I just got back from a trip to New York for a trade show. For those of you who have had the pleasure of staying in Manhattan on a restricted budget ($400+ for a room that in most places would qualify as a moderately-sized closet), my hotel was actually not too bad (it was still minuscule, but tastefully appointed and comfortable). As with most hotels, mine was stocked with a couple of local interest magazines that tell patrons what’s going on that month or what restaurants/shows/museums/stores to see while they are in town. While perusing one of them, I stumbled upon an advertisement at the back of the magazine for a gym. Most ads for gyms focus on the form and physique of some beef cake (male or female), but this one highlighted the equipment (although the ad does contain a rather lithe female figure).
What caught my attention was the design of the machine. At first glance, it looks like your standard, multi-exercise weight machine, but upon further inspection, it is clearly designed to be different. The machine, known as Gyrotonic Expansion System (GXS) was created by Juliu Horvath, a ballet dancer who was looking for a way to recooperate from repeated injuries. Along the way, he developed a set of routines called Gyrokenesis (and ultimately, the GXS) that offered similar benefits as yoga, dance, gymnastics, swimming and tai chi.
What’s novel about the GXS is that it is designed around the fluid movements of dancers. It is specifically designed to mimic the motions and body usage of dance. Even the look of the machine is much more organic than the typical weight machine or even pilates machines. It’s made primarily of wood instead of metal or plastics and it even mimics the look of a dancer.
This is obviously a product that has a specific user in mind and was designed to appeal to that user. All products should have a specific user in mind. Otherwise, it can start to wander as new requirements are gathered. The Product Manager has to evaluate features in light of either the current user or a future user. Without that criteria to guide the Product Manager, there is no context in which to determine how the product will grow.
For a moment (and a good laugh), let me pretend to be the Product Manager for the GXS. Below oare examples of what could happen to the product in the future in two scenarios: specific user and no-specific user. DISCLAIMER: I do not have any information about the GXS product or any related Gyrotonic products other than what I found on their website and Wikipedia.
No Specific User Requirements
1. Collapsible for storage in area smaller than required for usage
2. Available in a variety of materials/colors
3. Convertible/expandable into aerobic traning tool
4. Modular for multiple configurations
5. Installed with built-in wheels for easy transport or relocation
User Specific Requirements
(Current user is member of professional dance troupe; future user is training facility that caters to dance community)
1. Installed with built-in wheels for easy transport or relocation
2. Construction must withstand repeated, high-intensity, daily usage
3. Usable by individuals of all ages/sizes, but specfically targeted at adult male and female dancers
4. User-serviceable parts where possible, to facilitate low-cost of maintenance
5. Blends with decor of typical dance studio
As you can see, the requirements can vary significantly without guidance on who the user is. You can accomplish this by a variety of methods (personas, customer/prospect interviews, market research, and paid consultants, just to name a few), but ultimately the Product Manager has to make the decision based on the feedback they collect. But make sure that you know who your user is or be prepared to deliver a product that accommodates all, but satisfies none.