BOOK REVIEW & PANEL DISCUSSION HOST: TREMIS SKEETE, PRINCIPAL PRODUCT MANAGER, NEXTIER INNOVATIONS SPONSOR: ALPHA PRODUCT THINKING NYC 5.23.2017 SENSE & RESPOND
BOOK REVIEW & PANEL DISCUSSIONHOST: TREMIS SKEETE, PRINCIPAL PRODUCT MANAGER, NEXTIER INNOVATIONSSPONSOR: ALPHA
PRODUCT THINKING NYC5.23.2017
SENSE & RESPOND
Chul KwonHead of Product InterviewJet
Jenine Lurie DirectorInnovation by Design at Genpact
Jordan Bergtraum Management Consultant (formerly VP of Product Management at ServiceChannel)
Nis Frome Co-Founder & Head of Content Alpha
1. Valuing individuals and interactions over processes and tools
2. Focus on creating working software over comprehensive documentation
3. Establishing product team and customer collaboration over contract negotiation
4. Responding to change over following a fixed, anticipated plan
1. Creating two-way conversations with customers.
2. Focusing on the outcomes.
3. Embracing continuous change and continuous processes.
4. Creating collaboration.
5. Creating a learning culture.
1. What can we do to facilitate these two way conversations?
2. How can we articulate the right outcomes?
3. What does continuous change and processes actually look like?
4. What are the best steps towards generating collaboration?
5. What are the best steps towards creating a learning culture?
The power of user generated content, via YouTube:
“YouTube has been flooded with how-to videos.”
“It’s not because the brands haven’t tried to create their own content. It’s because users want to hear from other users.”
(p. 83)
How does Xiaomi release products quickly?
1. Xiaomi releases phones in “small batches”
2. Customers provide feedback on the Xiaomi online forum
3. Product managers review feedback for ideas
4. Product managers work with engineers on new feature requests based on ideas
5. New phones with new features are developed and deployed
(p. 35)
How did Facebook fix their “inappropriate photo” reporting feature?
“Because [Facebook] team members weren’t sure what was going on, they started to update the product in a way that would help them figure it out.”
Each update was designed to:
1. Fix the problem, and2. To get more information about the problem.
(p. 20)
The power of user generated content, via Amazon.com:
“By allowing customers to review products on its site, the company actively engaged in two-way conversations with its customers and provided a material advantage to other shoppers seeking to purchase products on the internet.”
(p. 82)
Outcome:What happens as a result of doing something.
Output:What can be made and delivered to someone.
Outcomes Outputs
“As our software systems get more complex, it becomes harder to predict
what people will do with them [outcomes].”
(p. 17)
Outcome-based Road Map
“It neatly ties the work you’re planning to the outcomes you believe the work will have,
and it ties the outcomes you seek to the strategic objectives you are trying to achieve.”
(p. 129)
The Balanced Team
Design: “What kind of product will users want to use?”
Engineering: “What kind of product can we really build?”
Product: “How can the product meet business goals?”
(p. 144)
Multichannel Services:Lessons Learned from
(p. 87)
1. Collaboration is about providing a service.
2. To generate the best outcomes, you must work closely with the business, and more importantly, their consumers.
3. Designers must find more ways to satisfy customers via collaboration.
4. That’s why providing a product or service is not enough. Create experiences for your customers.
Elements that make up a learning culture (p. 196)
1. Humility
2. Permission to fail
3. Self-direction
4. Transparency
“Sandboxes, blameless postmortems, and other safe-to-fail learning tactics mitigate the big risks
organizations face. They allow teams to learn and to respond to changing conditions. They do this by
encouraging small amounts of risk.”
(p. 201)
“For every Netflix that has embraced change from the beginning, there is a Blockbuster that
has failed to create the adaptability it needs in order to survive.”
(p. 220)
Talk with your colleagues and management about:
1. “We understand that designing software is a continuous process.”
2. “We want to admit that we don’t always know the answers.”
3. “We are always willing to find the answers.”
4. “We need the time and opportunity to research and experiment.”
5. “We will fail sometimes, and find the wrong answers.”
6. “We still want your support in continuing to find the right answers.”