Previously, we had shared a post on "Building Product Sense: Voice of Customer sources for product teams to tap?"
In today's world, product teams are often into break-neck competition. For growth or even survival, it's imperative to prioritize feedback quickly and build features that users love.
While you should actively do so, it's crucial to understand that acting on voice of customer without a clear product vision and well-defined personas can lead your team astray.
The Trap of Reactive Product Development
Feedback is invaluable, in that it helps you build what users love, validate your features/ hypothesis and iterate faster to compete.
However, its also contextual.
Respondents tend to share feedback based on - the questions that you ask them, their most recent (likely tactical) need and the solution they think they want.
Many a times, their feedback might not reflect the most pressing problem. Plus, every user you seek feedback from, will tend to pull your product in the direction they desire.
If you are not clear about your product vision, the problem statement that you set out to solve and the ideal persona you are targeting, chances are you might sway in every direction your early users pull you into.
Worse, you might end up creating a patchwork of features that serve no specific purpose and eventually confuses the same end users.
Early stage products especially fall prey to this problem. We have as well, many times.
Esp. positive feedback from early users can lead teams to believe they have achieved market fit, and dissuade them from zeroing on a clear value proposition, stalling product growth later.
For example, if a project management tool meant for startups starts to include enterprise grade reporting, it will likely become complex and pricey leading to drop-offs from its intended users.
The importance of Product Vision
Your product vision serves as the north star for the team. It’s the overarching goal that defines what your product aims to achieve and why it exists.
A clear vision:
Keeps the team aligned: It provides a framework for decision-making, ensuring that every feature or change serves the product’s ultimate goal.
Filters voice of customer: Not all feedback is equal. A strong vision helps you discern which suggestions align with your objectives and which don’t.
Builds a cohesive product: When every feature ties back to a central vision, the result is a product that feels intentional and well-thought-out.
For example, a product crafted to help marketers with segmentation to execute campaigns could look very different from one again helping marketers with segmentation, but to get growth insights.
The role of personas
Personas are representations of your ideal users, that your product intends to target. They help teams empathize with users and prioritize features that solve real problems.
Without well-defined personas:
Teams risk building for “everyone,” which often means pleasing no one.
Effort gets spread thin across competing priorities, leading to mediocre results.
The product may attract the wrong audience, creating churn and dissatisfaction.
By finalizing personas before acting on feedback, you ensure that your efforts are directed towards the users who matter most to your business.
For example, a product targeted for product managers could again look very different from that intended for program managers or project managers. If the MVP started out with roadmapping as a feature, it could garner interest from all these roles, and land into feedback which gravitates the product towards either one of the personas strongly.
Balancing Vision with Voice of Customer
Staying true to your product vision and persona requires focus, and striking the right balance with feedback.
Here's how you can navigate:
Analyze & categorize feedback: Consolidate, analyze and extract insights from voice of customer across channels. Flash (by Velora AI) can help you do this quicker, along with categorizing into themes like ideas, problems, complaints, appreciations, compete mentions and so on. After AI/ automation does its job, work with your team to prioritize changes that align with your vision and personas.
Feedback insights from Flash (by Velora AI) Validate insights: Dig deeper into feedback to uncover the root problem. You might need follow-on interviews or surveys to understand the broader context.
Revisit your vision and personas: Regularly review and refine your vision and personas to ensure they evolve with your market. Weigh your voice of customer to check whether it aligns with your product vision and target personas.
Test incrementally: Before committing to significant changes, test them on a small scale to gauge their impact and relevance.
When Voice of Customer Leads Teams Astray
Teams often face pressure to act quickly on user suggestions, especially when vocal customers dominate the conversation.
However, over-prioritizing feedback can result in:
Feature bloat: Adding too many features that don’t align with the core vision.
Identity crisis: A product that tries to be everything to everyone loses its unique value.
Wasted resources: Building low-priority features drains time and money that could be spent on high-impact improvements.
Conclusion
Voice of Customer is a powerful tool, but its value depends on how it’s used.
By prioritizing clarity of product vision and personas, you create a strong foundation for evaluating and acting on feedback.
This disciplined approach ensures that your product remains focused, valuable, and true to its purpose, even as it evolves.
Before jumping into the next build cycle, take a step back. Ask yourself: Does this voice of customer align with our vision? Is it relevant to our personas? If the answer is yes, proceed with confidence. If not, let it go. Your product will thank you.