I used to think that the display business is like real estate, where whoever sells the most square footage wins. However, it’s not. At the risk of straining the analogy, it’s mostly like a contractor business, where everyone likes to sell variations of cement and drywall and wants to avoid anything else while retaining the right to act as a realtor on the deal.
I know, I strained the analogy. What I mean is that a display product is not a foundational component, even though it’s easy to think of it that way. It needs to be a structural framework. Two clear examples of that are TVs and dashboards. First of all, “TV” is such a useless term, but it’s all we have. Connected TVs and smart TVs sound fine, but still, “TV”? No one is “televisioning” anything these days.
As for automotive dashboards, well, they have very little to do with the gauges and dials of old. In fact, the similarity between the two devices is quite tenuous. A modern-day TV is part of a much bigger connected universe of services, and the automotive dashboard today is more of a computer monitor than anything else, connected to ever more complicated electronics.
But, with the exception of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) headsets, most display products are distilled into the components of the manufacturing processes that begat them. They are probably better lumped in with semiconductor components than as a separate category.
The Pain Points of Product Managing Displays
It got me thinking about all that meandering nomenclature, and I thought, it must be really difficult to product manage displays. At least, it would be difficult if it isn’t already. I put together a very simple product manager primer below, more as a reference than anything else. I’m sure everyone reading this knows most of it, just so we are speaking from the same page.
So, a well-managed display product would have a number of attributes: it would be designed, for the most part, to meet the needs of OEMs, which translates into delivering something that doesn’t require a lot of change and retooling, as that means a lot of extra costs and time delays.
OEM to manufacturer: “Don’t charge me any more than you quoted, and I need it delivered yesterday.”
Manufacturer to OEM: “Please sir, may we have more? Your last-minute changes are killing us, and we are way behind schedule.”
Where the relationship between OEM and manufacturer works is probably where you find two product management teams that are in sync, communicating transparently and effectively, and the contracts of engagement are designed to be win-win for both parties.
That’s got to get tricky if you look at diversified display manufacturers and how many of them are their own OEMs or at least have subsidiaries that act as OEMs for them. How do you manage all of the following?
| Point | Counterpoint | |
| 1 | Stay informed on industry trends | You’re here aren’t you? |
| 2 | Understand your target audience | Tougher. The need to diversify in to different display categories means completely different target audiences, not to mention that most would think their target audience is an OEM. |
| 3 | Analyze competitive pricing | Doable but only useful if you can anticipate future pricing fluctuations because reacting to price changes is not always a winning strategy. |
| 4 | Observe customer behavior | Which one: the one who uses the display or the one who makes the display? |
| 5 | Leverage qualitative and quantitative data | Gets tough if you rely on your OEMS because their agenda is to leverage data for their benefit and not yours. |
| 6 | Iterate on product design and features | Only if you have an end user dataset that can help you plan. |
| 7 | Offer trials and explore new product versions | A bit facile, but still, human psychology is human pyschology. |
| 8 | Compare user experience (UX) flows | I’d love to see this how this is done for displays because there isn’t a modern flat screen TV that talked to users about where to put connector inputs and control buttons. |
| 9 | Collaborate with adjacent players | Which ones? |
| 10 | Develop strong communication and leadership skills | Yes, the messenger does get shot for the message. That’s just the way business works. |
Full transparency, the rest of the words here leading up to the next subtitle are all my prejudices about display products. In simple terms, you never build a product for an OEM, you build it for a user. You may need to provide a service for the OEM, a custom manufacturing service if you will, but that’s not the display product. To use a muddled analogy, that’s just a bunch of mixed cement.
Not every customer for a display is a Samsung, an LG, an Apple, or a TCL with their own consumer devices and a symbiosis that actually speaks to my prejudices. The closed loop for a handful of the big companies with end users, end-user product managers, end-user sales channels, and all that experiential data is great for them, not that it has resulted in a TV set ever being called the post-TV era product, but it may have also created products that haven’t really blazed any new ground.
Okay, you give the usual suspect, Apple, the nod here. They don’t own manufacturing, but as soon as they do, I guarantee that their products will lose a lot of innovation value. Apple did great when it was trying to change the world. Now, it just has to make sure it doesn’t break it.
I wonder if that is the case with a lot of product management in the display industry: don’t break that supply chain. TVs are still TVs, even though we have so many things that could be done to make them more powerful computing hubs. We have smartphones where there is some glimmer of light with more GPU and visual processing power being adopted, and the results are palpable. If you check out the phone forums, because you have no TV most probably, you’ll find some ecstatic reviews of Samsung’s driver updates for the S23, updates that have improved the image handling of the cameras. So, you know, there’s some fun to be had there.
Automotive is fascinating, and while it would be incredibly difficult for a display company to create its own electronic profile for cockpit displays, there is plenty of innovation and user-centric development that can be done around AR projections and haptic feedback, for another example. I would think that is a very cool product management opportunity because of so much of the development of automotive displays being tied to very basic health and safety requirements that demand a great deal of expertise and engineering.
The product management of displays is no longer just about delivering a display that meets the needs of an OEM, but also about understanding the user and their experience. It requires integrating with various technologies and disciplines such as AR, haptic feedback, and artificial intelligence. It’s not just about making a TV anymore; it’s about creating a hub for all the different types of content and services that users want. And as such, no TV will ever be a TV again. The display industry is evolving rapidly, and product managers must keep up with the changing landscape to deliver innovative products that meet the needs of today’s users. Even if no OEM ever asks for it. But, when you deliver it, they will appreciate it. They have all the same product management issues on the other side of the fence, too.
How to be a Display Product Manager
Here’s a small guide on how to be an effective product manager in the display industry, just some key aspects to focus on in order to excel as a product manager in this space (maybe any space):
- Stay informed on industry trends: Regularly review market reports from analyst firms like Gartner, Forrester, and IDC, along with the latest news and developments within the display industry. Use Google Alerts and Google Trends to keep up with emerging technologies, market shifts, and consumer preferences.
- Understand your target audience: Develop a clear understanding of your target market segments, their needs, and preferences. This will help you identify opportunities for innovation and improvement in your product offerings.
- Analyze competitive pricing: In the display industry, pricing can be a crucial differentiator. Research competitors’ pricing strategies and consider how your product’s pricing can be optimized to meet customer needs and market demands.
- Observe customer behavior: Study how customers use your products and competitor offerings in real-life settings. This will help you identify opportunities for innovation and areas where your product can be improved to better meet user needs.
- Leverage qualitative and quantitative data: Collect and analyze both types of data to identify potential differentiators between your product and competitors’ offerings. This can inform your product development and marketing strategies.
- Iterate on product design and features: Continuously refine and improve your product based on customer feedback, industry trends, and competitor analysis. Keep a close eye on advancements in display technologies, materials, and manufacturing processes to ensure your product remains competitive.
- Offer trials and explore new product versions: Introduce trial options or lightweight versions of your product to reach untapped market segments and gain a competitive edge. This can also provide valuable feedback and insights for future product development.
- Compare user experience (UX) flows: Map out and compare key user flows with competitors to identify areas where your product may fall short of consumer expectations. Prioritize improvements in these areas to enhance the overall user experience.
- Collaborate with adjacent players: In the display industry, it’s essential to be aware of adjacent players and their offerings. Work with these companies to leverage their technologies or services, creating a more comprehensive solution for your customers.
- Develop strong communication and leadership skills: As a product manager, you’ll need to effectively communicate your vision and strategy to your team, stakeholders, and customers. Cultivate strong leadership skills to manage your team and drive your product’s success.
By focusing on these, product managers have to use market data and analysis to adapt their products and strategies, ensuring they remain competitive and successful in the ever-evolving range of display markets.
