Top 5 tips to create AI products your users NEED

I attended the AI meet-up hosted by Mindstone yesterday. Lizzie Metcalfe🦴 presentation on the intricate relationship between humans and companion AI bots was fascinating.

She dove deep into the motivations behind our growing relationship with AI, uncovering layers that go well beyond the surface. It turns out, our reasons originate from fundamental human instincts and needs.

As a product manager, it’s easy to get caught up in the temptation of new features and suffer from the shiny object syndrome. Despite Henry Ford’s famous quote: “If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.” We often overlook what our users genuinely need from us.

This highlights a crucial aspect of MVP and product discovery. It’s not just about validating our ideas or building something we think users want. Instead, it’s an opportunity to understand our users’ core needs deeply.

We easily assume we have all the answers, especially since the internet (predominantly Web 2.0) has been part of our lives for over two decades. This familiarity breeds a certain level of comfort in suggesting how users can better navigate it. Yet, AI introduces a new paradigm that many of us are still trying to grasp. We’re at risk of merely sprinkling AI on top of existing frameworks and processes, much like the early days of online newspapers, which were essentially PDFs on a webpage. It took traditional media (a handful only) 2 decades to work out how to be profitable online.

For businesses venturing into AI-led products, here’s a strategic approach to discovery and creation:
1. Reassess Your User Journey: Identify what’s working and what isn’t.
2. Role of AI: Determine if AI can reduce costs or significantly enhance value.
3. Spot Opportunities: Stay open to possibilities without jumping to solutions.
4. Formulate Hypotheses: What do you believe will happen?
5. Prioritise: Depending on the situation, I find a mix of AARRR, HEART, and Kano models particularly effective.

Bonus Tip: Have an experimental mindset. It’s not just about what AI can do for us but how we can evolve with it to better serve our users.