Product teardown is a comprehensive deconstruction of a product to understand its inner workings, identify the thought process behind its design, and reason why the product is built the way it was. Teardowns can help product managers solve complex business challenges, identify gaps in the solution, and improve their product for all its stakeholders.
To create a useful product teardown, you need to look at the product from the perspective of different stakeholders (not limited to):
- Customer/User’s perspective (most important)
- Organization/Leaders perspective
- Product manager’s perspective (you)
When you look at the product from a customer’s perspective, ask (not limited to):
- Who is my customer?
- What is the customer’s pain point?
- What is the customer’s journey in the product?
- How does the product solve for these pain points?
- Are there any gaps in the solution offered?
When you look at the product from an organization’s perspective, ask (not limited to):
- What is the organization’s priority?
- How does my priority translate into a north-star metric?
- How does the organization capture value from the solution offered?
- How is the organization positioned in the current industry? How does the organization differentiate using its products?
When you look at the product from a product manager’s perspective, ask (not limited to):
- What are the gaps in the solutions offered?
- Do these gaps need to be addressed? Why?
- What solutions can address these gaps?
- Why are these solutions the best way to solve the concerned unmet need?
- How should I prioritize building these solutions?
Bring all these perspectives together in a presentation that comprehensively demonstrates user empathy, understanding of key metrics, and relatable, memorable storytelling. Wireframes of products (in Balsamiq/Figma) can help in this process.
You may also take part in the Product Challenge 2022, brought to you by the ProdMan Club Of IIM Ahmedabad and InsideIIM.