Week 8 · learning day 3
Product configuration
Product Solution Design · 45–60 minutes
Today’s outcomes
- Explain product configuration in the context of product solution design.
- Analyse a product decision using the source outcome rather than intuition alone.
- Produce a reusable section of a conjoint decision sheet.
Source trace
W08-O03Estimate the market share of a product using a market simulator.
Core lesson
Make the choice inspectable
Product configuration matters when it changes a real allocation of attention, money, time, or delivery capacity. Design bundles by measuring trade-offs, not by collecting wish lists.
Start by naming the decision and the uncertainty around it. Separate evidence from assumptions, compare at least one alternative, and state what would make you revise the choice.
The source outcome for today is: Estimate the market share of a product using a market simulator.
What decision will product configuration improve, what evidence is sufficient for that decision, and what is the cost of being wrong?
Worked example
Product configuration in practice
For a configurable urban e-bike, the product manager must analyse a choice about product configuration. The team records the target user and outcome, the evidence currently available, the strongest alternative, and the next reversible test. The recommendation is written as a choice with a reason—not as a list of features.
Do the work · 20 minutes
Turn the idea into a decision
- Choose a product you know and write the specific decision that product configuration should support.
- List two pieces of evidence, two assumptions, and one credible alternative.
- Make a recommendation in three sentences and add one condition that would change it.
Save to your portfolio
A conjoint decision sheet — section: Product configuration
Knowledge check
Answer before opening
What is the decision at the centre of product configuration?
A good answer names an accountable choice, not merely an activity or output.
How should evidence and assumptions be separated?
Label observed facts, interpretations, and untested beliefs explicitly so the next learning step is visible.
What makes the recommendation revisable?
It includes a trigger, threshold, or new evidence that would justify changing course.
What should the portfolio artefact communicate?
The context, considered alternatives, chosen direction, rationale, evidence, and remaining risk.
Spaced review
Reconnect the learning
Reflection