Your Target Audience is not Homogenous

It has been illuminating to note how the perception of what is required to protect against COVID-19 is different across the country. Population density, infection rates, social norms, and political views, among other factors, have an impact.  ​

This observation made me re-visit how I think about the "target audience" when making product decisions. Demographic targeting is the easiest way to define market segments quantitatively. We can track product performance for "18-45-year-old women with an average household income greater than $150,000 annually." If we optimize our product features only against demographic performance, we miss out on the nuances of our audience.  

The woman who meets those demographic definitions in Los Angeles will have a very different life context than another cohort member in Billings, or St Louis, or Providence. Subjective influences are even more varied for global audiences.  

To create a portable product, you must understand your target audience and how the local market influences their behavior. I live and work on the west coast in the high tech industry surrounded by early adopters. It is easy to project my context onto my target audience. If my product is not performing well, it may because I overlooked an environmental factor.
Let's take a simple e-commerce model as an example. My product allows consumers to purchase a product via their smartphone using a mobile wallet and have that product shipped to their home address. It is a pretty universal use case. What may cause friction for Sally in my target demographic?

• Does Sally trust the security of mobile wallets?
• Does Sally live in a rural area where shipping may be challenging?
• Does Sally have sufficient connectivity, or does my application require too much bandwidth?
• Does Sally's bank have limits on purchase amounts or fraud controls that would prevent her from completing the transaction?
• Are there local regulations that would impact the presentation or sale of my product?

It is common to leverage the latest and greatest technology in the name of "streamlining" the user experience. The best user experience is the most straightforward approach that will facilitate success across the broadest context of users. If your target audience exhibits a significant variation in behavior, consider creating features that can be turned on or off based on the current context.  

• Simplify imagery for low bandwidth scenarios. 
• Display additional languages or legal copy based on geographic region.  
• Provide alternate paths to complete the transaction via phone or a support channel.  

It is OK to create your MVP based on your experience with the local market. Once you prove out the concept, learn about variations in cohort behavior across markets before expanding. Even if you decide not to make any changes, you will have a better understanding of your product's performance and will be able to make informed decisions in the future.