Andy Budd’s Medium article “Hacking Your Product Requirement Documents to Encourage Better Design” explores how traditional PRDs (Product Requirement Documents) can inadvertently stifle creativity and lead to suboptimal design decisions. The author argues that conventional PRDs tend to focus on rigid outputs and granular feature lists, often resulting in design solutions that merely fulfill checkboxes rather than solve user-centered problems. Instead, Budd advocates for a reimagined structure that prompts teams to think about intent, desired impact, and user context — effectively turning the PRD into a springboard for thoughtful product thinking rather than just a technical blueprint.
The piece encourages product teams to shift away from detailing fixed UI elements or engineering specifications, and instead adopt prompts that elevate conversations around user needs, business goals, and potential trade-offs. This reframing supports a more iterative, design-led development process and creates space for teams to explore alternative approaches. While not a template itself, the article provides actionable advice on how to rewrite or augment sections of PRDs to spark better collaboration between design, product, and engineering.
