Main takeaways: - Breaking down big ideas into small and testable concepts - Importance of feedback from your users - Importance of intent

1. Iteration & Feedback: Lessons From
Homer Simpson by fmr CNN Sr PM
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5. Narain Bala
Principal Product
Manager
Iterations and Feedback
Lessons from Homer Simpson

6. Introduction
The importance of iterating and collecting feedback from your
users continuously, as you go through the product development
process
Why is it important?
Highest Probability of delivering solutions that meet your
users needs while minimizing risk

7. Concept Illustrated
Frequency ofDuration of cycles
iteration cycles
Validate and collect
User feedback at the
end of each cycle

8. Wait, but….
How many iteration cycles should I have?
What should the duration of each cycle
be? How do I gather user feedback?
It depends…..
Capabilities of your org, Users vs. Customers,
Competitiveness of your space, Complexity of
your offering

9. Iterate, Validate, Feedback
What is an iteration? 1 iteration is the time tovalidate an assumption
What do you validate with ? The lowestpossible costto build a representative
prototype or an illustration of yourassumption
Collect feedback, understand the results, repeat.
Looking for…
Highest Probability of delivering solutions that meet yourusers needswhile
minimizing risk
But wait .. what’sthis got to do with Homer Simpson?

10. Some Background….
Home
r
Homer’s
Brother
Herb
$$$
Automobil
e
Empire

11. Some Background….
“I’d like a big
car”
User Homer
“We don’t have a big car because
Americans don’t want big cars”
Employee Expert
“What about one with lots of pep /
liveliness”
User Homer
“Americans want good mileage, not pep”
Employee Expert
“Instead of listening to what people want, you’re telling
them what they want”
CEO Herb
“OK, Homer. Pick out any car you
want”
CEO Herb

12. Some Background….
“ I want you to help me design a car, a car for all
the
Homer Simpsons out there”
that play “La
Cucaracha”
Separate soundproof
dome for kids; Option:
restraints and
muzzles
Multiple horns
Engine that makes
you think “the world is
coming to an end”
Gigantic cup holders
Shag
Carpeting
Bowler hood
ornament
$ 82,000
Bubble Domes
“ As fas as I’m concerned, I
have
no brother”

13. What went wrong?
What could they have done better?
Some Highlights…

14. Approach to User Feedback Have an Open Mind
• Understand the motivations of your users
• Overcome our own biases
“I’d like a big
car”
Why do we seek feedback from users?
• Maximize probability of delivering maximum value
“We don’t have a big
car
User
Homer
because Americans
don’t want big cars”
Employee Expert
The Expert’s responses are dismissive, bold, and
baffling
• No supporting data provided to substantiate the claim
• The Halo Effect in play: Homer and Herb do not push back, “What makes you say
that?”
• No effort made by the Expert to understand motivation behind the user’s feedback
“Americans want
good
mileage, not pep”
Employee Expert
“What about
one with lots of
pep”

15. Approach to User Feedback
“I’d like a big
car”
User Homer
“Why would you like a
big car?”
Employee Expert
“Because…..
”
User Homer
12%
30%
58%
Validate :
Have we understood
the user’s
motivation?
Does the user act
as they say?

16. Approach to User Feedback
“ I want you
to help me
design a
car, a car
for all the
Homer
Simpsons
out there”
User Homer
“I’d like a big car”
“What about one with
lots
of pep”
Product Homer
“All right you eggheads…I want extra large cup holders in this
car, so that I can put my drink from this place where I buy it
from”
“I want bubble domes and shag carpeting, so that my car
never goes out of style”
“I want 3 horns distributed across the dashboard, so that I can
find a horn when I’m mad”
“I want a separate soundproof bubble dome in the back with
optional restraints and muzzles, so that I don’t go nuts when
the kids are hollering in the backseat”
“I want the engine to be really loud, so that people think the
world is coming to an end when I gun the motor”
“I want all the horns to play ‘La Cucaracha’ so that
???”

17. Who are you building this for? Is there enough of a market size for
the problem I’m trying to solve for?
Product
Homer
“I want a separate
soundproof bubble
dome in the back
with optional
restraints and
muzzles, so that I
don’t go nuts when
the kids are
hollering in the
backseat”
Motivation /
User Need
Unruly kids, in the
backseat can be
extremely
distracting for our
users when driving,
thereby putting our
users at great risk
of danger
“I want to have some awareness of what’s going on
with the kids in the back, while making sure I’m
driving safe”
Marge
“I love my kids and can’t
get enough of them”
Apu
“Driver safety is tantamount
and shenanigans in the
back seat can be
distracting”
Chief Wiggum
“Kids in the backseat is
the biggest factor behind
my unsafe driving
practices”
Dr. Julius Hibbert
“Kids go in the
back??”
Otto Mann

18. Iterate. Validate Concept
Product
Homer
“Will people not be distracted, if they can’t
see what’s going on in the backseat?”
“Will people not be distracted, if they
can’t hear what’s going on in the
backseat?”
“What if the kids in the back have
something to distract them?”

19. Iterate. Validate. Feedback Concept
“You’re fired! What is my brother paying
you for?”
Product Homer
“Maybe a built in video game would
keep them entertained”
Team Member
Have an open
mind.

20. This is Hard! Be patient, have an open mind,
and have a high tolerance for failure
The End.
In Conclusion….
Narain Bala
Principal Product
Manager
06.23.21

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