Feature Brief

Context

Help the team understand the context behind why we are developing this feature.

Problem Statements

I am <who>. I am trying to <outcome/job>. But <problem/barrier> because <root cause> which makes me feel <emotion>.

Goals

• Goal / What success looks like

• Goal / What success looks like

• (Optional) What success doesn't look like

Hypothesis

(Feature):

(User behavior):

(Metrics):

If we <achieve/enable X>, then <user behavior Y changes in this way> leading to positive metrics <Z>. Include guesses for the size of the win on specific metrics, using past launches as a baseline.

Vision Narrative

Tell your use cases in story format, starting before the user encounters your feature and including their thoughts and motivations. Show how the feature fits into the users' lives and has a significant impact.

Rough Scoping & Timeline

• At a high level, what’s included in V1 vs. later versions?

• How big of a project is this?

• What’s the rollout/testing plan?

Key Trade-Offs & Decisions

• For example, were there any alternatives considered?

Concept Mocks

Include some mocks or a prototype to illustrate the concept. (Add links)

Feature Proposal

Proposal

Detailed mocks & feature requirements. You can start by expanding on the scoping section from the brief. Work with your engineers & designer to ensure you’ve gone into enough detail and covered all the cases.

Risks & Mitigations

Brainstorm things that could go wrong with your team and partner teams. For each risk, plan appropriate mitigations.

Open Questions

Gather open questions here while the spec is in progress.

Research

• Useful research such as competitive analysis, metrics, or surveys

• User testing

• Customer interviews