PRODUCTHEAD
PRODUCTHEAD is my free curated newsletter of the best articles, videos and podcasts from product leaders and commentators all over the world. All neatly packaged up in a weekly email delivery for your reading, viewing and listening pleasure.
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Recent editions
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» Amazon warehouses are gradually moving towards full robotic automation » Greater automation creates new types of work, but not necessarily for people » Smart contracts are already automating financial transactions, but can be susceptible to coding flaws » Increased use of machine learning in insurance places greater burden on regulators to ensure fairness
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» Emotional intelligence is more important than technical skills » Hire people who will increase your rate of learning » A head of product needs prior experience as a product manager » Good candidates have initiative and passion to pursue their opinions
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» “Requirements” is another way of saying “just shut up and build it” » A user story is deliberately sparse on detail to provoke a team conversation about the user’s goal » We often incorrectly assume everyone does something the same way » The mental model to describe epics, user stories and tasks can be clarified with visual artefacts
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» Don’t ignore technical debt » Devote time for removing some debt in every sprint » Debt can be a prudent choice in some situations » It’s harder to read code than write it — so resist the temptation to start the code base again from scratch
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» Recommendations of product podcasts
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» 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
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» Business strategy is guesswork without situational awareness » Once you understand the game’s rules, you can out-manoeuvre your competitors
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» 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
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» Use the language of your audience » Easy-to-read content is accessible and inclusive » Even experts prefer plain language » Content design can be done on a tight budget when needed
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» Procrastinating on a TED talk about procrastination » How to get stuff done if you’re a procrastinator » Using procrastination to your advantage
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» The vision describes the future we are trying to create » It is a first filter for new ideas and change requests » Mission, vision and other concepts are often confused with each other » Have one overarching product vision, not lots of smaller ones
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» Scientists have solved a problem preventing the commercial production of more efficient solar panels » Solar generated electricity is now cheaper than fossil fuels » Tesla’s South Australia battery farm is saving tens of millions of dollars » South Australia spent an hour powered solely by solar, 77% of which came from consumers’ home panels » The cost of US battery farm projects has dropped 70% in 3 years » Tesla’s battery innovations would result in cost dropping by half, capacity increasing by half » The convergence of green technologies would lead to explosive growth
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» Changing a hardware product iteration has a 12-18 month lead time » Having more parties involved in manufacturing means higher costs and squeezed profits » “Building in hardware ‘security’ mechanisms is just always a double-edged sword”