Product Management In 5 minutes (Part 6)

Conceptualization is the process of envisioning an idea.
Conceptualizing means coming up with a practical implementation of an idea.

It is not enough to simply have an idea. To conceptualize, one must develop an actual mental model of how such an idea might be made manifest. This is where the product manager becomes the architect, the ability to properly conceptualize solutions comes to play.

Press enter or click to view image in full sizeConceptualizing Solutions By Yasir Gaji

Any great product is a result of a long process of development and refinement, no product can stand on its own without a well-thought-out and well-built foundation, and to have a good foundation you should go through these processes as a product manager, we have MVP Experiments and Wireframing.

The MVP Experiments

When we brainstorm as product managers about a new product/MVP and we come up with a strategy to bring the new product to the market, this is an example of conceptualization, and the process of coming up with a strategy is the MVP experiment process.

The stages of this experiment are to first test hypotheses and assumptions, primarily this is first figuring out the problem and the solution then identifying assumptions from risky to the riskiest, after we build the hypotheses around our assumption we then pick up the type of MVP to run, execute it, iterate, and evaluate, then derive the minimum criteria for success which heavily relies on the validated learning concept to validate the idea, This way we can mitigate risks and find a successful product/MVP.

Wireframing

This is a visual guide for a software product (website, web application, mobile) that basically lays out a rough structure for where individual contents would fit into before the software is built.

Why do we make wireframes?

As product managers wireframing helps communicate the validated learning plan, complex features, and ideas. In the MVP experiment phase, our concepts are abstract and amorphous, everything is up in the air, feature ideas are thrown around. To corral all that information that is all around we wireframe to ensure the concepts are specifically definite and precise.

Although, this is mostly a rough translation of the product/MVP due to the fact that as product managers we would always re-iterate the product which means we would start with a low fidelity wireframe and work our way up to a higher fidelity this way we would be able to test broad concepts and define the overall vision of the product.

The Wireframe Fidelity Process

A pen and paper, a sketch with broad strokes, plane shapes, and scribble texts. That is all that makes a low fidelity wireframe, the idea here is not to design instead to generate a template that allows feedback from the user and potential user research over time which would slowly define the product/MVP.

What’s next!? You ask. Transformation, moving up the fidelity standard turning your sketch into a mockup.

Product teams have a very iterative process with wireframing, and as more feedback is gathered they would add more detail to the actual wireframe mockup.

Conclusion

Ensure to run MVP experiments quickly and every now and then, do not bother if you fail this way you will mitigate a huge risk.

Validated learning is anything learned from a customer in a non-bias test environment where there’s no undue pressure.

MVPs change depending on the size and type of the organization.

You do not need to be a graphic designer or UI/Ux designer as a product manager but you will be expected to know the basics.

Read about Ideas and user needs here

I expect questions for clarification. In the next part, we would learn about Metrics.