Product Development "Shape, God, Pith"

Zhang Yong Zhao Xiaoyue reported in Beijing

In the first half of 2014, China's Internet industry, the largest variable of the first letter does not represent the unknown "X", but "U" - Whether it is launched "Shenma search" challenge Baidu, or complete the industry's largest merger with Alibaba, This company named UC Yosei, undoubtedly represents the new force to create the next pattern of the industry.

Although most of the time standing in the foreground is chairman Yu Yongfu, but UC excellent as He Xiaopeng in 2004 and Liang Jie co-founded. Two years later, it was He Xiaopeng to find Yu Yongfu responsible for the company's operations, and his "stealth" Guangzhou devote themselves to product development, from the beginning of the "Troika" history.

For a long time, as the ultimate "product manager" for UC Browser, the industry-recognized R & D leader was unusually low profile and was rarely seen before the media. Only in the past two years, He Xiaopeng has gradually stood before the stage to share their thoughts on products and innovation.

But the restrained "geek" is by no means talkative. In accepting this interview, he spoke with 21st Century Business Herald reporters about the connotation and relationship of "shape, spirit and marrow" in product development, "uselessness" and "application" of innovative methodology, and "four-quadrant" Analytical and Executive Tips.

His clarity of thinking, openness of vision, logical completeness, and many of his candid statements were impressive from the moment he was smiling. Behind these sharing or reflection, they represent the pursuit of perfect products by the new leaders of the Internet industry in China, their determination to be a Chinese company with independent technological innovation as the core, and their confidence in winning international competition in the mobile Internet era. In his words, "From the beginning of my own business, I have been expecting to realize a bigger dream."

Speaking of entrepreneurial experience, He Xiaopeng frankly "already exceeded the initial idea, but still far behind my current thinking." This is because "the height you want to anticipate in a few different phases in the next few years is actually exactly because you were not high enough at the time." He even thought, "Looking back at the current situation in UC, just as it was a few years ago Ali) The gap will not be too far away from the number of people, income will not be far apart, the core is the following years. "Then he mentioned a number, now need to be kept confidential and take time to verify the figures.

In the second half of my conversation with him, he repeatedly mentioned that "in a few months, UC will constantly release new and interesting things, which is what I want to do in the future." But always avoid my questioning. This makes sense, and one week after this conversation, the merger between UC and Ali announced that this should only be the first time that the leading motivations of the Wagner musical have been heard.

Product Development "Shape, God, Pith"

The most easy to imitate the product, Meng saw the "shape", "God" is the product temperament, soul and spirit, and "marrow" is what? The first is the team, the second is culture. Looking for "God" and "marrow" is an iterative process.

"21st Century": Over the years, you have been focused on the development of browser products. What is the "shape, god, marrow" of this product? Are there any different evolutionary patterns in development?

He Xiaopeng: users see, get, touch the product, but also the most easy to imitate, often fiercely see is the "shape" - its interface, function, how to arrange layout and so on. With the deepening of product development, we need to find "God" and "marrow", which is an iterative process.

What is "God"? I think it is the product of the temperament, soul and spirit. A product, why the visual effect and the interactive effect is presented like this; A mobile browser, why the efficiency, stability, functional norms that spend so much effort, which with the future product to be made to what kind of closely related. What is "marrow" again? The first is the team, the second is culture. What kind of culture to stimulate and what to oppose, as well as the corresponding process based on the motivation of the corresponding method.

Take UC development browser, we initially decided to do their own browser kernel, looking back is very hard to force things, but this is the product of "God."

At that time, the idea was that in the future, this browser will go global, and UC will be a company that places great emphasis on technological innovation. As a result, with the kernel, you can make a lot of different innovations at the bottom of the browser. After we did globalization, we found that China's partial and entertainment products such as games are easy to go out of because there is no rule or style in this product. Your design is all the rules. However, this basic product is not the same browser, it is normative in the world, the browser to support what standards, the operating system to support what the hardware to wait, perhaps in China, a small label without support, Facebook, Twitter inside It is very popular. Therefore, the entire R & D, demand, testing, project management model must be changed, we must consider the normative.

God and marrow promote each other. Without a recognized team, finding a product of God is hard. On the contrary, God is able to promote the marrow, how many companies in China did browser, but in the browser core to really do their own development, through headhunting, through friends to ask, basically no, we insist on self-developed "God" For many people to join us for this dream, this is God's stimulation of the marrow in turn.

"21st Century": Is not the more the last browser kernel will become heavier? Iterative update different evolutionary patterns, can probably be summed up?

He Xiaopeng: The browser will always encounter this phenomenon. We are using "sand gold" method, the user needs tens of thousands, which is sand; the underlying needs or important needs inside, called gold, how to find a small number of valuable needs from the user's needs?

Take many years ago we do Java browser example, Java development process is very limited, not too large, can not be installed too much in Dalian, but the needs of users is very diverse. This creates conflicts, the more demand, the greater the program, the greater the program, there are many users for the reverse experience. How to do? We regularly subtract from the original demand.

What we do on Java today, I do on Android, is also continuing to do. You can see UC launched UC + platform, introduced the plug-in system, incremental update system, we will think some may only be part of the needs of users, plug it to install it independently, reducing the size of the entire program. We also offer different handset versions for users in China and around the world, from low end to super end.

Strategic Layout "Four Quadrant"

Strategic layout is between horizontal and vertical, in the pattern plus business model to find inside, at what tempo, what kind of team to find the execution of the situation.

"21st Century": UC screen from the mobile phone to the current "multi-screen strategy", the strategic layout behind the formation of technology, business logic is what? What is the biggest challenge?

He Xiaopeng: In fact, many companies, I believe if they can go deep enough in a product line or wide enough, basically will go down, including UC. However, many companies may feel that their products will be abandoned after reaching a certain depth, which they did not insist on. That year, we went to other big companies to do the exchange. Their strategic investment department and related departments would ask us that all companies now expect to make quick money and why we are making a product that lasts for a long time. However, in the short term, Feel not earn money, why not add a lot of things in this product can make quick money. Looking back, thanks to not making quick money.

The best way to get back to the question you just asked is to take a product line to a depth and expand horizontally and vertically on the product. There are many types of horizontal, there are geographical, there are platforms, the most difficult two questions, first, what the rhythm to be horizontal, and second, there is no team can perform. Longitudinal, for example, you do a good business, you are in the A business to find the B business or C business. There are two aspects to be considered in the vertical and horizontal layout: first, the overall situation, the big pattern and the direction of development; secondly, the commercial capacity, in theory, all the companies do not necessarily have a profit model, but they must find out the business model.

The company's strategic layout is between horizontal and vertical, in the pattern plus business model to find inside, at what pace, what kind of team to find the execution of the situation.

Back to UC, we are constantly trying to do it inside, sometimes contractions, there will be changes. For example, multi-screen strategy is to do horizontal, and God horse search, games, distribution platform is vertical. Between vertical and horizontal, there is a correlation between horizontal and vertical, the product layer has a degree of association. Among them, we consider more about the probability of success in the upstream and downstream of a product, or in the horizontal direction of a product platform, and the value of supporting each other after the product is successful. This has also done in the middle of UC Park, with the browser in theory is two separate products, independent products if there is a real make, your view of the concept may be different, which has its own advantages and disadvantages. But doing business is often done one or two products, the last couple of years to do even better, enlarge, do some more products, if these products do well, you may zoom in and then part of the local redevelopment will always be Form a cycle, I think the future is the same product.

A company's product on the set force is that the core line as long as there is no problem in the situation, should be very insistent, around the core to the next pattern to do horizontal or vertical layout. What is the next pattern, but also must think ahead of things.

This year we think that the real first year of mobile Internet. Multi-screen, interactive, controlled network is certainly the fastest, after the network may need to cloud data processing collaboration, the data accumulated to a certain extent, through the big data to find a lot of new opportunities, which we think in the mobile One of the important directions for the development of the Internet era, but not all.

What UC is looking for is when to do this well. The key point is that it takes about a year to more than a year before the blowout. How to find the right place in development is paramount. How to find, is quite painful, you can analyze the data, you can pass the judgment of the industry, but also through the accumulation of their own team.

I think that the mobile Internet extends to many industries and many businesses will start to grow. Coupled with the fact that we just talked about the multi-screen layout, we started to make PC and TV strategies.

"21st Century": You predict this blowout period is about when, UC expectations of the market will look like?

He Xiaopeng: I used to think that at least about six or seven years, it depends on the driving force of the industry as a whole and some typical user experience can not be solved very well.

Hardware manufacturers in this promotion will be faster, but such as 360 and Baidu also started early, I think it is still very early days. In 2012, there were 67 or so screens in a household in the United States. The multi-screen needs of ordinary users have begun. Although not typical, they focus on the cloud and big data. China is no exception, although policy restrictions will make multi-screen play slowly, but I think the blowout period in 2016 or so. Our goal is to be able to have a screen wherever you want to have UC. In fact, many Internet companies are looking forward to do it on their own and through an open platform to access partners to do this trend is obvious.

Innovative methods continue to change

Small products should make big innovations. But if it is medium-sized products or large and medium-sized company's innovation, more likely to be copied first, after beyond with micro-innovation. If large companies or disruptive products, innovation should be diversified and platform.

"21st Century": What is your innovative methodology?

He Xiaopeng: When a company to do the longer, the larger, there is no one can recruit the world's innovative methodology. I find it hard to respond to the innovative methods we use at different stages, and I think we need to constantly change.

In innovation, UC previously focused on rapid iteration and user experience, and focused on product innovation through technological innovation, not just innovation in the marketing channel. However, with the continuous development of the company, more and more products, more and more platforms, a lot of thinking about innovation will have a lot of changes. I see many Brothers' product managers or directors talking about some product innovation methods, and I think most of them make sense. However, if later people peel off what they say and the actual situation in the past, they say many things are wrong . Because if you are not the same with its resources, stage is not the same, the environment is not the same, you go to learn from his innovation, may die miserable.

So, I think small products should be more innovative. But if it is medium-sized products or large and medium-sized company's innovation, more likely to be copied first, after beyond with micro-innovation. If large companies or disruptive products, innovation should be diversified and platform.

Once again, you must establish a semi-enclosed "garden". Of course, you can build one and the same thing, but there should be a long-term goal. For example, I give an example, why UC think search can do? We found that the search semi-enclosed garden did not build strong enough, there are many ways to build another garden.

"21st Century": UC at what stage?

He Xiaopeng: UC stage now, may lie in different stages of different products. Our browser may be in the mid-to large-scale product change process. As for the search, we first think of it as a small product, first with the basic ability, the user will see more difference innovation, this time search will be large-scale, systematic innovation strategy.

"21st Century": You said that "change life, improve ability" is the original intention of entrepreneurship. When did the original intention and began a further pursuit? What do you think about your company and your future vision today?

He Xiaopeng: I have already exceeded the initial idea, but still far behind my current thinking. The height you expect from several stages in a different stage is actually due to your lack of altitude.

At the beginning of my business, I never thought of becoming an international Internet company with thousands of employees, billions of incomes and users. At first I was looking to change my life and change some user habits in my surrounding industries to improve my own abilities. I am a very like to find a learning template, the height of this person is my next goal, but this person will not be far away from me, otherwise it is fantasy. But as the company grows bigger and bigger, we surely expect a bigger dream as we have the ability to do more and to influence more users around the world. In a few months, UC will continue to release new interesting things, which is what I want to do in the future.

In my opinion, the most important first factor as an entrepreneur is to empower their own employees to make more changes, change their lives and improve their abilities. This is something that middle-sized entrepreneurs must think about and what we want to keep doing.

"21st Century": What good books have you read recently, and have you influenced product development or innovation?

He Xiaopeng: Recently looked at a luxury brand marketing book, at the same time the next book will look at "the crowds," the first one is about the luxury of people or aspire to become the psychology of people, the latter one Yes"