impact is what achieving the goal will do for the customer (pp. 43-47).
Chapter 4. Analyzing and prioritizing enhancements
One key to success in the product management process is establishing priorities. Two classic theories, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and the Kano Model, are introduced as suitable frameworks for determining priorities. The five levels of human needs according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are explained (physiological, safety, social, esteem and self-actualization) and then applied at the product level to digital products and then at the attribute level to the mobile user experience. The Kano Model identifies three different types of product attributes – basic, performance and delightful. It is essential to distinguish between these types of attributes when determining what features to include in a Website or app. Both theories are explained in a simplistic manner with relatable examples.
Chapter 5. Completing minimum value products
Product management is a process, and one challenge related to completing the process is estimating how much time to plan and allocate to it. A product management approach focuses on breaking up projects into small, manageable batches. An essential component of managing the process is the minimum value product (MVP), which represents the “minimum amount of change to make, test, and validate the next improvement or design idea” (p. 83). Different examples of MVPs discussed in the chapter include whiteboarding, prototyping, partially built features and released features. The last section of the chapter presents strategies for obtaining feedback on MVPs.
Chapter 6. Measuring success
Once feedback has been received about the MVPs and the product is launched, success needs to be measured. One suggestion to gauge success involves returning to the user stores mentioned in Chapter 3 to determine if the key elements of output, outcome and impact have been achieved for both external and internal customers. This process should generate a great deal of data.
Chapter 7. Communicating product success
Once the data have been accumulated, the next step is to communicate it to the people who need to know it. This chapter discusses the importance of visualizing data, which may include product data, product satisfaction and use by platform for mobile data. Some key principles for communicating visual data include telling the truth, getting to the point, picking the right tool for the job, highlighting what is important and keeping it simple (p. 125). Written reports about data are equally as vital as visual representations of that data. One consideration when preparing reports is how often to communicate the data as that will determine how much data and the type of data to share.
Chapter 8. Getting it done
Implementing product management requires allocating time for product management by either creating new positions or finding room for product management in current job descriptions. One clever suggestion is to periodically hold an “International Product Management Day” where time is dedicated specifically to product management activities. Making product management a priority will help to “create a product oriented culture so that everyone, not matter what their role is interested in and exposure to people who use our websites and mobile apps.” (p. 153)
Throughout this book, there are many easy-to-grasp visuals that effectively support the text material. The chapters flow well and proceed in a logical fashion. Each chapter ends with a series of bullet points that summarize the key information covered in the chapter that is worthwhile.
While this book is primarily targeted at Web designers and mobile app developers, it could also be valuable for anyone who is involved in the product management process to help them realize that Websites and mobile apps are more than just technological tools. It may also be functional as a textbook for any design course.
