Putting the 4 Levels of Product Analysis Into Practice: A Halloween-Themed Example

Teresa Torres uses a playful Halloween scenario, planning hot apple cider for neighbors, to illustrate the four levels of product analysis: design, feasibility, feature, and value. Each roadblock the cider plan hits, such as an expensive rum or an apple-allergic neighbor, prompts a different kind of question. The core argument is that product teams should move fluidly between these levels: moving down toward an implementable solution, and moving back up to rethink the approach or the underlying problem when a roadblock appears. This matters because it gives PMs a simple diagnostic for deciding whether a blocker calls for a different design, a different solution, or a reconsideration of whether the problem is worth solving at all.

01Key takeaways

• Distinguish the four questions: design (how to build it), feasibility (can we build this version), feature (is this the right solution), and value (is the problem worth solving).
• When a roadblock appears, identify which level it sits on before deciding whether to abandon the idea.
• A feasibility problem usually means the current design needs changing, not that the goal is wrong.
• A feature problem signals you may have the wrong solution, so test alternatives with the people who have the need.
• A value problem means stepping back to confirm the underlying problem and the value you offer before investing further.
• Move down levels to converge on an implementable solution, and move back up when blocked to explore alternatives.

02Key sections

Design question

The starting point is asking how best to achieve a chosen outcome, here making good apple cider, through research, inspiration, and taste tests. This is the question of how to build the thing.

Feasibility question

When the preferred recipe proves too costly, the question becomes whether it can be made at all, and a feasibility experiment tests whether neighbors will contribute funds. Roadblocks at this level suggest changing the design rather than abandoning the goal.

Feature question

A neighbor's apple allergy challenges whether apple cider is the right solution at all, so a feature test checks whether others share the need or prefer alternatives like hot butter rum. This level questions the solution itself.

Value question

A forecast of 90-degree weather raises whether anyone wants a hot drink, forcing a step back to ask what problem is being solved and what value is delivered. If the value is absent, the effort may not be worth pursuing.

Moving between levels

Analysis is fluid: moving down the levels brings you closer to something implementable, while hitting a roadblock is a signal to move up and explore alternatives rather than quit.

03From the post

“It’s Halloween week! The pumpkins are carved, the candy bowl is full, and the neighborhood is about to be crawling with princesses, ninja turtles, and pirates. You’ve only got one last thing to do before the fun begins. You promised your neighbors hot apple cider - with rum, of”

04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.