A talk I did at HBS

1. Josh Wexler
Solution Director
April, 2015
Define Your Product Vision

2. 2
Agenda
Overview of Originate
Product Vision
Define a Product Vision Exercise
Next steps

3. Originate Overview

4. Originate is a digital product development and
venture resource firm.
We partner with the world’s most ambitious
companies and entrepreneurs to tackle complex
challenges and build transformative products.
4

5. We have partners, not clients.
We partner with forward-looking enterprises and
high growth startups to conceive, design, and build
transformative software products.
Our team of designers, developers, and strategists
create modern mobile, web, and data-driven software.
Our partnership model ensures full alignment toward
the same vision of building useful, innovative, and
successful products.
• Founded in 2007
• 120+ employees
• 6 Talent Centers

6. Research
Our Process
Prototype Validate Build Scale
HYPOTHESIS VISION MODEL LAUNCH
Opportunity Areas
Project Plan
Product Brief
Proof of Concept
Experience Prototypes
Proof of Technology
Product Roadmap
Architecture Plan
Epics & Stories
Release Strategy
Style guides & Standards
Measurement & Analytics

7. Our Services
Originate offers a full suite of product design and development services,
operational support, and strategic advisory services to our partners. Our
primary areas of expertise include the following:
Product Strategy
Including:
• Research & Insights
• Opportunity Analysis
• Product Positioning
• Feature Planning
• User Stories & Epics
• Roadmap Planning
• Ecosystem Planning
UX & Design
Including:
• User Research & Testing
• Concept Development
• User Flows & Mapping
• User Interface Design
• Visual Design
• Style Guides
• Content Creation
Software Development
Including:
• Technical R&D
• Technical Prototyping
• Mobile & Web Development
• Systems & Software Architecture
• Code Audits & Reviews
• Dev Ops Strategy
• QA & Testing

8. Technical Capabilities
HTML 5, Javascript,
React, jQuery, AJAX,
Angular.js
Tomcat, Lift, Play,
JBoss, Node.js,
Ruby on Rails
iOS, Android,
Windows Phone,
Titanium, Unity
Ruby, Scala, Python,
Go, Java, C/C++
MySQL, PostgreSQL,
Cassandra, MongoDB,
MSSQL
Web Mobile Languages Server Database
Originate has deep experience across a wide array of technologies. We
leverage a variety of modern stacks based on the problem we are solving.

9. 9
Selected Past Partners

10. Case Studies

11. Mobile
Angie’s List
SnapFix enables subscribers to use their phone to snap
a photo of a household repair need and have a highly-
rated service provider dispatched to assist.

12. Case Study
Description
Originate partnered with Angie’s List to develop an new home repair
marketplace optimized for mobile. Originate created SnapFix, an
app enabling members to take a photo of a home repair need, which
is used to automatically identify and route the most appropriate
repairperson to fix the problem. Originate also created ServiceTown,
an app for processing, scheduling and tracking jobs for service
providers. Originate completed full-scale development and launch
of both apps. After widespread adoption they were incorporated into
the flagship Angie’s List app.
snapfix.angieslist.com
Feature Brainstorming
Concept Sketches
Detailed Wireframes
Services
• Prototyping
• UX Design
• Visual Design
• Mobile Development
• Web Development

13. Navigation Tray
Easy access to application’s primary features
Home Repair Request
Schedule a highly-rated Angie’s List provider
Image Capture
Quickly snap a picture and note the service needed

14. Platform
Echo360
Echo360 provides active learning technology to over 2
million students and faculty across the globe. A cloud-
based infrastructure delivers an interactive in-class
experience — on every device, in any location.

15. Case Study
Description
We partnered with Echo360 to transform their legacy, on-premise
product into a cloud-based active learning platform, including lecture
capture, live quizzes and polls, collaborative note taking, and a
student analytics dashboard — all informed by the distinct needs of
students, lecturers/professors, and administrators.
Our redesign enabled Echo360 to capture immediate market
opportunities while laying the groundwork for the company’s future.
echo360.com
Data Visualization Design
Field Observations Detailed Wireframes
Services
• UX Research
• Concept Development
• User Experience
• Interface Design
• Technical Architecture
• Agile Development
• Cloud Strategy

16. Student Presentation View
Interactive reference materials
Student Instructor View
Video capture of in-class lecture

17. Schedule Services
Hosted applications from RMS
Instructor Analytics View
Display for attendance and engagement data
Class Selection Interface
Displays new content and questions for classes

18. Tablet
Fanlime
Fanlime is a revolutionary platform that enables fans
to track and purchase what’s trending through the eyes
of their favorite athletes.

19. Case Study
Description
Originate initially partnered with Fanlime to define the product
vision for beta rollout, build the iPad app for athletes, and to
establish the web experience for fans.
We are currently working with the Fanlime team on a broader
product launch that includes an exclusive digital magazine for
athletes, as well as an engaging consumer experience that can scale
to millions of fans.
fanlime.com
Touch Interaction Models
Co-Creation Work Sessions Scenario-based User Flows
Services
• Product Strategy
• Concept Development
• User Experience
• Visual Design
• App Development

20. Personalized Athlete Experience
Main page for an athlete’s favorite items to be explored
Product Detail Page
Product detail that their favorite athletes have selected
Trend Board View
Quick glance view of trending products and people

21. Product vision

22. 22
What Makes a Great Digital Product?
FEASIBILITY
DESIRABILITY USABILITY
A Great Product
Dimensions

23. 23
How Do You Get There?
FEASIBILITY
DESIRABILITY USABILITY
Dimensions
?

24. 24
The New Product Process
Product Vision
• Articulate assumptions
• Find inspiration
• Create personas
• Create paper prototypes
Problem/Solution Fit
• Understand the problem
• Create prototypes of the solution
• Validate solution
• Learn and pivot
Product/Market Fit
• Build product (MVP)
• Create market tests
• Validate channels
• Learn and pivot
Scale
• Raise money (if needed)
• Build team
• Scale technology
• Create company

25. 25
Product Risks
Market Risk
Is there a real need in the market and
does the market want the solution?
Product Risk
How does the product fit the market
need in a way that users find enjoyable?
Technical Risk
What are the technical challenges and
issues that threaten product success?
Business Risk
Can the business fully deploy and
operate the product?
Market
Product
Technical
Business
The process enables you to uncover and mitigate risk as early as possible, maximizing the
chances of success for what you build.

26. 26
A Product Vision
A shared understanding of how a product is going to solve a problem for a set of customers
and deliver on its value proposition when it has been released into the market

27. 27
The Product Canvas

28. Define a Product Vision Exercise
1

29. Background – Alzheimer’s1
2
Alzheimer's+disease+(AD)+accounts+for+60%+to+70%+of+cases+of+demen;a.+It+is+a+chronic+neurodegenera;ve+
disease+that+usually+starts+slowly+and+gets+worse+over+;me.+
+
The+most+common+early+symptom+is+difficulty+in+remembering+recent+events+(short+term+memory+loss).+As+the+
disease+advances,+symptoms+can+include:+problems+with+language,+disorienta;on+(including+easily+geHng+lost),+
mood+swings,+loss+of+mo;va;on,+not+managing+self+care,+and+behavioral+issues.+
+
As+a+person's+condi;on+declines+they+oIen+withdraw+from+family+and+society.+Gradually,+bodily+func;ons+are+
lost,+ul;mately+leading+to+death.+Although+the+speed+of+progression+can+vary,+the+average+life+expectancy+
following+diagnosis+is+three+to+nine+years.+
+
The+cause+of+Alzheimer's+disease+is+poorly+understood.+No+treatments+stop+or+reverse+its+progression,+though+
some+may+temporarily+improve+symptoms.+Affected+people+increasingly+rely+on+others+for+assistance+oIen+
placing+a+burden+on+the+caregiver;+the+pressures+can+include+social,+psychological,+physical,+and+economic+
elements.+
+
In+2010,+there+were+between+21+and+35+million+people+worldwide+with+AD.+It+most+oIen+begins+in+people+over+
65+years+of+age,+although+4%+to+5%+of+cases+are+earlyTonset+Alzheimer's+which+begin+before+this.+It+affects+about+
6%+of+people+65+years+and+older.+
1Wikipedia Entry on Alzheimer's

30. Background – Still Alice
3

31. Forget Me Not
4

32. Product Canvas
5
Problem
Cost Structure Values Streams
Solution Unique Value
Proposition
Advantage Customer
Segments
Key Metrics Channels
Top 3 problems Target customers or
groups
Top 3 features Single, clear,
compelling
message that
states why you are
different and worth
buying
Can’t be easily
copied or bought
Path to customersKey activities you
measure
Customer acquisition costs
Distribution costs
Hosting
People, etc
Revenue Model
Lifetime Value
Revenue
Gross Margin
Parking Lot
(Knowledge gaps,
questions, ideas)
Personas Narratives / Prototypes
Learnings
Tech StackInspiration
Anything that inspires with business model, brand, design or functionality The technology we want to use or explore to build our solution and the tools
we want to utilize as we work together
Capture anything that
comes while creating a
canvas, ideas, questions,
places to explore further
Characters (or user roles) created to represent the various
customers in the target groups
Step-by-step stories of a personas using the solution and a visual/
functional representations of those stories
Hypotheses,
experiments and learning

33. Directions
6
1. You should prepare to create multiple canvases, one for each customer group, and
to test them in parallel
2. Each canvas should take anywhere from 15 minutes to 5 hours to create, but no
more than 5 hours
3. Each canvas should be done in a single session with as few breaks as possible
4. Be concise: the core canvas and all text should fit on a single page
5. Think in the present: things on the canvas should be based on what you know
now (make sure to record any gaps you find in the knowledge gaps section)
6. Take a customer centric view: think of your customer first
7. It is ok to leave blanks where we don’t have enough information
8. Quickly write a first draft, review and discuss, then revisit and break things apart
and prioritize thoughts in each section

34. Customer segment
7
Children of an Alzheimer's family member right after diagnosis

35. Problem
8
What problem are we trying to solve?
1. A problem can also be thought of as a job that customers want you to complete for them
Tips
Severity+of+
Problem+
Top+of+mind+

36. Customer Groups
9
Who suffers from our problem? Who is going to use our product?
Who is going to pay for our product?
1. Create a list of customer segments within your group.
2. Distinguish between customers and users: Customers pay for your product but may not use it. A user
uses your product but may not pay.
a) Example: you are a user of Facebook but you don't pay, so you would be a user and not a customer.
Advertisers pay to advertise on Facebook, thus they are customers.
3. Split large groups into smaller segments. This may need to be a place to iterate as you build the canvas. It
is always better to err on the side of specificity.
4. Specify who is going to be the early adopters within that segment (an even smaller group who will be the
first to purchase your solution). These will be the people you initially target with your marketing.
5. Identify other user roles that will interact with that customer and make sure to denote that they are users
rather than customers.
Tips

37. Customer Groups: Earlyvangelists
10
People who are suffering the most severe pain — people who are
willing to take a risk on your unproven, unfinished product

38. Inspiration
11
Who else has solved this problem with a product? Who inspires us
with their design or functionality?
1. Inspiration is anything that inspires you with its business model, brand, design, or functionality.
2. Pull in anything but make sure to focus on the two following areas:
1. Existing alternative solutions to your problem: how do your customers current solve this problem?
The answer may be nothing, but typically you're competing with something. If there are not
alternatives, you should ask if the customer pain is large enough to warrant a solution.
2. Find other unique value propositions (UVP): study what works about companies who have clear
UVPs that you like. Use what you can from those to revise your UVP.
3. Take notes on positives and negatives and note ideas that might be good to borrow.
Tips

39. Unique Value Proposition
12
Why is our product different and worth others’ attention?
1. Think of the UVP as the big statement on a landing web page. It needs to distill the essence of the
product in a few words that can fit into a headline.
2. This is one of the main places to iterate.
3. Tips on how to create a first UVP:
a) Be different, but make sure your difference matters. Deploy the problem statement in the UVP.
b) Target early adopters, they need to know that the product solves their specific problems.
4. Focus on end-user benefits over features. How will your customers have benefited from using your
product when they are done and how long will it take to get that benefit?
5. From Dane Maxwell: Instant Clarity Headline = end result customer wants + specific period of time +
address the objections
6. Pick the words you use to define your solution carefully. They can be used as keywords to drive SEO.
7. Answer what, who, why. If you can't get the why in, create a sub heading.
Tips

40. Solutions
13
What does our product need to do to solve the problem or deliver on
its Unique Value Proposition?
1. This box is only half the size for a reason. While the solution can feel like the safest part, we don’t know
enough about the problem yet for it to be worth a lot of thinking.
2. We want to articulate just the top 3-4 features.
Tips

41. Channels
14
How are we going to get in front of customers (early adaptors)?
1. If the idea requires access to large numbers of customers right away for it to succeed (network effect) , we
may want to reevaluate the idea.
2. We want channels that can eventually be scaled.
3. Free versus paid: there is no such thing as a free channel. Channels we normally associate as being free,
like SEO, social media, and blogging, have a time and effort associated with them.
4. Inbound versus outbound: Inbound channels use “pull messaging” to let customers find you organically,
while outbound channels rely on “push messaging” to reach customers.
5. Direct sales versus automated sales: First sell manually, then automate.
6. Direct versus indirect: To maximize learning, go direct to customers rather than trying to start a
partnership or hire a salesperson.
7. Retention before referral: While referral programs can be very effective in spreading the word about your
product, you need to have a product worth spreading first.
Tips

42. Value Streams
15
How is this product going to deliver value or make money?
1. Don’t think in terms of 3-5 year projections (which will be wrong). Instead think about what happens if
the product is in the market tomorrow.
2. Plan to deliver enough value with the product that people will pay what you’re charging from the very
beginning (unless you’re never planning to charge at all).
3. Price is a huge part of the perception of the value and should be articulated on the canvas.
4. Inspiration is a great place to get ideas on how to price things.
Tips

43. Cost Structure
16
What is this going to cost to build? What are the on-going costs?
1. What are we going to need to get the first version of your product to market and keep it running for the
first 3 months?
2. Focus on present costs, not future costs (we don’t know what those are going to be).
3. Factor in the price of time!
4. Looking at your costs and your revenues, what is your breakeven point? If there are multiple revenue
hypotheses, calculate the breakeven for each.
Tips

44. Key Metrics
17
What are we going to measure to show that the product has been
successful? What is the one metric that matters?
1. Focus on leading rather than lagging indicators. Leading metrics give you a predictive understanding the
future where as lagging metrics explain the past.
a) Leading metric: sales prospects in a pipeline. Predictor of sale volume
b) Lagging metric: churn (customers who have stopped using the product). They are already gone.
Tips

45. Key Metrics - Pirate Metrics
18
Acquisition
Activation
Retention
Revenue
Referral
Generate attention through a
variety of means, both organic
and inorganic
Traffic, mentions, cost per click,
search results, cost of
acquisition, open rate
Turn the resulting drive-by
visitors into users who are
somehow enrolled
Convince users to come back
repeatedly, exhibiting stick
behavior
Business outcomes (which vary
by your business model:
purchases, ad clicks, content
creation, subscriptions, etc.)
Viral and word-of-mouth
invitations to other potential
users
Enrollments, signups, complete
onboarding process, used the
service at least once,
subscriptions
Engagement, times since last
visit, daily and monthly active
use, churns
Customer lifetime value,
conversion rate, shopping cart
size, click-through revenue
Invites sent, viral coefficient,
viral cycle time

46. Advantage
19
What advantage do we have that can not be easily copied or bought
by others?
1. Examples
a) Insider information
b) The right “expert” endorsements
c) A dream team
d) Personal authority
e) Large network effects
f) Community
g) Existing customers
h) SEO ranking
2. It is ok to leave this blank for a while as the true advantage can revel itself after work has started
Tips

47. Personas
20
Who are the individuals (what do they look like and act like) that are
going to be using the product?
1. Give each persona a name, background points, goals (why they want to use the solution), and
frustrations (why they feel compelled to use the solution).
2. Create only relevant points in the background section (e.g. if the product is about email, it is not relevant
what car the persona might drive)
3. Create as many as needed to describe the various customer groups and or roles.
Tips

48. Narratives
21
How might those individual personas use the product?
1. Write down step by step what would happen as one of the personas used our solution.
2. Use names from the personas where appropriate.
3. Create a “back bone” of major steps then break them down in detail.
4. Record any questions, ideas, or issues that arise.
5. Build a list of terms as they are defined or mentioned.
6. When starting a new idea, avoid sign-up or onboarding stories (come back to those later)
7. Go back through the story and organize any data terms in a hierarchy.
Tips

49. Paper prototyping
22
What does the solution look like as the persona is using it?
1. Draw each screen in the narrative map and add as much detail as needed.
2. Sketch quickly, discuss, and explore. Don’t be afraid to throw things away.
3. Try to keep data fidelity as high as possible using the terms defined in the narrative.
Tips

50. Functional prototyping
23
How does the solution behave as the persona is using it?
1. Using a prototyping tool of choice, turn the paper prototype into a functional prototype.
2. Show the prototype to customers and get feedback
Tips

51. Next Steps

52. Problem Validation
25
1. Validate that the problem is real
2. Interview possible customers
3. For more information on problem validation see:

53. Solution Validation
26
1. Validate that the solution will solve the problem for customers
2. Start a landing page (forces a release, testing of the UVP, etc.)
3. Interview possible customers with the prototype
4. For more information on problem validation see:

54. Quick-start Tip: New Project
1. Use the worksheets, agenda, and materials here to run your own workshop
2. Always do it with the whole team (or all key players)
3. Designate someone as time keeper/facilitator
4. Start sketching and gathering inspiration ASAP
5. If interested in using the tools shown today, send me an email: josh.wexler@originate.com to help get set
up
27

55. Key takeaway review
28
Please send me your stories of success and failure at trying some of these things!
josh.wexler@originate.com

56. Problem Customer SegmentsUnique Value PropositionSolution
Channels
Value StreamsCost Structure
Key Metrics
Advantages
Name:__________________________________Project Title:_______________________________ Customer Group:______________________

57. Business (Brand, Positioning) Design (visual) Functional (features)
Inspiration Parking Lot (Gaps, Ideas)

58. Order: _______Narrative Map Title:__________________________________

59. Order: _______Narrative Map Title:__________________________________

60. Order: _______Paper Prototype Title:__________________________________

61. Order: _______Paper Prototype Title:__________________________________

62. Order: _______Screen Title:__________________________________

63. Order: _______Screen Title:__________________________________

64. Josh Wexler
Director
Originate – New York
917-902-6253
josh.wexler@originate.com