5 questions to build a great product

From product vision to road map, release planning, sprint planning and sprinting to go live… as a product team, many a time, it is a race to get the features out to production. In such a scenario, to keep focus on building a great product, here are five questions to keep in mind:

1. Which are the most needed features?
   It is easy to build a lot of features and make your product fancy. However, which of those will your user really need and use? Identify and build what the user really needs.
2. How simple can we make it?Simplicity and ease of use go a long way in building up the user base and increasing adoption. Build workflows into the product wherever needed. Users should be able to easily learn the product features and how to use it. It is not easy to build a simple product, but it is worth it.
3. Are we using the language of the user?
   Make sure every aspect of the product is in the user’s language. If possible, involve a few users to co-create the product with them.
4. What feedback do users have?
   Periodically (at least every quarter), reach out to users and ask them:
   a) which are the most helpful features
   b) the least helpful features
   c) what can be improved in the product
   “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning” — said Bill Gates, hence, pay great attention to feedback for improvement.
5. Can a new user learn about the product easily?Identify someone new to the product to run through the product guides and validate whether they will help a new user to easily learn and start using the product. Along with product launch, ensure you build in ‘Getting started’ guides and videos which can be easily referenced.

You can build a product with great engineering, fancy features and do a lot of attractive branding and marketing. However, if the product is not valuable, then all the engineering and marketing is of no use. Therefore, pay attention to the features, the building blocks. Aim to make customers love your product!

“If you keep your eye on the profit, you’re going to skimp on the product. But if you focus on making really great products, then the profits will follow.”
– Steve Jobs