Browser Stack Chat With Ankit
Browser Stack Chat With Ankit
Intro
Welcome to "Behind the Feature." Today, we're thrilled to have with us a true veteran of the
product management world.
Our guest is currently the Sr. Director of Product at BrowserStack, the global leader in
software testing on the cloud. With over a decade of experience in product leadership, he
has shaped product strategies and driven growth across some of the most innovative
companies in the tech industry.
- VP of Product at Hopin,
- Head of Product for Atlassian Marketplace,
- VP Products at Practo, India's leading health-tech startup
- He has also been on a Private Equity investment team for half a decade
Throughout his career, he has navigated complex product ecosystems in a diverse set of
environments - from B2B SaaS platforms to consumer-facing marketplaces, and from
established tech giants to rapidly scaling startups.
Today, he'll be sharing insights from his diverse experience, offering a unique perspective
on product management that spans across industries, scales, and cultures.
Some Questions
● About you
1. Can you share an example of a 0-to-1 product journey from your experience? What
were the biggest challenges?
a. Practo Consult - online doctor consultation - 2015
b. Had never been done in India. Behaviour shift. Both for doctors & patients.
c. Skepticism that it can happen online. No regulatory precedence. Closing the
loop with diagnostics & precription
d. Narrowing & identifying the health outcomes that are well suited
e. Optimise patient-doctor interaction - from each’s perspective
f. Seed the adoption, solve “empty restaurant” problem
g. Heightened ownership of Quality of Service
h. Example of Chennai Floods - 2015
2. You've mentioned the importance of "cheap experiments" in product development.
Can you give an example of how you've used this approach?
a. Cucumbertown - will they pay for revealing steps + microtransaction
b. Atlassian - Request an App
3. How can early-career PMs contribute effectively to a 0-to-1 product journey, even
with limited experience?
a. Bare minimum - Increase learning velocity - execute faster - experiment &
smaller releases
b. Next stage - Honest impact assessment - Quant and Qual - know what to
check
c. Experiment framing - What are we trying to learn, what is the best way to
learn
d. Integration & Differentiation - Know the North Star being aimed for, where
are we now, how small steps will add up to the North Star
e. Open mindset that learning is not deterministic - you may have to update
your mental models, drop your assumptions or experience failures
1. Many PMs aspire to work on products at scale. From your experience what does
"working at scale" really mean in practice?
a. What does Scale mean to you - User base, Revenue runrate, Geographical
footprint, Team size
b. Why do you want to work at Scale
i. Exposure to diverse user needs & market dynamics
ii. Leverage of efforts - Small changes can bring in relatively big impact
due to larger base
iii. Access to resources
iv. Brand association
c. Typical challenges or skills required
i. Change management while retaining innovation speed
ii. System & process - robustness, quality & efficiency - auto-detection
+ healing
iii. Platformization
2. What are the key differences in mindset and approach when moving from building a
new product to scaling an existing one?
a. Core PMF is proven - you want mass adoption now with impeccable user
experience
b. Key is scaling operations while maintaining product quality and user
satisfaction
c. Not let Entropy creep in - dangdling features, product debt, lingering bugs,
performance, dead ends, side-effects going unnoticed
d. Risk management and predictability
e. Team structure evolution - specialised squads, increased dependency and
coordination
3. Can you share a specific challenge you faced when scaling a product at Atlassian,
and how you addressed it?
a. 2 huge change management problems in career:
i. Practo: Ad-impression led monetisation —>Share of lead value
ii. Atlssian: Server to Cloud migration for Apps
b. 1000s of developers, 1000s of Apps - can’t reach out to each. Complex
problem too, decision making is not instantaneous
c. Break it down into multiple factors - untested technology, cost of new
development, loss of existing business, unknowns of RoI - etc etc
d. How to let Developers set prices for their Cloud Apps to enable transition
from Server
i. Didn’t want prices to be too high for Customers
ii. As a Free Marketplace, we can’t dictate prices
iii. Developers are not subject matter expert in pricing & packaging
iv. They wanted to follow Atlassian pricing changes
e. Pricing guidance ratios and opt-in programs to mirror Atlassian’s policies of
discounts & incentives
4. How can PMs prepare themselves for the transition from working on smaller
products to large-scale platforms?
a. Systems thinking - Can’t just think features or projects, have to become
aware of product modules, high-level architecture and interdependencies
b. Planning horizon has to become longer (multiple quarters), with intermediate
milestones - but still have a working version of the product that delivers
value
c. Performance and scalability are product outcomes, not Engg metrics
d. Internalize that others are building on top of you. Hence, constant
confidence building with consumers of the platform - roadmap, change
management, not take them by surprise, don’t break interfaces
1. Based on your experience across different companies, what are the fundamental
similarities between B2C and B2B product management?
a. Understand your customer, their key needs, what problem are you solving
b. Achieving Product-Market fit
c. Iterative development
d. Impact assessment & insights
e. Collaboration with stakeholders
2. What are the key differences in approach when managing B2C versus B2B
products?
a. Familiarity of the persona and needs will be typically lower in B2B
b. B2B problem statements tend to be more abstract in nature - e.g. you have
to first define what is “work” to build a “workflow management” tool
c. B2B products typically don’t work in isolation - you have to figure out ways to
play well other products in the toolkit of the end user from very early in your
product journey
d. Buyer and end-user personas are different - have to appeal to them
differently
e. “Collaboration” is an important theme - how will different team members
come together to achieve a goal or objective
f. B2B products are more “relationship heavy” in support, renewals, expansion
3. Can you share an example of a strategy or tactic that worked well in one domain
(B2C or B2B) but needed significant adaptation in the other?
a. Freemium:
i. B2C - More of impulse purchase after hitting a limit
ii. B2B - Freemium to Paid can be still be a longer & complex cycle
b. Value delivery & engagement cycle
i. B2C - especially in India with heavy bent on eCommerce - is
transaction focussed. You want to make a purchase happen and do a
service delivery.
ii. B2B - Continuous usage of product. Focus more on availability &
support. Sale is just the first leg of the relationship
c. Pricing & packaging
i. B2C: Relatively straight forward. Typically there are limited or no
paths to “Upgrade”
ii. B2B has lot more complex pricing & packaging. Need to upfront think
which feature (or what tier of features) will be released under which
plan
4. For early-career PMs, what advice would you give on choosing between B2C and
B2B opportunities?
MyGate
I want to do an outward looking view for a 3rd party product use case with you
—------------------------------------------------------------
Episode Title:
YT description
💡 Key Highlights:
00:00 Introduction
Whether you're crafting the next big B2C app or revolutionizing B2B software, this episode is
packed with actionable strategies you can implement today!
🔔 Subscribe for more product wisdom and hit that notification bell to stay ahead in the PM
game!
🎙️ Want to hear more from our expert? Follow them here: [Guest's Social Media]
📚 Resources mentioned in this episode:
● [Resource 1]
● [Resource 2]
● [Resource 3]
💬 Share your biggest PM challenge in the comments - we might feature it in our next video!
Welcome to our latest episode, "Deep Dive into Product Management: B2B vs. B2C,
Strategies, & Insights"! In this video, we explore the dynamic landscape of product
management through the lens of an experienced product leader.
We dive deep into the similarities and differences between B2B and B2C strategies,
emphasizing the importance of understanding users and identifying pain points while
recognizing that the execution varies significantly. Discover how B2B focuses on
relationships and collaboration, whereas B2C often involves transactional interactions.
Learn about the effective tactics for transitioning between B2B and B2C domains, including
the nuances of the freemium model and its implications in both spaces. If you're an
early-career product manager, gain valuable insights on choosing between B2B and B2C
opportunities, including the significance of external versus internal validation.
We also tackle the 0-to-1 product journey with a real-world example from Practo, illustrating
the challenges of product creation from scratch. Plus, for those interested in scaling, we
discuss a systematic approach to understanding engineering architecture and planning for
growth challenges.
Our guest shares practical advice on running cost-effective experiments to validate ideas
quickly, utilizing tools such as fake landing pages and Google Forms for user feedback. With
relatable personal experiences and case studies, this episode is packed with actionable
takeaways for product managers at any stage.
Whether you're seasoned or just starting out, this comprehensive guide will empower you to
navigate the intricate world of product management. Don't miss out on these invaluable
insights—watch now and elevate your product management skills to the next level!
Feedback #1
It and that
1:20 : Q : What are some of the challenges you've faced in product management
across different industries?
1:51: This is how the important points have to be shown as per the below SS
Show each point as it comes ( remove the captions from the answer too many
spelling mistakes and I can’t sit and correct spelling for 40 mins)
1) Product is not a permanently defensible moat
2:39 : See the umms ( why is this not removed across the video)
2:40 : 2) Distribution wins, not necessary that the best Product wins
2:59 : 3) Users may love or get used to your product too much - resist you making a change
3: 23 : 4)Product abuse is a good problem to have - people are taking note of your product
and finding creative ways of using it beyond what you built it for
7:06 : REMOVE UM
9: 31 to 11:48 : Why is the camera background noise not removed? The videographer
had told me the editors can remove this
11:15 to 13:06 : remove all the uuhs and umms in ankit’s answer
13: 08 : Q : Tactics that worked well in one domain (B2C or B2B) but needed significant
adaptation in the other? ( The question you have put is wrong)
https://www.duolingo.com/super
13: 26 : Put this SS on a side screen and put the guest on the side and showcase these as he
talks
1) Freemium:
a) B2C - More of impulse purchase after hitting a limit
14:11 :
b) B2B - Freemium to Paid can be still be a longer & complex cycle
● B2B - Continuous usage of product. Focus more on availability & support. Sale is
just the first leg of the relationship
● 15: 27 : B2C - especially in India with heavy bent on eCommerce - is transaction
focussed. You want to make a purchase happen and do a service delivery.
16:12 : What advice would you give to early PMs on choosing between B2C and B2B
opportunities?
Can you share an example of a 0-to-1 product journey from your experience?
The entire video revolves around the practo use case and your team has removed that
whole section!!!!
Put back section from 24: 23 to 37: 49 ( but account for the cuts I had asked to do)
Remove from 18: 22- 19:29
20: 50
24: 06 : Q : What are the key differences in mindset and approach when moving from
building a new product to scaling an existing one?
24: 50 : Put subtitle : Important to understand the engineering architecture behind your
product when building for scale
Please remove music across the video it sounds like lift music
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16MxGXCuGee0c3kdjpV3_Tq4ExQ31brqd/view
The question is missing ; please add the question :Can you share an example of a 0-to-1
product journey from your experience? What were the biggest challenges?
6: 14 : Put SS of speciality
6:33 : Put SS of pictorial representation of body
1: 47 to 1: 53
0:10 Remove the pause ( the intros are important and it has to be crisp and strong)
First 10 seconds : Switch to 1.25x for better experience ( Put this in the video)
● B2B - Continuous usage of product. Focus more on availability & support. Sale is
just the first leg of the relationship
14: 48: B2C - especially in India with heavy bent on eCommerce - is transaction focussed.
You want to make a purchase happen and do a service delivery.
17:39 - Abrupt editing, some part is missing
17:49 - You have missed adding the beginning ; ( Put 0: 43 to 0: 50) of the 24:23 to 37 49
Again abrupt editing Add the main Question at 18: 50
19:12 the ss is so small you can’t even read it or see it ; in a phone its even worseThis is
now at 20: 23
20:37 - 2 sec need to be edited out ( when I say no; no continue - this should have been
removed by your team) This is now at 21: 39- 21: 40
27: 36: Avoid overwhelming users: Limit the number of buttons and experiments to
prevent confusion and frustration
27: 44 : Target the right audience: Select cohorts of existing users who are most likely to
be receptive to new features.
28:33 - Quote is out of place, needs to go at the right place at 30: 12 - This has to be at 29:
56
29: 06 make the transition to the question smoother “ remove for a PM”
35: 05 : Fintech
35: 15 Trend of AI
Also put subtitle : Scale AI is a leading provider of high-quality data labeling and annotation
services.
Shorts section
● 7: 39 to 8: 20 ; 8: 48 to 9: 10
Title: Navigating the B2B vs. B2C Product Management Divide Description: Explore
the similarities and differences between B2B and B2C product management
strategies. Discover the importance of user understanding, value proposition, and
distribution channel selection in both domains.
Title: Scaling Products from 0 to 1: Lessons from Practo's Journey Description: Ankit Jain
shares insights from his experience building a product from scratch at Practo. Uncover the
key challenges of the 0-to-1 journey and understand the importance of engineering
architecture when scaling a product.
Hook
● 14: 04 to 14: 23
● 15: 28 to 15: 38
○ 17:10- 17: 30
● 19: 21 To 20: 07 : Consult section
● 21: 58 to 22: 09 - why will doctor respond to this queries
● 24:25 to 24: 52= These different ways
● 27:09 to 27: 21 : Fake gate experiments is my go to strategy
● 27: 36 to 27: 57 : Guardrail of fake gate
● 32: 25 to 32: 56 : Biggest contribution as early PM
● 40: 21 to 40: 31 Borwser stack bonus content and cut it abruptly