The degree to which a product or system can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in a specified context of use. Essential for creating products that are easy to use and meet user needs effectively.
A graphical representation of the distribution of numerical data, typically showing the frequency of data points in successive intervals. Important for analyzing and interpreting data distributions, aiding in decision-making and optimization in product design.
The process of anticipating future developments to ensure that a product or system remains relevant and functional over time. Essential for designing durable and adaptable products.
A usability test to see what impression users get within the first 10 seconds of interacting with a product or page. Important for designers to quickly gauge initial user impressions and improve immediate engagement.
A cognitive bias where people disproportionately prefer smaller, immediate rewards over larger, later rewards. Important for understanding and designing around user decision-making and reward structures.
The practicality of implementing a solution based on technical constraints and capabilities. Crucial for evaluating the viability of design and development projects.
A business culture that prioritizes product development and innovation as the key drivers of growth and success, often involving cross-functional collaboration. Crucial for fostering innovation and ensuring that product development is aligned with business objectives.
A usability testing method that measures the first click users make on a webpage to determine if they can successfully navigate to their goal. Essential for evaluating and improving the navigational structure of a website.
New Product Development (NPD) is the complete process of bringing a new product to market, from idea generation to commercialization. Essential for companies to innovate, stay competitive, and meet evolving customer needs through a structured approach to creating and launching new offerings.
A moment of significant change in a process or system, where the direction of growth, performance, or trend shifts markedly. Important for recognizing critical transitions in design or business strategies, enabling timely adjustments and informed decision-making.
A structured routine for continuous improvement based on a scientific approach to problem-solving and process optimization. Crucial for fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within product design teams.
Visual cues or instructions integrated into an interface to guide users on how to use certain features or functionalities. Important for improving user onboarding and enhancing the user experience.
A step-by-step guide that helps users complete a complex task by breaking it down into manageable steps. Crucial for improving usability and ensuring users can successfully complete multi-step processes.
A principle stating that as investment in a single area increases, the rate of return on that investment eventually decreases. Important for understanding and optimizing resource allocation in product design and development.
A qualitative research method where a small group of people discuss a product, service, or concept to gather diverse insights and opinions. Important for gaining in-depth understanding of user perceptions and needs.
A strategy or plan that outlines how a company will launch a product to market, including target audience, marketing tactics, and sales strategy. Essential for successfully launching products and capturing market share.
The evaluation of products based on their ability to influence and shape user behavior. Useful for assessing how well a product guides and influences user actions and decisions.
A psychological phenomenon where people do something primarily because others are doing it. Important for understanding social influences on user behavior and trends.
A document that defines the functionality, behavior, and features of a system or component. Important for providing clear requirements and expectations for product design and development teams, ensuring alignment and successful project outcomes.
Product Development is the process of bringing a new product to market or improving an existing one. Crucial for innovation, meeting customer needs, and maintaining a competitive edge.
Features or elements added to enhance the functionality or user experience of a system. Crucial for improving user engagement and satisfaction by adding valuable enhancements.
A cognitive bias where individuals give stronger weight to payoffs that are closer to the present time compared to those in the future. Important for understanding user time-related decision-making and designing systems that encourage long-term thinking.
A situation in which an individual is unable to make a decision due to the overwhelming number of options available. Important for designing interfaces that streamline decision-making processes for users.
A method used to create detailed narratives of potential future events to explore and understand possible outcomes and inform decision-making. Essential for strategic planning and anticipating the impact of different decisions or changes.
Proof of Concept (PoC) is a demonstration, usually in the form of a prototype or pilot project, to verify that a concept or theory has practical potential. Crucial for validating ideas, demonstrating feasibility, and securing support for further development in product design and innovation processes.
The process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential threats that could impact the success of a digital product, including usability issues, technical failures, and user data security. Essential for maintaining product reliability, user satisfaction, and data protection, while minimizing the impact of potential design and development challenges.
Metrics that may look impressive but do not provide meaningful insights into the success or performance of a product or business, such as total page views or social media likes. Important for distinguishing between metrics that drive real business value and those that do not.
A psychological state where individuals feel as though the success and well-being of a project or task is their personal responsibility, akin to having an "owner's mentality.". Essential for fostering accountability, motivation, and proactive engagement within a product design team.
The practice of using data analytics and metrics to make informed decisions, focusing on measurable outcomes and efficiency rather than intuition or traditional methods. Important for optimizing design processes, improving product performance, and making data-driven decisions that enhance user experience and business success.
A cognitive bias where individuals underestimate the time, costs, and risks of future actions while overestimating the benefits. Important for realistic project planning and setting achievable goals for designers.
The risk that the product will not be financially or strategically sustainable for the business, potentially leading to a lack of support or profitability. Essential for ensuring that the product aligns with business goals and can be maintained and supported long-term.
A theory that describes how individuals pursue goals using either a promotion focus (seeking gains) or a prevention focus (avoiding losses). Crucial for designing motivation strategies and understanding user behavior in goal pursuit.
A mindset and approach that embodies the entrepreneurial spirit, passion for improvement, and deep sense of ownership typically associated with a company's founders. Essential for maintaining agility, innovation, and customer-centricity as organizations grow and mature.
A metric that predicts how well a specific page will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs). Important for understanding and improving a webpage's search engine performance.
The use of AI and advanced analytics to divide users into meaningful segments based on behavior and characteristics. Crucial for personalized marketing and improving user experience.
An economic approach that treats human attention as a scarce commodity, focusing on capturing and retaining user attention. Crucial for understanding user engagement and designing products that effectively capture and retain attention.
The study of how new ideas, products, and processes are developed and brought to market. Essential for fostering creativity and ensuring the continuous improvement and relevance of products.
The systematic approach to managing innovation processes, from idea generation to implementation. Crucial for effectively harnessing creativity and ensuring successful innovation outcomes.
A detailed description of a system's behavior as it responds to a request from one of its stakeholders, often used to capture functional requirements. Essential for understanding and documenting how users will interact with a system to achieve their goals.
An organizational environment that encourages and supports creative thinking, risk-taking, and the pursuit of new ideas. Essential for fostering continuous improvement and breakthrough advancements.
The systematic computational analysis of data or statistics to understand and improve business performance. Essential for data-driven decision making in design, product management, and marketing.
The process of making small, continuous improvements to products, services, or processes over time. Important for sustaining growth and maintaining competitiveness through ongoing improvements.
The emotional attachment an employee feels toward their organization, which influences their desire to stay. Useful for understanding employee retention and motivation in organizational design and management.
Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a version of a product with just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development. Essential for validating product ideas quickly and cost-effectively, allowing teams to learn about customer needs without fully developing the product.
A usability evaluation method where evaluators walk through tasks to identify potential user difficulties. Essential for improving user interfaces and ensuring usability.
A tool used during brainstorming sessions to prompt and inspire creative thinking, often containing questions, scenarios, or constraints. Useful for facilitating structured ideation sessions and sparking new ideas.
A document that provides a high-level overview of a product, including its objectives, target market, key features, and requirements, used to guide development efforts. Essential for ensuring that all stakeholders have a clear and consistent understanding of the product.
The level of awareness or popularity a product or brand has among consumers. Essential for understanding brand perception and guiding marketing and product design strategies to enhance visibility and user adoption.
Lifetime Value (LTV) is a metric that estimates the total revenue a business can expect from a single customer account throughout their relationship. Crucial for informing customer acquisition strategies, retention efforts, and overall business planning by providing insights into long-term customer profitability.
Also known as feature creep, the continuous addition of new features to a product, often beyond the original scope, leading to project delays and resource strain. Important for managing project scope and ensuring timely delivery.
A pattern of rapid and sustained growth after a period of linear or stagnant growth, resembling the shape of a hockey stick. Crucial for understanding and planning for rapid expansion phases in digital product lifecycle and business strategy.
The practice of identifying and analyzing search terms that users enter into search engines, used to inform content strategy and SEO. Essential for understanding user intent and optimizing content to meet search demand.
An economic theory that explains why some necessities, such as water, are less expensive than non-essentials, like diamonds, despite their greater utility. Useful for understanding consumer behavior and designing pricing strategies.
Product Strategy is a framework that outlines how a product will achieve its business goals and satisfy customer needs. Crucial for guiding product development, prioritizing features, and aligning the team around a clear vision.
Software Requirements Specification (SRS) is a detailed document that outlines the functional and non-functional requirements of a software system. Crucial for ensuring clear communication and understanding between stakeholders and the development team.
A framework that defines how an organization operates across various functions to deliver value to customers and achieve business objectives. Crucial for aligning organizational functions and processes with strategic goals.
A concise statement of what the team aims to achieve during a sprint, providing direction and a shared understanding of the sprint's purpose. Crucial for ensuring team alignment and focus on the most important outcomes during a sprint.
The tendency for individuals to put in less effort when working in a group compared to when working alone, due to reduced accountability. Crucial for understanding group dynamics and designing systems that ensure individual accountability.
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) Goals are a framework for setting and achieving clear objectives. Essential for setting clear and actionable objectives in personal and professional contexts.
A group of stakeholders that regularly meet to discuss and guide the development and strategy of a product or product line. Crucial for ensuring diverse input and alignment on product strategy and decisions.