Product Collective - ✔ Feels good to be validated

Use product validation to avoid big product failures

We’ve said before that it’s ok to fail as long as you learn from it. We stand by that statement, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take steps to avoid failure or at least minimize its impact. Product Validation is one way to learn from failed product ideas before they become failed products. 

FROM OUR FRIENDS

5 Different ways to validate your idea. You may have an idea for a product that you’re excited about, but how do you know if it would be successful? Product validation is taking your ideas and testing them with real people who represent your target market to see what they think. The folks at Yogine Studios explain why product validation matters and offer five different ways to test your product. 

Productivity: How to validate your product idea? Years ago, Lazaro Ibanez had to validate a product idea, implement it and launch a financial product. Lazaro shares his experiences with the first step, the validation process. Lazaro’s team did a thorough validation, even though they saw several other teams pushing that step aside.
(via @LazaroIbanez)

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I’m not going to lie – this was a rough week to be a parent of elementary school-aged children. Usually, I take time to write up a short take on current news relevant to product people – or some thoughts on the topic of the week. But today… I’ve got nothing of that sort. Instead, I’m going to go off-script a bit and use this space to encourage you to do something this weekend – anything – that can help bring yourself some much-needed peace. 

Maybe it’s immersing yourself in nature and going on a long hike or bike ride. Or, if metaverses are more your jam… then you can make your way there. Or maybe it’s spending time off-device and with your family and friends and enjoying every minute with them –  that’s what it will be for me. Then again – maybe for some, you get satisfaction from being on your devices. If that’s the case, you’ll get no judgment from me. We’re all in tech – I get it. 

Whatever it is, though, do whatever you can this weekend to do something for yourself. 

You do deserve that. We all do.

Would you like to join us (for free!) at INDUSTRY Virtual, the premier online Product Management conference, on October 18th? Andrew Chen (Author of The Cold Start Problem and Partner at Andreesen Horowitz), Justin Bauer (SVP, Product at Amplitude), Michelle Parsons (Chief Product Officer at Hinge), and many others will be speaking.

There will also be plenty of time for learning and networking with 1000s of other product people from around the world.

There's a completely free ticket available to you, but these are limited to the first 500 registrants - so make sure you register today (it will take less than 2 minutes).

INDUSTRY: The Product Conference is back with a bang! The in-person edition returns on September 19-21 in Cleveland, Ohio, reviving the top independent product conference anywhere. Build your network and find inspiration as you'll learn from some of the best -- like David Cancel (CEO at Drift), Sarah Butterfass (CPO at FanDuel), and even Mark Duplass (award-winning filmmaker and co-star of Apple TV's The Morning Show).

Don’t confuse product validation with product research. Scott Middleton sees validation used all too often to describe what is actually research. This confusion misleads thinking about whether a product or feature is likely to succeed. Scott unpacks the difference between product validation versus research and shares when each is most appropriate.
(via @scottmiddleton)

Product Validation: Testing and researching ideas to ensure product success. There’s nothing worse from a personal and business perspective than investing your time, money, and effort into an idea, only to find out no one wants it or needs it. Or, to find out everyone thinks it’s a cool idea, but it’s not necessarily something they would pay for. There’s no shortage of bright ideas that should have succeeded but didn’t. Google Glass, anyone? Similarly, there are also many products that should have failed but didn’t. Adam Fard explores how idea validation plays a role in both situations.
(via @AdamFard_)

Product Validation: How to know if anyone will buy your new product. Just because you have a great product idea doesn’t mean that it solves a consumer’s pain points. Nor does your product solve the problem at a price that customers want to pay. It’s no wonder that some 95% of product launches fail. Brandon Bennett explains the solution to this problem is performing product validation to ensure that your product has a good chance of success before you produce it. 

The Customer Analytics Experience

Historically, embedded analytics products were very much "feature-focused." But do those features result in a better overall experience for the customer? In this discussion, we'll dig in on this notion — and talk through how product-driven companies can do a better job of building around their customers' needs and, as a result, delivering end-user success as a result.

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