Unveiling Box’s Developer-Focused Product Management Approach
Welcome to the core of technology’s evolution, where the essential role of product management takes center stage in the development journey. In this exploration of Box’s developer platform, as a Senior Product Manager for Box Developer Platform I’d like to demystify the practical significance of product management, particularly in the critical discovery phase. Join me as I pull back the curtain, revealing the behind-the-scenes orchestration of building the Box developer Platform that seamlessly aligns with the evolving needs of our users.
Understanding Developer Needs
At the core of effective product management lies the pivotal task of ensuring alignment with the needs of both our customers and the business. Without a profound understanding of our audience and the diverse personas within it, building a product with confidence remains an elusive goal. In our team’s continuous pursuit of this understanding, years of meticulous research have spotlighted three foundational use cases for Box Platform: automation, integration, and custom experience portals.
To delve even deeper into the intricacies of our user base, the Developer Relations team has undertaken a series of comprehensive user interviews. These sessions aim to unravel the specifics of each persona utilizing the platform, shedding light on the unique challenges encountered by individuals in different roles. From this exploration, five predominant personas have emerged as the backbone of Box’s diverse user base, transcending specific use cases:
- Enterprise Developers
- Citizen Developers
- Integrators
- Decision Makers
- Technical Users
Our commitment to comprehensive insights extends beyond qualitative interviews. Annually, we conduct a thorough survey that meticulously assesses every facet of the Developer Platform. From scrutinizing SDKs and APIs to delving into Developer documentation and beyond, this survey reaches a broad audience of our customers. The invaluable responses obtained serve as a compass, offering a panoramic view that guides us in identifying areas for further in-depth user interviews.
In the subsequent section, we will intricately explore our approach to surveys and user interviews, shedding light on the methodologies employed to glean meaningful insights and ensure the continued evolution of the Box Developer Platform.
User Feedback
As our understanding of customers and users deepens, we embark on the journey of building products and shaping our product roadmap. Before immersing ourselves in the extensive development process, we prioritize a validation of our hypotheses through a crucial mechanism — user feedback. Our approach encompasses a spectrum of methods, including user interviews, UX prototype testing sessions, new product demos, and engagement with the Platform Advisory Board.
1. Validating Hypotheses through User Research
Prior to committing substantial resources to any initiative, we initiate user research to validate our initial hypotheses and affirm the identified problem statement. This involves in-depth user interviews with selected customers or engaging with Box customer advisory boards and the Platform Advisory Board. In a recent instance, our product manager facilitated a Platform Advisory Board meeting, sparking a detailed discussion about AI use cases and envisioning the AI experience for Box developers.
2. UX Prototype Testing Sessions
An unconventional yet effective method involves UX prototype testing sessions. Here, we share early feature designs with end users, aiming to uncover any confusions or ambiguities in our designs. This collaborative approach allows us to refine and clarify designs, mitigating potential user experience issues early in the process, thus avoiding costly development cycles.
3. Live Demo Sessions for Feature Introduction
Complementing our feedback mechanisms, the product team conducts live demo sessions to introduce new features. This serves as an opportunity to explain the functionality and address queries directly from customers. For instance, before the general availability of Platform insights, we conducted five sessions with customers, providing a walkthrough of new dashboards and elucidating specific chart details. The feedback received, particularly regarding the source and logic for underlying data, was subsequently incorporated into our product documentation.
We utilize UserVoice to collect, organize, and prioritize product feedback. Acting as a central repository for product ideas from our customers, UserVoice enables users to share, gather support, and vote on ideas. It provides product teams with insights into the most upvoted and requested features, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of user priorities and preferences.
In adopting these diverse approaches to user feedback, we ensure a comprehensive and iterative validation process that not only refines our products but also enhances the overall user experience.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
A significant advantage for the Platform product team lies in the active engagement of internal stakeholders who use the Box developer platform daily. This includes teams such as Box Consulting, the Box Platform support team, Platform Solution Engineers, and the Developer Relations team, among others. The participation of Box employees as users of the product internally not only shortens the feedback cycle but also serves as an invaluable source of initial insights into specific problems, offering opinions on prioritization.
For instance, the cross-functional collaboration played a pivotal role in the SDK team’s development of the new generation of SDKs (Python and Typescript). Early feedback from internal stakeholders was sought before initiating a public beta program. Similarly, the collaboration between Box Consulting and Platform Solution Engineers proved instrumental in identifying customers with similar challenges, streamlining the feature impact assessment during the roadmapping phase. This close collaboration extends its benefits to cross-functional teams by providing insights into the product roadmap and offering specific details on how various products can be effectively utilized, such as advanced commands in the Box CLI.
An illustrative example of successful cross-functional collaboration involves the development of Box CLI sample scripts. Input from the field highlighted a recurring use case for Box CLI, prompting the decision to formalize and integrate it into the product. This initiative resulted in a significant number of customers adopting Box CLI, simplifying the initial onboarding process and reducing barriers to getting started.
Market Research Insights
A critical facet of the discovery phase is delving into market and industry research. This extends beyond exploring other developer platforms within the same industry; it encompasses investigating how seemingly unrelated companies approach similar challenges.
Market research proves instrumental in various ways, from identifying emerging trends to uncovering best practices in implementing specific features. For instance, in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), examining how diverse companies across industries implement AI can offer valuable insights. Given the inherent uncertainty in users’ understanding of how AI fits into their daily routines, market research becomes a treasure trove of inspiration.
Conversely, when you have a specific concept in mind, market research provides a means to explore how similar features are implemented elsewhere. Take, for example, our exploration of Public API versioning at Box. Engaging in market research allowed us to examine approaches taken by other companies in versioning their APIs, determining periods of support for old versions, and understanding the user experience with multiple API versions. This exploration unveiled diverse practices, such as Salesforce releasing a new API version every quarter and supporting previous versions for three years, in contrast to practices in the financial industry where the discontinuation of older API versions is less common.
In essence, market research serves as a rich source of best practices and a means to identify emerging trends that can be leveraged in product development. When conducting such research, it is crucial to cast a wide net, encompassing companies beyond your immediate industry. This broad perspective ensures a diverse and comprehensive understanding that can fuel innovative solutions.
Existing Challenges in the Discovery Phase
While the discovery phase holds immense potential, it comes with its set of challenges. Foremost among them is the inherent dichotomy: while developers are the primary users of the developer platform, our initial contacts often lie with decision-makers or Box Administrators through Customer Success Managers or account teams. This disconnect can lengthen the process of identifying the right individuals for user research, prompting us to explore alternative avenues as mentioned earlier in the discovery process.
Navigating this challenge requires a nuanced approach, and we’ve implemented innovative solutions to overcome these hurdles. For instance, our reliance on tools such as market research and Customer Advisory boards serves as a bridge, allowing us to glean valuable insights even when direct contact with developers proves intricate.
In summary, the challenges encountered during the discovery phase prompt us to continuously refine our strategies and leverage a combination of tools to better understand our users. The pursuit of building a remarkable product remains at the forefront, despite the intricacies involved in aligning with the diverse needs of our developer community.
Now, turning the conversation to you: What techniques do you find most effective in your discovery process?
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