Hello,
This is Oleg, CEO and co-founder of GoPractice.
How to copy product features the right way
Copying others' features and products is a bad thing.
Copying the smart way is a good thing.
Evolutionary process
Replicating something to make it better is one of the key development strategies in many fields.
That's the way content creators, marketers, movie studios and many others do it. And in a similar way works evolution.
Copying is a good strategy in product development as well. Oftentimes it's an easier way to create value than seeking product/market fit from scratch.
The catch here is that copying a product and creating value is hard.
Replicating products is hard
I've seen many times people trying to copy the products I was working on. More often than not they copied the wrong thing.
Some tried to apply the simulator approach of GoPractice courses to teach other skills. Almost all of them assumed that storytelling and the characters were the most crucial aspects of success. Yes, the storytelling absolutely makes the product better, but it's far from being the one secret ingredient.
The example above showcases the situation of copying something that works. What's worse, sometimes teams get fixated on replicating something that is completely devoid of value.
An outside perspective will never grant the product insights of the inside perspective. Firstly, because you see only the current version of the product—and don't see the full path that has led to it. Secondly, the developing team has first-hand knowledge of how each product tweak affects the metrics, what their users want, and what's going on in the market in general.
There are many elements of success
A working successful product is an intricate system. It involves:
The product that solves a specific problem
The target audience that has this problem
The channels that enable reaching these people
The added value in comparison to alternatives
When copying, teams usually focus exclusively on the product while ignoring everything else.
Say, an SMB company copies a feature of its enterprise counterpart—only to find out that their SMB clients don't have the problem the feature was built for.
I regularly check on the companies from interesting segments that have attracted venture capital. From the outside perspective, most of the time I can't figure out the magic behind their products—why it works, who pays for it and why, and how they plan to grow.
But when I get a chance to meet and talk to people behind these products, I learn the nuances that shed light on why it works. It might be a niche use case, unique target audience, discreet growth channels, and mechanics.
Deep understanding of why and how something works is the most crucial step on the way to properly copy something. Or making an informed decision not to.
Smart copying
Copying a feature or a product is not so different from a regular product development process. The only big difference is you have a reference of where you want to go.
You still need to test key hypotheses behind the feature. You still need to pinpoint the main risks and the best way to work with them.
During this process, you'll find answers to many questions that would be overlooked with plain copying.
Which user problem are we solving?
How do we create the added value? Do we?
Do we differentiate ourselves from the competition or not? How and why?
How does this new feature affect our growth model and product economics?
What are the key risks associated with this feature? How to test them?
A good reference helps increase the chances of success and makes it easier to find a proper solution. And a regular product development process allows you to properly integrate the copied feature into your product.
Plain copying mostly wastes resources. Smart copying delivers results.
Learn with GoPractice
Try our Skills Assessment Test to pinpoint opportunities for your professional development.
This test is free. Upon completion, you will receive a personalized plan for your professional growth.
And if you want to boost your skills and knowledge, consider our Data-Driven Product Management Simulator.
All the best,
Oleg
