Use the tools and framework provided below as a guide in helping you build and launch your product in the next few weeks!
Note: These dates serve as a guideline to keep your team on track. You may adjust your team's timelines as needed!
Empathize: Conduct research to develop an understanding of your target user/customer.
First determine who the target users/customers of your product are. Talk to ~8-10 people who fit in your target user/customer profile. For example, say you want to build a product to help those who lost their jobs due to COVID-19. To find your target users/customers, you can reach out to your network or do a quick LinkedIn search to find people who fit in that criteria. You can send out a survey to them or schedule interviews/focus groups. Ask them questions that would help you understand their needs and wants. Listen to them. Dig deep into what they're saying.
You may already have assumptions about what your target user/customer's wants, needs, and fears are, but we encourage you to still do your research and validate your assumptions. This is a critical step to ensure that you will build a product that truly solves a problem and/or adds value to your target user/customer.
Define: Combine and analyze all your research. Then, identify a key problem of your target user/customer that your project will focus on solving.
Use the data you collected from your research to analyze themes. Are there common pain points across many different users? Are there any unmet needs? Which problem(s), if solved, can make the most impact? Glean insights from your research, and use those to help you narrow down on a specific problem/need your product will focus on solving.
Ideate: Brainstorm a range of creative ideas that can solve the specific problem you identified in the define phase. Then, define the solution that you will build.
Use your creative juices to brainstorm different ways you can solve for your target user/customer's needs. Collaborate and build on each others' ideas, while keeping in mind the specific problem you chose to address. Consider different options, and then define the solution that you will build as your project.
Prototype: Decide the key features of your product and build a real, tactile representation of it.
Given the limited time that you have, you need to define the scope of your solution and determine the priority of your product features. Which features are a "must have"? Which features are a "nice to have"? Answer this question using your knowledge and understanding of your target customer/user's pain points. Once you have answered these, decide the key features of your product. Then, start building. The goal is to build something that you can share back to the target users/customers you talked to in the emphasize phase.
Test: Share your prototype to your target user/ customer to verify that your product has solved their problem or satisfied their needs.
Return to the target users/customers you spoke with in the empathize phase and get their feedback. Show them what you've built. Ask them if your product has solved their needs, address their wants, or alleviate their pains. Get feedback on what you missed, or how they would improve your solution and why. Gather as much feedback.
Implement: Use the your target user/customer feedback to improve your product. Prepare your pitch deck to showcase your work.
Use the feedback you collected in the test phase to plan how you would iterate your product. Prepare your pitch deck to demonstrate your PM knowledge and skillset.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=150&v=6lmvCqvmjfE&feature=emb_logo
Source: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-thinking/