How to actually ‘work backwards’

Build your next product by working backwards.

Photo by Monty Allen on Unsplash

Working Backwards is an approach to product development made popular by Amazon. This process can be applied for any new product, service, or feature. Putting this idea into practice requires starting with the customer, think big, and focus on the riskiest assumption upfront.

Start with the customer

Working backward always starts with the customer and thinking through the benefits you can provide them. Be default, customers are not likely to care about a new product or solution. You should be able to clearly and simply articulate the compelling value that customers will receive and why they should try this new solution. Focus on who you are building for, what problem they have, and how the current options available to them are falling short.

“As we have tried to come up with a strategy and a vision for Apple, it started with ‘What incredible benefits can we give to the customer? Where can we take the customer?’” — Steve Jobs, 1997

Think Big

Is this idea big enough to be meaningful to the business? While your initial solution may not be big, you should be able to articulate a path to drive towards that massive customer benefit and how that will impact the business. There’s a reason this is one of Amazon’s Leadership Principles — “Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results.”

Focus on the riskiest assumptions first

The Inverted Pyramid via https://www.nngroup.com/

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