Trusting Your Gut: The Power of Instinct in Product Management

The Value of Instinct in Product Management

In the world of product management, there's often a strong emphasis on being data-driven. However, experienced product leaders know that trusting your instincts can be just as valuable as relying on data alone. Larry Robinson, CPO of Bright Plan and former Salesforce executive, shares his insights on why product managers should hone their creative instincts and learn to trust their gut.

Balancing Data and Intuition

While data is undoubtedly valuable for testing and proving hypotheses, Robinson argues that instinct or gut feeling plays a crucial role in product development. He notes that many product managers, especially those with rigorous analytical backgrounds, can fall into the trap of being overly data-driven at the expense of imagination and creativity.

Robinson explains: "I've come to realize and trust a little bit. It took me years to begin to trust my own instinct in figuring out that one needs to kind of blend data with a personal vision or a personal instinct. And sometimes you get that wrong and then you just have to accept that that was a learning experience and move on."

He encourages product managers to develop their creative instincts and tap into their imagination - or as Walt Disney called it, "imagineering" - to figure out what truly resonates and feels compelling.

The Power of Quick Judgments

When it comes to making decisions, especially in areas like hiring, Robinson emphasizes the value of trusting your initial impressions. He references Malcolm Gladwell's concept of "thin-slicing" from the book Blink, which describes the ability to make quick judgments based on limited information.

Robinson shares an example from his time at Salesforce, where they streamlined their hiring process to include a presentation-style interview. This allowed them to assess candidates' soft skills like storytelling, adaptability, and ability to engage an audience - all crucial for product managers. Often, he could tell within the first 5 minutes whether a candidate was a good fit.

"You need to trust your instinct. It's there for a reason," Robinson advises. While it's important to gather data and conduct thorough evaluations, sometimes that initial gut feeling can be remarkably accurate.

Prototyping to Validate Ideas

When it comes to pursuing new product ideas, Robinson advocates for rapid prototyping as a way to validate concepts and generate excitement. He shares two examples from his career:

1. Reimagining the Service Cloud Interface

While at Salesforce, Robinson's team built a prototype for a multi-record interface for the Service Cloud, designed to improve efficiency for high-volume customer service environments. This prototype, which departed from Salesforce's traditional single-record view, was so compelling that it led to an overhaul of the entire UI.

"A picture is worth a million words in the software industry," Robinson notes. "If you can demonstrate what it is you're imagining in a way that people go 'that is awesome, we need that' - that's powerful."

2. Innovating in Social Customer Service

When Twitter was emerging as a customer service channel, one of Robinson's product managers was passionate about integrating it into their platform. Rather than conducting extensive market research, they hired a small consulting group to build a prototype using Salesforce's platform.

This prototype caught the attention of KLM airlines, who were eager to implement social customer service. The success of this "minimum viable product" led Salesforce to invest more heavily in social service channels, eventually integrating them into their core offering.

These examples illustrate how a compelling prototype can often be more persuasive than spreadsheets or market research alone.

Rethinking Traditional Approaches

Robinson's experience at Bright Plan, a financial wellness platform, showcases how questioning industry norms can lead to innovative solutions. While most competitors in the financial planning space approached the market from a traditional investment advisory perspective, Robinson's team took a software-first approach.

"We said, gosh, fundamentally, couldn't we do it all in software?" Robinson explains. "Can we digitize financial planning? Can we flip the equation where the product does the planning?"

This novel approach allowed Bright Plan to differentiate itself in the market and create a new category within financial wellness. While it was a risky move that went against conventional wisdom, it positioned the company as an innovator and thought leader in the space.

The Challenges of Simplification

One of the most difficult aspects of product management is knowing when to simplify and when to allow for customization. Robinson shares an example from Bright Plan's budgeting feature, where they made the controversial decision to limit users to just 12 predefined budget categories.

"People start in January with a New Year's resolution that they're going to build a budget and then they over-complicate their budget and by April they're so frustrated they give up," Robinson explains. "That was my premise. And I said, what if we take out all the configuration and make it super simple?"

This approach was met with mixed reactions. Some users loved the simplicity, while others (whom Robinson calls "tinkerers") were frustrated by the lack of customization options. However, Robinson stood firm in his belief that excessive tinkering often leads to complexity and ultimately, failure.

"I wanted to make sure that it was really valuable and not just something I'm used to tinkering," he says. "Philosophically I thought that tinkering led to complexity which led to failure. And I wanted it to be simple and I didn't want my personal budget to be like a company budget."

This example highlights the delicate balance product managers must strike between simplicity and flexibility, and the importance of standing behind your convictions even when faced with initial user resistance.

Guiding Users Through Innovation

When introducing truly innovative products or features, it's crucial to carefully guide users through the new experience. Robinson and the podcast host discuss how companies like Superhuman have succeeded by "arresting the attention" of users and forcing them to engage with new paradigms (like keyboard shortcuts) during onboarding.

This approach recognizes that users may initially resist change, even if the new solution is objectively better. As Robinson points out, "Human beings, once we learn something and repeat and repeat in our minds, it becomes natural. So when you show somebody new that product, they go 'my gosh, this is a terrible interface.' But the person who's learned to use it has forgotten that experience."

The key takeaway is that the more innovative your solution, the more guided you need to make the user's journey towards adoption. This may involve:

1. Mandatory onboarding experiences
2. Limiting initial customization options
3. Gradually introducing more advanced features over time
4. Potentially involving sales or customer success teams to explain the new paradigm

The Limitations of A/B Testing for Innovation

While A/B testing is a valuable tool for optimization, it has limitations when it comes to truly innovative products. The podcast discussion highlights how users' initial resistance to change can skew short-term test results, even if the new solution has much higher long-term potential.

Robinson gives the example of Microsoft Office's UI overhaul in 2003, which initially faced user resistance but ultimately proved successful. This illustrates why product managers shouldn't always rely on short-term metrics when evaluating potentially game-changing innovations.

Embracing the Art of Product Management

As product leaders gain experience, they often realize that high-level product decisions are less data-driven than they initially assumed. Robinson and the host discuss how board-level conversations about product strategy often focus on aspirational goals and emotions rather than granular metrics.

This underscores the importance of developing and trusting your product instincts. As Robinson puts it, "If you cannot imagine the success of a product, if you cannot imagine the good outcome of something, then the little optimization that you're going to do on the side just because you want to be safe is definitely not going to cut it."

Key Takeaways for Product Managers

1. Trust your instincts: While data is important, don't underestimate the value of your gut feelings and creative intuition.

2. Prototype to persuade: Building a compelling visual prototype can often be more effective than spreadsheets and market research in gaining support for your ideas.

3. Question industry norms: Don't be afraid to challenge conventional wisdom and approach problems from a fresh perspective.

4. Balance simplicity and flexibility: Sometimes, limiting options can lead to a better user experience, even if some users initially resist.

5. Guide users through innovation: When introducing paradigm-shifting products, carefully design the onboarding experience to help users adapt.

6. Look beyond short-term metrics: A/B tests and initial user feedback may not capture the full potential of truly innovative solutions.

7. Develop your product vision: As you gain experience, focus on honing your ability to imagine and articulate compelling product visions.

By embracing both data and instinct, product managers can drive meaningful innovation and create products that truly resonate with users. As Larry Robinson's experiences demonstrate, sometimes the most impactful product decisions come from trusting your gut and having the courage to pursue bold ideas.

Article created from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8j_Mx6IX6s