What is the Product Death Cycle

A decade ago, David J. Bland tweeted (or X) this timeless diagram of the Product Death Cycle. Since then, it has become the cornerstone of knowledge for all product managers, enlightening us with its timeless wisdom.

Let’s discuss each step in detail.

1. no one uses our product

You identify that your product’s adoption is not increasing as you have projected, especially with new products where the initial adoption is very low. So, your first natural reaction is to ask your existing customers what features are missing in your product.

2. ask customer what features are missing

The intention of asking your customers about products is correct, but asking for missing features they want to see never works. There are many reasons it does not work. Your existing customers do not represent your target market, so whatever features they want to see are optional for your more extensive group of customers.

3. build the missing features

The last step of the Product Death Cycle is to build the features customers have asked you to. You might end up with a long list of missing features, but none adds value to the product. And you will wonder why the product is not growing after building so many features that users have asked themselves.

After building the missing features, you notice that the product’s adoption is still low, and you end up in the spiral of the Product Death Cycle. The Product Death Cycle is not just a concept but the slow and inevitable decline of a product, a fate every product manager strives to avoid.

Why it happens

One of the golden rules for product managers is to ‘listen to your customers’. But your customers cannot fix your product.

Overemphasis on Features

Believing that more features will automatically lead to more value is a common misconception. More features do not make your product more valuable to your customers or the target market.

Lack of Clear Vision and Strategy

Without a clear vision and strategy, you end up building a lot of features that are not aligned with the product’s long-term goal. Decisions will be based on short-term gains or reactive measures to fix the product.

Not understanding the Root Cause

The root cause of your product’s low adoption might be something else. For example, you need to educate your customers about your product; the product might be priced wrong, the customers are finding it hard to use, or the product needs to be solving your customers’ problems.

Expecting Customers to Solve Problems

Your customers cannot solve your product problems. Talking to customers is an excellent way to get problems, but it is your job to design the solution. The solution could just be changing the options in the menu bar.

As David J. Bland puts it, “Customers don’t always know what they want. You always have to infer it and you have to observe and you have to see qualitatively and quantitatively what’s going on with the product and make investment decisions in where you want to take the product.”

How to Avoid Product Death Cycle

Clear Vision and Strategy

Stick to your more extended vision and strategy for the product. Reassess your product strategy to ensure it is still aligned with your organization’s goals and dynamic market needs. Validate that the features you build align with the product strategy and the vision.

Find the Root Cause

Missing a feature or two is not generally a cause of a product’s stagnant growth. Try to find the root cause: Is the pricing wrong? Are we communicating the values right? Is there a problem with initial onboarding? Use different frameworks to identify the user needs.

Doing Product Market Fit

It is essential to do the Product Market Fit, no matter the stage of your product. Even if your product has been in the market for several years, With ever-changing market needs, Product market fit validates if your product is solving the right problems correctly.

Right Prioritization of Features

Analyze the impact of new features before building them into the product. For example, will the new feature be adopted by all or a group of customers? Will the new feature help us win new customers? Is the cost of building the new feature justified? Using a framework for prioritization will help filter out features that have little impact on customers.

Conclusion

Identifying that you are in the product death cycle is hard, and escaping this slow downward spiral of product death is even more challenging. Listen to your customers to understand their problems and needs. Have a clear strategy and long-term vision for your product and align with the dynamic market. And never ask customers what feature they want in your product.