AMA: Asana Head of Product Operations, Saikat Paul on Building 0-1 Products

You can't know if you've validated the problem space enough because it's not a binary evaluation- it's a judgement and investment call based on data, gut feel, and stakeholder trust. At the end of the day, you should seek to have the strength of your hypotheses outweigh the relative value of engineering time. Sure, sounds great, but what can you actually do to gain confidence in your hypotheses? Talk to real users and test something. Talk to real users about their pains – Don't rely on second-ha ...Read More

Leadership likes hard numbers- actually we all probably do. But, providing hard numbers requires a skill all of lack- forecasting the future. While you can't provide a guaranteed revenue number, you can certainly share an educated guess. Start with TAM + first cohortWhat’s the total market? Now zoom into your target segment for v1. Who are you actually building for, and how many of them are there? What are your indicator/success metrics?% of market you’ll reach, % who’ll convert, price point, re ...Read More

People love giving opinions—you just have to create the right space for it. Here’s how to do that: Don't waitDon’t wait for feedback to show up organically. Ask broadly and frequently. Call, slack, organize panel meetings, hold informal interviews. Make it easyDon't send your users a 40 question survey. Use simple forms, in-app prompts, or have them email their thoughts to a feedback inbox. Do whatever you can to lower the barrier to share. Leverage existing channelsSupport tickets, community fo ...Read More

I first want to acknowledge that mistakes are normal and can be very valuable. They're experiences from which we can learn and grow. Here are a couple ones I've seen: Believing the first version is the final versionDon't start with a v1; start with a v0. Your first version is for learning. Treat it like a foundation upon which you build. In some cases, you might discover you actually need to build a whole new foundation 😬 Getting too attached to the original idea / not knowing when to walk awayI ...Read More

There are two questions here- how do you find inspiration for and brainstorm user experience; and how do you incorporate the outcomes into your PRD/user stories. Inspiration and Brainstorming Imitation is the best form of flatteryLook at tools and products you admire and ask why do you like them; why are they easy to use? If someone has already cracked the UX, learn from it instead of reinventing the wheel. Also don't limit yourself to a specific product space- a finance app might have something ...Read More