Mariia Shevchenko "Internal Products: how to build them right" BAQ

1. Internal products:
how to build them right?
Mariia Shevchenko| MAR23 2019 | BAQ Conference 2019

2. So what will I get?

3. Intro
• 3,5 years as a Product
Manager and UX expert
• online education, adtech
• own pet project
• fond of road cycling

4. Agenda
1)What is “Internal Product” and what does
it have to do with Basecamp, Trello and
Slack?
2)Build vs Buy
3)Working with different stakeholders
4)Broken windows theory and why we should
resist ugly UX
5)Customers’ feedback in internal products

5. Imagine you are lying on a
beach in Hawaii

8. What would you do?

9. On 13 of January 2018 1.4 MLN
people in Hawaii received such
a message on their phones

10. Chaos.
Panic.
Tears.

11. In 38 minutes authorities realized
that the alert was false.

14. And now imagine you are an
operator who should choose drill
alarm to click on it

15. What would you choose?

16. The operator clicked the wrong link
this one
instead
of this

17. Human error? No.
Bad, incompetent UX? Yes.

18. What is “Internal Product” and
what does it have to do with
Basecamp, Trello and Slack?
1

19. An internal product is the software
that your organization does not
offer for sale, but uses to support
business operational activities

20. • Business Intelligence tools
• Human Resources Systems (HRS)
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
• Internal administration tools
• Accounting Systems

21. Internal Product External Product
• focus on cost reduction
• focus on internal
efficiency
• no worries about pricing
issues
• deals with internal
policies and regulations

22. Internal Product External Product
• focus on cost reduction • focus on revenue generation
• focus on internal
efficiency
• no worries about pricing
issues
• deals with internal
policies and regulations

23. Internal Product External Product
• focus on cost reduction • focus on revenue generation
• focus on internal
efficiency
• focus on market-related
questions
• no worries about pricing
issues
• deals with internal
policies and regulations

24. Internal Product External Product
• focus on cost reduction • focus on revenue generation
• focus on internal
efficiency
• focus on market-related
questions
• no worries about pricing
issues
• competitors and pricing are
in the spotlight
• deals with internal
policies and regulations

25. Internal Product External Product
• focus on cost reduction • focus on revenue generation
• focus on internal
efficiency
• focus on market-related
questions
• no worries about pricing
issues
• competitors and pricing are
in the spotlight
• deals with internal
policies and regulations
• deals with market trends

27. They all were initially
Internal Products

28. So, to build internal
products right
• Clarify (for everybody!) what Internal Product
is in your particular situation
• Define (and write down) zones of influence and
responsibility
• Align your roadmap with business goals and
External Product roadmap

29. Build vs Buy
2

30. Can we make this?
Shall we make this?
question #1

31. Is there a ready solution
of this problem on the
market?
question #2

32. What to consider:

33. type of the company
• product-based company
• service-based company
• technicalnon-
technical company
• startupenterprise

34. level of adoption
How long will it take
to adopt a new tool
(third-party solution)
for your colleagues?

35. how much you can pay
Is the sum of money
for the tool ok for
you? (don’t forget
about the maintenance)

36. team size
• employees
• technical team

37. scaling
Will this tool be able
to grow up together with
your business?
How fast enough?

38. security severity
Am I ready to share
my data with other
people?

39. is this about your
core product?
What if critical bugs?
What if servers break?

40. remember: no ready-made
solution will cover your
needs 100%

41. build smarter, not harder

42. • Don’t build your own solution for
its own sake
• Consider wisely all the factors
So, to build internal
products right

43. Working with different
stakeholders
3

44. What is your main problem in
working with stakeholders?

45. What are they?
What is important for them
personally?
What is important for them
professionally?
What are their current
goals?
For this quarter? Year?

46. don’t forget about the games people
play all the time

47. stakeholders mapping

48. tips for working
with stakeholders

49. demonstrate business value
• let all them know
your KPIs
• align your internal
product goals with
theirs

50. be in touch
• Meet personally
• Ask for advice
• Show your team’s
performance
• Invite them on demos
and stand-ups

51. convert pain into stories
Tell a story about
your colleague Sveta
who suffers from
routine work

52. be a marketer for your
internal product

53. No means no.

54. No means no.
Even for CEO

55. to tell your stakeholder no:
1) Bring numbers on
the table
2) Use burger approach
(yes-no-yes)

56. delivering software is not a success.
using software is something that
really matters.

57. • Explore stakeholders accurately
• Create stakeholders map
• Keep in touch and tell them about
the value you are delivering
So, to build internal
products right

58. Broken windows theory and
why we should resist ugly UX
4

59. The broken windows theory
is a criminological theory that visible signs
of crime, anti-social behavior and civil
disorder create an environment that
encourages further crime and disorder.

61. In software development
it goes for

62. In software development
it goes for

67. Why does it happen?

68. internal product external product
• Non-customer facing • Customer-facing
an illusory divide

69. internal product external product
• Non-customer facing • Customer-facing
• Tools, services • Products
an illusory divide

70. internal product external product
• Non-customer facing • Customer-facing
• Tools, services • Products
• Overheads • Additional investments
an illusory divide

71. internal product external product
• Non-customer facing • Customer-facing
• Tools, services • Products
• Overheads • Additional investments
an illusory divide
• No chance for a mistake• Colleagues will forgive us

72. In fact, monstrous
interfaces simply
don’t do the work they
were created for

73. cost of bad UX
#1 increasing time for adoption and learning

74. cost of bad UX
#2 increasing opportunity cost:
people could do something more valuable and
creative

75. cost of bad UX
#3 less efficient work (bigger time on task, bigger
number of errors, lower completion rate)

76. cost of bad UX
#4 rework

77. Surprise your
colleagues: build
beautifully designed
internal products.
Hack the system!

78. • Become a superhero who stands for cool UX
• Communicate the value and costs of bad UX
• Track your progress and share it with key
stakeholders
So, to build internal
products right

79. Customers’ feedback
in internal products
5

80. Firstly, they are your customers.

81. Firstly, they are your customers.
Secondly, they are your colleagues.

82. What is the difference from
external customers?

83. You have relationship context:
the same place of work
They don’t give you money1
2

84. tips for working with customers
in internal product

85. get support from their manager
• Make this person your
friend
• Communicate the value
she will get from
your product as a team
lead

86. don’t assume you know them
You don’t know
them.

87. observe them
• Do their job
(literally)
• Show empathy
• Watch them doing
their job
• Conduct interviews

88. find real triggers
• Use “5 whys” principle
• Remember that people
lie
• And they care ONLY
about themselves

89. get shit things done
• Face with mistrust and
passive attitude
• Keep your promises

90. And yes, no one reads
documentation.

91. • Treat your colleagues as your
customers
• Observe them and ask millions of
questions
• Dive deeper and find real triggers
So, to build internal
products right

92. Build solution you
will be happy to use
by yourself

93. Thank you.
Questions?
medium.com/@mariashevchenko
facebook.com/mmmarieshevchenko
illustrations: mrzyk&moriceau
photos: unsplash