a collection of thoughts on one pagers


Great One Pagers, John Cutler on Medium.

According to medium, this is a 14 minute read on how to produce a document that can be read in 3-6 minutes. Despite the extensive questions to be answered, he recommends conciseness, leaning toward brevity. In particular, I enjoy the behavioral change framework, the clear distinction between a one pager and a solution description, and titling your one pager to address outcomes, not features.

What is a one pager, Molly Sloan on Drift.

I like the audience definition – this is the opportunity to share context and research of user problems to your team. She notes that also, stakeholders may read these. A definition of six sections is provided and a discussion of how you know your one pager is good: how easy it is to write given the material you’re drawing from is voluminous and consistent. It’s clear that this document does not actually describe a solution. It provides context and builds empathy with a customer problem.

How to write a one pager people will actually read, Product Plan

Repeats concepts of brevity, context, research and storytelling.

How to write a one pager that people will actually read, Product Coalition (premium content on Medium from Mal Sanders)

Repeats that this is primarily a document for the product team that is also read by higher level stakeholders at times. He says: “It is a communication tool that serves the team, not a rigid template that needs to be the same each time.”

Which is to say:

  • one pagers describe customer problems and desired outcomes, not features
  • they are generally succinct and aim to provide context and empathy for the customer problem
  • one pagers provide boundaries for the solution space but do not solve the problem
  • one pagers define success in specific and measurable terms
  • one pager templates are a starting point for people who need help answering the right questions, and not a rigid requirement

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