Co-creating a product vision with stakeholders

I like to keep it engaging. I often run a lively, game-like 'Product in a Box' session—an interactive exercise that brings teams together to align on the future product. For a leading insurance company in Italy, this approach helped stakeholders understand each other's perspectives and arrive at a shared vision with clarity and ease.

Prep work

We began by identifying the key stakeholders and users to involve in the workshop. Once the participants were confirmed, we organized them into four teams and prepared a dedicated box for each group. To set the stage, I also created a simple deck to introduce the concept and walk everyone through the format of the activity.

BTS: The night before the session, we were up late—full from a hearty dinner (and maybe a bit too much wine)—carefully wrapping each box in white sheets and having a lot of fun as always.

During the session

I introduced the concept and format, explaining the objectives and how we would spend the next two hours collaboratively. I ensured everyone understood the activity's purpose and expected outcomes: "Two years down the line, if they place their product on the shelf, how would the box of the product look, and how will it stand out from other competitors?"

We divided participants into four teams, each comprising a mix of personas to mirror a range of stakeholders and potential users. I provided simple instructions for what to include on each side of the box, along with examples for clarity:

Front: Be creative! Develop a name for the product, along with a logo and tagline. For example, if your product is a food delivery service, you might name it 'FoodieExpress' with the tagline 'Fresh Food, Fast Delivery.'

Back: Identify the various users who will benefit from your product. For instance, users could include busy professionals, families, and students.

Left: List all the features your product will offer in two years (Considering all the existing & missing features, user pain points, improved & efficient processes, etc.). For example, features might include real-time order tracking, various restaurant options, and a user-friendly mobile app.

Right: Describe the benefits that users will experience when using your product. For example, Benefits could include convenient meal delivery, time savings, and access to diverse cuisine options.

Here are some of the boxes designed by the four teams during the session—a creative and fun-filled exercise that sparked imagination and collaboration.

The teams were actively and enthusiastically involved in the activity, collaborating, hearing the user challenges, brainstorming about the current limitations and needs, and being very creative in naming the product and tagline. Teams then presented their boxes, adopting the role of marketers selling their products. The role-play added a dynamic and fun element to the exercise and allowed for a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives.

A few fun shots from Mercato Locale—our mock market where teams turned into product pitch pros, flaunting features, benefits, and some surprisingly slick marketing moves!

Analysis & Consolidation

After the team presentations, We consolidated all the inputs and crafted a unified product vision using the Elevator pitch format. This was then validated with the product owner before sharing it with the larger group. The derived product vision is

Benefits of this approach

Using a game-like format helped us break down silos and bring together a diverse mix of stakeholders and users. It created an inclusive space where different perspectives, expertise, user needs, and business goals came together to shape a shared product vision. Since the vision was built from everyone's input, getting buy-in was surprisingly smooth.