1. How to come up with the next 'Needle
Moving’ feature for any product
Shambhavi Pandey
Founder Mentor Me Good

2. Agenda
What are needle-moving features?
Why should you care?
5 Step Framework to define your product’s next needle-
moving feature

3. About me
Product
Engineering
Entrepreneur

4. What are needle-moving features?

5. Is this a needle- moving feature?

6. Is this a needle- moving feature?

7. Is this a needle- moving feature?

8. Attributes of Needle-moving features
1
2
3
Improves outcomes for users significantly on a per-user basis
Often first in their market to offer that type of feature
Major impact on product’s trajectory and other product features

9. Why should you care?

10. As a product manager, delivering
business impact >> shipping features

11. 5 Step Framework to define needle-moving
features

12. Understand your product’s output metrics and
actions that drive them
Step 1:

13. Step 1:
Understand your
product’s output
metrics and
actions that drive
them
Subscription
Revenue
Enable
creators to
share
knowledge
Output
metrics
Actions
Help find
leads,
candidates
Enable
conversatio
ns between
users
Courses to
upskill
career
Ad Revenue
Example
Time spent on
platform

14. Connect the actions with input metrics for your
product area
Step 2:

15. Step 2:
Connect the
actions with input
metrics for your
product area
#sends
reply rate
Conversation
depth
Input
Metrics
Example
Enable
creators to
share
knowledge
Actions
Help find
leads,
candidates
Enable
conversations
between
users
Courses to
upskill career

16. Select your goal metric and build hypothesis
Step 3:

17. Step 3:
Select your goal
metric and build
multiple
hypotheses
Action
Goal metric
Input
Metrics
Example
#sends
reply rate
Conversation
depth
Enable
conversations
between
users

18. Step 3:
Select your goal
metric and build
multiple
hypotheses
Example
How to increase the reply rate of LinkedIn messages?
Why is the reply rate low? Message not seen, seen but not replied
Get more clarity using data and or user research

19. Step 3:
Select your goal
metric and build
multiple
hypotheses
Example
Hypothesis 3- If we auto-suggest replies on messaging, then it will lead
to high reply rates because of ease of use.
Hypothesis 2- If we give in-mail credits to users who reply to messages,
then it will lead to high reply rates because of incentivization.
Hypothesis 1- If we send email reminders to users for unseen messages,
then it will lead to high reply rates because of increased awareness

20. Prioritize hypotheses to validate
Step 4:

21. Step 4:
Prioritize
hypotheses to
validate
Estimated benefit
Effort
Potential of a needle-
moving feature
Prioritization criteria

22. Launch the 'Needle moving’ feature
Step 5:

23. Step 5:
Launch the 'Needle
moving’ feature
1. Define the feature. Convert your prioritized hypothesis to a
well-defined feature including customer journey, edge cases,
negative scenarios, assumptions, and constraints. Mocks
2. Have a launch plan. Experiment details including success
criteria, dial-up schedule, and rollback plan
3. Track attributes of needle-moving features. Measure impact
per user and impact on other product areas and overall
product

24. Recap of the framework
Understand your product’s output metrics and actions that drive them
Connect the actions with input metrics for your product area
Select your goal metric and build multiple hypotheses
Prioritize hypotheses to validate
Launch the 'Needle moving’ feature

25. Q & A