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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» Decisions should be the result of rational and deliberate reasoning, but not all are perfectly rational » Almost every decision has associated downsides or compromises » Avoid trying to please people or to allow individuals to dominate the decision-making process » It’s easy to conflate transparency on the decision-making process, with transparency on the actual decisions
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» The best moment to teach a user to use a new feature is when it is valuable for them » Uncompleted tasks stick in a person’s memory, completed tasks are more easily forgotten » Provide a safe, controlled environment to help users experiment and learn a new skill
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» Developers and managers often have conflicting views of what constitutes value in software » Software engineers should ideally understand both what they are building and why » Unforeseen edge cases can cause headaches at roll-out, but provide valuable lessons
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» When delivering difficult news at work, you are not there to seek sympathy » Tie business impact to deprioritised work to highlight the problem to your CEO without sounding whiny » An organisation’s emotional culture governs which emotions people express and suppress at work » Many organisation equate “fixing” to basically “patching holes in the slowly sinking boat”
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» Desire paths spring up as users’ needs and goals change » The effort paradox: the effort of forming a new path versus the desire to take the path of least resistance » In digital products we use analytical tools to help us observe desire paths » When a new desire path emerges, question your old assumptions — user behaviour is changing
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» Thematic analysis identifies the main themes emerging from qualitative data, such as interview transcripts » It can be a great activity to do with your team for establishing empathy with the users and their context » Good research means being intentional, conscientious, and ethical at every step
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» A mobile phone may be all you need to record an interview » For in-person recordings, keep your setup simple and portable » The simplest way to record video calls is to use the local or cloud recording option » Consider carefully whether to record an interview or to have a dedicated note-taker
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» Ask your team: what do we actually need to know, by when, and how confident do we need to be? » Don’t ask users what they do. Ask them for an example of a time they have done something, and then ask if it was typical » When recruiting participants, say what the study is for, how long it will take, and what’s in it for them
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» Ask “why” to understand the other side’s position and interest » All negotiations involve both rational and emotional elements » Whatever decision you make as a product manager will disappoint some people » Teams benefit from a shared understanding of the trade-offs of decisions
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» Asking about a specific problem causes people to ignore the other problems they have » Make time for product discovery in small steps, not all at once » Biases reduce cognitive load for our brain when it processes new information » An opportunity solution tree is a way to externalize your thinking
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» Don’t specify rigid requirements to your delivery team, have a collaborative conversation instead » Try out lots of different solutions to the same problem » Don’t be pressured to rush through discovery and prototyping » Share knowledge around your team » Avoid misunderstandings through constant communication with stakeholders
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» ChatGPT’s inability to produce exact quotes from web pages is what makes us think it has learned something » The biggest problem for AI chatbots and search engines is their propensity to generate bullsh*t
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» It can aid a team’s progress to make lots of small bets, rather than one large one in a quarter » Separate your outputs in a release plan from the outcomes in your product roadmap » Parkinson’s Law: work always expands to fill the time available
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» Frameworks help to spur thinking; they don’t provide the answers » “I would be nothing without my dev teammates, but my devs would probably get on pretty well without me.” » Use frameworks with discretion – and expect a bit less of them
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» When there is a financial incentive, people will industrialise technology to automate money-making activities » Authoritative-sounding yet factually inaccurate content generated by AIs is harmful » Product managers should be primarily concerned with what is best for users from an ethical point of view
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» A good product roadmap needs good leaders and clearly articulated goals » Make every roadmap goal specific and measurable » Ensure your team owns your roadmap as much as you
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» Rarely can we attribute inventions in digital technology to one individual or company » The best ideas can’t be copied — it’s all in the execution » Guides to patenting inventions in the UK and US
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» Reflecting on product management in 2022 » The most opened PRODUCTHEAD editions of 2022 » Back in the new year :-)
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» Some people think about problems directly; others think through the problem via potential solutions » Organisations often jump straight into action without establishing a foundation for coping with uncertainty » If one group has all the decision-making power, others cannot properly contribute
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» The wording of your product manager job description could be putting off good candidates » Listing excessive requirements for the role will deter risk-averse candidates » Think about why you’re hiring and the candidate attributes you need most » Don’t copy-and-paste other job descriptions — they won’t describe what your organisation needs