Narrow the target audience
The broader the user description, the fewer decisions it lets you make. Only when you can picture one specific person does the product take shape.
- 做功能时总在纠结「有的人可能要，有的人可能不要」
- 产品什么人都能用，但什么人都不会特意选它
- 写文案时写不出具体的话，只能写「更高效」这类词
Broad user descriptions feel reassuring because they write the market size large. That number is an illusion — you cannot satisfy any two of those groups at once, because their situations are different.
The real benefit of narrowing is that it lets you subtract. If you know your users are on mobile, outdoors, wearing gloves, you can confidently drop a lot of design options, and what is left gets simpler on its own.
Which direction to narrow
Narrowing is not a random cut. Cut along the dimensions that would change how you build the product.
| 沿这个维度收 | 它会改变什么 |
|---|---|
| 使用场合 | 在工位上还是在路上，决定了屏幕大小、单手操作、能不能被打断 |
| 熟练程度 | 老手要快捷键和批量，新手要引导和默认值。两者的界面几乎相反 |
| 数据量级 | 管十条和管一万条，是两个产品。搜索、筛选、分页全都不一样 |
| 一个人还是一群人 | 协作一旦进来，权限、通知、冲突处理全都要有，复杂度翻几倍 |
| 付钱的是不是本人 | 自己掏钱看性价比，公司报销看合规和发票 |
What if the market is too small
A rough test for whether you have narrowed enough: can you name five real people who fit the description, and do you know where to find them? If you cannot, narrow another layer.