By Marty Cagan · svpg.com · LinkedIn
Marty Cagan argues that the coming decade will be among the most productive for product innovation. He points to four converging forces: ubiquitous connected mobile devices, powerful platforms that give apps instant reach, very low costs to test ideas (including cheap global talent), and mature techniques for rapidly exploring and validating ideas. He expects startups to remain the main engine of innovation, with venture capitalists valued more for expertise and introductions than money. He also sees large companies that embrace change, rather than defend the status quo, as able to innovate while managing risk to existing revenue. The piece matters as an early framing of why product work is entering an era of unusual opportunity.
01Key takeaways
- Treat the current wave of cheap, connected devices and platforms as an opening to build and reach users quickly.
- Validate ideas with lightweight prototypes before committing large budgets or long timelines.
- Use modern discovery and testing techniques to find pivots and optimize design faster.
- Large organizations can innovate by isolating new explorations from the core business to protect existing revenue.
- Expect investors to add value through expertise and introductions as much as capital.
02Key sections
- Why now: the devices
- Connected, location-aware mobile devices reached a critical mass worldwide, and tablets are expected to open a new class of applications.
- Platforms that amplify reach
- Major platforms let a good application grow to millions of users quickly, giving product teams reach never seen before.
- Collapsing up-front costs
- Tools and global talent marketplaces mean an idea can move from concept to live prototype for a modest sum, changing the role of VCs.
- Better techniques for testing ideas
- Newer methods for rapid exploration, pivoting, and design optimization let teams prove or improve ideas faster than before.
- Innovation inside large companies
- Incumbents that resist change will decline, but those that adopt new approaches can explore ideas cheaply without risking current revenue.
03From the post
“A partnership dedicated to teaching best practices to product teams and product leaders”
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.