Product Principles: Your Guide to Building Great Products (With a Touch of Sudo Magic)

Hi, I’m Gourav, an aspiring Product Operator currently trying to build Product Muscles. I think product principles serve as the backbone of product development, guiding your decision and action. But how do you define them, why are they important, and do they last forever? Let’s explore.

🔍 How to Define Product Principles

Start by identifying core values that guide your product's vision. Your principles should reflect what’s most important to your users and business. They should be specific, actionable, and emotionally resonant. For example, Airbnb principle “Belong Anywhere” shape user-centric features​.

💡 Why Are They Important?

Product principles keep teams aligned and focused. They act as a decision-making framework when considering features or changes, ensuring consistency and cohesion. They also foster autonomy within teams, empowering them to make informed decisions that align with long-term goals. Product principles can help guide both strategic and tactical decisions, making them invaluable for navigating the complexities of product development​.

⏳ Do They Last Forever?

No, they don’t. Markets evolve, and so should your principles. Even if they change, they serve as a vital foundation during product growth phases. Regularly reviewing them ensures relevance as customer needs and industry trends shift. Slack, for example, recognizes that product principles "always evolve to keep up with the changing ways" the company works and their current customer needs​.

🎯 Why Focus If They Don’t Last?

While they may change, principles provide initial clarity, helping teams navigate early chaos. They shape a product’s identity and keep development efforts aligned with long-term goals, making them crucial even if temporary. For instance, Intercom's principles, such as “Start with the problem” and “Ship fast, ship early, ship often,” guide their development process and ensure that different parts of their organization stay aligned​.

🔄 When to Re-Evaluate?

Re-evaluate when a customer needs shift or your product strategy evolves. Regular feedback from users and stakeholders will indicate if your principles are still effective. Gusto's approach highlights that principles need to adapt as markets and customer expectations evolve, ensuring that they remain relevant and effective​.

🧙‍♂️ The Sudo Command of Product Principles

Imagine product principles with a sudo command like in Linux, able to override rules when needed. While that’s tempting, principles guide us to avoid shortcuts and focus on thoughtful decisions. But hey, sometimes, a "sudo override" could be nice, right? 😄

In the end, product principles act as the foundation for building great products, providing structure even when flexibility is required.

Examples of Product Principles

Example 1 – Intercom

Intercom is known for its strong product-led thinking, and its principles play an important role in the overall development of its product. Intercom’s principles apply to different areas of the product organization, including:

• Research and Development: Start with the problem, Think big, start small, learn fast, Ship fast, ship early, ship often, Deliver outcomes.

• Design: Connected, modular systems, Opinionated by default, flexible under the hood, Follow fundamentals, Make it feel personal, What you ship is what matters.

• Engineering: Shape the solution, Be technically conservative, Build in small steps, Keep it simple, Work with positivity, pride, and love.

These principles ensure that different parts of the organization stay aligned, with each set complementing the others​.

Example 2 – Slack

Slack’s product principles include the classic UX advice: “don’t make me think.” Slack acknowledges that principles must evolve as the company and customer needs change. They emphasize that product principles need regular updates to remain relevant and effective​.

Example 3 – Gusto

Gusto’s principles include “Show users how much we love them” and “Be opinionated.” Gusto highlights that products should reflect the human aspects of the team who built them. For instance, their feature for employee pay stubs includes a congratulatory note, demonstrating their commitment to delighting users​.

How to Develop Your Own Product Principles

1. Consider Your Desired Outcomes: Principles should align with your goals and help achieve the desired outcomes.

2. Re-engage with Your Vision and Strategy: Ensure that principles align with your company's vision and strategy.

3. Design Principles that Aid Decision Making: Principles should facilitate decision-making, not hinder it.

4. Use Principles: Integrate principles into your product process to guide both strategic and tactical decisions.

5. Iterate: Regularly review and update principles to adapt to changing markets and technologies.

   
   

By following these guidelines and learning from examples like Intercom, Slack, and Gusto, you can develop effective product principles that help guide your team and drive successful product development.

Reference Articles: Product Principles - Examples for Product Managers - Department of Product How to Define Your Product Principles | ProductPlan Design a Better Product with Product Principles | by Ste Grainer | UXcellence | Medium