If you’ve been reading Product Talk for long, you’ve probably noticed that I sometimes blur the lines between product management and user experience design. I started out as an interaction designer back in 1999. Back then we were arguing about the differences between interaction design, user interface design, and information architecture. Today we argue about […]
My Favorite Books Read in 2014
I’ve read 60 books (so far) this year. These were my favorites. If you like these reviews, I’ll be launching a blog after the new year about the books that I’m reading. I’ll share details in an upcoming newsletter. If you don’t get my newsletter, you can subscriber here. How Music Works by David Byrne […]
The Power of Gratitude
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Good food? Gratitude? Friends and family? Yes, please. A few years ago I decided I didn’t want gratitude to be a once-a-year holiday. Instead I wanted to develop a daily habit. So I read about gratitude journals and tried to keep one. But it was hard for me to build the habit. […]
What’s the Controversy Over the Facebook Social Contagion Study?
A lot of people are up in arms about a research study that was published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). I’m talking about the Facebook social contagion study. But Facebook didn’t do anything wrong. And neither did PNAS by publishing it. (Although they might have violated […]
The Habit of Feeling Super Human
It’s 3 weeks into the new year, how are your resolutions looking? Have you already fallen off the wagon? Are you starting to slip? Or are you still going strong? Do you have confidence you’ll keep it up all year? Most people don’t keep their New Year’s resolutions. It’s unfortunate. Most people mean well, but […]
Why Most Product Teams Don’t Define a Clear Vision
It wouldn’t surprise me if you read the last two posts (here and here) and thought this seems obvious. Of course, you should define a strong vision. Every company should have a clearly defined vision, mission, core values, and so on. Every company should know who they are and who they aren’t. And yet, most […]
What a Clear Product Vision Looks Like
On Thursday, we outlined the 9 components of a clear vision. Let’s put it into action and look at an example. A couple of years ago, I worked on a side project called GratiGrams. I had, and still have, a strong vision for it. Because it’s a personal project (and I don’t have to worry […]
What You Should Clarify and Communicate as a Product Leader
On Monday, I outlined what I think are the three pillars of building great products: a clear vision, sound decision making, and developing the right team. Today, I want to take a closer look at what I mean by a clear vision. It’s easy for us to go about our days thinking that our team […]
