Deep customer discovery, competitive research, and a long-range roadmap built on AR and Computer Vision.
Dash cameras sit in a category where hardware specs alone rarely create lasting differentiation. Without a clear point of view on what customers actually valued and where the category was headed, the relaunch risked becoming just another incremental refresh, competing on price rather than value.
Getting the roadmap right mattered beyond this one relaunch: it shaped how Cedar would invest R&D dollars for years, so the strategic bets behind AR and Computer Vision needed to be grounded in real signal, not internal assumption.
I ran 150+ customer interviews and structured survey responses to identify pain points and unmet needs, paired with competitive research and benchmark analysis to define the key differentiators for the dash camera relaunch. From there, I identified five innovative feature opportunities using Augmented Reality and Computer Vision technologies, shaping Cedar's long-term product roadmap across a 5-10 year horizon.
I established KPIs and OKRs and defined user personas and Jobs to Be Done to align product goals with market needs and revenue growth, then documented everything in a Product Requirements Document to communicate critical feature components to engineering, marketing, and leadership.
Multiple emerging technology directions were on the table for differentiating the relaunch. The team needed to weigh customer resonance against technical feasibility and time horizon.
| Direction | Customer Resonance | Technical Feasibility | Time Horizon | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incremental Hardware Refresh | Low, expected by default | High | Short-term only | Rejected as sole strategy |
| Full Software Ecosystem Pivot | Unclear, unvalidated | Low near-term | Long, high risk | Rejected, too speculative |
| AR & Computer Vision Feature Set | High, validated via 150+ interviews & surveys | Moderate, phased feasibility | 5-10 year roadmap | Selected |
AR and Computer Vision features gave Cedar a differentiated, customer-validated direction that could be phased in over time rather than requiring an all-or-nothing technology bet.
150+ interviews and survey responses across diverse customer segments to surface real pain points and unmet needs.
Competitive research and benchmark analysis to define key differentiators for the relaunch.
Identified five AR/Computer Vision feature opportunities shaping a 5-10 year roadmap.
Defined success metrics, objectives, user personas, and Jobs to Be Done.
Authored a PRD communicating critical feature components to engineering, marketing, and leadership.
Volume of discovery matters. 150+ interviews and survey responses surfaced patterns a handful of conversations would have completely missed.
Long-range roadmaps still need near-term proof points, phasing AR/CV features made a 5-10 year bet feel credible, not speculative.
A PRD is a translation exercise. The same feature set needs a different lens for engineering, marketing, and leadership to act on it.
