1. Define the Problem. Begin by clearly stating the problem your product solves and how it impacts your target audience. Consider your buyer personas and ask questions to understand their pain points.
2. Utilize Customer Insights. When creating user personas and stories, it's essential to use customer insights derived from analyzing customer data. This information helps identify their demographics, needs, wants, and pain points. Surveys or focus groups can be used to collect customer insights.
3. Collaborate with Teams. Collaborate with various teams within the organization to define your target audience and problem statement. Seek input from teams and stakeholders on product metrics. Obtain approval from stakeholders across the organization before finalizing the product specifications.
4. Prioritize Features. Emphasize the core functionality and features of your product that address the main problem of your target audience. For example, if software performance is a concern for your buyer personas, focus on creating a highly responsive app. When developing a minimum viable product (MVP), include features that help gather customer feedback in a cost-effective manner.
5. Share Specs with Development Team. Share the initial version of your product specification with the development team. Consider their feedback and make necessary modifications to the plan. The development team should then build a prototype for user testing and feedback.
6. Test with Real Users. Conduct user testing with the prototype to gather feedback. Show the product to users and test your assumptions. Does the product, in its initial stage, effectively solve the defined problem? Did users encounter any issues?
7. Continuous Optimization. Keep your product specifications up-to-date based on ongoing development and user feedback. If developers face difficulties in building a feature, it may not be feasible. Similarly, recurring issues encountered by users while interacting with the prototype should be considered and addressed in the product specifications.
