Let’s begin by understanding what a product roadmap is.
You can look at a product roadmap like a plan of action of sorts that aligns the organizations short- and long-term goals around the project or the product, with details of how they wish to achieve them.
Well, there are many methods out there for going about with creating a product roadmap.
However, lets go with the most used and the tested one. The double diamond strategy.
The double diamond strategy works as follows:
1. Understanding pain points
This step is the basis of the product journey as it about identifying the problems that the product will solve.
It involves identifying a problem from someone facing the problem and asking questions to understand the problem better.
2. Define problem statement
Defining the problem statement involves combining the answers given with the identified pain points to come up with a specific problem statement.
The problem statement has to be strong and defined to answer any doubts that may arise in the following steps.
3. Define target audience
Here, we identify the user group that could be facing the same problems as those interviewed and create a user persona to understand if the problem is faced by more people.
4. Unstructured thinking for solution
It involves brainstorming about ideas and elements (words, icons, images, drawings, quotes, games, etc.) that relate to the solution of the problem statement.
5. Organized thinking
The point of organized thinking is to maximize the number of ideas of possible solutions without the boundaries of feasibility and practicality.
6. Categorizing
This involves categorizing the solutions based on feasibility, practicality, cost, efficiency, development-time, etc. — This can vary from product to product.
7. Elimination
This step is about eliminating those ideas and solutions that don’t fit in the above-mentioned constraints.
8. Combining
This step is an attempt to combine different potential solutions resulting from the elimination process to come up with a better solution.
9. Prioritizing
Checking if the problem statement is truly being addressed.
10. Low fidelity Wireframing
Low fidelity wireframes include the most basic content and visuals and are usually static. They are often used to help map out the shell of the interface, its screens, and basic information architecture.
In this step, the idea is to create a basic structure of how the digital product will look.
11. Feedback
Feedback,as we all know, is about getting a response from the users of the product. By getting feedback in this step, the designers have a clearer idea of what the users expect from the app and the modifications they will need to make to match those expectations.
12. High fidelity wireframing
High fidelity wireframes are more complete representations of the end product, even with respect to the aesthetics and content. HFW are used to communicate design decisions to the development team before coding the final product.
Furthermore, they help validate complex interactions during Usability testing. These wireframes provide the target audience with realistic representations of what the product will look and feel like, as well as how it will respond to every action.
13. Prototyping
A prototype is a simulation or sample version of a final product, which is used for testing before the launch of the product. The goal of a prototype is to test the product and its functionalities before the software development phase.
14. Usability testing
Usability testing involves taking the prototype to the target audience and stakeholders to get feedback.
This feedback is crucial because it based on the first-hand experience of the two entities which helps in the steps that follow.
15. Updation
Updation involves taking feedback from usability testing and incorporating it into the prototype.
Points 13, 14, and 15, form a loop.
16. Production
This involves the final production of the product after the updation process.
17. Delivery
Alas, the product is ready to be delivered!
