 Hi everyone, I'm Victoria Chen and today I'm really excited to talk to you about this topic called approaching product vision as art. This is a topic that's very near and dear to my heart because I started out growing up very much as kind of as an artist, doing a lot of art, then studying architecture in college. And what really drew me to product development and being a product manager is the opportunity to take some of those elements of art and design and pulling that into product vision, which then gets manifested in the user experience through a digital product. So I'm really excited to dive into that today and provide a lot of examples. So a little bit about me. I'm a PM at Stitch Fix, a product manager. These are some of some things that I've created in the past. I've designed a table, grew up doing a lot of oil painting and some digital art more recently. Also studied architecture more as a minor in college but definitely very passionate about that. So specifically, when I say art, like what do I mean by that in the context of today. So when I think about art, I think about something that is more free of constraints. So more of a blank canvas kind of creation. And usually it starts with an idea, kind of a feeling that you want the audience to experience or an idea. And it's a little bit less practical. It's more about conveying that kind of intangible feeling that's associated with the art. And then the artist goes through the process of thinking about like how do I convey this feeling or this kind of picture in the user's head. Like there's a lot of ways to go about doing that. So yeah, that's a little bit about what I mean when I say art. And what do I mean when I say product vision. So in this context, given that we're talking, this is for product school and it's very much in the context of how to develop products with your teams cross functionally and deliver this amazing user experience. In that context, product vision is really about defining this, this idea of like what is an ideal state that can really rally your team and get very people very excited. And what is something that could really appeal to the user and leave a lasting impression. Something that kind of speaking to that art piece is like, it's really about the experience and the feelings that the user is experiencing as they're moving through your product. And so product vision is something that you're aiming towards. It's something that can get both the users and the team very excited about marching towards that, that future. And then we'll talk later about like how to translate that vision into kind of more concrete steps like the tactics that you can use. So I'm looking forward to sharing some specific examples, not all of them in a tech context. But hopefully illustrating how, how art translates into kind of concrete user experiences. Here's a quote from Frank Lloyd Wright, where space is a breath of art. So being able to find the space and to, to set, set that time and blank canvas to, to really think about like, what is the ideal. What is the vision that I want to convey to those who are experiencing the product or the art that I've created. And that's really important. So I'll illustrate that a little bit more in some of these examples. So yeah, this one is Zaha Hadid. She was a, an amazing architect, very futuristic. And so I'm showing here some of these concepts that she draws at the start of an architectural project. So in these examples, you'll see that she'll really think about like, from, from a certain angle, like, how, how does she want this project to kind of like, what kind of impression does she want it to leave. Right. So here this is like a building that's set on a mountain side. And you can see like, she's thinking about how does it fit into that, that mountain, like, how will it look from this angle. And what is, what is that kind of impression, that first impression that it's leaving with the users on the left side kind of in daylight and then on the right side at night. So she's really going for like this sleek futuristic look, just kind of very mysterious and kind of jutting into the, into this bridge over here. So just really, really cool emphasis on the lines, really thinking about like, when she actually moves into more, more concrete steps, like trying to still capture a lot of that, that impression that is just really sleek and minimal and very futuristic. So same on the right, she's thinking about like, at night, you know, here's, there's some glass and there's reflections and there might be moments to add lighting to kind of accentuate this kind of futuristic spaceship feeling. And, yeah, so that's, that's kind of what I mean, like, when you're thinking about creating the space it's like, right here she hasn't gone into details around like, how exactly does this building to get bill or what materials but it's about like this initial impression and what are what is the visual language going to be to, to really be able to leave that impression in the users, in the user's mind. So here's another example she's here she's like exploring how these curves kind of manifest and exploring just like, just like, you know, here's one line but how does it iterate over time and how does it all connect. And what are some cool ways to, to connect these lines. And later she can translate it into a building, some components of a building. But for right now she's like really thinking about like, how does this curve express itself and how does it like make the user really feel, which is pretty cool and it's, it's more about this this very specific idea, rather than thinking again about like, how exactly do I have to build this out in this exact moment. So if she actually translates it into her projects then she can think about like, Oh, like in this moment when a user, or, you know, when this person walks into this auditorium. I have a moment to, like, really emphasize these curved lines. For example, like the ones that she was trying in the previous example. So then she can think about like, in this moment when she when a user is walking into the auditorium. That is very much like a planned experience. And every time someone walks in there they'll see this. And then the, the lighting is further kind of emphasizing the curves and further bringing out that impression that she previously was iterating on. So on the right side thinking about like from certain angles, how, how is the building going to look and and being able to kind of really plan that out. Because especially with architecture, you can imagine like, there's going to be entrances and like ways to walk through the building and so you can really find those moments where, where those initial drawings can really make and be applied to kind of convey that that feeling of like, futurism, or like that kind of spaceship feeling. So similarly with like, like, software design like when you're designing, or building for a user experience you can also think about like, what are those moments to really wow the user and like bring that product vision to life and really convey this, this image of like, what, what a product could be or like how your life can be really like when you're designing those, those magical user experiences, it's like, it's leaving the user with a certain feeling. And, and kind of a lasting impression and that's, that's often like what then the user associates with the product and brings them brings them back because they've associated a certain experience with very positive feeling and a positive perspective on their life. So I really like this quote. This is by this Japanese architect called Tadao Ando. So he says, no building lasts forever, but the impressions they create can last forever in the soul. So it's again kind of speaking to that point where, even though the, it's, there's the functional element of a building or a product. But there's also this lasting impression that happens at certain moments where it really leaves this lasting feeling. And, and then that's kind of what lingers and feels subconsciously like very powerful. And so it's important to think about like, when are the moments that you can take that take those opportunities to create those lasting impressions, even in a digital product because even though, even while building an app or a website. When the user is experiencing it. It's very much tangible very real. So I'll talk some give some more examples here. These are some concept drawings that Tadao Ando drew for a museum. So you can see again, like, he's starting from more of a blank canvas, he already knows that, like, roughly like this is a site that he's going to build this museum on to. And he starts with these rough sketches where it's like, you know, from the certain angle as like far away when approaching the building or like looking at the building set in these mountains, like, what is the feeling that that he wants to create for the user. And so here it's like, you know, it's very much like sloping along with the mountains. And so kind of mirror elements of like the landscape itself, which is really cool and kind of creates this like serene kind of blended in experience. So he planned that out with these sketches early on. And then he's also thinking about like, from other angles like how does the, how does this building look from certain angles like this one is more like as you're approaching the building more close up like how does it look. Yeah, and so that's, that's how he starts with more of this kind of blank canvas approach, where he's thinking about like different angles, when the user is going to likely be seeing the building and making sure that those are really strong and really powerful. And once he's identified some of those moments, then he moves into like, you know, concrete implementation preserving some, a lot of those moments that he planned out early on. And then when it manifests as the building, you'll see that like, it still maintains a lot of that initial vision of like, this building is like sloping with the, with the mountainside and it's really like blending in in a very serene way. And so here's some more views that he planned out for this museum, where you can see like he's thinking about, again, more moments that leave a lasting impression. This one is like thinking about the stairs and, and how kind of how it's like very geometrically rhythmically spaced out to further kind of enhance that feeling of like a slowly rising element to match the mountainside and those, those kind of geometric staircases to kind of further create that rhythm of like the peacefulness. And on the right side, like some curves and thinking about the lighting and how the users will enter through this courtyard. So yeah, it's all very planned out. So here's another example. Here's an example from a fashion designer. So I'll again kind of talk about like, on the left side here is this, this, this show for their, their designs. And, again, they have less constraints here because they're only making this specific piece once for this show, it doesn't have to go into mass production but they're doing it so that they have less constraints but they can articulate this, this vision or this concept. So here on the left it's like there's graffiti and there's, there's kind of vinyl that's kind of hinting at like a vintage kind of nostalgic aspect. And then when they actually translate this idea into what the user can actually purchase and consume for themselves. It becomes, you know, there's more real world constraints but it still maintains some of that initial concept again. So, yeah, so it's again it's kind of showing like moving from less constraints to more constraints over time but still hinting at that initial vision. And I think that that really ties into like the product development cycle as well because you're thinking about how can you transport the user into like, like showing them what, what their life could be. And then in practice, like as they're experiencing your digital product, they might not be experiencing all of that vision, all at once, it might be, it might be built out over time, but it's still capturing elements of that more grand vision. So here are just a few more examples translating from like these kind of show concepts into what can be purchased. And again. So now I'll talk about like two, you know, very well known examples in more of the specific like software development realm. Uber is of course very well known, very popular. And I think what was interesting about Uber is that like, in terms of, in terms of a vision of course there's like the vision of like making transportation like running water. I think it started out also as thinking about like the user journey of trying to call a taxi but having that experience, experience being like really terrible and unreliable. And then so then there's this, this idea of like, what if, what if in an ideal state, every user could just have their own black car, who that is like constantly available. And it's like this ultra VIP service and every time you need it, your black car just shows up and is there for you. And so in that state, the user experience is like very powerful, very, very premium, and the user would feel really great about using that product. So then translating that to Uber as an app, they're still able to accomplish a lot of that by having that supply of drivers that is generally readily available near you at a very affordable, relatively affordable price. And, and then there's elements of the branding where it's like the, the company brand is like, you know, very dark and or it's like, it started out as like more like black colors to kind of hint at that vision of like the very like powerful and premium kind of idea of what, what they want to leave users with. And then, of course, it has to be distilled into something that is buildable. It's not actually one black car per user, there's some practical constraints. But yeah, it's kind of thinking about like, what is that, what is that feeling that they want to leave the users with every time they're using the app. Given some of those practical considerations. And so similarly with Airbnb, as the name suggests, it's, it's kind of trying to hint at this idea of like a very warm and cozy like traveling experience where instead of living in a hotel you're living in someone's home, no matter where in the world you're traveling. You're being cared for by your host. And, and sometimes they serve you food, but not necessarily. But yeah, it's like the, the experience is also hinting at that kind of very cozy bed and breakfast experience, although in practice. It may not always translate one to one. But it's it's hinting at that vision. And so that kind of vision is articulated throughout the experience where the people that you're renting your Airbnb from are called the hosts, instead of like property managers or something like that. But that's how you kind of take that product vision and the feelings that you want the user to be left with and transfer that into into that digital experience. So then putting it into practice. Today I'm not going to talk too much about that it's more about kind of bringing in some examples around like art and products vision and taking that into like a practical digital experience but at a high level, the way you go about doing this is you first think about the user journey. And then you find those moments of opportunity, those pain points, because when you find those opportunities, then there's a lot more room to design something way better, or hint at something that could be a lot better versus trying to choose something that is already really great in the user's experience and trying to enhance that. So once you identify those moments, then you think about the vision around like for those moments of opportunity like how are the users really want to feel in those moments. Like what would the ideal be. So with the example it's like when a user is like unable to even call a cab reliably when they need it most. What if instead they could just call their black car and then it would just show up. So it's thinking about about kind of that that gap and thinking about like what is the ideal in that state. What do you want the users to feel in that moment. And then once you have that ideal vision, then you translate it to the experience, given given some practical constraints around like release timing and budget and how big the team is and a variety of other constraints. So then you take that vision and make sure that it is kind of consistent and it's consistently being hinted at throughout the experience, whether it's through branding or copy or marketing and making sure that as the user is traversing through the product that there's such points that really hint consistently at the vision. Even though you may not be providing like 100% of that immediately. And so, so that's really it. I would love to hear feedback or, you know, hear your thoughts on all of this, you know, would have happily hear any alternative perspectives on the role of art and product vision and product development. As we know in practice as product managers, we are often working with a lot of constraints. So, yeah, it's, it's definitely, it's definitely kind of tricky to figure out the right moments to to bring this into the development cycle but yeah, we'd love to hear what you think. And yeah, hope you enjoy the talk.