Archive of the PRODUCTHEAD newsletter, a regular newsletter of product management goodness, curated by Jock Busuttil (@jockbu).
» User research needs to be proactive as well as reactive validation
» Some research techniques are more useful than others at different stages
» You must safeguard the welfare of your user research participants
» There are many ways to recruit participants for your research without outsourcing
» Use a simple format for sharing research findings memorably
» A product manager works at the intersection between business, technology and user experience
» A product manager is not a replacement for absent specialists
» The product manager is accountable for ensuring the solution is both valuable and viable
» Product managers use their knowledge of user needs and business goals to frame problems and set priorities for their delivery teams
» Remove the timelines from your product roadmap
» Use roadmap themes to focus on solving user problems
» User outcomes are more important than delivering features
» Roadmaps help to make strategic decisions when there’s low certainty
» Rethinking your roadmap approach can help when managing mature products
» Constraints that motivate and focus are most effective
» Boredom can trigger a creative and productive state of mind
» It’s important not to stave off boredom immediately with distractions
» You can optimise your working environment for greater productivity on different types of task
» Pricing determines the structure of the business that produces it
» Start with consumer research to determine potential demand and feasibility of the product
» A step-by-step guide to pricing software
» Scalpers have made $82M in sales of consumer tech in under three months
» Machine learning is the science of getting computers to act without being explicitly programmed
» DeepMind’s AlphaFold solves a complex protein folding problem in days rather than years
» Netflix and the BBFC automate age certifications for content with a staff-trained algorithm
» YouTube’s recommendation algorithm has the unintended consequence of creating echo chambers
» An algorithm widely used in US courts for predicting future criminality exhibits racial bias
» Filmmaker Shalini Kantayya explores the impact of biased facial recognition algorithms on human rights
» Leaders have a disporportionate impact on the psychological safety of their teams
» Effective teams feel their work means something and makes a difference
» A servant leader’s motivation begins with a consious choice to serve others without self-interest
» A leader can show support and respect by approving and following a team’s social charter
» Product strategy is how you will achieve your product vision
» There are only 4 types of work after finding product-market fit
» A step-by-step guide to building product strategy like Netflix
» “Framework fanatics” and “optimisation optimists” mask the absence of product strategy
» Using research to overcome organisational inertia to your product strategy
» Business strategy is guesswork without situational awareness
» Once you understand the game’s rules, you can out-manoeuvre your competitors
» Practical accessibility and inclusion guidance from UK and US governments
» Accessibility guides to various impairments by disabled gamers for the gaming industry
» Making your content accessible and inclusive isn’t ‘dumbing down’
» Professionals want clear, concise information, not jargon or complex terms
