part0021

The product requirements document (PRD) captures the problem, goal metric, and solution all in one place. Unlike roadmaps, PRDs are focused on a single product.

In this chapter, we’ll start by walking through a typical PRD. We’ll then walk through what Amazon calls a press release / FAQ, which I recommend that you write in addition to a PRD for major new product initiatives.

Let’s walk through a hypothetical PRD for a simple experiment at Pinterest. If you’re not familiar with Pinterest, it’s a visual discovery platform for interests and ideas.

Start the PRD by listing the key stakeholders involved in the project along with links to other related documents.

Pinterest | January 2020 | Joe Smith

Design - Anna Taylor

Engineering - Ben Gordon

Marketing - Kate Wong

Analytics - Jeff Levine

Summarize the customer problem by answering these questions in one or two paragraphs:

People want to view and pin content for topics they're interested in. Today, everyone who signs up for Pinterest sees the same feed of the most popular content. Categories like women's fashion and decor dominate this feed. We believe that allowing people to select topics during onboarding to personalize their feed will increase activation rates and help Pinterest grow.

Summarize your goal metric and what success looks like in a single sentence:

We can grow activation rate by adding a "Pick topics to personalize your feed" screen to the new user onboarding flow.

List all the metrics that you want to track to understand how your product is doing. You should split this list into output metrics (which you will use to measure success) and input metrics (which are levers that you can pull to grow your output).

Number of users who:

- Visit topic selector screen

- Click done butto n

- Pin during their first session

This is where you should define exactly what the product is. Write product requirements as user stories:

The above format makes it easy for people reading the requirements to understand what your product is from the customer’s perspective and for an engineer to copy and paste your stories into engineering tickets.

As a user, when I am signing up to Pinterest, then I see a "Pick 5 or more topics to personalize your feed" screen.

On this screen, I see a grid of topics and a button at the bottom.

When I tap a topic (e.g. Food and Drink), then I see a check mark showing that I selected the topic.

When I have selected less than 5 topics, then the button is grayed out and displays text "Pick x more" (with X being 5 subtracted by the number of topics I've selected so far).

When I have selected 5 or more topics, then the button is active and displays text "Done"

When I click the "Done" button, then I visit my Pinterest home feed that's personalized based on the topics I've selected.

The design gives people an immediate understanding of the user experience. You should get your designer involved as early as possible because he or she will often have great ideas on what the product requirements should be. If your designer is busy, create a hand-drawn visual or wireframe yourself.

Figure 6. Your design can start as a simple wireframe before eventually becoming a high-fidelity mock-up.

If you’re launching an experiment, describe which users are eligible, what the test and control groups are, and what the ramp plan is.

Test : Experience described above.

Control : Existing onboarding experience without “topic selector” screen .

Ramp plan : 50% test and 50% control.

If you’re launching a larger feature that requires press and marketing, your launch plan will be more complex. We’ll cover a sample launch checklist in the Project Management chapter.

The press release is an internal document that all Amazon product managers write for major new product initiatives. I love the press release because it is the embodiment of working backwards from the customer problem.

When you’re writing a press release, imagine that it’s the first thing customers read to understand how your product solves their problem. Think of your customers—not internal stakeholders—as the target audience for this document.

Let’s walk through a hypothetical press release using our problem statement example from the Customer Problem chapter:

Problem : Today, working professionals don’t have the time or mental energy to shop for groceries and prepare healthy meals.

To define a product that addresses this problem, we’ll write a simplified press release for Amazon Go, the company’s grocery store chain that features no lines and no checkouts. 1

Start your press release with a header that describes what you’re launching and why customers should care. Add a date to set expectations on when you expect the product to launch .

January, 2018 – Get the food you love, then get going with Amazon Go.

The opening paragraph of your press release should focus on the customer problem and the most critical customer benefit that you’re delivering. Your goal is to leave customers excited to read more.

Many working professionals don't have the time or mental energy to shop for groceries and prepare healthy meals. Today, they have to visit their local grocery store after work, wait in line at checkout, and then go home to cook. With Amazon Go, they can walk into a store, grab what they want (including ready-made meals), and just walk out.

A customer quote is a powerful way of describing why customers should care about your product using their language. You can make this up, or even better, get a direct customer quote during beta testing. To create a great quote, imagine how you want the customer to feel and how they would express their delight about your product.

"I went to my local Amazon Go store today." said Jane, a working mom with two kids at home. "I grabbed a few of their pre-made salads and was in and out in less than five minutes. Not having to wait in line at checkout is a game-changer!"

Your press release should describe your product experience in simple terms, so customers understand how to find and use your product .

Here's how Amazon Go works: First, scan the Amazon Go app to enter the store. Then, put away your phone and start shopping. Take whatever you like, and we'll automatically add each item to your in-app shopping cart. Once you have everything you want, you can just walk out, and we'll send you a receipt through your Amazon account.

Close the press release with a call to action on how customers can start using your product now.

Amazon Go is available in Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City, with more locations coming soon. Visit amazon.com/go to find a store near you.

After your press release, list frequently asked questions about your product to help keep your team aligned and to unpack assumptions. A FAQ for Amazon Go can include questions such as: