Product Toolkit

Background and Challenge

Designing with intention requires everyone—from stakeholders to community members—to work together effectively. Without structure, conversations can be scattered, insights overlooked, and empathy for users lost. SOM Tech developed a toolkit to guide collaborative discovery, surface actionable insights, and help teams design thoughtfully. The worksheets support information-gathering and foster understanding of the people who will use the product.

Screenshot of a webpage titled 'Product Toolkit' with sections labeled 'What are you building?', 'Why are you building it?', 'Who are you building it with and for?', and 'How are you building it?'. Each section contains blocks with brief descriptions, including topics like 'Problem Statement', 'Vision & Value', 'Assumptions', 'Competitive Analysis', 'Success Metrics', 'Design Research Plan', 'Personas', 'Semi-Structured Interviews', 'Scenarios', 'Minimum Viable Product', and 'Product Roadmap' displayed in colored boxes.

Toolkit landing page outlining when and why to use the worksheets

Orient, Guide, and Equip

Screenshot of a webpage titled 'Product Toolkit' with sections on 'Problem Statement' and 'Tips' for crafting problem statements, including tips such as being specific and involving community members, and references to related worksheets and resources.

Problem Statement with a description, worksheets, and resources

Design Research Plan

Design Research Plan with a description, worksheets, and resources

Work Together, Own Together

Persona template with sections for photo, quote, narrative, name, demographics, priorities, needs, fears, expectations, and barriers.

PowerPoint worksheet for developing inclusive personas

A blank template for Five Whys, with columns labeled for identifying problems, causes, locations, people involved, impacted parties, and timing, with editable sections to add details under each category.

PowerPoint worksheet for generating the Five Ws

My Work

  • Iteratively created content with team input and testing

  • Designed PowerPoint worksheets with actionable guidance

  • Curated reference materials

Outcomes and Impact

Years of experience highlight the power of collaborative discovery in shaping direction and building shared understanding—from research and landscape analysis to defining a clear vision. The toolkit provides simple, actionable guidance that has proven effective with stakeholders, community members, and new employees. The worksheets have also been adapted to online MURAL boards, enabling interactive workshops and supporting change management initiatives.

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