When I interact with customers and users I spend some of that time asking sincere questions about their business, how it fares in different economic conditions, and how they view their prospects. Apart from the emotional connection this makes, it’s important for product developers in all roles to understand at least the basic economic drivers of their customers’ market places.
Your customers are often physical businesses operating in particular locales; this at least in part determines their trading conditions. For example, law firms doing bankruptcy work often perform better in a recession.
Real people, real priorities
And it’s always useful to remember that your users are real people who trust your products to make them perform well in their jobs.
When I’m prioritising backlog items I visualise the implications each has on the economic prospects of representative customers and users. This offers the market place a chance for their voice to be heard during this crucial time, and that their preferences, not yours, rise to the top of the list.
Are your product professionals visiting customer sites enough? Which customer or user personifies your product’s market place?
