I always feel more confident making product decisions when I have a clear picture of the user. If I can feel what they feel, I know I’ll make better decisions about their product experience. But sometimes getting that understanding is difficult – especially if I’m ramping onto a new product, if a project doesn’t yet have clear research or data, or if (like during a global pandemic) it’s harder to travel to meet a variety of users in person.
Great post, I agree with every bullet. In enterprise products especially while building for a technical audience, PMs assume that the users are savvy enough to read the docs and figure out how things work. Especially the early adopters who participate in the preview provide a myopic view that what we built is great for the masses. So many good products or features have been killed due to complex user experiences born out of a lack of user empathy.
Thank you for articulating this topic so well!
(topic suggestion :p) It would be great to read your take on how you look for signals amidst all the data you collect from customer feedback and online reviews.
Used #2 today and discovered that an apparently "extremely user-centric" company has the worst product reviews on Twitter. Interesting to see what people are actually saying, rather than what the company is professing!
Very true and very often overlooked! Thanks for keeping product management simple and down to earth. Simplicity is powerful.
I provided support remotely many times and the tricky question is “Describe me what you see on screen?!” - If I cannot get a clear picture by the user description, normally the UX is subpar. Reminded me of the “lo-vis” glasses in remote fashion :)
Great post, I agree with every bullet. In enterprise products especially while building for a technical audience, PMs assume that the users are savvy enough to read the docs and figure out how things work. Especially the early adopters who participate in the preview provide a myopic view that what we built is great for the masses. So many good products or features have been killed due to complex user experiences born out of a lack of user empathy.
Thank you for articulating this topic so well!
(topic suggestion :p) It would be great to read your take on how you look for signals amidst all the data you collect from customer feedback and online reviews.
Used #2 today and discovered that an apparently "extremely user-centric" company has the worst product reviews on Twitter. Interesting to see what people are actually saying, rather than what the company is professing!
Very true and very often overlooked! Thanks for keeping product management simple and down to earth. Simplicity is powerful.
I provided support remotely many times and the tricky question is “Describe me what you see on screen?!” - If I cannot get a clear picture by the user description, normally the UX is subpar. Reminded me of the “lo-vis” glasses in remote fashion :)