Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

In recent years, Product Roadmapping Practices has emerged as a critical factor shaping user retention in digital products across organizations operating in and around Kano State. As institutions grapple with the pressures of globalization, regulatory reform, and shifting stakeholder expectations, understanding how product roadmapping practices relates to user retention in digital products has become an important area of both scholarly and practical concern.

Kano State presents a useful setting for examining this relationship precisely because the conditions there — structural, regulatory, and behavioural — differ from those typically assumed in the broader literature, most of which draws on evidence from more developed economies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite a growing body of literature on product roadmapping practices, there remains limited consensus on the precise nature of its relationship with user retention in digital products, particularly within Kano State. Many organizations continue to make decisions about product roadmapping practices without a clear, evidence-based understanding of how those decisions ultimately affect user retention in digital products. This gap between practice and empirical understanding is the central problem this study seeks to address.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Product Roadmapping Practices on user retention in digital products in Kano State.
2. To assess the extent to which product roadmapping practices influences user retention in digital products within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with product roadmapping practices in relation to user retention in digital products.
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing product roadmapping practices in order to improve user retention in digital products.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of product roadmapping practices on user retention in digital products in Kano State?
2. To what extent does product roadmapping practices influence user retention in digital products within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with product roadmapping practices in relation to user retention in digital products?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize product roadmapping practices in order to improve user retention in digital products?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Beyond its academic contribution to the field of product management, this study has practical value for management teams within Kano State seeking to understand how product roadmapping practices translates into measurable outcomes around user retention in digital products. It is equally useful to students and future researchers looking for a localized empirical reference on this relationship.

1.6 Scope of the Study

In terms of scope, this study confines itself to Kano State, focusing specifically on how product roadmapping practices relates to user retention in digital products within that setting. Findings are interpreted within these boundaries rather than as universal claims applicable to every organization or market.