# Product & Design > Distilled from [[Product & Design Fundamentals]] ## When to use Activate when working on product discovery, design reviews, prioritization, roadmap planning, or evaluating product-market fit. ## Rubric — five product capabilities ### 1. Keeper of the vision Articulate why the product needs to exist. Use this vision template: - For *(target customer)* who *(statement of need/opportunity)* - The *(product name)* is a *(product category)* - That *(key benefit, compelling reason to buy)* - Unlike *(primary competitive alternative)* - Our product *(statement of primary differentiation)* ### 2. Strong product intuition Intuition is compressed experience (Thomas Davenport). It adds value to user research and design — it doesn't replace them. Build intuition through direct exposure to users, competitive products, and adjacent markets. ### 3. User-centered design Understand user pain points, prototype solutions, validate assumptions. Use the Double Diamond (diverge → converge → diverge → converge). Consider Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics. ### 4. Instrument and iterate Measure success through both quantitative and qualitative signals. Test product-market fit rigorously (Superhuman's PMF framework). Don't ship and forget. ### 5. Outcomes over outputs Prioritize what the product achieves, not what it ships. Use OKRs, Working Backwards (Amazon PR/FAQ), or GIST framework. Avoid MoSCoW unless the org requires it. ## Key frameworks for prioritization - **RICE** — Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort - **Kano model** — Must-be, One-dimensional, Attractive, Indifferent, Reverse - **BLAC** — Blatant, Latent, Aspirational, Critical (Skok's value proposition) - **Mission command** — set clear intent, let teams decide how to execute ## Four big risks (Marty Cagan / SVPG) 1. **Value risk** — will customers buy it or choose to use it? 2. **Usability risk** — can users figure out how to use it? 3. **Feasibility risk** — can engineering build it with available time, skills, technology? 4. **Business viability risk** — does it work for the business? ## Actions - When reviewing a product proposal, check that all four risks are addressed. - When prioritizing, require the PM to state which framework they're using and why. - Always ask: are we optimizing for outcomes or outputs?