Simplification is important for product managers to focus on removing complexity from the user experience. A lead product manager discusses how their company implemented simplification efforts like "simplification days" where all engineers removed unnecessary code and tests, lightening app sizes by up to 8%. They emphasize that simplifying experiences down to single screen workflows with as few steps as possible improves conversion rates. Regular simplification planning and prioritizing what can immediately be simplified versus future roadmaps are key to an ongoing culture of simplification.

1. Simplification
Sept. 28th 2017

2. Benjamin Retourné
Lead Product Manager
@Bretourne
@BlaBlaCar since 2014

3. Why

5. “Product Managers are 10x
simplifier”
Joe Zadeh
VP Product @ AirBnB
Employee #9

6. Simplify Experience
People come to travel,
not to use the product

7. What

9. 1

10. 2

11. N

13. Simplification
=
Erase

15. 02
Lorem ipsum dolor
Remove the existing
complexity
Build the upcoming
simplicity

16. Existing complexity

18. A. Buy new furnitures
B. Paint the wall and change the carpet
C. Clear the mess

19. Kill your own
babies

20. Collect
everything that
can be removed

21. Prioritize
Member
Product &
Engineering
Business

22. ‘What we can
plan’
‘What we can
do now’

23. ‘What we can plan’
=
Roadmap prioritization
=
Costs are your friend

24. QA
10% of QA testing time
Support
~8.6% of ALL tickets in
emerging markets
Facebook only

25. ‘What we can do now’
=
Simplification days

26. All engineers
2 days
Remove everything that can be

27. Mobile Web / Desktop / Backoffice
9% of the code based removed
2% of the unit tests that run for every deployment removed
iOS
6% of the code based removed
Android
2% of the code based removed
App is 8% lighter

28. 02
Lorem ipsum dolor
Plan simplifications days
every quarter
Plan for every project a
Key Result about cleaning

29. Upcoming simplicity

30. 1 action = 1 screen

31. From 3 steps

32. To 24 steps...with the same
conversion rate
And a much simpler flow to iterate...

33. Benchmark got damned

34. “Good artists copy
Great artists steal”
Pablo Picasso

35. List of points on a map

36. “Add’ is way easier
than “remove”

37. One IN - One OUT

38. To conclude

39. Everything should be
made as simple as
possible but not simpler
A. Einstein

40. It’s all about culture

42. Questions?
@BRetourne