This paper believes that product managers need to analyze business based on scenarios and design products based on requirements. Business, scenarios and requirements are the three indispensable elements on the road of product development.
Taking an e-commerce platform as the background:
Business: The actual thing to do.
Manage commodity orders, ship according to orders, and process refund orders.
Scenario: How was this done, and who was involved in the process.
Users purchase products on the website, place an order, and after placing the order, an order to be paid will be generated. After the user makes the payment successfully, the order status changes to payment successful-waiting for delivery. The seller arranges the distribution staff to uniformly carry out the distribution, veneer list, express delivery, and delivery of the completed order at 4-6 pm.
Requirements: What problems did you encounter in the process of doing this?
Due to the continuous increase in the number of orders, the express order has been unable to be copied, resulting in delayed delivery of many goods, and users often urge orders or simply return orders. Recruiting is not a long-term solution, so I hope the order processing efficiency in the background can be improved.
Analyze business based on scenarios and design products based on requirements
When I first entered the industry, I received a demand and started doing it. To manage orders, do “Order Management”; to ship, do “Online Shipping”.
Did i do something wrong? not at all. I completed every function well, however, that was the vision before.
During product design, due to manpower, time and other reasons, a function is often implemented at the minimum cost, and then subsequent iterations are scheduled to add new functions and modify functions. And the vision is trapping us in the iterative process.
Early iteration ideas:
Merchant: Can you provide the tracking number for online delivery and upload?
Me: OK, you need to fill in the tracking number for delivery.
Merchant: There are more and more orders. Can you export the order, we can copy and fill in the order, and then deliver it uniformly?
Me: OK, the unified delivery function is added, and the order needs to be exported.
Merchant: We have access to a courier company, and they provided us with a single number segment. Do you have the function of connecting to a courier company?
Me: We need to look into it.
Therefore, in the early stage, what problems are encountered and what problems are solved. There’s nothing wrong with doing this, but it’s passive. It is also easy to leave a hole, because when designing, only the current needs are in mind. For example, if an order is provided, we do not have access to the express tracking of Express 100, and users still need to copy the order number to search by themselves.
Later, when there are more things to do, I will consider more when I receive a demand. This consideration:
- Based on experience, I have done these functions and know where the pit is;
- Fully understand the needs analysis of the business scenario and design in advance.
Merchant: Can you provide the tracking number for online delivery and upload?
Me: Huh? Why do I need to upload a tracking number?
Merchant: Some users here are calling us to ask us for express information, so we hope to upload the express tracking number so that they can check the express information by themselves.
Me: Okay, this can be done, by the way, by the way, how do you currently deliver goods?
Merchant: We will export the order at 4:00 pm every day, and then copy it to the express delivery order, so that the person who distributes the goods will distribute the goods according to the order, and then pack it. When the courier arrives, we will deliver the order uniformly after the courier leaves.
Me: Uh, so you are still copying the face sheets manually, right?
Merchant: Yes.
Me: I have probably figured out what your needs are, and we will make arrangements here.
Merchant: OK.
Analysis of needs: Merchants currently need to upload the express tracking number function, and users need to find their own express information. Well~ If you only upload the courier number, you have to copy it to another platform and then search for the courier information. See if you can do it on our platform, you can check the logistics information according to the express tracking number.
In addition, merchants are currently copying face sheets by hand. It’s better if there are fewer orders. If there are more orders, the workload will be a lot. This is also a demand point. Write it down first and schedule it to solve it (online printing face sheet function).
The order management page already has too many functions. Let’s see if the delivery scenario can be dismantled. Try to solve the problem in one scenario with one function, so that users can work more focused and faster.
The above examples are not real cases, but only provide an idea.
Understand the business based on the scenario: It can make you more clear why users propose these features, and what problems they want to use these features to solve. You can only change the flow when you fully understand the scene.
“Changing the process”: Users often have path dependencies. They often talk to you about business based on the original process. Your product just replaces a tool in their process, or fixes an original bug. But it does not have to be designed according to the original process, and before you propose a new process, you must fully understand the scene in which they do things, in order to point out their shortcomings and then convince them.
Design products based on needs: users don’t necessarily tell you “what I want”, or they don’t know what they want, they just feel uncomfortable right now. So, after understanding the scene and business, what is their goal in this scene?
The online delivery function is provided to improve delivery efficiency. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out product design around the demand point of “improving delivery efficiency”, online delivery, batch delivery, online printing of face sheets, receiving third-party express tracking numbers, etc. These requirements may not be realized at one time, but you should consider When it arrives, you can arrange an iteration plan, walk in front of users, and turn passive into active.
The above is a process of transformation of my ideas. In fact, in addition to the above ideas, sometimes I also consider the company’s strategy and product positioning.
Find the essence of the problem, in order to better solve the problem. Active thinking can lead to more planned product design.
Finally, my own work attitude: do product work with a master mentality.
