Miro · Product sense · Entry · 45 to 60 minutes

Should Miro formalize canvas diagramming?

Miro is an online visual collaboration platform where teams work together on shared canvases. Answer this product management case and get it graded line by line against a weighted rubric.

User problem framing
Prioritization
Strategic fit
MVP scoping
Metrics thinking

The situation

You are a PM on Miro's core canvas experience. Teams already use the canvas for many jobs, including rough diagrams built from sticky notes, shapes, and connectors. Recently, more customers have been asking for better support for diagram-like work, but their requests are not all the same. Some want clearer structure and speed for common flows, while others value the freedom of the open canvas and worry that too much structure could make Miro feel like a different product. Your director asks you to recommend what Miro should do next. The question is not just whether there is demand, but whether this is a problem Miro should solve as a first-class area, and if so, how narrowly to start. The team wants to avoid building a shallow copy of a specialized tool, but also does not want to ignore a strong pattern of customer workarounds on the platform. You need to define the user problem, decide whether the current workaround is enough, and propose a sensible first step that fits Miro's strengths in visual collaboration.

What to produce

Write a 1 page product recommendation memo, 600 to 800 words.

Your answer must

Define the primary target user and the specific job they are trying to do on Miro today.
Describe the core user problem, including why existing canvas tools like sticky notes, shapes, and connectors may be insufficient for that job.
Recommend one product direction for a first version, and explain why it fits Miro's strengths better than the main alternatives.
Evaluate at least two alternatives, such as improving the general canvas only, building a more structured experience, or waiting for more evidence.
Propose 2 to 4 success metrics and one lightweight validation plan to reduce risk before a broad rollout.

Constraints

Stay within Miro's existing product context as a visual collaboration canvas, do not assume acquisitions, partnerships, or a separate new product.
Your proposal should solve one clear problem for one primary user, not try to cover every kind of diagram from day one.
Do not assume users will be satisfied with a copy of how another diagramming tool works, explain what would need to be better for Miro users.

Format

Use five short sections: user and job, problem, options, recommendation, metrics and validation.

How Miro actually played it

Miro's diagramming PM explains why the team built a dedicated format for something customers already did on the canvas with sticky notes. The reasoning was demand plus adjacency to Miro's core strength in visual collaboration. A useful example of formalising an existing workaround into a first-class product area.

Customer workarounds on your platform point to features worth building.
Adjacency to your strengths lowers the risk of a new format.
An established use case is not easy: users expect a better version, not a copy.
Describe the user problem first and let the format follow.

Built from How we built Diagramming by Matt Bochenski, Miro.