Writing Product Vision Documents

Overview

Create product vision documents that non-technical stakeholders can understand, act on, and share. Focus on why the product matters, who it serves, and how users accomplish their goals—not technical implementation.

Core principle: If a stakeholder needs to ask "what does this mean?" or "why should I care?", the document has failed.

Start by understanding the current product context, then ask questions one at a time to refine the new idea. Once you understand what you're building, present the vision in small sections (200-300 words), checking after each section whether it looks right so far.

When to Use

• Creating pitch documents for investors or executives
• Aligning cross-functional teams on product direction
• Documenting product strategy for new initiatives
• Communicating vision to non-technical team members

Document Structure

Follow this structure in order. Each section builds on the previous.

1. Vision Statement (Required)

Use Geoffrey Moore's template:

For [target users] who [have this need/problem], the [product name] is a [product category] that [key benefit]. Unlike [alternatives], our product [key differentiator].

Example:

For busy parents who struggle to manage their children's screen time, ScreenTime Guardian is a family wellness app that creates healthy digital boundaries through collaboration. Unlike surveillance-focused competitors, our product teaches children self-regulation skills.

2. Problem Statement (Required)

Define the problem in human terms:

Element	Description
Who feels the pain	Specific user segment, not "everyone"
What the pain is	Observable behavior or frustration
Why it matters	Consequences of not solving it
Current workarounds	How people cope today (and why it fails)

Bad: "Users need better analytics" Good: "Parents currently guess how much time their kids spend on devices. They resort to arguments at bedtime, damaging relationships and creating anxiety."

3. Stakeholder Map (Required)

Use a Power-Interest Grid to categorize stakeholders:

        HIGH INTEREST                    LOW INTEREST
    ┌─────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────┐
    │                             │                             │
H   │   MANAGE CLOSELY            │   KEEP SATISFIED            │
I   │   (Key decision makers)     │   (Executives, board)       │
G   │   • Primary users           │   • C-suite sponsors        │
H   │   • Product team            │   • Advisory board          │
    │   • Key investors           │                             │
P   │                             │                             │
O   ├─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┤
W   │                             │                             │
E   │   KEEP INFORMED             │   MONITOR                   │
R   │   (Engaged supporters)      │   (Minimal effort)          │
    │   • Secondary users         │   • General public          │
L   │   • Customer support        │   • Indirect competitors    │
O   │   • Marketing team          │                             │
W   │                             │                             │
    └─────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────────────┘

For each stakeholder group, document:

• Who they are (role, not name)
• What they need from this product
• How we communicate with them
• Their success criteria

4. User Personas (Required)

Create 2-3 personas using Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) format:

## Persona: [Name] ([Role])

**Situation:** [Context when they need this product]

**Job to be Done:**
When I [situation/trigger], I want to [action/capability], so I can [desired outcome].

**Functional needs:** [What they need to accomplish]
**Emotional needs:** [How they want to feel]
**Social needs:** [How they want to be perceived]

**Current alternatives:** [What they do today]
**Why alternatives fail:** [Specific shortcomings]

5. User Workflow Diagrams (Required)

Visualize key user journeys using swimlane diagrams. These show:

• Different actors (parent, child, system)
• Steps in their process
• Decision points
• Handoffs between actors

Format: Use Mermaid diagrams (preferred) or ASCII as fallback. See diagrams.md for templates.

Every workflow must show:

1. Trigger — What starts this flow?
2. Happy path — Main success scenario
3. Decision points — Where users make choices
4. End state — What success looks like

6. Use Cases (Required)

Write use cases in plain language, not technical specifications:

## Use Case: [Action Name]

**Actor:** [Who performs this]
**Goal:** [What they want to achieve, in their words]
**Trigger:** [What starts this use case]

**Main Flow:**

1. [Actor] does [action]
2. System [response]
3. [Actor] sees [result]
4. [Continue until goal achieved]

**Alternative Flows:**

- If [condition], then [what happens]

**Success Criteria:** [How actor knows they succeeded]

Non-technical language rules:

• Use "sees" not "renders"
• Use "saves" not "persists to database"
• Use "notifies" not "sends push notification via FCM"
• Use verbs users would use, not technical verbs

7. Feature Overview (Required)

Present features from user benefit perspective:

What Users Can Do	Why It Matters	Who Benefits
Set daily time limits	Peace of mind, consistent boundaries	Parents
Earn bonus time	Motivation through positive reinforcement	Children

Avoid: Feature lists with technical specs Include: How each feature solves a problem from Section 2

8. Success Metrics (Required)

Define measurable outcomes for both users AND business:

User Success:

• What behavior changes?
• What pain decreases?
• What goal becomes achievable?

Business Success:

• Adoption metrics
• Engagement metrics
• Revenue/growth metrics

9. Competitive Positioning (Optional)

If included, use a simple comparison:

	Our Product	Alternative A	Alternative B
Key Differentiator	✓	✗	Partial

Avoid: Long competitor teardowns Include: Clear reason why users choose us

Writing for Non-Technical Audiences

Language Rules

Instead of...	Write...
API, SDK, backend	"the system" or "behind the scenes"
Database, storage	"saves your information"
Algorithm	"smart suggestions"
Real-time sync	"updates instantly"
Push notifications	"alerts you"
Authentication	"secure login"
UI/UX	"design" or "experience"

Diagram Guidelines

Prefer Mermaid diagrams — they render consistently across tools (GitHub, Notion, VS Code, etc.).

When to use Mermaid:

• Flowcharts and decision trees
• Sequence diagrams (actor interactions)
• User journey maps
• Quadrant charts (stakeholder maps)

When to use ASCII (fallback):

• Complex swimlane layouts Mermaid can't represent
• Custom visual arrangements
• When Mermaid syntax becomes unwieldy

For workflows: Use flowchart or sequence diagrams (see diagrams.md) For stakeholder maps: Use quadrantChart (see diagrams.md) For comparisons: Use tables

Never include:

• Technical architecture (servers, databases, APIs)
• Code snippets
• Data models
• System diagrams that require technical knowledge

Readability Checklist

Before finalizing, verify:

• Can be read in under 10 minutes
• Every section answers "why should I care?"
• No unexplained acronyms
• Diagrams have labels a non-technical person understands
• Use cases describe what users DO, not what systems DO
• Success metrics include user outcomes, not just business metrics

Quick Reference

Section	Purpose	Length
Vision Statement	Align everyone on direction	2-3 sentences
Problem Statement	Create urgency and empathy	1 paragraph + table
Stakeholder Map	Show who cares and why	Grid + 3-5 groups
Personas	Make users real	2-3 personas
Workflows	Show how it works	2-4 diagrams
Use Cases	Detail key interactions	3-6 use cases
Features	Connect solutions to problems	Table format
Success Metrics	Define winning	User + Business metrics

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Why It's Wrong	Fix
Starting with features	Puts solution before problem	Start with vision and problem
Technical jargon	Alienates non-technical readers	Use language rules above
Vague stakeholders	"Users" isn't actionable	Name specific roles and needs
Missing workflows	Hard to understand the experience	Add visual flows
No success metrics	Can't measure progress	Define user AND business metrics
Too long	Won't be read	Target 10-minute read time

Supporting Files

• diagrams.md — Templates for swimlane diagrams, user journeys, and stakeholder maps
• examples/ — Sample vision documents for reference