The Productologist

I went to visit a customer a few weeks ago as part of a commitment to myself (and my products) to get out into the field more often. My goal with them and with all of my planned visits to the field was to talk about how they use my product, what business challenges they face and what they see for the future in terms of their own growth and what they would want and need from my product. I got what I was looking for…and a whole lot more.

This is my first off-topic post (NOTE: there’s still some Product Management stuff at the end…I just couldn’t help myself), but I just had to rave about this: SoBotanical Shave Gel. I was reluctant to try it at first, but I decided that I was being ridiculously stubborn about not trying it so I ordered it. Plus it was recommended by a friend who said, “It’s the bomb! You won’t be disappointed, man.” And he was right, although he may be slightly biased, since SoBotanical is run by his wife.

Two weeks ago, a friend and I went to a bar to watch the Packers-Cowboys game (thanks, NFL network). Normally, our sporadic football-watching happens as his house, as I don’t have TV (yes, I have a TV, just not an antenna, satellite dish or cable). We watch the game, make armchair quarterback calls, comment on the stupidity of most of the ads and discuss random technology issues (we both work at technology companies). But instead of our normal conversational environs, we were immersed in the revelry of the crowd.

[Business 2.0 Homage #2]

In previous posts, I have discussed the usage of Personas as a tool for insuring that your product meets the needs of the prototypical user(s) in the context of other challenges. Look for a posting on that specific topic soon, but for now, I’ve got another example of how important it is to truly understand who the primary and secondary users of the product is.

I just got back from a trip to New York for a trade show. For those of you who have had the pleasure of staying in Manhattan on a restricted budget ($400+ for a room that in most places would qualify as a moderately-sized closet), my hotel was actually not too bad (it was still minuscule, but tastefully appointed and comfortable). As with most hotels, mine was stocked with a couple of local interest magazines that tell patrons what’s going on that month or what restaurants/shows/museums/stores to see while they are in town. While perusing one of them, I stumbled upon an advertisement at the back of the magazine for a gym. Most ads for gyms focus on the form and physique of some beef cake (male or female), but this one highlighted the equipment (although the ad does contain a rather lithe female figure).