CIRCLES

CIRCLES method by Lewis Lin

Framework to answer Product Design Questions

What is a product design question?

What is CIRCLES?

C => Comprehend the situation
I => Identify the customers
R => Report the customer's needs
C => Cut, through prioritization
L => List solutions
E => Evaluation trade-offs
S => Summarize recommendations

C => Comprehend the situation

For all questions, we can ask clarifying questions - 5W's and H

What is it?

Who is it for?

Why do they need it?

When is it available?

Where is it available?

How does it work?

 I => Identify the customers

Focus on one customer segment or persona

Examples of persona ->

Food lovers

Soccer moms

College students

Small business owners

Beginners, Intermediates, Professional

Build persona ->

• Name of the person and persona
• Behavior
• Demographic
• Needs & Goals

R => Report the customer's needs

Build user story template 

As a <role>, I want <goal/desire> so that <benefit>

In 1 sentence, we get to know the user, the user's need, the user's justification

C => Cut, through prioritization

Make a prioritization matrix

1. RICE method

R => Reach

I => Impact

C => Confidence

E => Effort

L => List solutions

E => Evaluation trade-offs

Tradeoff criteria 

Customer satisfaction, Implementation difficulty, Revenue potential

Analyzing the solution

Pro-con list. 

S => Summarize recommendations 

1. Tell your recommendation 
2. Recap what it is and why it's beneficial to the user and/or company
3. Why did you prefer it vs others