Amazon's Working Backwards process requires teams to write a press release and FAQ as if the product has already launched successfully — before any design or development. If you can't write it clearly, you haven't thought it through clearly enough.
Before committing to any significant new product or feature, especially when the problem and solution are still fuzzy.
- Write a press release: headline, subheading, problem, solution, customer quote, CTA
- Write it as if the product already launched and succeeded
- Write internal FAQ: answer the hardest sceptical questions a colleague would ask
- Write external FAQ: answer questions a customer would ask
- Iterate until the team is satisfied — this is the actual product design work
- Use the approved PR/FAQ as the north star for all subsequent development
PR headline: 'Spotify Launches Daily DJ: Your Personal AI Music Host That Knows What You Need Before You Do.' Writing the FAQ immediately surfaces the hardest question: 'What if the DJ gets it wrong and I can't skip?' — which becomes a core design requirement that shapes the entire feature.
Please contact the author for more information on these examples at linkedin.com/in/kshitijrege
- Writing a marketing document instead of a genuine customer-facing press release
- Skipping the difficult FAQ questions that expose real product risks
- Treating it as a writing exercise rather than a product design exercise
- Working Backwards — Colin Bryar & Bill Carr