1. Stay true to your original aspirations, and stay open-minded.
Why did you become a product manager? What was your initial dream when you first started working on the product you had in your hands? There are so many temptations and so many things that can make you swell with pride on this product path. It's important to stick to doing the right thing, and your original intention matters. When faced with choices, you might as well ask yourself why you wanted to make products in the first place.
2. Keep it simple for the user, and keep it simple for yourself too.
To give users the best experience, we should keep things simple for them, making our products as easy to use as possible. But at the same time, we also need to keep things simple for ourselves, not letting tedious details and complex logic cloud our thinking and judgment. Just like Steve Jobs said, "Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.”
3. Get to the root of the problem and solve it, instead of doing patch-up design.
Getting to the root of the problem is key to any effective solution. When designing and developing products or services, it’s easy to fall into the trap of “patchwork” design, where you only address challenges by fixing existing problems while ignoring their root causes. This approach can lead to a lack of long-term solutions and repeated repair work.
4. Products should be equal to users, and products should also have personality.
When we talk about products, we usually see them as tools or interfaces. However, we should realize that products can also have personality traits. Just like people, products have their own way of thinking and behaving, and can build connections and emotional resonance with users. They should also be treated equally.
5. Control your desires, avoid over-designing, and don't gild the lily.
In product design, over-pursuing perfection and the desire to control often lead to over-engineering. Designers should clearly define their goals and user needs, keep their desires in check, and avoid over-designing products. Moderate design provides a comfortable user experience, while excessive design can make users feel confused and uncomfortable.
6. Focus on the user, emphasizing user experience and product reputation.
In product design, we should always be user-centric, focusing on user experience and product reputation – these are key to product success. Therefore, designers should deeply understand user needs and behaviors, providing product features and designs that meet their expectations. By continuously enhancing user satisfaction and loyalty, we can achieve the long-term, stable development of the product.
7. Be brave enough to admit failure, brave enough to take features offline.
Product design isn't a one-off task, but rather a continuous process of optimization and improvement. Therefore, we need to constantly monitor and evaluate product performance, and quickly identify problems and flaws. If a certain feature doesn't meet user needs, we should be brave enough to admit failure, and promptly remove or adjust it to avoid wasting users' time and energy.