TEI 027: If You are a Product Manager, You Need to Know about PDMA–with Charlie

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you episode
026 of... The Everyday Innovator with host Chad
McAllister, PhD. The podcast is all about helping people involved
in developing and managing products become more successful, grow
their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. Our Guest:  I
have the pleasure of interviewing people in all types of roles that
can help product managers, developers and innovators. And today I
get to bring you a discussion with the Chairman of the Product
Development & Management Association (PDMA), Charlie Noble.
I’ve been wanting to do this interview because PDMA is the
professional association that first opened my eyes to the
discipline of product management. Charlie is also an award-winning
professor at the University of Tennessee where he teaches design,
innovation, and new product development. He has helped many
organizations with product development and marketing issues as well
as contributing to research in these areas. How do you create
meaningful products for customers? Some tools and steps include:
Identifying cultural trends and movements. Consider the driving
forces impacting the target market using environmental scanning
(such as PESTLE analysis). Reviewing social media content is
helpful for identifying emerging trends and themes.Interviewing
customers and discussing what cultural trends are important to them
and how they feel about the context of a product.Creating market
segments based on customer mindsets, attitudes, and the information
collected from environmental scanning and customer
interviews.Designing the product to a specific segment.