Top 6 Qualities of a Product Vision and How to Develop Them?
You are tasked with creating a product vision for your new shake. What does that mean, and how do you go about it?
A product vision is a roadmap for the product. It describes where the product is going, what it will do, and how it will improve its users’ lives.
Creating a product vision can be daunting but worth it in the end. With a well-defined vision, you can ensure your product is successful and meets the needs of your users.
Very often, product managers fail despite employing various product development processes. This is because they didn’t set the right vision for the product.
Your product vision is the start line of your product journey. You must ensure that it is fool-proof.
Not every product vision results in product excellence. So what are the desirable qualities of a product vision?
In this article, let’s understand what a product vision is, how you can develop one, and its top six desirable qualities.
Let’s begin!
What Is a Product Vision?
A product vision is a high-level description of what a product should be and do.
It is a way to communicate the purpose and goals of a product.
It’s usually created by the product manager and stakeholders, describing the product’s features, benefits, and target market.
A product vision is essential for guiding your team and keeping them focused on the goal. Product teams can also use it to decide what features to prioritize and allocate resources.
It is a guide for developing a product. It can help you decide what features to include and how to make your product stand out from the competition.
A product vision can also help you track your progress and ensure that you’re still on track. You can use it to measure how well the product is doing and whether it’s meeting its goals.
You can read more in-depth about a product vision here.
Well, now that you’re clear about a product vision, let’s understand how you can create your own.
How To Develop a Product Vision?
Developing your product vision doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By following a few simple steps, you can ensure that your vision is clear and actionable.
Define your target user
Who is your product for? What are their needs and pain points? Defining your target user will help you to understand better what problems your product needs to solve.
Market segmentation is an essential predecessor of a product vision.
Identify the problem your product will solve
Once you know your target user, you can start to identify the specific problem your product will solve. What need will it address?
Here, you can draw some insights from your user persona.
Craft a solution that meets your users’ needs
Now that you know the problem your product will solve, you can start to craft a solution that meets your users’ needs. How will your product address the problem?
What features will it include? Using a prioritization matrix can come in handy while making such decisions.
Create a product roadmap
A product roadmap is a high-level overview of the development of your product. It outlines your team’s key milestones and deliverables and can help keep everyone on track.
You don’t necessarily have to use complex product roadmap tools or product management software in the product vision stage. Just sit back and streamline.
Communicate your vision
Once you have a clear product vision, you must communicate it to your team. Share your roadmap and keep everyone updated on your product’s development.
Team alignment is one of the most crucial aspects of any product’s success.
Well, now you have your step-by-step approach to developing your product vision. Finally, let’s understand what qualities make your product vision desirable.
What Are the Top 6 Desirable Qualities of a Product Vision?
A product vision is a vital part of any product development process.
A good product vision should be clear, concise, and inspirational. It should also be achievable and realistic.
Many different qualities make up a good product vision. Here are six of the most important ones:
- Clear and Concise
- Inspirational
- Achievable
- User-centric
- Aligned
- Stable
Let’s understand each of these in detail.
Clear and Concise
A good product vision should be crystal clear. It should be easy for everyone on the team to understand and leave no room for interpretation.
The vision should be specific, describing in detail what the product will be and what it will do.
As a product manager, one of your key responsibilities is to ensure that your product vision is clear. It should be free of any fluff or filler.
Every word should serve a purpose and help to communicate the overall goal.
This can be challenging, especially as your product evolves and changes over time. However, there are some things you can do to make sure your vision is clear and concise.
1. Write it down
The first step is to write down your product vision simply. This can help you crystallize your thoughts and ensure you don’t forget anything important.
2. Be specific
When writing down your vision, be as specific as possible.
What are your goals for the product? What does it need to achieve? What features does it need to have?
The more specific you can be, the better.
3. Keep it short
Your product vision should be short and to the point. It should be easy for people to understand and remember.
Inspirational
A product vision should be inspiring and should get everyone on the team excited about the product.
It’s no secret that having a solid product vision is essential to the success of any product. But what many people don’t realize is that your product vision should be inspirational.
Why? Because an inspirational product vision will motivate and guide your team to build a great product.
Think about it this way: if your product vision is simply “to build a product that our users will love,” then it will not be conducive to guiding your team’s efforts.
On the other hand, if your product vision is “to build a product that will change the way people live their lives,” then your team will be much more motivated to build something great.
Here are some tips for making your product vision inspiring:
1. Keep it focused.
You should focus your product vision on a single, clear goal. This will help to keep your team inspired and motivated.
2. Make it tangible.
Make sure your product vision is something that you can tangibly achieve. This will help your team see the light at the end of the tunnel and stay motivated.
3. Keep it realistic.
While it’s essential to have an inspiring goal, it’s also vital to ensure it’s achievable. This will help ensure your team doesn’t get discouraged along the way.
So, if you want your team to be motivated and inspired, ensure your product vision is too.
Achievable
A product vision should be achievable and realistic.
It should be something the team can accomplish, and setting an unrealistic goal will only set the team up for disappointment.
Your product vision should be something achievable for several reasons.
First, it will keep you, and your team motivated to work towards a common goal.
Second, it will help you focus your efforts and resources on the most critical aspects of your product.
Third, it will give you a benchmark to measure your progress. Lastly, it will help ensure that your product is viable and has a good chance of success.
Here are some tips for creating an achievable product vision:
1. Keep it simple
The first step is to keep your vision simple. You don’t want to try to accomplish too much or be too ambitious. Keep your vision focused on one or two key goals.
2. Make it measurable
Your vision should be something that you can measure. This will help you know whether or not you’re making progress toward your goals.
You can always follow the SMART goal-setting process while developing your product vision.
3. Set a deadline
Giving yourself a deadline will help you stay focused and on track. Having a timeline for your vision will also help you communicate it to others and get them on board with your plans.
4. Get input from others
Don’t try to go it alone. Get input from your team, your company’s leadership, and your customers. This will help you create an achievable vision that everyone can get behind.
5. Be practical
It’s essential to be practical about what you can achieve. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by setting idealistic goals. Be honest about what is possible and what isn’t.
Creating an achievable product vision is essential for successful product development.
Following these tips can create a vision to guide your product to success.
User-centric
A product vision should be user-centric and always keep the end-user in mind.
The product should solve a problem or meet the user’s needs. Product managers must foster customer empathy right from developing a product vision.
Here are a few tips to help you make your product vision user-centric and keep your users top of mind:
1. Define your users
Who will be using your product? What are their needs and goals? What are their pain points?
When you have a clear picture of your target user, it will be easier to align your product vision with their needs.
2. Put yourself in your users’ shoes
What would they want from your product? What would make their lives easier? When you think about your product from your users’ perspective, it will be easier to ensure that your product vision is user-centric.
3. Keep your users’ feedback in mind
What do they like or dislike about your product? What features do they want to see added or changed? Use your users’ feedback to help shape your product vision and ensure it is always user-centric.
Creating a user-centric product vision is about creating a product that your users will love.
So, keep them in mind as you develop your vision and plan for your product.
Aligned
A product vision should align with the company’s overall mission and goals. It should be something that supports and furthers the company’s business strategy.
This alignment will also help ensure that your product can deliver value to your customers and meet their needs.
When the product vision aligns with the company strategy, it is easier to decide what features to build, what priorities to set, and how to allocate resources.
Alignment also helps to ensure that the product gets market validation. If the product vision is not aligned with the market, the product will likely miss the mark.
There are a few things you can do to make sure that your product vision is in line with the company vision:
- Make sure you have a clear understanding of the company vision.
- Work with the other product team members to ensure everyone is on the same page.
- Keep the lines of communication open between the product team and the rest of the company.
- Make sure that the product roadmap is in line with the company roadmap.
- Be flexible and willing to adapt your product vision as the company vision changes.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your product vision aligns with the company vision.
Concluding Remarks
While a product vision is a crucial part of any product development process, you must make it desirable and achievable.
In this article, we explored a product vision’s top six desirable qualities. You can always come back here to refer to them. Bookmark this page so you don’t forget!
If you don’t know how to get started with your product, don’t worry. Chisel’s free-forever product management tools will guide you through it.
Click here to begin your journey!