If Feedback is a Gift, Here Is the Gift List for Your Product Manager
10 Feedback Examples That Would Be Considered a Gift
Last week we talked about 5 ways to better work with product managers, and #3 on the list was "Feedback is a Gift."
If you have worked with me in any capacity, you’ll often hear me say “Feedback is a gift!” …This week, I want to share 10 examples of feedback that my co-creators have provided me throughout my career that I was sure never to re-gift.
Let’s dive in.
1. Suggesting an MVP Approach:
When a product manager aims for a feature-packed release, recommend focusing on a Minimum Viable Product first. This can speed up the launch and gather user feedback early on.
Product Manager: "We're considering a full-feature launch to make a significant market impact."
Lead Developer: "I understand the ambition, but could launching a scaled-down MVP first help us iterate based on user feedback, ensuring better alignment with market needs?"
Product Manager: "That's a strategic approach. Let’s identify the core functionalities that will deliver immediate value and plan for incremental enhancements."
2. Highlighting User Experience Concerns:
If you notice a feature may complicate the user experience, share examples of how simplifying it could enhance user satisfaction and engagement.
Product Manager: "This new navigation could really differentiate us, but it’s complex. Will we lose our customers on this experience journey?"
UX Designer: "Might simplifying it prevent potential user frustration and abandonment, thereby increasing retention? I may be able to find a balance"
Product Manager: "You’re right, we need a balance. Could you prototype a simplified version that preserves the compelling aspects?"
3. Pointing Out Technical Debt Risks:
When proposed features could increase technical debt significantly, explain the long-term impacts and suggest alternative solutions that balance innovation with maintainability.
Product Manager: "These features could really push us ahead, but I'm concerned about the potential technical debt."
Lead Developer: "What if we integrate these features in phases? This approach might minimize risk while allowing us to assess and adapt our infrastructure progressively. This is new territory for us as a company so while I want to drive forward our technical prowess, we need to balance the risk."
Product Manager: "Phased integration sounds prudent. Let’s plan the critical features for phase one and assess the impact before advancing."
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4. Advocating for User Testing:
If user testing isn't prioritized, emphasize its importance by illustrating how direct feedback can uncover insights that lead to better decision-making and product refinement.
Product Manager: "We need to fast-track this feature for the upcoming season."
Product Leader: "Speed is crucial, but let's not skip user testing. It could reveal critical insights and save us time on revisions post-launch.Perhaps we could conduct condensed user testing sessions focusing on the most critical features, ensuring we gather pivotal usability insights quickly."
Product Manager: "Efficient and effective. I’ll make sure I partner with the UX team and chart out the questions that will give us valuable information"
5. Questioning Assumptions in User Stories:
When user stories are based on assumptions rather than data, ask for clarification or suggest gathering more evidence to ensure the product meets real user needs.
Product Manager: "So the user will want to use this feature to compare all types of dog food, right? We saw in our competitive analysis that all of our competitors have this feature but they all went about it in different ways"
Quality Assurance Engineer: "Have we verified this need with actual users, or are we assuming? Maybe a quick survey or data analysis could clarify this."
Product Manager: "Let’s get that data. It will help us ensure we're building something that's truly useful."
6. Recommending A/B Testing for New Features:
If a new feature's impact is uncertain, propose A/B testing to validate its effectiveness and adjust based on real user behavior.
Product Manager: "We're pretty confident this new checkout button will increase conversions."
Analytics Team Member: "Confidence is good, but let's validate it with A/B testing. This way, we can measure its true impact and make informed decisions based on real user behavior."
Product Manager: "That’s a smart approach. Let's set up the test."
7. Urging Clearer Communication with Stakeholders:
When project updates to stakeholders are vague or infrequent, offer ways to improve transparency, such as regular newsletters or demos, fostering trust and alignment.
Product Manager: "We're updating the stakeholders next month in our quarterly meeting."
Product Leader: "That’s quite infrequent. Could we start a monthly newsletter or schedule brief demos to keep them in the loop more regularly?"
Product Manager: "More frequent updates could indeed keep everyone better aligned. I’ll arrange that."
I know exactly the person on my team that needs to read this…
8. Encouraging Collaboration Between Teams:
If silos between departments are hindering the project, suggest more collaborative workshops or joint sprints to break down barriers and spark innovation.
Product Manager: "It seems like there’s a disconnect between design and development lately."
Scrum Master: "How about we organize a joint refinement session for this next big project? It might help bridge the gap and get the team to an aligned better understanding."
Product Manager: "Let’s do that. It could speed up our workflow significantly."
9. Advising on Prioritization Techniques:
When the backlog becomes overwhelming, recommend prioritization techniques like the MoSCoW method to help focus on what truly matters for the project's success.
Product Manager: "Our backlog is overflowing. We're spreading ourselves too thin."
Product Coach: "Let’s apply the MoSCoW method to prioritize. It will help us focus on what’s critical and manage our resources more effectively. Pick up a copy of the Product Protégé Guide - it has many prioritization methods that could be used for your backlog and clear your framework for how you think about it."
Product Manager: "That sounds like a structured way to clear our backlog. I'll pick up a copy of Amazon today for me and my team."
10. Calling for a Pause to Reflect on Feedback:
After a major launch or at regular project intervals, suggest a retrospective meeting to reflect on what went well, what didn't, and how the team can improve, reinforcing a culture of continuous learning.
Product Manager: "The launch went well, but it was chaotic."
Associate Product Manager: "Should we schedule a retrospective to discuss what went well and what didn’t? It’s a good opportunity for the team to reflect and improve."
Product Manager: "Great idea - we sure need it. Let’s arrange it for next week."
As we wrap up another week, let’s remind ourselves of the value that thoughtful, constructive feedback brings to our projects. Each piece of feedback is a stepping stone towards more effective, more successful product development. Embrace these moments of exchange.
While we talked primarily of co-creators giving feedback to product managers, it very much works the other way as well, as long as we have the proper empathy, are grounded in the “why” and the “what”, and we recognize we all have to provide our input in order to get the most successful feature.
Until next week…
Jason
