If your team can’t describe your product’s vision in one sentence, you’ve got a problem.A clear product vision isn’t about making a grand statement for the wall. It’s a simple way to ensure you don’t lose sight of what matters to your customers.Without it, teams can easily get stuck fixing random bugs, chasing feature requests, or building things that sound exciting, but don’t move the needle for users.Here’s a simple exercise that takes five minutes and works like magic. I first learned it from a UX designer during a product interview at TransferWise (now Wise). He started with a question that changed the way I think about product vision forever.Step 1: Ask What Customers Care AboutIn the interview, he asked the candidate: “What do customers consider when choosing TransferWise?”After a few “What else?” prompts, the answers came: price, trustworthiness, speed, convenience, coverage.These answers reveal the “pillars” of the product. Every product has its own set of “pillars” like these. They are the core attributes people use to compare you to the competition.If you don’t know what your pillars are, you’re flying blind. You risk over-investing in features no one cares about or underestimating what really drives loyalty. Worse, competitors who understand the pillars better will outflank you, even if their products are otherwise weaker.Step 2: Push Each Pillar to the ExtremeThen came the magic.He followed up with these questions:“What would the fastest money transfer look like?”“What’s the most convenient experience you can imagine?”The answers got bolder: instant, free, global, effortless — like sending a chat message. This wasn’t about incremental improvements like shaving a few seconds off transfer times or tweaking a UI. It was about reimagining what the best possible experience could look like if there were no limits.And that’s the point: instead of asking “What would you fix?” (which usually leads to safe answers like “I’d tweak this setting”), he reframed it: “What’s the best version this product could possibly be?”This simple shift unlocked our creativity. It forced us to break free from the current state and think like visionaries, not maintainers. This approach isn’t limited to fintech. Imagine it for:Food delivery apps: Meals delivered in 5 minutes, always hot, perfectly customized, with zero effort.Healthcare: Instant diagnoses, remote treatments, fully personalized care.Education platforms: Tailored learning paths, instant feedback, and learning that adapts to your mood and attention.When you push the pillars to their extreme, that’s when you create space for true innovation.Step 3: Write Your Product VisionThis is where it all comes together.Take each core pillar and imagine its ultimate form. For money transfer, we got:Price → freeTrust → transparent, secureSpeed → instantCoverage → borderlessConvenience → effortlessFrom that, you get a clear, inspiring vision. At Wise, it became our mission:Money without borders — instant, convenient, transparent, and eventually free.Notice how the vision isn’t cluttered with a dozen ideas. It’s focused, bold, and easy to remember.Your product vision stems from a straightforward process: identify the pillars your customers care about most, envision the best possible version of each, and combine them into a single, clear, and inspiring sentence.It doesn’t have to be perfect or grand. It just needs to be something your team can believe in — a vision that naturally pulls decisions in the right direction.How to Define Your Product’s PillarsYou don’t need a research budget or a 40-page deck. Start simple:Use Common SenseIf you’ve ever used the product — or anything like it — you already have a good first guess. Ask yourself, “What do I care about when choosing a product like this?” Your gut instinct is often directionally correct. But don’t stop there.Talk to CustomersAsk them directly. Read reviews, support tickets, or NPS comments. Work with your support team — they often know the product’s strengths and weaknesses better than anyone.Here’s a trick: check the filters users use on review sites. For example:TripAdvisor uses filters like “price,” “location,” “atmosphere,” and “opening hours.”Amazon uses: “durability,” “battery life,” “value for money,” “ease of use”These filters are goldmines for understanding what real people actually care about.To Sum upAs you define your pillars, it helps to keep an eye out for a few common slips that can make things harder than they need to be:Choosing too many pillars → Focus on 3–5 maximum.Using vague terms → “Good experience” is too broad. Be specific.Assuming instead of listening → Verify with real customer voices.Pillars are the DNA of your product experience. Get them right.Let’s Try ItWant to test it out?Think of a car. What are the key pillars? Probably speed, fuel efficiency, comfort, price, design, and environmental impact.Now imagine the best version of each:Speed → instant accelerationComfort → zero sound, perfectly smooth rideDesign → customizable in real timeLet’s try one more.Smartphone:Battery life → lasts a week, charges in secondsDurability → unbreakable under any conditionsCamera → captures real-life quality, even in zero lightThis method works for anything. Even road signs. Imagine how they could evolve from physical objects to holograms or disappear completely when cars drive themselves.Try it on your product. Or even yourself. (That’s a deeper conversation.)Final ThoughtA product vision doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be clear, ambitious, and rooted in what customers actually care about. This five-minute method has helped my teams think bigger and build better, and it can work for you too.It transforms meetings from “what should we prioritize?” to “how do we get closer to the best version of this product?”When your vision is strong, it becomes a rallying cry. It aligns teams. It makes hard decisions easier. And it reminds everyone why the work matters.Start with what matters. Push it to the extreme. Then build toward it.The post How to Build a Clear Product Vision in 5 Minutes appeared first on The New Stack.