Build something people will use more than once

You’ve defined “people” that you are building for as the segment of users with shared pain points that are the most dissatisfied. You are…

You’ve defined “people” that you are building for as the segment of users with shared pain points that are the most dissatisfied. You are also building something that the majority of those users can use. But one thing I don’t think PMs stress enough about is churn. You should always aim to build something that people will use again and again. This applies even if it’s just a one time sale (like a desk). If people don’t like the desk you made, they’ll tell all their friends and they’ll never come back to replace that desk. :(

I think the key to scoping that out is to build a product that meets a full user need. Not the first part of it, not the second part, but the full need.

You can think of it as building a path from A to B. You can build a dirt path, but you have to go from A to B. You could also limit the scope of your initial user segment — maybe you build a dirt path that is so narrow and bumpy that only people on feet wearing hiking boots can travel on it. However, you still need to go from A to B! And also, keep them coming back!

The industry in general has become enamored with this concept of shipping something that you’re embarrassed by. A minimum viable product. I actually think we’ve gone too far in that direction — it’s really easy to aggressively cut scope, but at the end of the day, it is about the value you provide to users. Do you get them from point A to B? Did you do it in a way that they would come back and take that journey with you again? Did you make it so bumpy that all they do when they use your product is churn?

I’ve come to learn that product management is all about dealing with gray space, and in this case, deciding what the path between A and B looks like is one of the best examples of gray space.

So this isn’t to say that I don’t think you should ship before you’re absolutely sure you’re ready. In fact, ship ship ship! But always have your eye on how you can keep users coming back, and how you can extend the time they stay with you. You won’t be able to get every customer, but don’t waste the learnings you get from a churned customer. Iterate quickly and lengthen the path if you realize it doesn’t go far enough, or smoothen it if you realize you made it too bumpy. However, do it fast because we do live in a world of finite customers who talk to each other.