Analogies:

Analogies allow product teams to think creatively by looking at how unrelated fields solve similar challenges. By finding parallels between the problem and a different context, product managers can uncover new approaches that may not be typical in their industry. For instance, if you’re developing a task management app, drawing inspiration from how ants communicate and collaborate could spark ideas for creating a highly adaptive, decentralized system. This method is particularly useful when you want to expand your thinking beyond industry norms, helping your team innovate through inspiration from diverse sources, such as nature, other industries, or unrelated systems.

Example: The idea for Velcro came from examining how burrs attach to animal fur. Similarly, by studying how GPS satellites work together to track locations, a product manager might develop a logistics solution that leverages interconnected devices to monitor deliveries. Analogies help broaden perspectives, making it easier to break away from traditional product concepts and potentially uncover groundbreaking ideas.

Provocation:

Provocation is about challenging assumptions and pushing boundaries. This method asks radical “What if…?” questions that provoke new ways of thinking. By deliberately introducing wild or seemingly impractical ideas, product managers can help their teams see past limitations and explore options they might have otherwise dismissed. For example, asking, “What if our product had no buttons?” could lead to innovative concepts for a gesture-based user interface.

Example: A team working on a subscription service could ask, “What if we gave away our product for free?” Initially absurd, this question might lead to exploring alternative revenue streams, like premium add-ons or ad-supported content, that could increase accessibility and user adoption. Provocation opens up pathways to creativity, making it ideal when you need fresh perspectives or when teams feel stuck in familiar patterns.

The Helicopter View:

The Helicopter View helps you step back and look at the big picture, considering the problem within its broader context. This “zoomed-out” perspective is critical for product managers because it aligns solutions with overarching business goals, market dynamics, and user needs. By moving away from the details, you can better see how individual elements connect and support the product’s purpose, helping you make strategic decisions. For instance, instead of focusing only on fixing a small usability issue, you might realize that a redesign of the entire onboarding experience would more significantly impact long-term user retention.

Example: A team refining a specific feature may find that a helicopter view reveals gaps in the product’s overall user journey. From this vantage point, the product manager could determine that reworking several touchpoints, not just one feature, would create a smoother, more cohesive experience. The Helicopter View helps in seeing the connections between components, ensuring that solutions align with the long-term vision and meet broader user needs.

Simplification:

Simplification involves cutting away unnecessary complexity to highlight what is essential for the user. It’s a particularly useful method for product managers, as products can quickly become overburdened with features, which can make them harder to use. This technique involves critically examining each part of the product to see if it truly adds value, often using techniques like the 80/20 rule, which suggests that 80% of a product’s value comes from 20% of its features. By stripping down to the core essentials, simplification often results in a more intuitive, user-friendly product.

Example: A social media app may initially have several options for posting content (text, images, videos, polls, etc.), but through simplification, a product manager might decide to focus on the most popular formats to improve the user experience. Simplification can also reduce cognitive load, making the product easier to navigate and more engaging by ensuring that users can quickly and easily accomplish their goals.

Decomposition:

Decomposition is about breaking a complex problem or system into smaller parts to tackle them individually. This technique is invaluable for product managers because it allows teams to work on manageable components without feeling overwhelmed by the larger project. By decomposing a product’s functionality into discrete parts, like onboarding, main navigation, or user profiles, product managers can address issues or opportunities in each area systematically. It’s particularly useful for large projects or products with numerous features, as each component can be improved or reworked independently.

Example: For a project management tool with several key features—like task assignment, timeline management, and reporting—decomposition would involve looking at each feature separately. The product manager could prioritize improving the reporting feature without necessarily needing to overhaul the entire tool, leading to gradual, focused improvements. This approach helps streamline the development process and ensures that no aspect of the product is neglected.