In 2021, the VP of Product Design for Slack, Ethan Eismann, wrote a post on TechCrunch about Product Principles, which was then reposted on the company’s blog. It outlined what product principles are, how to define them, how to use them, and most importantly, how to keep them from being a cage for your product. These principles reflect many best practices for product, reflecting thought leaders like Steve Krug. The principles are phrased in brief, easy to understand statements that focus on how the Slack team will deliver the best product for their customers.

GitLab also has their Product Principles in their handbook. They have twice as many as Slack, and they not only describe what each one means to the product, but also what value they deliver for the company.

Both sets of principles are useful examples, but what I notice the most in the two side by side is how they reflect not only the type of product they build and the type of user they serve, but also the type of company each one is.

From my perspective as a user, Slack is on my devices so I can facilitate communication. The product combines information together in one place. And as a communications product, it aims to make its product as clear to as many people at as many levels of technical understanding as possible. Its principles reflect that in simplicity and accessibility. But they also reflect the more irreverent identity of the company (“Slack” is such a great name for a conversation tool). They reflect a larger push towards building relationships.

By the same metric, GitLab is on my devices to facilitate development collaboration. Its mission is to enable everyone to contribute. And as a development product, its principles are focused on the team, and how they operate. They focus on how collaboration can best be achieved. But they’re also not decorative. They’re not simplified. These principles reflect a larger push towards getting work done.

These are the types of product principles that work best for a company – they not only work on a product level, but on a real-world culture level as well.

When working towards creating or evolving product principles, be honest about the culture of your company. Product principles have to be usable by your team in the real world, not only the ideal you’re setting for yourself. You can – and should! – always evolve your principles as your culture changes.