A few assumptions to make a product

In the process of making products, especially when making new products, there are always a series of assumptions, based on the assumptions made, to make the products in the vision, and then use the product to verify these assumptions. At this point, if you find that the original assumption is not correct, it will begin to amend, or may also give up the product. If you fix it, suppose-verify-the repair loop continues, and if you give up, the product ends. This way in the daily work will also be used, we will assume that after the transformation of the requirements of a functional point to meet the user or business personnel's actual needs, and finally submitted to the user or business personnel to verify.

But after data analysis and data mining, this phenomenon has been much better. Uncertain things can be validated with existing data, and new requirements are unearthed from existing data, so there is no need to make assumptions. So now "user data Talk" is very popular, but can not rely purely on data, and also is not under any circumstances have data to support, emerging things still need to rely on exploration.

Most of the innovations are based on this assumption, because what is truly innovative has nothing to rely on, and from another point of view, innovation is a trial-and-error, not a risk. Because a lot of times there will be the risk of trial and error, the results of validation and other products to know, the cost of doing the product is placed there. So what assumptions do we make in the process of making a product?

Demand assumptions

First, is there a problem that needs to be solved? Demand is a kind of people's needs or demands, the most able to detonate products is to meet the needs of people's pain point, that is, life or work is indispensable, or can be promoted, or may be popular in the future, this is now a number of future-oriented design products concept. When we want to do a product, we have to assume that there is such an urgent problem to solve, and then to analyze the various scenarios of the problem, as well as in various scenarios of the solution, this is the process of requirements analysis.

Demand hypothesis is the basis of product, demand management is also the first part of the product chain, the focus is that the assumed demand can hit the real demand, that is, the pursuit of the results of the verification is initially assumed, such assumption is the most successful. In doing the demand hypothesis, avoid the whimsical, unrealistic fantasy. Although many people say that innovation is a blind thought, but I do not think that this assumption is still dependent on the fundamental, such as the emergence of a new technology, you can analyze what this new technology can achieve the functions, these features may be able to solve what can not solve the problem now, Then imagine whether you can use this new technology to make a new product. Although you may not need to think about the implementation of the factors, but to consider it as a requirement, you need to consider the implementation of the problem.

Product assumptions

With the requirement assumptions, can you assume that there is a solution? And this solution just happens to meet the previous requirements assumptions, which is also the implementation issue at the end of the previous paragraph. But the above is the technical implementation, here is the product implementation. Product implementation involves a broader range of products that are user-oriented, and client considerations are more complex than the technical end.

Solutions to the assumption of more rigorous, when the solution, to be based on the requirements of the hypothesis, there are facts on the basis of the analysis, and draw conclusions, and finally give a proposal, if you can come up with a number of proposals, and finally have to choose a best plan. The key here is the process of analysis, when there may not be any basic data, then have to brainstorm, brainstorm a few times, it is best to find a practical solution.

User assumptions

There is demand, there are solutions, you have to target users. It is not useful to have a product without a target user, so it is assumed that there is such a user group that the user will come back to use or purchase your product when the product is implemented. There are two main assumptions about the target user, the first is whether the target user exists, which we have already assumed, and the second is that the target audience is not big, which determines how many users will buy your product in the future. The size of the user population can only be estimated, if the results are pessimistic, you need to consider whether the product is worth doing.

Channel and pricing assumptions

Is there a channel for the product to the user? Is there a price acceptable to all parties? If it is not a charge of the product, there is no question of pricing, or to consider the pricing, although it is a learning, but relatively simple, the most important product marketing channels. Made out of the product no one knows also no use, to let people know, you have to consider good marketing channels. In fact, this time is more than a hypothetical, but based on the previous assumptions of the solution, channels and markets are to be considered in the first place, this assumption is basically already started to decide whether to do this product.

Market assumptions

Similar to the above, the market is also a problem to be considered. Is it brand new, broken down or old market? There is also a dispute is whether to enter a Red Sea market or the blue sea market, into each of the corresponding market must be prepared for the corresponding.

Competitive Advantage hypothesis

Why do we do better than others? What is a new product for competitors? The answer is yes. Now the Internet product development environment, is a good product everyone will swarm, like Weibo. You're still competing for a big company. A very real problem is when your product is available, if Tencent is involved in competition, what should you do? So this time the competitive advantage hypothesis, more is the analysis team's core battle effectiveness, the product design idea core logic, as well as considers the patent the establishment and so on.

These assumptions about making products are important, it can be said that the preliminary product research and feasibility analysis of the important results, without these conclusions began to start product development is not sensible, which is why VCs have to each entrepreneurial team to write business plan instructions, is to put these questions are clear.