Change Your Perspective

I have been thinking on the topic of perspective and how it applies to product decisions.  So often we get into a myopic state where all we think about is the immediate goal in front of us.  This can lead to short sighted decisions and a product that only meets the needs of a small segment of target consumers.  

Play with perspective to identify shortcomings or hidden opportunities during product design.

• What is the critical task all (or nearly all) users want to complete?
• What is the critical task you want your users to complete?
• Does your product support those critical tasks?
• To whom is each feature important?
• Are there features that are unimportant that can be removed?
• How do external factors affect the use of your product?
• Can you control for external factors?
• How do users want to use your product?
• How do they have to use your product based on what you've designed?
• Are there limiting factors for users in other markets?

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Go beyond user stories and look at environmental, technological, and other factors that may affect how users interact with your product.  Implement the features that provide the greatest benefit to the highest number of users in a manner they find accessible.  At the end of the day, you will get the result you want if you build the product they need.