Skip to content

Dasanj Aberdeen

  • Blog
  • About
  • My Work
  • Join Me
  • Contact

Strategy + Creativity + Innovation + Technology

Dasanj Aberdeen

Dasanj Aberdeen

Creativity-infused business prowess

Product Management

Published July 18, 2022

What is an MVP?

Imagine building a product for a year.

Then customers don’t buy it when it launches.

Why?

The product doesn’t meet the customer’s needs or solve their problem.

Despite the time, resources, effort spent…

How do product managers avoid this?

By creating a minimum viable product (MVP).

An MVP has just enough features to be usable by customers who provide feedback for future product development.

It helps establish product-market fit quickly.

Here are some benefits of an MVP:

✅️ Maximizes validated learning about the customer’s needs

✅️ Minimizes the time, resources and effort expended

Example: The customer needs a solution to go hiking every weekend.

Start small with a viable solution.

Minimal features, yet it solves the customer’s needs.

Sandals can be an MVP.

Then the next release can be hiking sandals, followed by hiking shoes, then hiking boots.

With each prototype delivered in each stage, product managers learn which features the customer finds valuable.

**********************************

How have you used an MVP and what did you learn? Let me know in the comments.

Dasanj Aberdeen
Dasanj Aberdeen

Dasanj Aberdeen is an entrepreneurial spirit who embodies the combination of left-brain logic and right-brain creativity. She is a consultant and proponent of multidisciplinary education, approaches and pursuits. She writes about their benefits in modern times and integrating multiple interests into a sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle. She’s a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University with a concentration in Technology & Innovation Management, jointly delivered by the Fox School of Business and College of Engineering.

Share this article with others!
Published June 16, 2022

How do you Learn about your Favorite Products?

How do you learn about your favorite products?

Product awareness is critical to a product’s success.

The process starts early.

Even before the customer decides they need the product.

Why is that?

Because initial communications teach customers how they may benefit from using the product.

The messaging is about the problem solved and the value delivered.

It isn’t just about the product itself.

Here are some considerations to generate product awareness:

➡️ How will customers learn about the product?
➡️ Which benefits should customers know about?
➡️ Where can more information be found?
➡️ Why is the product better than the competitor’s?
➡️ Which channels will be used for promotion?
➡️ Where can customers engage with the brand?
➡️ How and where will the product be sold?
➡️ Where do customers share feedback?

*************************************************************

What helps you learn about a new product?

Dasanj Aberdeen
Dasanj Aberdeen

Dasanj Aberdeen is an entrepreneurial spirit who embodies the combination of left-brain logic and right-brain creativity. She is a consultant and proponent of multidisciplinary education, approaches and pursuits. She writes about their benefits in modern times and integrating multiple interests into a sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle. She’s a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University with a concentration in Technology & Innovation Management, jointly delivered by the Fox School of Business and College of Engineering.

Share this article with others!
Published June 10, 2022

How to Future-Proof your Product Management Skills

Thinking about how to future-proof your product management skills?

You’ve probably seen the traditional Venn diagram of customer, technology and business.

But the evolution of product management supports a broader, more cross-domain view per Gartner.

As product management roles become more focused on outcomes and strategic planning, there will be a greater emphasis on bringing the “voice of the customer” and an “outside-in” perspective to the business with customer data analytics and insights.

Here are some of the top skills for product managers:

➡️ Storytelling
➡️ Empathy
➡️ Whole-product experience
➡️ Strategic alignment
➡️ Data insights
➡️ Discovery and validation
➡️ Customer value projection
➡️ Outcome ownership

*************************************************************

What other skills do you think are important for product managers? Let me know below.

Dasanj Aberdeen
Dasanj Aberdeen

Dasanj Aberdeen is an entrepreneurial spirit who embodies the combination of left-brain logic and right-brain creativity. She is a consultant and proponent of multidisciplinary education, approaches and pursuits. She writes about their benefits in modern times and integrating multiple interests into a sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle. She’s a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University with a concentration in Technology & Innovation Management, jointly delivered by the Fox School of Business and College of Engineering.

Share this article with others!
Published June 2, 2022

Voice of the customer isn’t something you turn off

Listening to the voice of the customer isn’t something you turn off.

My own customer journey informs the considerations for users when building products.

Lately, my fitness tracker shuts down repeatedly, including when the battery is over 50% charged. This requires a manual restart by plugging it into the charging cable. Every. Single. Time.

What are my expectations as a customer?

➡️ Use: The product works so I can track my activities.
➡️ Support: The customer support process is clear and the team explains the root cause and promptly resolves the issue.

What were the gaps?

➡️ Use: I can’t track my activities consistently when the device shuts off. I don’t have accurate data to review trends.
➡️ Support: Emails bounced but responses to my direct messages were prompt. The team shared multiple links to troubleshoot manually. However, use of data to determine the health of the device would have caused less friction.

The solution?

The support team didn’t say what the issue was, what caused it or if it could have been resolved. Instead, the suggestion was to use a discount code to buy a new device.

The Takeaway?

Experiences like this one make me consider the entire product lifecycle in building products. The job isn’t done when the customer unboxes the product or uses it for a year. Even after a product reaches its end of life from the company’s perspective, there will be customers who still use the product.

What is the customer experience at each touchpoint in the journey?

💡 Have a plan for each touchpoint
💡 Have a plan for new and existing customers
💡 Have a plan for new and existing products in the portfolio

*************************************************************

What’s your experience across the product lifecycle of your favorite product ? Share in the comments below!

Dasanj Aberdeen
Dasanj Aberdeen

Dasanj Aberdeen is an entrepreneurial spirit who embodies the combination of left-brain logic and right-brain creativity. She is a consultant and proponent of multidisciplinary education, approaches and pursuits. She writes about their benefits in modern times and integrating multiple interests into a sustainable and fulfilling lifestyle. She’s a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University with a concentration in Technology & Innovation Management, jointly delivered by the Fox School of Business and College of Engineering.

Share this article with others!

Posts navigation

Older posts
Newer posts
Search for:

Sign up for Dasanj Aberdeen

Get all the latest updates delivered to you!
* = required field

powered by MailChimp!

Recent Posts

  • Interdisciplinary Careers: DEI + Product Management
  • Business Model Canvas
  • Jobs-to-be-done framework
  • How to Communicate your Product Ideas
  • Moving Beyond an MVP

Categories

  • Business
  • Career Development
  • Creativity
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Innovation
  • Inspiration
  • Interdisciplinarity
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Mentoring
  • Personal Development
  • Product Management
  • Strategy
  • Technology

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
Copyright © 2023 Dasanj Aberdeen. All rights reserved.
Cleantalk Pixel
Show Buttons
Hide Buttons
Get my best insights for FREE!
Be the first to get the latest content and actionable insights you can use!
100% Privacy. I don't spam.