If the United Kingdom were a product, is it time to pivot?
Like a lot of people, I’m a bit shocked by the result of the EU referendum. This post, however, isn’t about whether the result is a good or bad thing – some voted remain for reasons, more voted leave for reasons – but about what we do next.
In one Facebook comment I read about what to do next (can’t remember where, I’ve read far too many comments than is healthy in the last 24 hours) I saw someone write “pivot?”. (They meant the lean startup pivot, not that pivot) This made me think it could be useful to frame the question of what happens next in product management terms. Since, well, that’s what I know and it’s pretty clear that we have a bunch of problems to fix. And product managers, we eat problems for breakfast right? It’s what we do, we’re problem solvers, and there are a lot that need solving.
Can we compare the UK to a product?
On the face of it, calling a country (sorry, group of countries. For now at least) a product is overly simplistic. I accept it’s a stretch. But then again, it has users (population), revenue (taxes), competition (other countries) and a marketplace. Also, the person who runs it is called the PM 😉
For the sake of argument, let’s assume we can.
The problems
Ok, where to start here. This list is not exhaustive…
Just over half your users have told you that they want a major upgrade. So you have to listen to them. And do what they want.
Just under half were (mostly) happy with the way things were. But you can’t lose them as users, as in revenue terms, they’re worth more in taxes.
Either way, your NPS is through the floor.
Demographic data shows a massive difference in opinion based on income and location. (simple solution, just geo-locate the user and change the law based on where they live. Yeah, ok, that won’t work).
You’ve tried to communicate the benefits of not making any major changes, but your message didn’t cut through.
That’s enough problems to start with, what about the needs.
What do the UK ‘users’ need?
To be listened to, by the people that make decisions (that’s the PM and their ‘product' team)
Before being listened to, being asked what they needed and cared about. Clearly no one had done enough on-the-ground UX research to understand the prevailing mood of the ‘users’
More jobs (ability to earn revenue)
More control (whatever that means)
More investment in the local services they use
Fewer new users (immigration)
What should the PM do about it?
I’m not going to be arrogant enough to suggest I have the answer. But from a product perspective, what would you do? I can think of a few things:
- Listen to your users
I think this is fairly obvious. A hallmark of most great products, woefully lacking here.
- Double down on the features your users like most
The NHS. Schools. Playgrounds?
- Diversify your income stream
More and higher taxes won’t really help, not long term. What other ways can you raise money to fund the above?
- Get a great sales team
Biz Dev is never going to be as needed as when renegotiating all those pan European trade deals…
- Kill some features your users don’t like (but you might)
Proportional representation anyone?
- Invest in user education
You told your users which was the best choice. They didn’t listen, that’s as much about your education system as the message. Ok, the message was crap too, which leads me to…
- Get some better marketing
One side had a message that cut through. The other didn’t. You’ve got to sell the benefits of your product, not focus on the negatives of not using it.
- Pivot
So, back to the title. What does pivot even mean in this context? The U.K. has in the past seen many industries like coal, manufacturing and, more recently, steel collapse, leaving mass unemployment and (clearly) disenfranchisement with the political and socio-economic systems that they are let with. We can’t rely on the old way of doing things. But what is the new way? And how do we equip people to make the most of a new way?
Personally, I’d love the digital economy to become a new cornerstone of the British economy. I’m fully aware that this might be a London-centric disconnect from the rest of the country that’s part of the problem. Plus, so many of the areas that voted leave don’t have a the fundamental requirement for any digital economy – fast internet. Equally, many of them will have it better than my fibre and cable-free corner of south east London, so its not solely an infrastructure issue. The large issue of a digital skills gap, a distrust of the Internet and education curriculum short on technology don’t exactly help. But initiatives like doteveryone show that there is hope.
Will millennials provide the solution?
I don’t know. I hope so. This is not a simple problem, and there isn’t a simple solution. It will take time, but I would hope that whoever calls the shots starts to apply more ‘product thinking’ to politics. And whilst a PM can be product manager and prime minister, I would hope that another of our product acronyms – MVP (minimal viable product) – doesn’t get bastardised into an MVP of minimal viable politics.
It’s time for a strong product leader with a strong product team to fix the broken product of the U.K. Whoever that is, it’s incumbent on the rest of us to take our hopes for a better future and not leave them as hopes, but do our best to make them real.
