Zhou advice to product managers

In fact, I am a product manager. And in the so-called Product manager in the final analysis is through a lot of unsuccessful products, finally honed some lessons. Therefore, I mainly share with you some of the mistakes made by product managers.

First of all, as a product manager, we must first give up the ego.

I think it's possible that everyone is saying, "I think, I thought," but know that this is the biggest taboo in making products. No matter how experienced you are, as a product manager, please be sure to put yourself down. Think of yourself as a person who is impatient, grumpy, and not very good at computer operations. If you can really look at users in the real world, you will find that users never use your products the way you think they are, and they are not using the product in the logic you design, and the user has his own set of logic.

A lot of people always ask me: "Where does the product inspiration come from, is there a systematic method?" Honestly, No. In fact, to think of themselves as a fool, with a particularly picky, unsatisfactory way to try their products, can definitely find a lot of problems. Many of our product improvements, are from the user seems irrational complaints, rude response, but seriously think, the user's dissatisfaction behind in fact represents a kind of demand.

Second, product managers have to overcome a vision of success.

There are too many users in China, a small web site, a software, 100,000 users should not be difficult. If 100,000 out of 1% are your fans, 1000 fans have an average of 10 days to your forum and 100 people a day. If you have 100 fans praising you every day, what is this concept? You feel so good, you may have a vision of success--the next step may be on Nasdaq. Many product managers are in the second step.

I warn you, never cocky, never be complacent, always hold a strategic spirit-you are far from the real mainstream user base in China. Go out and ask the taxi driver or the sweeping aunt, are they using your product? If they don't, your product is far from successful.

I call it the illusion of success. When a product is just getting started, people who don't like it don't make comments. The number of user base after the big, there are because like to use your products, there are not like but have to use the situation. It's time to get all kinds of advice. Fans are like water, they can carry a boat, but also overturn it.

Third, listen to the views of users, but can not listen to users.

This is very contradictory and very delicate art. To listen to users, but can not be led by the user's nose. The user's opinion can not simply take over to use, to the many users of the views collected for processing and thinking. The user talked for a long time, want steamed stuffed bun for a while, and then dumplings, finally understand that the user is actually hungry. Giving him a bag of instant noodles might solve the problem. The user wants is not your product, the user wants is the effect.

So, sometimes to learn to play dumb, to give up a part of the user's needs, and even give up some users. Because it is not possible to meet the requirements of all users. When doing a function, be sure to consider side effects. The industry to do a browser company, do not have their own set of product view, fully absorb the views of users, the final function list has 500 functions. Not to do 500 functions to meet 500 people, and finally get 500 users. Apple's products also have a lot of shortcomings, as long as the majority of people touched on the point, the product has a market.

In addition, if you can do the product manager, the return is very large. The founder of a good company must be a good product manager. All business models are built on a product model based on the value that the products and services create for the user. If you are a good product manager, you will have the opportunity to become a soul in a start-up company, or if you want to start a business someday, you will have the possibility of start-up. And if you can do a product that tens of millions of people like in China, and then affect tens of millions of people's lives and work, to create value for them, than to earn tens of millions of yuan worth more.