Product Operations: What are the common processes and techniques for product optimization?

In the article, the author summarizes the previous experience in product optimization and summarizes some common processes and techniques of product optimization as: "one premise, two evaluations, two directions, and four key points."

During a product's life cycle, the product strategy, product form, and product goals it adopts are different. When performing product optimization work, it is necessary to execute it according to the product's life stage and iteration goals. Below, the author will explain the connotation of "one premise, two evaluations, two directions, and four key points" and its application in product optimization.

Thinking 1: A premise

It includes two aspects: comprehensive collection and analysis of product data, and clear product optimization goals.

1. Comprehensive collection and analysis of product data

Comprehensively collecting and analyzing product data is a very important task after a product is launched. It is also a prerequisite for understanding the situation after the product is launched and optimizing the product. The data provides a basis for the formulation of product optimization directions and optimization plans.

Through data analysis, we can identify problems in the product, effectively avoid blind optimization, improve product optimization efficiency, and objectively evaluate the optimization effect.

For example:

If you want to improve the success rate of the resource upload function in a product, you need to analyze the user behavior data indicators of this function module: page access path, function operation path, page bounce rate, etc. Use data to illustrate the direction and specific details of optimization, and use data to judge the effect of optimization (here it is required that product managers have the professional ability to collect and analyze data, and the question of "how to collect and analyze product data?" will not be elaborated here).

1. Clarify the goals of product optimization

When formulating a product optimization plan, using the goal-oriented principle to guide the design of the optimization plan can avoid deviation from the optimization direction and loss of optimization details. In addition, determining the product optimization goal provides a direction for collecting product data. Collecting relevant data around the product optimization goal can avoid interference from other data. It not only reduces the difficulty of collecting data, but also improves the efficiency of collecting data.

In short, it is the basic premise for scientific product optimization to carry out product optimization work around product optimization goals, make decisions based on product data and formulate product optimization plans.

Thinking 2: Two Assessments

The evaluation work is to develop an optimization iteration plan suitable for the current product, which requires an objective evaluation of the product's core functional requirements and product life cycle.

1. Core functional requirements of the product

The core functional requirements of products are the top priority in meeting the core demands of users. Only by improving the core functional requirements of products can we further strengthen the core value of products and improve product strength.

If a product fails to excel in its core functions, it will soon be surpassed by its competitors and eventually die out. For this reason, product optimization must first evaluate and optimize the core functional requirements of the product.

1. Product Life Cycle

Product optimization accompanies the entire life cycle of the product (cultivation, growth, maturity, and decline) until the product reaches its ultimate product goal, generates profitability, and thus achieves the established business goals.

Generally speaking, during the incubation stage (also called the development stage) of a product’s life cycle, the company’s strategic preferences prioritize the realization of the product’s core functions and needs, and will inevitably sacrifice some “icing on the cake” functions and functions that enhance the product experience. This will inevitably lead to the fact that the product experience is difficult to satisfy users during the introduction stage of the product life cycle (or the initial stage of product launch).

In the growth stage of the product life cycle, the product has been recognized by the market and users. A large number of target users will generate new demands when using the product. The company must continuously improve the services provided by the product to meet user demands. At this stage, it may be more about improving the demand for new products.

After entering the stable stage , the product has begun to make profits for the company. In order to maximize revenue, it is necessary to optimize the commercial needs of the product and meet various business indicators. At this stage, the product functions and services are basically complete, and perhaps more needs to be improved on the basis of product commercial indicators.

When a product enters its decline phase , it is necessary to reconstruct its positioning and value, discover new opportunities and markets to enter, and create a second life for the product.

Figure 2 Product life cycle diagram

Thinking three: two directions

Product optimization mainly achieves optimization goals through two directions: optimizing the functional requirements that have been realized and realizing new product requirements.

Through data analysis, we will find out: the usage of existing functional requirements - such as the frequency of use of functions, the proportion of target users using each function, etc.

like:

• Why is the user task completion rate so low? It may be that the product business process is too complicated or the product is not easy to use.
• Why do users jump out of the page as soon as they enter it? It may be that the product content does not match the user's interests or the page jump is abnormal.
• …

Only by clarifying the specific problems existing in the product and the causes of the problems can product optimization work be targeted.

Through data analysis, user feedback, market research and other means, we can explore new user needs and then improve the product's functional services. For example, a certain knowledge-based paid product provides users with high-quality graphic content. After using the product, users find that video, voice and other forms of content are more convenient to experience. In this way, users have new demands for the services provided by the product, etc.

Thinking 4: Four key points

The most fundamental purpose of product optimization is to achieve established product goals by improving product experience and thus achieving business goals.

Therefore, the product optimization process always involves adjustments or even redesign of the original business processes, interaction design, information experience, and business indicators.

1. Business Process

The optimization of the original business process requires product managers to examine the problem from the product business and strategic level.

For example: In the educational resource service platform, when users first upload teaching resources, they only need to specify the resource type and the textbook information to which the resource belongs. During the execution process, it was found that users tended to filter, search, and use resources based on knowledge points. Therefore, in the original upload process, it is necessary to give priority to specifying the knowledge point information involved in the resource.

1. Interaction Design

The optimization of interaction design directly affects the quality of product experience. Good interaction design can improve product usability and is the core part of product experience optimization. It requires product managers to analyze problems from the perspective of the framework layer and the structure layer, such as product information architecture, functional operation feedback system, and information layout design.

1. Information Experience

First of all, the information data displayed in the product is different under different role permissions, different scenarios, and different states. Secondly, product information (such as copy, lists, character length, etc.) affects the user's direct senses to a certain extent in terms of layout, typesetting design, component form, and even visual design (interface design, graphic design, color design, etc.), which is the core part of the information experience.

Optimizing the product information experience, improving the ability to convey product information, and thus improving product usability are of great significance for providing a friendly user experience.

1. Business Indicators

Business indicator optimization should fall within the scope of product operations .

Why should we bring this up during product optimization work?

This is in consideration of the close connection between business indicators and product functions. Product functions themselves are the ultimate embodiment of the underlying product business and business goals, such as product user retention and registration conversion indicators. This goal is achieved by optimizing product functions that affect these indicators (such as registration function flow, product service content, etc.) and interactive design.

It is not difficult to find in the optimization process that these four aspects are usually mutually exclusive. In order to simplify the operation, the information presentation may be reduced, thus sacrificing the information experience; in order to achieve a clearer visual effect, the operation process may be increased, complicating the interactive operation...

This situation is very common, which requires product managers to: review the optimization goals, evaluate the optimization priorities, weigh these four points, and strive to find a balance.

Product optimization is a process, long-term, and hierarchical process. "One premise, two evaluations, two directions, and four key points" are closely linked in the formulation, promotion, and implementation of product optimization plans. If one link is not done well, the results of product optimization will be greatly reduced.

Product optimization must clearly define the purpose of optimization (as clear as possible, and do not set general goals). In the process of formulating and implementing optimization plans, we must always review this goal to guide the team to achieve the optimization goals and create more extreme products and services.

Source: Years