The One Mistake That Product Managers Can Make

Do your parents & relatives really understand what you do?

Being a computer science major, I was riddled with the following requests after graduation:

- Can you fix my computer/mobile phone?

- How much does it cost to build a website? Can you build one for me?

- Can you code a program that does [insert ridiculous requirement]

What's worse is that when I would turn down their request, they would judge me as being incompetent!

Sigh.

Now, this is a perfect example of poor persona framing.

Someone knows your job title. They know what you studied. They know where you're from. And somehow, they've developed a theory about what you can or cannot do.

As a Product Manager, I've made that mistake with my customers.

I would make assumptions about what my target audience cares about based on their demographics and some pre-conceived notions.

And every time I've done this - the product or feature has failed miserably.

"Oh car dealers? They love leads. Let's build an easy CRM to help them manage them!"

Failed.

Why? Those dealers rarely used computers and would be outside the shop luring walk-ins.

My point?

To build personas, you need to TALK to customers.

Understand their goals, struggles, aspirations. You might be surprised by what they say.