How to Write a Product Vision Statement - Examples & Tips
It is impossible to create a great product without a clear-cut product vision. Your team would not be able to follow the principles of project design without a direction laid out. Yet, thinking of a product vision is not enough. It has to be verbalized and written down. How can you write such a product vision statement? We will explain how in this article.
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What is a product vision statement?
Before we will give you tips on how to write a good product vision statement, we should discuss what it is. Product vision is the aim of your product. It is based on users’ experience and needs. A product vision should not be a list of elements or features for your app, but rather an answer to the question of how your company would like to change the lives of the users with your product.
A product vision statement is the verbalization of the product vision. It’s a short, one to three sentence long text that contains your product vision in a nutshell. It is meant to help product strategists and related teams by transparently defining the product goals.
Some tips on how to write a good vision statement
The first step that you need to take before writing a product vision statement is to define your product vision. At Boldare we like to do this through a product vision workshop. You need to ask yourself a plethora of questions to define your own product vision. Workshops are an excellent way to achieve this – we have found that extensive focus put on your goals and target users during the workshop is efficient in clarifying the product vision.
When writing your vision down, you also need to pay close attention to quite a few aspects. These include:
Brevity
If you are wondering how to write a good product vision, you firstly need to focus on brevity. A vision statement must not be too short or too long. Some sources suggest that vision statements should be no longer than 2-3 sentences and 35 words. It’s good to keep in mind that those are just good practice guidelines that support readability.
Clarity
A vision statement must be unambiguous. It will be interpreted by different teams and individuals, so you need to ensure that your message is the same for all departments and that it creates a basis for cooperation without any unwanted misunderstandings.
Abstraction and challenge
Think about goals, but not in the sense of KPIs or OKRs, but rather as abstract images of the future. How would you like your product to be perceived? What changes do you want it to make in the world? In what way will it affect its users? This is what a product vision statement should be about.
Purpose
The purpose of your product needs to be included in the vision statement. This is not an overgeneralized purpose, such as ‘to be the greatest,’ but clearly oriented and quite specific. Let’s look at how Google did this.
Google’s search engine vision statement is: ‘To provide access to the world’s information in one click.’ (The Business Model Analyst)
This message is specific, while still remaining ambitious and inspirational. It is a model example of how to write a good product vision statement – with an aim directly related to the company.
Future-orientation
Absolutely every product vision statement should be future-oriented. You don’t want to focus on short-term goals, but rather on a long-term mission. A mission which sometimes might seem impossible, but you still seek to complete it.
Examples of good product vision statements
There are plenty of excellent examples of product vision statements. In this section, we will focus both on vision statements prepared by the biggest corporations, and on some of our own examples.
How do the big fish do it?
Google search engine: ‘To provide access to the world’s information in one click.’
Zoom: ‘To make video communication frictionless.’
Slack: ‘To make work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.’
Instagram: ‘To capture and share the world’s moments.’ (ProdPad)
How do we do it at Boldare?
For the purposes of our clients (but also for our own internal use) we have the following template. It’s easy to use and to remember.\ \ For: (write down a target customer)
Who: (statement of need or opportunity)
The: (your product’s name)
Is a: (product category)
That: (key benefit or reason to buy)
Unlike: (primary competitive alternative)
Our product: (statement of primary differentiation)
And an exemplary use would be:\ \ For: entertainment enthusiasts who crave a wide variety of high-quality content
Who: desire convenient and unlimited streaming options for movies, TV shows, and documentaries
The: (try to guess the company’s and product’s name, and I will put the answer at the end of the article!)
Is a: streaming platform and content provider
That: offers a vast library of diverse and engaging entertainment choices, available on-demand
Unlike: traditional cable or satellite TV subscriptions or other streaming services
Our product: provides a seamless user experience, personalized recommendations, and exclusive original content, all accessible at any time and on multiple devices.
The full product statement would be:\ \ [Name of the product] is a streaming platform that caters to entertainment enthusiasts, providing them with a vast library of high-quality content accessible at their convenience. Unlike traditional TV subscriptions or other streaming services, [Name of the product] offers a seamless user experience, personalized recommendations, and exclusive original content. With unlimited streaming options, [Name of the product] is the go-to choice for those seeking diverse and engaging entertainment anytime, anywhere.
Disclaimer: this is just an example, not a real product statement.
Is a product vision statement important? Do I have to write one?
Creating a product vision statement is a must. Having an idea of what you want to achieve with your product is one thing, but being able to communicate it to others is another. During your product development, you will have to collaborate with other teams, such as sales, marketing or customer service. They should know what the vision for the particular product is if they are supposed to create the right strategies. A product vision statement is a bridge of understanding between all the cooperating departments.
You should also bear in mind that a product vision statement is not forever. With time, the needs of your clients might change, thus you will have to adjust your product vision. Create it, follow it, but do not hold it tight if you see that it is no longer working. Modify it instead to achieve the best outcomes.
Who creates the product vision statement?
Usually, product owners are the main creators of product vision statements. They are the ones overseeing the product development process. Yet, they should not prepare it alone. It is vital to work on the product vision statement with the whole company. The vision will be the ultimate goal which all departments will try to achieve. Therefore, it is best to engage and consult as many team members as possible.
Final thoughts on how to write a good product vision statement
A good product vision statement will lead to a better product strategy. It is thus important to create a clear, inspiring, future-oriented message. The vision statement should not be written solely by the product manager, but rather in collaboration with all teams involved. The aim of writing a product vision statement is to create a clear-cut goal that everybody in the company will understand and which will drive all product-development-related activities. Without it, it would be impossible to create a unified, complex strategy.
Want to read more about the approaches to project development? Then you should check out our article about the benefits of product roadmaps.
PS. The answer for the exemplary product statement is Netflix. Easy, right?
Sources:
Kirkpatrick, Shelley (2008) “How to Build a Better Vision Statement,” Academic Leadership: The Online Journal: Vol. 6: Iss. 4, Article 5.
https://businessmodelanalyst.com/google-mission-and-vision-statement/
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