Can We Drive the Same Outcome for Different Customer Segments?

​Dear Reader,​

"An outcome is a measurable change in human behavior that creates business value." (via Josh Seiden). But what if different customer segments share the same problem? Should you repeat the outcome on your impact map?

The answer: Yes—when it forces clarity.

​

Let me give you an example: Let's say you're a Product Manager working on the upload functionality for YouTube videos. On the one hand, you have creators like MKBHD (20M+ subscribers), and on the other, an everyday dad who enjoys sharing his favorite coffee recipes for a couple of hundred like-minded coffee nerds.

To drive your overarching business impact of "Increase Ease of Video Publishing Score by 20%" and from various research sources, you identify both segments having the same problem:

"I don't know if my video will finish processing successfully, so I have to keep the browser tab open and monitor it until completion."

Turned into an Outcome like:

"Let creators know about successful video processing without having to keep the tab open."

Do you write this once, or repeat it under each actor?

Repeat it. Here's why.

The Priority and Quality of your Solution

While both might have the same problem, the solutions required to solve it for them might have to deliver different functionality, and the separation by segment helps you a) to name these differences, and b) to prioritize whom to focus on. MKBHD's insane 8K videos require a different background processing and maintain the ability for his 10+ people team to add assets like thumbnails, descriptions, and shoppable products to the video beyond the clip. Coffee Dad doesn't need any of that and just wants to be safe that the video gets published.

By repeating the outcome, you're forced to ask: "Do these segments need different solutions?" Without repetition, teams assume one notification system serves both.

Measuring Success

When you measure the progress toward solving your problem across customer segments (especially when you serve very heterogeneous segments), you can get lost in averages. You deploy one solution and check the overall numbers for a metric linked to your target Outcome, such as the % of creators who close the browser after the first upload without losing the to-be-published video.

When, instead, you want to separate this metric per segment to either set more specific goals from the get-go, to articulate your priorities, and to measure success in hindsight more specifically.

Repeating the outcome forces you to define success criteria for each segment, not to accept misleading averages.

When to Repeat the Same Outcome for Different Segments

✅ Repeat when:

• Segments need different solutions for the same behavior change
• Success metrics differ by segment
• Strategic priorities require separate measurement

❌ Don't repeat when:

• One solution serves all segments equally
• The metric is truly universal
• Repetition clutters without adding clarity

The test: If repeating forces better questions about solutions, metrics, or priorities—do it.

Repeating outcomes isn't about following rules—it's creating forcing functions for better conversations:

• "Do we measure this the same way for both segments?"
• "Which segment do we prioritize if we can't serve both?"

Next time you find a shared problem across segments, ask: Would repeating this outcome force us to have a conversation we're currently avoiding?

Thank you for Practicing Product,

​Tim​

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Who is Tim Herbig?

As a Product Management Coach, I guide Product Teams to measure the real progress of their evidence-informed decisions.

I focus on better practices to connect the dots of Product Strategy, Product OKRs, and Product Discovery.