Apple Music fmr VP on Product Design (Part 2)
As product leaders, we’re all competing for attention within the same audiences. Creating a strategic edge is the defining feature that helps our product design stand out from the crowd. For me, the best way to create your edge is through storytelling.
Most people like hearing stories – just think about the popularity of podcasts. It’s a very engaging form of communication and most importantly, it builds trust between people. When you think about building trust with a product, this grabs people’s attention and gets you to stand out from the rest of the “noise.”
Through storytelling, you can make trust the strategic edge for your product. As a result, the focus turns from being purely data-driven to building a narrative that connects with people.
Every organization has a slightly different definition for product and which departments are involved. For example, sometimes you have product and design working together – and you may have marketing or engineering mixed in as well. For me, product is defined by combining a story with a promise.
Once you have created a story, the promise comes from delivering a value that resonates with your customers. Said differently, your promise needs to make the use of your product worthwhile and enjoyable.
In the end, these attributes are not guided by data or analytics. Your story and promise are guided by your intuition – which ultimately connects your product to more people.