Why Most Product Visions Fail and How Radical Product Thinking Fixes Them

Vision is often touted as the secret sauce of successful products, but in practice, many visions fall flat. They are either too vague, like 'be the best,' or too internally focused, ignoring the real problems users face. This disconnect leads to products that meander through feature bloat or chase metrics without meaning.



Radical Product Thinking radically shifts this paradigm by centering vision on the change you want to create in the world. It’s not about lofty statements but about answering concrete questions: Who exactly benefits? What pain are you solving? Why is the current situation unacceptable? When will success be clear? And how will you bring this change about?

For example, a women’s cooperative focusing on sustainable self-employment for underprivileged communities had a vision that was deeply rooted in real needs and measurable outcomes. This clarity helped thousands align their efforts over decades, demonstrating the power of a well-crafted vision.

Common pitfalls include crafting slogans that sound good but fail to guide decisions, or visions that are too broad, resulting in wasted iterations and misaligned teams. Radical Product Thinking advocates for a detailed vision that acts as a compass, preventing distraction and enabling purposeful progress.

Validation is key. Vision must be grounded in verified pain points — problems that users truly experience and value solving. Without validation, products risk becoming solutions in search of problems, leading to costly failures.

By adopting Radical Product Thinking’s approach to vision, product leaders can create a shared language that resonates internally and externally, building trust and motivation. This alignment is essential for navigating the complex journey from idea to impactful product.



Next, we’ll explore how to translate this vision into a comprehensive strategy that bridges inspiration with execution.