Builder’s Perspective vs User’s Perspective There’s a natural tension in the act of building a product. We have our projection of who we’re building it for (usually ourselves and ), what we want to build, what it will do, and how it will be used, etc. not anyone else Users have their own projection of what want us to build, who we’re building it for, what it will do for them, how they will use it, etc. they Bridging that gap and finding the middle ground between these sometimes competing perspectives is why product and product exist. It’s a constant effort in : marketing calibration Who you think you’re building for doesn’t end up being the , or many times even your biggest, constituentWhat want to build is rarely exactly what’s wanted by How you think it will be used is only a of how people actually use it in real life only you users subset Our imaginations, as builders, are surprisingly small and the number of “corner cases” large — less like corners and more like whole edges we just don’t conceive of. Communication vs Broadcasting Getting the calibration right is a matter of , bi-directionally, between us and our users. It’s a conversation. communication But instead, usually what we’re doing broadcasting things that serve our purposes as builders-and-sellers: Stating who we think the user and buyer is, so people can rule themselves in/outStating what we think the value is, so people can be convinced they’ll be better offStating what we think the product/solution is, so people can compare the thing to other things and categorize itStating what the technology is, so people can be bamboozled by buzzwords or impressed by our engineering chopsStating what we think the use cases are, so people know how they will experience the valueStating what the pricing or buying process is, so people know how they will consume it The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred. — , Jennifer Pahlka 6th Blitzscaling class Expectation Management What we tend not to do is communicate expectations: How do I expect you’re going to use the product?What’s the range of inputs I expect?What’s range of outputs you should expect?What have I imagined you doing?What have I imagined you ?Where are the cracks and fissures in the product, in the experience?What should you be surprised by?How should you interpret the expected and outputs?How do think you’re going to use the product?What do expect it to do when you use it?What you expect?What do think the value is? not doing not unexpected you you don’t you We can’t manage expectations we don’t communicate Without communicating expectations to, and consuming expectations from, users — we can’t them. I’ve found this to be one of the central causes of friction and poor user experience. manage Programming notes: this post is n in a series of indeterminate length on Product topics mainly for startup people, mainly leadership, mainly coming from non-GTM backgrounds. Posts in this series Product 101 for Engineers Product 102 for Engineers Minimum Usable Product Product, Marketing, and the Art of Managing Expectations Related series (and templates) on Marketing Marketing 101 for Engineers: A Functional Introduction Marketing 102 for Engineers: Roughing Out a Funnel Marketing 201 for Engineers: Messaging & Positioning Marketing 202 for Engineers: Launching Marketing 203 for Engineers: Sales Enablement Marketing 204 for Engineers: Generating Demand Sales 101 for Engineers: A Functional Introduction PR 101 for Engineers Analyst Relations 101 for Engineers Basic Messaging Template [Google Doc] Basic Funnel Metrics Template [Google Sheet] Basic Launch Timeline Template [Google Doc] Basic Battlecard Template [Google Doc] Detailed Battlecard Tempalte [Google Doc]
