What is a Product Management conference?

We’re not going to pretend that you were born yesterday. You know what a conference is – it’s an event where product professionals get together to learn from their peers and network. You’ll attend talks, maybe some private workshops, and come out with loads of fresh insight. 

The cool thing is that Product Management conferences are pretty different from others you’ll find in different industries. This is all to do with relevancy. 

Sometimes conference themes and itineraries will cast a pretty wide net as a means to appeal to a really broad audience across a certain sector. All to sell more tickets. CES, for example, started out being all about the TV industry but is now a general technology expo for pretty much anything to do with tech.

But there are benefits in being a bit more specific. Product-centered conferences tend to have a laser-like focus on what makes products tick, how you can fold the latest technology into your offering, and how learnings from other Product Teams can help define your roadmap.

Any Product Management conference worth its salt will feature keynotes, panels, and workshops from people just like you. That is to say, people who spend their day-to-day lives neck-deep in rollouts and product roadmaps for SaaS, cloud, and product-led growth businesses.

Why should I go to a Product Management conference?

Product Management conferences are a cornucopia of information and learning. But, they can also be intense, multiple day spanning events that can leave you feeling exhausted. So why should you go? 

Well, by attending, you’re exposing yourself to new ideas, knowledge, and relationships that can support you in your role. It can make you more productive and can improve your prospects too. They can help you professionally, and in your personal life as well: 

1. Professional advancement

If your role is a battleground, you can think of a conference as an armory full of weapons and gear that you can tool up with. You’ll get to hear from people working at a huge range of companies – many of whom might work or think in a completely different way to your usual style – and that can offer a unique perspective on how Product Management is fundamentally done. Beyond this, you’ll learn from industry Product Leaders and gain insights that might completely transform your product’s roadmap and priorities.

2. Personal growth

What’s your next career move? Where are you headed? We only ask because Product Management conferences have always been a great way to network, make new contacts, and sell yourself.

Now, you don’t need to make a fool of yourself at the post-event shindig to connect with people. Every industry is a bit incestuous, after all – and conferences are a great way to build your profile as someone who knows their stuff and looks like an interesting prospect for the future.

How do you pick the right Product Management conference? 

It would be near impossible to attend every available Product Management conference. In an ideal world, you can go to all of the ones on this list, but in an ideal world conferences wouldn’t average over $500 for a ticket . 

To make sure you attend a Product Management conference that’s right for you, think of these three main factors: 

Location

This seems obvious, but it’s worth mentioning. Conferences happen all over the world, and many may not be close enough for you to get to easily. 

While we’d say most conferences are beneficial experiences in general, you can probably plot a fairly clean line graph that correlates distance from your house with how worthwhile any given conference is. Which is to say: go if it’s feasible without breaking the (company) bank, but probably don’t rush halfway around the world on a whim. 

Speakers

If you’re eyeing a specific conference, it’s a good idea to see who the keynote speakers are and give them a quick lookup on LinkedIn to understand their roles and backgrounds. Doing so will give you an overview of how relevant the talks are going to be to your field and what you do. 

See, most Product Leaders aren’t going to be generalists. They’re going to specialize in an area of focus, be it product growth, product positioning, data driven Product Management, product pricing – you get the idea – every talk is going to have a niche focus. If those focuses don’t interest you, then it’s best to find some speakers and talks that do. 

Focus

Is this actually a Product Management conference, or something broader? Obviously, you can learn a whole lot from widening your horizons every now and then, but if you’re looking to network with, and learn from, people who deal with the same problems you do, it’s best to stick to conferences that hone in on Product Management in particular.

The 7 Best Product Management Conferences in 2025 

1. #mtpcon by Mind the Product

Where: Barbican Centre, London
When: March 10-11, 2025
Sign-up: www.mindtheproduct.com/mtpcon/london/ 

Mind the Product is the largest community of Product Managers, and if you work anywhere in Europe, #mtpcon is one Product Management conference you simply can’t miss. This Product Management conference connects some of the biggest names in Product Management, with their past guests being a literal who’s who of the biggest Product Leaders. 

Full disclosure: ProdPad Co-founder Janna Bastow is one of the original founders of Mind The Product, so we’re pretty biased here. That said, the pedigree of the conference speaks for itself, attracting thousands of attendees from all over the world. 

At #mtpcon, you can access hands-on workshops, interactive exhibits and product demos, and stay on the edge of the latest Product Management trends. They also host speed networking to help you connect with other product pros. 

From the site: “#mtpcon London is your gateway to the global product community – a place to learn, brainstorm, and network with product professionals from around the world.”

2. Product-Led Summit by Product-Led Alliance

Where: Hilton, Austin
When: February 11-12, 2025
Sign-up: world.productledalliance.com/location/austin 

If you’re using product-led growth to push your business forward, all eyes are on you to deliver customer value and revenue alike. This tailored Product Management conference from Product-Led Alliance is a great place to learn from the very best product people from PLG companies. 

This year’s conference boasts speakers from Google, Zendrop, Visa, Slack, and more, giving you unrivaled insight into being a PLG Product Manager. 

If you can’t make this, there are also plenty of other Product-led Summits across the year, happening in New York and Washington, as well as Amsterdam and Berlin for those not in the States. 

From the site: “Join product leaders in Austin to network with PLG experts to discover groundbreaking case studies, proven strategies, success stories, and real-world solutions you need to build exceptional products and propel your career forward.” 

3. Product World

Where: Santa Clara Convention Center, San Francisco Bay Area
When: February 11-12 2025
Sign-up: https://productworld.co/ 

Uh-oh, looks like Product-Led Summit has some competition, as Product World comes to the San Francisco Bay Area on the same dates. This conference is bigger though, and as it’s part of DeveloperWeek, it gives you the chance to rub shoulders with over 8,000 industry professionals. 

Product World is proclaimed as the world’s largest Product Manager conference, and it may as well be. It has a larger focus on the tech industry and boasts past speakers from the likes of Google, Facebook, IBM, Uber, and other Silicon Valley stalwarts. 

If you can’t make ProductWorld because you like the look of the Product-Led Summit in Texas, you can also catch virtual events and talks live online from February 18th-20th. 

From the site: “Join 1,500 tech Product Managers and Product Developers at the world’s largest Product Management & development conference/tradeshow!”

4. Product at Heart

Where: Kampnagel, Hamburg
When: June 25-27 2025 
Sign-up: https://productatheart.com/hamburg 

Product at Heart is a conference for the curious. It’s a three-day affair that includes talks, workshops, and loads more. Made for seasoned Product Leaders and those looking to brush up on their skills, the event is designed to push boundaries and sharpen your curiosity. 

Product at Heart has announced two keynote speakers for their 2025 event: Elena Verna of Dropbox, and Marty Cagan, two huge names that you should have come across before. 

Product at Heart is the German arm of Mind the Product and creates a unique event ideal for those in product leadership positions. 

From the site: “At Product at Heart, we believe in more than just standard talks and topics. We’re about pushing boundaries, offering fresh impulses, and sparking deep reflection among product people.”

5. ProductCon by Product School

Where: Metropolitan Pavilion, New York 
When: May 21 2025
Sign-up: productschool.com/productcon/newyork-2025 

ProductCon is one of the leading Product Management conferences, with over 2,000 attendees in their in-person events, with a further 10,000 joining online. This conference gives you the chance to learn about cutting-edge product trends and network with some of the biggest innovators in the field. 

ProductCon has had a lot of interesting past speakers, including key figures at Just Eat, King (the developers of Candy Crush), and Amplitude to name a few. The conference is tailored for both emerging and seasoned Product Managers, covering a wide range of topics, from product strategy and data-driven decision-making to the nuances of growth and scaling. This makes it ideal for deep dives into specialized knowledge that PMs need to stay competitive.

From the site: “Access cutting-edge Product industry trends and networking opportunities at ProductCon New York, organized by Product School. Meet innovators and develop your team’s Product mindset in the Big Apple.”

6. Industry: The Product Conference by Product Collective

Where: Public Auditorium, Cleveland, Ohio
When: September 15-17 2025
Sign-up: https://www.industryconference.com/global 

The Product Conference by Industry is a premium Product Management conference for software Product Managers. Here you get two days to explore various Product Management frameworks and methodologies to make you better. 

There’s an intense focus on AI, product strategy, and leadership, so if that’s your bag, come along. It’s a slightly more intimate conference, with fewer attendees compared to some of those previously mentioned, but that allows it to be more focused and a personalized experience. 

Helmed by the Product Collective, Industry’s slogan is ‘know you’re doing things right’, which speaks to an ethos of collective reassurance.

From the site: “Don’t waste your time and resources. You’ve worked too hard not to become the best Product Manager you can be.”

7. ProductX

Where: Smorlarz Auditorium, Tel Aviv
When: January 7-8 2025
Sign-up: https://www.productx.org/ 

Not all the best Product Management conferences have to be in San Francisco, or the U.S., or Europe, for that matter. The ProductX Conference is a premier annual conference for product professionals, showcasing innovative trends, expert-led sessions, and networking opportunities with Product Leaders. 

Known for its in-depth workshops, keynote speakers, and hands-on learning experiences, the conference provides actionable insights into a range of topics like product innovation, scaling, and user-centered product design.

ProductX 2025 promises cutting-edge sessions aimed at evolving skills in an ever-changing field, making it a top destination for PMs aiming to advance their careers. 

Their lineup of speakers for their 2025 conference includes Product Professionals from Wix, Microsoft, and Imagen. 

From the site: “The community members of ProductX are considered as the leaders and visionaries of the “startup nation” and the high-tech sector. We believe that Product Management is all about people, business, and communication.”

What alternatives are there to Product Management conferences? 

If you’re looking to quench that insatiable knowledge thirst of yours, there are plenty of other ways to learn from like-minded Product Managers. As luck would have it, we’ve got roundup blogs on four extra ways to top up your networking and know-how:

1. Product Management Slack groups

Did you know there are hundreds of Product Management Slack communities out there? They’re free to join and an easy way to stay in the loop with the latest from the industry – as well as an awesome resource when it comes to getting your questions answered.

To get started, check out our blog on the top 17 Slack groups for product managers.

2. Product Management certifications

I’ve said every day’s a school day. But what if they actually were? There’s a raft of incredibly empowering certifications available to Product Managers who want to level up their learning and skills.

We’ve narrowed down 6 product management certifications that are worth the hype.

3. Product Management books

Ever heard of books? They’re kinda like content but without share buttons. Wild. And, wouldn’t you know it, there’s a bunch of bestsellers out there designed to help Product Managers master the art of lean product development.

We’ve read (and recommend) these 14 books on lean product development.

4. Product Management podcasts

If you can’t make it to a conference, maybe you can have some of the industry’s greatest minds come to you. Or, more specifically, your ears – all while you cook, commute, or work out.

There are dozens of in-depth Product Management podcasts out there, all of which are free for you to scoop information from on a regular basis. And, yep, you guessed it, we’ve listed out the 10 best Product Management podcasts for you.

A good old get-together

Product Management conferences are a great option for Product Managers looking to find the best learning opportunities. These conferences offer much more than just presentations; they provide immersive experiences where Product Managers can explore the latest trends, meet Product Leaders, and dive into topics that directly impact product success.

Attending these events empowers teams with fresh perspectives, innovative tools, and the chance to sharpen skills, making it a worthwhile investment for anyone looking to stay competitive in a fast-paced industry.

But the value doesn’t stop at the conference. Integrate the knowledge gained from them with a Product Management tool like ProdPad to streamline strategic planning and execution. With a solid foundation from these conferences, paired with the right tools, your team can turn inspiration into actionable strategies that propel your product forward. Give ProdPad a try to see how you can action the knowledge you learn. 

The post Product Management Conferences You Can’t Miss in 2025 appeared first on ProdPad.

Navigating the Next Era of Digital Technology with Mohannad Ali

Kicking us off for the day, Mohannad Ali, the dynamic CEO of Hotjar, took to the HOTSAUCE stage to deliver a compelling perspective on the digital landscape. His keynote, Navigating the Next Era of Digital Technology, was all about embracing the digital renaissance, underscored by a crucial element often missing from the tech equation: empathy.

Mohannad’s message was clear: The digital world is in the throes of a major transformation, one that’s been catalyzed by the Covid-19 pandemic. He pointed out it has sped up the shift to e-commerce by five years, adding an unexpected $200 billion in sales. Mohannad distilled this sea change for the HOTSAUCE audience into four vital considerations for anyone navigating this new era:

Seamless experiences as a staple

Slow or confusing online experiences are deal-breakers, leading to lost sales and a shift in customer loyalty. Businesses can’t afford to skimp on smooth digital interactions.

Mohannad shared some striking figures: a staggering 75% of consumers will abandon a purchase if they’re faced with slow-loading pages or a confusing checkout process. Even more telling is that 84% would rather switch to a competitor than deal with a website that’s hard to navigate.

Values as consumer magnets

Consumers are increasingly choosing brands that resonate with their personal beliefs. Mohannad emphasized that a brand’s stance on issues could make or break its connection with its audience. It’s not just about price or convenience anymore. For 60% of consumers, the alignment of a brand with their personal values sways their buying choices.

Mohannad didn’t just share these statistics; he also painted a broader stroke on the importance of brand positioning, noting that for many, especially 24% of Gen Z, there’s a readiness to boycott brands that don’t align with their social and political beliefs.

The power of personalization

Mohannad then turned to the lucrative side of personalization. He pointed out the significant impact it has on the bottom line, as businesses report seeing over a 40% uptick in revenue when they get personalization right. Tailoring customer experiences can significantly boost business revenue. For Mohannad, personalization is not just a strategy, it’s the future of customer engagement.

The human touch in AI

He addressed the common fears around AI, sharing that while 69% of companies now have AI-driven products in production, there’s comfort in the statistic that 50% of users are comfortable with AI integration. This, Mohannad stressed, should be viewed as an opportunity to enrich user experiences rather than a move to replace the human touch

Throughout his talk, Mohannad returned to one core message: the power of empathy. It’s about putting ourselves in the shoes of the customer, he suggested, to transform digital interactions into more meaningful human experiences

Tackling the topic of loneliness, he referenced the broader societal challenge we face, where despite the rise of online workouts, streaming services, and grocery deliveries, there’s a shadow cast over authentic human interaction

Finally, Mohannad spoke candidly about the need for empathy in the workplace, especially during challenging times. He shared his approach at Hotjar, where openness, inclusive dialogue, and a collective sense of responsibility have been crucial

Mohannad’s keynote was a powerful reminder that in the end, tech is about people. His parting advice? Lean into empathy. It’s what turns a user into a community member, a customer into a brand advocate.

Mohannad’s call for a deeper human connection within the digital realm naturally segued into another facet of the user experience: artificial intelligence. As the first day of the HOTSAUCE conference progressed, the conversation shifted from the abstract art of empathy to the concrete science of AI. But even here, in the binary world of algorithms and data patterns, the human element remained pivotal.

From Worry to Wow: Crafting AI-Powered Experiences with Ioana Teleanu

Ioana Teleanu, the Lead Product Designer for AI at Miro, stepped onto the stage with a promise to demystify AI and reveal how it can enrich user experience. Her session, titled From Worry to Wow: Crafting AI-Powered Experiences was a masterclass on the intersection of AI and product design

Ioana emphasized that the discussions we engage in today about AI are laying the groundwork for the future of product design. She urged the HOTSAUCE audience to calibrate AI principles ethically and responsibly, setting the stage for better outcomes. Ioana pointed out that it’s not about fearing AI, but rather about understanding its limitations and potential, ensuring that AI’s applications are guided by clear, ethical boundaries

Highlighting the incredible adoption curve of technologies like ChatGPT, Ioana presented a visual graph showing the trajectory of hype versus sustainable adoption. The graphic depicted how, despite its initial surge in popularity, we are now seeing a stabilization as the novelty gives way to normalized use.

Ioana reiterated a timeless quote from John Culkin: “We shape our tools and, thereafter, our tools shape us,” prompting the audience to reflect on the responsibility that comes with designing AI systems. She delved into the challenges of AI design, from addressing inherent biases to ensuring safety, security, and transparency. The conversation on AI, she posited, should always be underpinned by the question of whether we should build a certain technology, not just whether we can.

Treating AI as a partner, not a usurper

Ioana presented a set of AI design principles that resonated with the room:

• Start with people
• Fight bias
• Give safety and control
• Build for everyone
• Be accountable
• Promote good
• Help people grow
• Build trust
• Age well

She proposed a future where hyper-personalization means each user will experience a unique version of the internet, a vision supported by context-aware interfaces and just-in-time products. Predictive analysis, customer support enhanced by AI, and the capacity for rapid iterative testing are just a few of the applications Ioana discussed

Addressing the common concern, “Will AI replace me?” Ioana responded with a resounding “No.” However, she warned that a person using AI will likely outpace those who don’t. While AI has the potential to be a powerful tool, it lacks the innate empathy and nuanced understanding of human needs, making the human designer’s role more critical than ever.

Ioana’s message was clear: AI should not replace humans but serve as an invaluable partner, enhancing our capabilities to innovate, create, and connect. As she concluded her talk, the audience was left with a sense of empowerment and a roadmap for integrating AI into their work in a way that stands out for its intentionality and impact

Following Ioana’s insightful foray into the potential of AI to enhance the user experience, the HOTSAUCE conference journey continued to explore the elements that drive users toward long-term engagement with products. The digital tapestry woven thus far had threads of empathy, innovation, and now, a new strand to bind them together: content.

How Content and Brand Can Accelerate Product Adoption with Ramli John

Stepping onto HOTSAUCE’s stage with an air of enthusiasm, Ramli John, content director at Appcues, and author of Product-Led Onboarding, prepared to dismantle the common afterthought that content trails in the user onboarding and product adoption process. His talk, How Content and Brand Can Accelerate Product Adoption, unfolded his three-part framework for leveraging content to convert users into brand champions.

Motivation: the content-powered boost

Drawing from the spirited world of Mario Kart, Ramli showcased how strategic content can serve as both a boost and a guide through the user journey. Just as players seek the speed-boosting strips on the racetrack, users look for content that accelerates their product mastery and enjoyment.

Ramli shared eye-opening statistics: users are searching for that ‘push’ in their experience, yet they are equally deterred by content that acts as a blocker, much like encountering a banana peel on Mario’s virtual racetrack.

Ability: enabling users to visualize success

The concept of ‘visualizing success’ struck a chord when Ramli demonstrated to the HOTSAUCE audience how invoicing application Wave allows users to personalize their invoice previews with their logos. This simplicity reduces cognitive friction and product friction, as it eases users into visualizing the product’s value in their lives.

Wave’s subtle yet compelling promise of getting users “paid 3x faster” exemplifies this principle in action, emphasizing how a clear value proposition is crucial.

Prompts: timing is everything

Ramli underscored the importance of prompts – the content nudges that celebrate user wins or offer timely assistance. He noted that less than 5% of companies effectively employ this tactic.

Yet, when done right, as shown by CloudApp’s impressive 60-80% open rates on congratulatory emails, these prompts can significantly enhance user engagement. Canva’s prompts, encouraging users to maintain their creative momentum, are another excellent example of using content to not just celebrate current success but also to encourage continued engagement

The underlying message was clear: Can content be used as a lever to boost momentum and drive product adoption? According to Ramli, not only can it be used, it should be a pivotal part of the strategy in product-led growth

As we pondered Ramli’s insights, it became clear that the marriage of content and technological innovation is pivotal. With each statistic and real-world example, Ramli painted a vivid picture for the HOTSAUCE crowd: content is the voice of your product, capable of guiding, motivating, and celebrating the user at every turn. His talk left us with a resonant question: how will we craft our content to not just speak to our users, but to embark on the journey with them?

Creativity-Led Growth: The New, Authentic Way to Grow Your Biz with Kevan Lee

Riding the wave of energy from Ramli John’s spirited discussion on content’s role in product adoption, we pivoted to a talk that would once again recalibrate our understanding of business growth. Kevan Lee, Co-Founder of Bonfire, was set to unravel the tapestry of creativity in today’s marketplace. His topic, Creativity-Led Growth: The New, Authentic Way to Grow Your Biz in 2024, promised a dive into the heart of what makes brands truly resonate with their audience.

Kevan stepped onto the HOTSAUCE stage, his presence an embodiment of the creativity he was about to champion. He argued passionately for creativity as not just an aesthetic value but as the core driver of business growth, urging us to invest in it for tangible short-term gains.

Highlighting the bold move by Liquid Death—a canned water company—Kevan recounted how they spun negative feedback into a wildly successful campaign. They hosted a public blind-tasting event, humorously pitting their water against the “taste of licking someone’s sweaty back.” Thankfully, most participants preferred the water, and the stunt was a memorable win for creativity in marketing

He laid out what a creativity-led growth approach feels like:

1. Authenticity: It’s about being true to your brand’s essence.
2. Empathy: Understanding and connecting with your customers on a deeper level.
3. Differentiation: Stand out by being boldly creative.

Kevan challenged the room, questioning why, amidst the myriad growth strategies like community, product, customer, sales, hunches, marketing, and founder-led growth, we shouldn’t pivot to creativity-led growth.

Unpacking the principles of creativity-led growth

• Understand your why: Kevan introduced the Ogilvy agency framework, a Venn diagram to uncover ‘The Big Ideal’ — the sweet spot between cultural tension and your brand’s best self.
• Research and expertise: He emphasized knowing your customers intimately, backed by a quadrant of research methods: quantitative and qualitative, focused both on customers and the broader audience.
• Embrace constraints: Creativity thrives within the confines of channels, budgets, and skills. Constraints are not hurdles but catalysts for innovation.
• Ditch the playbooks: Citing Warby Parker’s tech-centric approach that defied the traditional retail model, Kevan highlighted the power of a playbook-free zone, supported by a stat that companies with creative leadership outperform revenue expectations by 67%.
• Human touch: He pointed to Wendy’s social media success, where human wit and spontaneity fuel brand creativity.

Where to start and how to measure creativity’s impact

Kevan’s advice was straightforward: begin by outlining your narratives, and launch with a single campaign or idea. Measuring, he stressed, should be about learning, not judging. To underscore the importance of investing in brand creativity, he shared measurable dimensions of brand storytelling, such as brand awareness, customer loyalty, and conversion rates.

He also introduced an investment model to consider: the 70/20/10 rule, suggesting we allocate resources in that ratio to ‘Now’, ‘Next’, and ‘Later’ projects, fostering a balanced approach to immediate and future growth.

Advocating for creativity in the workplace

To foster more creativity at work, Kevan advised returning to the principles and showing proof points from past successful campaigns, broader market plays, or initiatives from admired companies

He concluded with an empowering reminder: “Everyone is creative. Creativity can and will drive business impact for you. I hope it’s something you invest in, in 2024.”

As his HOTSAUCE session wrapped up, Kevan left the audience buzzing with the possibility that embracing creativity might just be the most authentic way to propel their businesses forward in the ever-evolving landscape of 2024.

Driving Strategic Product Prioritization: Best Metrics and Processes with Ghazal Badiozamani

Fresh from Kevan Lee’s invigorating talk on creativity in business, the HOTSAUCE conference room was abuzz with ideas ready to be funneled into action. Next up, Ghazal Badiozamani, the Chief Product Officer at Catchafire, addressed a persistent pain point for product aficionados: strategic product prioritization. Her talk, Driving Strategic Product Prioritization: Best Metrics and Processes, was set to demystify the complex and often daunting task of product planning.

Ghazal began by acknowledging the wisdom of industry thought leaders. Marty Cagan emphasized the need for a strong point of view, Teresa Torres championed constant customer connection and evolution, and Spotify introduced us to the power of autonomous, cross-functional teams. Yet, Ghazal pointed out the fallacy in Spotify’s approach when they organized teams around functionality. “It’s not that great,” she said candidly, dismissing the model that often leaves engineers feeling compartmentalized and uninspired.

She brought up a common tool in strategic management — Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). Ghazal professed her love for OKRs but highlighted a crucial misstep organizations often make: trying to retrofit initiatives to meet these objectives, rather than letting the goals guide the product strategy. She projected a slide depicting a roadmap and team allocation gone awry, eliciting knowing nods from the HOTSAUCE audience.

Reframing product strategy as business strategy

Ghazal offered a compelling reframing: product strategy is not merely aligned with business strategy; they are one and the same. “You are what you build,” she declared, urging leaders to view and manage goals like a portfolio, and build teams aligned with those goals.

Empowering teams through autonomy and alignment

With striking conviction, Ghazal proclaimed the marvels that autonomy can achieve when teams are aligned with outcomes rather than features. Autonomy leads teams to collaborate, experiment, and “kill early,” resulting in clearer business alignment, more innovation, and — crucially — happier engineers. When the focus shifts from features to metrics that align with company goals, teams are galvanized to work on what truly matters.

Articulation and transparency in decision-making

Ghazal underscored the importance of transparency in how decisions are made and goals are allocated. By clearly articulating the decision-making process, the conversation shifts from features to outcomes.

She acknowledged the feature-focused enthusiasm of some CEOs or board members, conceding that while some features are table stakes, they should be integrated within the broader goal-oriented framework.

An operating system for team alignment

Ghazal’s vision was for an ‘operating system’ that aligns teams with outcomes, providing an outcome-based roadmap that guarantees clarity and contentment within teams, ultimately leading to business victories.

As Ghazal concluded, her message was clear: the way forward in product prioritization is through a goal-centric approach that empowers teams, aligns with the overarching business strategy, and embraces transparency. This approach not only promises a smoother journey but also a more fruitful destination for product teams and businesses alike.

Product Lessons from the Happiest Place on Earth with Gabrielle Bufrem

As we shifted gears from strategic frameworks to the magical realm of user experience, Gabrielle Bufrem, a seasoned CPO and Product Leadership Coach, took the stage. Her talk, Product Lessons from the Happiest Place on Earth, promised to sprinkle a little fairy dust on our perceptions of product development.

Gabrielle was poised to reveal why crafting a product should be akin to orchestrating a Disney experience. She shared her “magical lessons” – deliver standout experiences, engage users when they’re already enjoying your product, simplify their decisions, and ensure upgrades feel natural and advantageous.

The inspiration for her HOTSAUCE session sparked while she navigated the winding queues at Disney, mesmerized by the effort poured into enchanting users at every turn. She drew parallels to product design, where delight should be the undercurrent of the user journey. “Think about the gift shops at the end of a Disney ride,” she said, “You exit through a playground of memorabilia, tempted to take a piece of the magic home – it’s a pretty amazing flywheel.”

Crafting the ‘obvious’ experience

But as Gabrielle pointed out, what seems obvious is rarely easy to achieve. She illustrated this with Universal Studios and Disney’s intuitive park planner apps, which make navigating the joyously overwhelming parks a breeze. From ride line limit notifications to route planning, everything is designed to let you simply enjoy the experience.

Understanding user needs and desires

To find your product’s ‘fast pass’ or ‘park planner’, Gabrielle urged the importance of truly knowing your users. She explained how Universal’s decision to split the Harry Potter world across two parks, although a business move, enriched the user experience by offering the delightful Hogwarts Express ride only to dual park ticket holders.

The magic of value intersection

She emphasized that your product must intersect user value with business value, highlighting Disney’s Magic Band as a case study. This innovation exemplified how a business tool, when designed to prioritize user delight, can revolutionize an experience while serving the company’s needs. “It’s a seamless blend of magic and utility – a frictionless experience that subtly nudges users towards choices that are good for them, and good for Disney,” Gabrielle explained.

Beyond products to experiences

The key takeaway was the need to align business and customer interests to create winning experiences. Gabrielle’s parting wisdom was a reminder to look beyond our screens and dashboards for inspiration. “To end on a magical note: Inspiration comes from literally every experience. This entire talk came from standing in line. Your next inspiration will not come from looking in Jira.”

As the HOTSAUCE attendees left, heads filled with visions of their products as the next source of delight for users worldwide, it was clear that Gabrielle had imparted a bit of the Disney spark into the world of product management.

The Unsung Influence of Pricing and Packaging to Drive Growth with Kyle Poyar

In the midst of the HOTSAUCE conference’s forward-thinking dialogues, Kyle Poyar took center stage to unravel the intricacies of pricing and packaging—a tandem that he believes is instrumental in understanding your audience and driving growth. Kyle, an Operating Partner at OpenView, was quick to debunk the myth of a perfect pricing strategy, instead advocating for a culture of iteration and continuous improvement. 

“There’s no perfect pricing,” he declared, “You can iterate on it.” This came alongside a somewhat shocking statistic that only 6% of companies feel their pricing aligns perfectly with the value their product delivers.

Kyle presented the audience with what he termed the “Top 5 pricing mistakes,” laying out not just the pitfalls but also the strategies to circumvent them:

1 – Being too cheap

Underpricing is a common faux pas. Kyle stressed that a company should revisit its pricing at each stage of its evolution. With each transition—from seed to expansion to growth stages—successful SaaS companies typically ramp up their pricing significantly. Neglecting this could mean leaving money on the table. And fear not, he added, as studies show there’s only a 2% chance that a price increase could negatively affect your ARR.

2 – Picking the wrong value metric

Kyle argued that the value metric is even more pivotal than the price point itself. It’s the unit of measure that captures the customers’ perceived value for your product and how they are charged for it. To nail this down, companies must connect deeply with their buyers, understanding their desired outcomes, buying preferences, and the scale at which they deepen product adoption over time.

3 – Making it hard to buy

According to Kyle, the shift toward a consumer-style buying experience, even in B2B, is changing the pricing game. He spotlighted Slack’s freemium model as an exemplary approach, allowing broad usage to fuel conversions. Kyle proposed a “Reverse trial” model—starting users with full features before downgrading—to enhance sign-ups and engagement.

4 – Having a broken upsell path

Kyle underscored the importance of feature packaging and usage-based pricing as keys to achieving net negative churn. He pointed to HubSpot’s pivot from traditional tiered pricing to a usage-based model, which was pivotal in their journey to an IPO, showcasing how this strategy dramatically improved their NRR.

5 – Having static pricing

Finally, Kyle highlighted the importance of pricing evolution. From the simplicity of a seed-stage company’s single product offering to the complex segmentation and packaging at later stages, pricing should never remain static. Yet, a shockingly low number of companies engage in in-depth pricing research or multiple rounds of testing, missing out on potential growth opportunities.

Closing out his session, Kyle posed a challenge to the audience to determine who within their organizations should take ownership of pricing. With marketing, product, finance, sales, and operations all viable contenders, he stressed the importance of not where it lives, but that it has a clear owner.

As for timing, Kyle suggested looking for certain signals that indicate the readiness for a pricing overhaul, such as customers buying too quickly, usage outpacing spend, or significant product value additions without a pricing reevaluation.

As his talk on pricing strategies concluded, it was clear Kyle had laid out a blueprint for growth through strategic pricing and packaging—a roadmap for businesses to not just chase but to achieve exponential growth.

Inspiration ignited: closing reflections on HOTSAUCE’s premiere event

As the digital panorama of HOTSAUCE fades into the rearview, I find myself energized by the sheer scope of what we’ve explored and the connections we’ve made. Whether it was Gabrielle Bufrem infusing her product lessons with the magic of the happiest place on earth or Ghazal Badiozamani unraveling the intricacies of strategic product prioritization, each speaker at HOTSAUCE contributed to the larger narrative of innovative growth and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

A heartfelt shoutout to Christian, Nicole, Adrià, and the rest of the Hotjar team for orchestrating such an enriching event. Your dedication to creating a space for learning, networking, and growth did not go unnoticed. It was a pleasure to witness the seamless execution of the event, the carefully curated talks, and the fostering of an environment where ideas could truly flourish.

Although my notebook didn’t capture every golden nugget of wisdom shared, the experiences and lessons I’ve taken away are indelible. To all my fellow attendees and those I missed in the whirlwind of those action-packed days, let’s continue to challenge the status quo, embrace the shifts in our digital landscape, and apply the kernels of wisdom we’ve harvested from HOTSAUCE’s inaugural blaze of glory.

Until next time, let’s keep the sauce simmering and the ideas flowing!

The post Hot Takes from the HOTSAUCE Tech Conference appeared first on ProdPad.

1. What We Get Wrong About Technology by Tim Harford – Behavioral Economist & FT Columnist

In his opening keynote, Tim Harford, a renowned behavioral economist and Financial Times columnist, delved deep into the history of technological advancements and drew parallels between the past and the present.

His insights provide a fresh perspective on how we should approach the rapid advancements in AI and what it means for our future.

Electrification’s tipping point 

Tim drew parallels between the sluggish adoption of electricity and the current advancements in AI, recounting the story of electrification and its profound impact on industry.

The transition from coal to electricity wasn’t immediate. In fact, it was a slow process that only gained momentum during World War II. With laws impacting immigration and a pressing need for more manpower to handle the same jobs, there was a dire need for a more efficient way of working.

Manufacturers were on the lookout for highly trained and motivated workers who could control machines, thereby increasing output and efficiency. The solution? Small electric machines.

Unlike the cumbersome steam engines, these electric machines were compact and could be placed directly at workstations. This eliminated the need for proximity to a central drive shaft, which was a significant limitation with steam engines.

However, the lesson here wasn’t just about replacing old technology with new. As Tim aptly put it, “It’s not enough to replace the steam engines with the electric dynamo.” The real transformation came when industries adopted an entirely new way of working and reorganized their layouts to unlock unprecedented efficiencies.

The spreadsheet revolution

Tim also shared another fascinating story about the advent of the spreadsheet over 40 years ago. Before digital spreadsheets, accountants were primarily engaged in arithmetic, using large paper sheets.

It was a tedious and inefficient process until a computer scientist, while pursuing an MBA and taking an accountancy class, recognized the inefficiency of manual accounting. This realization led to the creation of the first spreadsheet software. From VisiCalc to Excel, the digital spreadsheet era had begun.

The audience chuckled when Tim remarked, “Who doesn’t want a creative accountant?” But the underlying message was clear. With the mundane task of arithmetic taken care of by software, accountants could now focus on more creative and value-added services.

The future is ours to shape

Drawing a parallel to today’s world, Tim highlighted the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. He emphasized that societal changes are crucial for us to harness the full potential of AI. In his words, “Don’t worry. We will bend to fit the technology. We always do.”

But it’s not just about adapting to technology. As he pointed out, “It’s no good reorganizing your company. It’s no good buying more computers. You need to do both.”

Tim concluded his talk with a powerful message for product developers and innovators. He said, “All technologies reshape our organizations,” adding, “We are in the process of another reshaping.” The onus is on us to determine how generative AI will shape our future.

In essence, Tim Harford’s insights serve as a reminder that while technology evolves, it’s up to us to decide how we adapt, innovate, and harness its potential for a brighter future.

2. 10 Years Wiser by Nilan Peiris – Chief Product Officer at Wise

At the heart of forex transfer firm Wise’s success over the past decade is their Chief Product Officer Nilan Peiris’ beliefs, shared on the #mtpcon stage both in 2013 and recently again in 2023.

Reflecting on his journey, he revisited two bold positions he took at #mtpcon a decade ago:

1. Evangelism is the biggest driver of growth.
2. Their unique approach of working in autonomous teams.

The burning question: How have these principles scaled and evolved over the years?

Evangelism’s power over growth

A decade ago, a whopping 70% of Wise users came on board through friends. Fast forward to 2023, this figure stands strong at 63%. What makes this even more impressive? Today, Wise handles 4% of the world’s money transactions.

The secret sauce? The NPS (Net Promoter Score) Richter Scale, a concept introduced by Nilan. Here’s the gist:

• A jump from a score of 5 to 6 doubles the number of referrals.
• Move from 6 to 7, and it doubles again.
• Essentially, those rating Wise 9 or 10 are their biggest evangelists.

Crafting a 10x better product

To truly grow NPS, Wise delved deep into customer feedback. Three consistent desires emerged: Price, Speed, and Ease of Use.

Nilan’s mantra: For genuine advocacy, your product should be 10 times better than the rest. And he admitted that this would be hard. He quipped, “If you aren’t in that state of existential crisis, you aren’t trying hard enough.”

A testament to this? Wise’s instant transfers. While traditional transfers take 3-5 days, Wise aimed for them to be instant. After years of effort and securing a ‘settlement account’ at the Bank of England, now 60% of their transfers are instant – a feat no competitor matches.

Mission-driven marketing

Beyond product excellence, Wise embraced mission-driven marketing. Nilan shared an anecdote of what he termed the “world’s worst marketing email.” Lacking a typical CTA, it simply echoed Wise’s mission. The result? Unprecedented engagement.

Their mission wasn’t just words. Wise championed the cause of transparent bank fees, leading campaigns that eventually made hidden bank fees illegal in the EU – a move saving their customers billions.

Nilan left us with the winning formula that had helped Wise scale so quickly: 10x Better Product + Mission-Driven Marketing = Word of Mouth Growth

Nilan’s second claim from his 2013 #mtpcon stage appearance revolved around the structure and functioning of teams at Wise. A decade later, he revisited this claim with fresh insights and learnings.

Evolving from autonomy to empowerment

Many tout that the world’s leading companies thrive on autonomous teams. However, Wise’s journey revealed a different truth.

The term “autonomy” has been shelved in public discourse by Nilan. In its place, he champions the term “empowered.” This shift in terminology isn’t just semantics; it’s rooted in the company’s ethos.

Accountability as the key to scaling

One of the pivotal drivers behind Wise’s success has been a simple question posed to teams: “What did you ship, and what was its impact?”

This emphasis on accountability not only fostered a sense of ownership but was instrumental in identifying and addressing roadblocks. Removing these barriers was crucial for the company’s exponential growth.

The quality conundrum

Maintaining product quality became a challenge. The Chief Product Officer candidly admitted, “We didn’t maintain quality as we scaled.”

A turning point came with the hiring of a VP Design from giants like Apple and Airbnb. This new addition made a stark observation: “You are not Steve Jobs.” This wasn’t a slight but a realization that the bar for quality hadn’t been set.

Nilan’s epiphany? “By me not setting the bar on what quality is, no one set the bar on what quality is.” To address this, he introduced sessions termed “walk the product”. These detailed product walkthroughs, conducted quarterly, enabled the team to identify pressing issues, prioritize them, and implement solutions.

Nilan wrapped up with a profound insight: “Customers don’t care about autonomy. They only care about the speed with which we achieve our mission.” This statement underscores Wise’s commitment to its mission and the importance of delivering value to its users.

Wise’s remarkable journey over the past decade, as shared by their Chief Product Officer, underscores the power of genuine evangelism and the importance of empowered teams. By focusing on creating a product that’s 10x better and fostering a culture of accountability and quality, Wise has not only achieved significant growth but has also remained committed to its mission.

The essence of their success lies in understanding that customers value the speed and efficiency with which a company achieves its mission, rather than the internal dynamics of autonomy. This blend of product excellence, mission-driven marketing, and empowered teams has been the cornerstone of Wise’s success story.

3. The Seniors, The Staffs, and the Principals by Susana Lopes – Director of Product at Abatable

In her highly valuable MTP talk, Susana Lopes, the Director of Product at Abatable, delved deep into the intricacies of product career tracks. Her insights, drawn from her extensive experience in the field, provide a roadmap for those navigating their careers in product management.

Principles for good product career tracks

Susana introduced several principles that form the foundation of a good product career track:

1. Equal pay for equal work: There should be no pay difference for roles at the same level. This ensures fairness and equity within the organization.
2. Master before managing: To ascend to a managerial role, one must first master the nuances of managing a product itself.
3. Flexibility in choices: It’s okay to change your mind. Career paths are not set in stone, and one should have the freedom to pivot when needed.
4. Equally tall tracks: Each track, whether managerial or individual contributor, should offer equal growth and opportunities.
5. Distinct titles for each level: Every level should have a unique title to avoid confusion and to clearly delineate roles.
6. Unique titles for each track: Similarly, each track should have its distinct set of titles.

Experience and scope in Product poles

Susana provided a detailed breakdown of the experience and scope expected of product professionals at various levels:

• Senior level IC (Individual Contributor): A minimum of 3 years of experience is expected, and they might be responsible for a large product.
• Staff level IC: Those with 5-8 years of experience, overseeing a group.
• Principal level IC: Professionals with over a decade of experience, handling company-level scopes.
• Distinguished level IC: Veterans with 15-20 years in the role, influencing at an industry level.

Interestingly, Susana noted that there are only 58 people in the world with the title of ‘distinguished product manager’. 

Models of product management careers

Susana highlighted two distinct models within product management careers:

• Player Coach Model: This model involves managing 0-1 products with a small, energized group of people. The individual is responsible for strategy while managing 2-3 people.
• Pure IC Model: Here, the individual has no direct reports. They contribute to the strategy and collaborate closely with the people leader in their group.

As a PM progresses in their career, the complexity of the products they manage increases. However, at higher levels, their impact must extend beyond just products. This includes coaching, evangelism, and crafting product best practices.

Archetypes for top-tier Product professionals

Susana identified four archetypes for those at the pinnacle of product management:

1. The Hatcher: Innovators who create and launch new products. They might also coach teams and refine the product launch process.
2. The Fixer: These are the saviors who diagnose and rejuvenate dying products or organizations. They might also spearhead cross-team projects or enhance organization-wide initiatives.
3. The Industry Moulder: With deep industry connections and years of experience, they might sit on industry boards, evangelize for their company, and shape the future of the industry.
4. The Practice Lead: They integrate best practices into teams and might also coach, evangelize product practices, and help upgrade the PM toolkit.

While Hatchers and Fixers tend to transition roles between six months to a couple of years, depending on the size of the launch or fix, the other archetypes are more stable. However, these are general observations and not strict rules.

Forge your own path

Susana emphasized the importance of introspection. Are you climbing a ladder set by someone else? What truly energizes you, and what drains you? It’s crucial to find your unique path forward and ensure you’re not merely following someone else’s trajectory.

Chart your course in the product world, but always ensure it aligns with your personal and professional aspirations.

4. The F.A.I.L Framework by Marc Abraham – Product Director at Backbase

Backbase’s Product Director Marc Abraham delivered an insightful talk on his F.A.I.L framework. This framework is designed to help product managers and teams navigate the treacherous waters of product development, ensuring that even when products don’t succeed, the lessons learned are invaluable.

The reality of product failures

Marc began by highlighting some notable product failures, including the Pono music player, the Segway, and the Juicero juice press. These examples served as a reminder that even with significant investment and hype, products can still fail.

However, Marc emphasized a crucial point: “If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.” This statement underscores the importance of embracing failure as a stepping stone to success.

He further added, “We should be embarrassed by our first product launches.” This sentiment resonates with the idea that our initial attempts are rarely perfect, but they provide a foundation for improvement.

Understanding failure

Marc categorized failure into two types:

1. Instant failure: Immediate and evident.
2. Delayed failure: Takes time to manifest.

He stressed the importance of continuous learning through our products, stating, “We need to worry about failure if we stop learning through our product.” In industries like hardware or medical, the learning needs to be done upfront to avoid catastrophic consequences.

Marc introduced two essential mantras for product managers:

• PM Mantra 1: “The sooner I call time on failure, the better.”
• PM Mantra 2: “My job is to continuously assess, prioritize, and mitigate risk.”

He also highlighted four primary risks in product development:

• Execution risk: Can we execute the idea?
• Solution risk: Is this the right solution?
• Problem risk: Is there a genuine problem to solve?
• Timing risk: Is the technology mature enough?

The F.A.I.L framework

The F.A.I.L framework stands for Feature, Assumption, Impact, and Learning.

1. Feature: Identify a feature and use this template to understand the problem to be solved: “When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].”
2. Assumption: Outline your assumptions using the following templates:
   1. Problem assumptions: “We believe that our (target) customers have a need to _____. Currently, our target customers ______.”
   2. User assumptions: “We believe that our users are ______ and that they value _______.”
   3. Solution assumptions: “We believe that we can solve our customers’ problems through a solution such as ________. We believe that users will adopt this solution because they will get the benefit of _______ from this solution.”

After outlining, collate these assumptions and validate them using methods like the “Third Eye Test” (where you share your idea with someone and see what resonates with them days later) and the “Premortem” (where you capture your assumptions before building).

3. Impact: Formulate a hypothesis statement that provides clear signals to look out for. For instance, “We believe that this statement is true: _________. We will know we’re [right/wrong] when we see the following feedback from the market [quantitative/qualitative] or [KPI change].”
4. Learn: Reflect on the outcomes, ask yourself what happened, what was learned, and what decisions should be made. Delve deeper into understanding failures by asking the “5 Whys” to get to the root cause.

Marc concluded with the powerful message that “Products don’t fail in vain if we understand the problem to solve, if we capture our assumptions, if we have a clear hypothesis that we act on early, and if we are clear on the why.”

This framework serves as a reminder that in the world of product development, failures are not setbacks but rather opportunities for growth and learning.

5. Taming your Gremlins by Keji Adedeji – Product Director, Professional at FT

Keji Adedeji, the esteemed Product Director, Professional at FT, delved into the often unspoken challenges that product managers face: the Product Management (PM) gremlins. I’m going to unpack her insights and offer strategies to navigate these challenges effectively.

Understanding PM Gremlins

PM gremlins are those nagging doubts, fears, and challenges that plague product managers daily. They’re universal; every product manager, whether a novice or a veteran, grapples with them. Ignoring these gremlins doesn’t make them disappear. Instead, they lurk in the shadows, ready to amplify problems when least expected.

The four PM Gremlins

1. “Comparison and self-doubt” Gremlin: This gremlin whispers doubts into our ears, making us question if we’re genuinely doing ‘proper product’. It’s that sinking feeling when we look at others and wonder if we’re lagging behind.
2. “Progression wall” Gremlin: Ever felt stuck in your role? Like you’re running in place with no clear path forward? That’s this gremlin at work, keeping you ensnared in your comfort zone, hindering growth.
3. “Imbalance” Gremlin: The world of product management is demanding. From analyzing data, managing backlogs, and engaging stakeholders, to navigating quarterly planning cycles, the workload can be overwhelming. This gremlin threatens our work-life balance and pushes us towards burnout.
4. “Major step-change and fear” Gremlins: Facing significant changes or new challenges can be daunting. This gremlin makes these situations feel less like learning opportunities and more like insurmountable capability problems.

It’s crucial to understand that these gremlins don’t operate in isolation. They feed off each other, amplifying their effects.

The four antidotes to PM Gremlins

1. Cultivate self-awareness: Take a step back and reflect. Understand your strengths, weaknesses, and triggers. Seek feedback actively, not just to improve but to celebrate your successes. And remember, self-care isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.
2. Be intentional: Clarity is power. Know what’s essential and prioritize accordingly. Chart out your growth roadmap, identifying the skills you need to reach your goals. And if you find resources or support lacking, ask for it. Don’t let your current circumstances limit your future potential.
3. Find community: Product management isn’t a solo journey. Surround yourself with a supportive community. Share experiences, seek mentorship, and solve problems collectively. Remember, it takes a village.
4. Meet your organization where it’s at: Understand your organization’s culture and dynamics. Leverage your sphere of influence to make an impact. Embrace diverse challenges to grow and always stay curious.

Keji’s insights serve as a timely reminder of the challenges product managers face and the strategies to overcome them. As we navigate our product management journeys, let’s recognize our gremlins, confront them with the right antidotes, and support one another along the way.

6. Keeping Your Head While Everyone Else Loses Theirs Over Gen AI by Claire Woodcock, Director of Product, ML at Mozilla

Generative AI has become a buzzword in the tech industry, with companies racing to integrate it into their products and services. But what exactly is generative AI, and how can businesses harness its potential while avoiding pitfalls? This is what Claire Woodcock, Director of Product, Machine Learning at Mozilla helped us explore at this year’s #mtpcon.

Understanding generative AI

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can create content autonomously. A prime example is GPT, which was trained on a staggering 45 terabytes of data.

However, it’s essential to note that not every company, especially startups, has the resources to build something as extensive as GPT.

The AI hype

Every boardroom is buzzing with the need to incorporate AI into their products. This urgency is reminiscent of the mobile app boom following the launch of the iPhone in 2012. Just as every company then felt the need to have a mobile app, today, the pressure is on to integrate AI.

The surge in Nvidia’s stock price is a testament to the growing demand and excitement around AI technologies.

Generative AI: a double-edged sword

While generative AI holds immense promise, it’s not without its challenges. Claire shared two cautionary tales:

• A GPT-powered writer referred to a deceased individual as ‘useless.’
• A GPT chatbot provided harmful diet advice to individuals with eating disorders.

These stories underscore the importance of understanding and controlling the outputs of generative AI. As Claire aptly puts it, “It doesn’t matter that you’re using this fancy technology. What problem are you solving?”

Differentiating with generative AI

Merely using GPT or any other generative AI doesn’t guarantee success. Businesses need to carve out a unique value proposition. The Kano model provides a useful framework here. For instance, while security in mobile phones is a basic expectation, features like biometric login, once considered delightful, are now becoming standard.

Similarly, generative AI can either be a basic feature or something that truly delights users.

Current landscape

About 20% of businesses are already leveraging generative AI, primarily in chatbots and marketing. However, it’s crucial to implement AI in areas with low visibility initially to gauge its effectiveness and refine its application.

5 steps to integrate generative AI into your product

• Select your problem: Identify a genuine problem that AI can solve.
• Evaluate your data: Ensure you have the necessary data. Quality is paramount.
• Decide on build vs. buy: Consider factors like skills, costs, and data privacy. Beware of spiraling costs and vendor lock-in.
• Build a proof of concept: Create a focused MVP for the AI component to test its quality and feasibility.
• Scale to production and monitor: Treat AI integration like any other service. Monitor for spiraling costs and model drift.

Understanding model drift

Model drift refers to the phenomenon where the behavior of AI models changes over time due to evolving user behaviors or external factors. It’s crucial to regularly update and monitor your models to ensure they remain relevant and effective.

Key takeaway

The excitement around generative AI is undeniable. However, the fundamentals of product development remain unchanged. Focus on data quality, continuously test and learn, and always monitor your model once it’s deployed.

The future of generative AI is bright, but it’s up to businesses to navigate its challenges and unlock its potential.

7. Being a Change Agent in Elastic Companies by Randy Silver, Managing Director of Out of Owls

In his talk, Randy Silver, the Managing Director at Out of Owls, delved deep into the challenges of being a change agent in today’s corporate landscape.

One of the most striking analogies he presented was that of companies being “elastic.” Just like an elastic band that stretches and then reverts to its original shape, companies too have an inherent tendency to bounce back to their original state, especially after undergoing changes. This makes the role of a change agent particularly challenging.

Introducing the Product Environment Canvas

Randy introduced a powerful tool called the “Product Environment Canvas.” This canvas is designed to help change agents and product managers assess and strategize their product environment effectively. The canvas touches upon several crucial aspects:

• Prioritisation: It’s not just about what your teams are working on; it’s equally about what they aren’t focusing on. Understanding and setting the right priorities is the foundation of effective product management.
• People: The success of any product or project largely depends on the people behind it. Do you have the right talent on board? Are they positioned correctly within the organization? And most importantly, are you investing in their growth and development in the right manner?
• Process: Having streamlined processes is the backbone of efficient product delivery. It’s essential to assess if the current processes are aiding in delivering value or acting as roadblocks.

The power of perception

Underpinning all these elements is the concept of “perception.” Randy emphasized that perception holds immense power in the corporate world. If key stakeholders, be it Sales, Marketing, Compliance, or even the CEO, do not perceive the value in what you’re working on, the people you have, or the processes you’ve implemented, then all your efforts might be in vain.

In essence, perception can make or break the success of your initiatives. It’s a reminder that while objective metrics are vital, the subjective views of influential stakeholders cannot be ignored.

Implementing the Product Environment Canvas

Randy provided a structured approach to using the Product Environment Canvas:

• Week one: Start by filling in the canvas yourself on a Monday. This will give you a personal perspective on where things stand.
• Subsequent weeks: In your next retrospective, involve your team in filling out the canvas. This collaborative approach will provide diverse insights and a more holistic view of the product environment.
• Quarterly: Engage with your stakeholders and complete the canvas. This will ensure alignment with broader organizational goals and perceptions.

Key takeaway

The central message from Randy Silver’s talk was clear: As change agents and product managers, the goal should always be to create an environment where the team can deliver maximum value at an accelerated pace. The Product Environment Canvas is a tool that aids in achieving this by providing clarity, fostering collaboration, and ensuring alignment with broader organizational perceptions and goals.

In a world where companies are inherently resistant to change, tools like the Product Environment Canvas and insights from thought leaders like Randy Silver are invaluable in navigating the complex landscape of product management and organizational change.

8. The Intersection of Product and Design by Jane Austin – Chief Product Officer at Juniver

Jane Austin, Juniver’s Chief Product Officer, gave an enlightening talk on the intricate relationship between product and design. As someone who transitioned into the Product realm from a Design background, she offers a unique perspective on how these two domains intersect, and sometimes clash.

The uncommon path from Design to Product

It’s not every day that you meet someone who has transitioned from Design to Product. However, Jane’s journey is a testament to the fluidity and interconnectedness of these roles.

She emphasized that while many in the audience might not come from a Design background, there’s a good chance they’ll find themselves leading a Design team at some point in their careers.

Bridging the gap: understanding Design

Jane’s talk revolved around the idea that Product and Design are “two nations divided by a common language.” While they share many goals and objectives, their approaches and perspectives can sometimes differ, leading to misunderstandings and friction.

She highlighted five key areas where product and design teams often find themselves at odds:

• Research requirements: Determining the kind and amount of research needed for a project.
• Resource constraints: Balancing a heavy workload with a limited team.
• MVPs (Minimum Viable Products): Defining what constitutes an MVP.
• Solution handoffs: The process of handing over solutions to the team.
• Interpersonal frictions: The inevitable clashes that arise from differing viewpoints.

The Triple Diamond framework

Jane introduced a compelling framework, visualized as a “Triple Diamond,” which she illustrated with a slide, as below. This framework consists of:

• Futures: This represents the product vision, an area we often have limited knowledge about.
• Features: These are the tangible elements on your roadmap. Our understanding of features is typically more profound due to research and prototyping.
• Frictions: These are potential issues users might encounter when using your product. We usually have a wealth of knowledge in this area, thanks to data analytics and real-time user feedback.

Collaborative success: merging Product and Design

For Product and Design teams to thrive together, Jane suggests:

• Timely research: Conduct the right research at the appropriate stage.
• High-leverage activities: Prioritize tasks that yield the most significant results.
• MVP agreement: Ensure everyone is on the same page about what constitutes an MVP. It should be the bare minimum required to validate an idea or concept.
• Joint solution creation: Solutions should be a collaborative effort, drawing from the strengths of both teams.
• Foster collaboration: Encourage open communication and teamwork.

Jane also emphasized the importance of using artifacts that promote collaboration, bringing teams together to address challenges.

Tools and resources

Jane recommended a couple of tools to aid in the product-design collaboration:

• Riskiest Assumptions Canvas: A tool that helps teams identify and address the most uncertain aspects of their projects. Read more here.
• Opportunity Solution Tree: A framework that aids in decision-making by prioritizing the problems to be solved first.

She also suggested two must-read books for anyone in the product or design space:

• High Output Management by Andrew Grove
• Death by Screens by Ben Sauer

Rethinking feedback

Jane concluded her talk by discussing feedback types. She cautioned against reaction-based feedback (e.g. “I like it”) and direction-based feedback (e.g. “Make it pop”). Instead, she championed the idea of critique, where teams discuss how a design aligns with its intended objectives.

In summary, Jane Austin’s talk was a deep dive into the symbiotic relationship between Product and Design. By understanding each other’s perspectives and leveraging collaborative tools, these teams can achieve remarkable results together.

9. Superheroes and Villains (and Why Saving the World is Hard) by Randeep Sidhu – former CPO at Reliance Health

In his closing talk, Randeep Sidhu shared his insights on navigating the challenges of making impactful decisions in high-risk environments, such as healthcare. The gravity of his responsibilities was once summed up to him in a chilling statement: “A decision you make will kill someone. What will you do to make sure your conscience is clear?”

Using the metaphor of superheroes, Randeep delved into three distinct challenges that professionals often face when trying to bring about change:

1. The Superheroes challenge

While working on the NHS app, Randeep encountered numerous obstacles. He realized that he had inadvertently positioned himself as a savior, viewing others as mere obstacles or objects. This power dynamic, where he felt he was always right, hindered progress.

Lesson: It’s essential to recognize the value of collaboration and teamwork. No one person has all the answers, and it’s detrimental to assume that only you can “save the world.” By shedding the savior mentality, you can foster a more inclusive and productive environment.

2. The Bystanders challenge

Randeep observed two common perceptions of users:

• They are seen as unruly mobs, acting illogically and without regard for consequences. This leads professionals to force users into a specific process “for their own good”.
• Alternatively, users are viewed as helpless victims, unaware of the dangers they face, prompting a need to “spoon-feed” them.

However, these perceptions often stem from a lack of understanding. Many times, users act out of stress, which can lead to anxiety, hypervigilance, and an inability to act rationally.

Lesson: It’s crucial to empathize with your users and understand the stressors they face. By recognizing and addressing these stressors, you can design products that genuinely cater to their needs and reduce their anxiety.

3. The Villains challenge

Real change is never easy. Often, those advocating for change are labeled as “villains” by those comfortable with the status quo. Randeep emphasized that heroes typically maintain the status quo, while villains push for change. This dynamic makes advocating for necessary changes challenging, as it can lead to vilification.

For instance, have you ever felt silenced when trying to challenge a prevailing notion? Or felt that by merely raising a concern, you were made to feel in the wrong? This discomfort is a natural part of the change process.

Lesson: Real change necessitates discomfort. While it’s essential to challenge the status quo, it’s equally crucial to ensure that in doing so, you’re not “punching down” or harming those with less power. Embrace the role of the “villain” if it means advocating for positive change, but always act with empathy and consideration.

Randeep’s talk shed light on the complexities of driving change, especially in high-risk environments. By understanding these challenges and the lessons they offer, professionals can navigate these waters more effectively and make a lasting impact.

Fascinating perspectives and actionable insights

#mtpcon London 2023 was a testament to the ever-evolving landscape of product management.

From Tim Harford’s historical parallels to Nilan Peiris’s reflections on a decade at Wise, each speaker brought a unique perspective to the table. Susana Lopes’s principles for career tracks and Marc Abraham’s F.A.I.L framework provided actionable insights for professionals at all stages.

Claire Woodcock’s exploration of generative AI, Randy Silver’s insights on championing change, and Randeep Sidhu’s metaphorical take on the challenges faced by product managers using superheroes highlighted the challenges and opportunities in today’s tech-driven world.

Jane Austin’s emphasis on collaboration and Keji Adedeji’s deep dive into the “Product Management Gremlins” were reminders of the intricacies of the product world.

As we reflect on the wealth of knowledge shared, one thing is clear: the future of product management is bright, dynamic, and full of potential.

Until next year, #mtpcon!

The post #mtpcon London 2023: A Detailed Recap of the Talks appeared first on ProdPad.

But there are other good reasons for attending UX conferences if you’re a forward-thinking product person:

Why you should attend a UX conference or two

Innovation and inspiration galore

UX conferences are hubs of creativity and innovation, buzzing with fresh ideas and cutting-edge concepts. They’re always pretty immersive and that really helps you to break away from your day-to-day and get some space to think – dare I say it – ‘outside the box’. 

With workshops, presentations, and interactive sessions led by some of the brightest minds in the industry, you’re bound to leave with a brain full to the brim with innovative strategies and approaches for you to implement in your product.

Your network is your net worth

Rubbing shoulders with industry leaders, seasoned professionals, and like-minded UX geeks can open doors you didn’t even know existed. UX conferences are a great place to make some sweet connections that could help you build your professional network, and even find potential collaborators for your next big project… or even a side hustle or two.

Stay up-to-date with the latest trends

UX never stops moving, and new technologies and trends emerge at a rapid pace. Attending UX conferences will keep you updated on the latest tools, techniques, and methodologies that are shaping the user experience landscape.

From AI-driven interfaces to immersive virtual reality experiences, you’ll get a comprehensive overview of what’s hot and what’s not in the world of UX.

Skilling up

With a plethora of workshops, masterclasses, and hands-on training sessions, UX conferences are a great place to sharpen up those skillz (intentional z, don’t @ me).

Whether you’re looking to polish your design skills, improve your understanding of user behavior, or learn about the latest prototyping tools, you can often join a specialized session or workshop on whatever interests you most.

Get Inspired

There’s nothing quite like the energy of a room filled with passionate and like-minded UXers who get their kicks out of creating exceptional user experiences. These are good people. 

Their stories of success, the lessons from their failures, and the collective passion for creating meaningful products can be a great pick-me-up to help you remember why you love this work. Attending these conferences might just reignite your passion and give you the motivation you need to tackle your next big project.

Now that you know what you’ll be missing if you don’t turn up, here’s our curated list of the most exciting upcoming conferences in 2023 and 2024 that you definitely shouldn’t miss.

Note: Prices are presented in the local currency (or US Dollars when provided) and are correct at the time of publishing.

The top upcoming UX conferences of 2023 and 2024

November 2023

UX Brighton 2023

When: 3 November 2023
Where: Brighton, UK
Tickets: Student: £65.00 + VAT, Last Chance: £250.00 + VAT
Website

Why you should go: We’ll be there! Come say hi at our stand, and delve into the details of how we can help you solve your product management challenges.

Other than us being there (as if you need a better reason!) UX Brighton is always filled with innovative talks and viewpoints that will challenge your preconceptions about UX and design.

Our very own Janna Bastow delivered a keynote here last year and was a massive fan of the vibe. Brighton is a very cool place and the design community is strong.

This year the focus is on encouraging creative thinking and innovation and features impressive industry names like Dr Elizabeth Churchill,  Senior Director of UX at Google.

Leading Design London

When: 8-9 November 2023
Where: London, UK
Tickets: Last Chance: £1595 + VAT
Website

Why you should go: Hosted by Clearleft, this UX conference is specifically tailored for people in design leadership positions and is particularly helpful for people stepping up to a new leadership role. This year’s impressive lineup includes Eric Snowden, VP of Design at Adobe. 

ReOps Conference

When:16 November 2023
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Student: $39, Regular: $79
Website

Why you should go: More focused on research, this conference is ideal if you’re looking for ways to learn about the more data-driven side of UX. This year’s key topics include recruiting in different contexts and countries, knowledge management in regulated industries, whether you’re upscaling or downscaling, stakeholder management, and different ways of working both in your team and cross-functionally.

Design in Product

When: 29 November – 1 December
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Conference: $449, Workshop: $895, Conference/Workshop Bundle: $1245
Website

Why you should go: This conference is specifically for design professionals working in the Product world, and provides a wealth of resources and vital knowledge about how UX folks can approach, understand, and explain their work in Product terms to help them really make a difference.

January 2024

UX360 Research Virtual

When: 30-31 January 2024
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Early: $99 to $199, Regular: $299 
Website

Why you should go:  Another research-focused conference, UX360 is all about keeping up to date with the latest in UX and design research from luminaries in the UX research field. The organizers want to provide a space for UX researchers like you to improve your skill set, meet and greet with your peers, and get inspired to improve your own research practices.

Design Matters Mexico

When: 31 January – 1 February 2024
Where: Mexico City, Mexico & Virtual
Tickets: Online: $149, In-person: $299
Website

Why you should go: This socially conscious conference is a must for anyone working in a Latin American context, especially as one of the main themes this year is ‘From Latin America With Love’. The speakers will demonstrate the influence heritage and ancestral knowledge can have on design and tech, and why that matters. They will also be looking at how we can move towards “a future where design is the driving force behind sustainability and social responsibility”. 

February 2024

Axe-con

When: 20-22 February 2024
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Free
Website

Why you should go: If you’re looking for ways to improve the accessibility of your design work, then look no further. This year’s topics include accessibility in development, accessibility in design, and organizational success with accessibility. There’s no better place to learn about accessibility best practices from the leaders in the field.

March 2024

Leading Design New York

When: 20-21 March 2024
Where: New York, USA
Tickets: $1,495 to $1,995
Website

Why you should go: The US-based iteration of Leading Design’s UX conferences. If you don’t want to head over the pond for their London conference, then you’ll have just as useful a time here, learning about the best ways to nail your design leadership role.

UX Copenhagen

When: 20-21 March 2024
Where: Copenhagen, Denmark 
Tickets: In-person: DKK 6,500, Virtual: DKK 3,000
Website

Why you should go: This year’s theme is ‘Degrowth and Consumerism’ It’s all about breaking our track record of harmful production and development processes. And why consumerism has to amend its ways to ensure the survival of the world as we know it. As the closing keynote speaker said last year, “There is no planet B.”

April 2024

UXinsight Festival

When: 15-17 April 2024
Where: Breda, Netherlands & Virtual
Tickets (2023 prices): Online: €150, In-person: €400 to €1,200
Website

Why you should go: This year’s theme and line-up are yet to be announced – however, if you’ve got a passion for UX research, and how it can be used to not just make better products, but also help people, then this conference will be sure to inspire you.

May 2024

UX360 Research Europe

When: 16-17 May 2024
Where: Berlin, Germany
Tickets: Early bird: €695, Regular ticket: €895
Website

Why you should go: Having swiftly risen to be one the most popular virtual UX conferences since its 2022 launch, 2024 will see the inaugural in-person event for UX360. If you’d rather be boots-on-the-ground instead of attending the virtual conference in January, this is your chance to get the same insights from global thought leaders in the field, with the added bonus of networking and sharing tips with similarly-minded UX pros.

June 2024

Config

When: TBA (21-22 June 2023)
Where: San Francisco, USA & Virtual
Tickets (2023 price): $499
Website

Why you should go: This one comes personally recommended by ProdPad’s own Product Designer Ira Bolshakova, who loves the great range of speakers covering a plethora of important topics, as well as the product announcements made at the conference.

August 2024

UX Nordic

When: 28-29 August 2024
Where: Aarhus, Denmark
Tickets (2023 prices: Online: €275, Regular: €495, Workshop: €850
Website

Why you should go: UX Nordic focuses on providing UX professionals with hands-on experience and knowledge in their talks and workshops. While this year’s agenda is still in the works, they want to provide you with actionable ideas from leading experts, such as last year’s keynote speaker Tobias Bjerrome Ahlin, Principle Design Engineer at GitHub, and Kelly Dern, Senior Product Designer at Google.

September 2024

Disco Conf

When: TBA (Last dates – 19 Sept 2023)
Where: Virtual only
Tickets: Free
Website

Why you should go: Disco Conf is a free UX and product design conference that aims to help you learn how a creative, discovery-focused mindset can help you in your product design work. Last year’s speakers include our friend Product Design Coach Tim Herbig, and Sharanya Ravichandran, VP of Design at JPMorgan Chase.

October 2024

UXDX EMEA

When: 16-18 October 2024
Where: Dublin, Ireland & Virtual
Tickets: Online: €199, In-person: €499 to €2,999
Website

Why you should go: The largest and most popular of UXDX’s global range of conferences, the stated focus is on the shift from projects to product teams, and how all the different stakeholders in a product team can come together to work towards common goals.

Let us know your favorite UX Conference!

Hopefully, something on our shortlist of the best UX conferences speaks to the challenges you are facing in your work, or areas that you want to grow in. Let us know what experiences you’ve had, and share your favorites with us in the comments below so we can make sure this list includes all the most important UX conferences to attend in 2023 and 2024.

And don’t forget to come say hi to members of the ProdPad team at UX Brighton this year!

The post The Best UX Conferences in 2023 & 2024 appeared first on ProdPad.

Wonderful online talks and breakout sessions were certainly not opaqued by the pandemic. As always, the Mind the Product team were able to provide an absolutely immersive experience for all things product.

Our Mind the Product Roundup, November 2020

‘Tech and the New Normal.’ By Ben Evans 

Covid has hyper-accelerated our use of technology. 

The internet has changed from ‘how can I find what I want’ to ‘tell me where what I want is.’ Advertisers have pivoted from traditional paper advertising to online marketing. 

Online dating, food deliveries, and even doctor appointments have moved to an online system.

As a result, a lot of habits are now being broken.

This is a period of massive destruction and pain, but also a period of reconfiguration and incredible change.

As product managers we should be asking ourselves – how can we best support this change, and how can we make sure that everyone has access to this change? There are lots of problems to be solved here. Thank you for an excellent talk, Ben.

‘Is Inclusive Design Enough?’ By Julian Thompson’s (breakout session) 

Julian talked us through what inclusive design means and why it’s important to talk about it. 

Design is about outcomes and shaping the future. It’s important to think about whether or not our designs are excluding certain audiences.

More importantly, it’s worth understanding how exclusion happens: 

• Our biases are shaped by our experiences, what we value and what we see. 
• Relationship deficit. Without the networks needed to make connections to a diverse group of people and communities. It takes time and energy to build relationships.
• Know that you don’t know everything.

This was an excellent talk to get us all thinking about inclusion, exclusion, and an ethical approach to problem solving.

‘Roadmap Prioritization.’ (Breakout session)

There was no way I was going to skip this one. It simply has to go in this Mind the Product roundup.

I was lucky enough to join the roadmap prioritization breakout session and talk with some amazing product people like Thor Mitchell (Miro) and CTodd Lombardo (Author of Roadmaps: Relaunched and Product Research Rules). 

Everything from stakeholder management to timeline roadmaps to OKRs were on the table. It’s so great to see people wanting to include OKRs and outcome-based roadmaps and ditch that timeline.

‘Scaling Product Teams: In Defense of Process.’ By Spectra (Adaora) Asala

Spectra has a background in ops as well as product – but loves the chaos behind product! 

Having grown several teams, Spectra is breaking down good process and bad process practices. 

Some key takeaways:

• Onboarding and training: By providing templates for discovery, prioritization, and delivery, processes translate ambiguous challenges into accessible playbooks. It’s easy to suffer from framework overload.
  
• Frame problems vs solutions (yeah we hear that).
  
  • Process frameworks are a great way to ground people and a wonderful entry point for anyone learning product.
    
• Facilitating inclusion: From combating bias in interviews to consistent standards and criteria for career advancement. It’s hard to deliver against the values we have. It’s important to translate that into actions that our teams can follow. 

• Operationalizing ethics: How about, rather than just talking about ethics, we make sure we have a way to action on those ethics.
• Alignment: A huge part of the product manager role is to make sure everyone is on the same page. Look who’s making a guest appearance here… it’s ProdPad. We’re glad we’ve helped you, Spectra.

‘Lessons from a Product Champion.’ By Mary Poppendieck

Here is an absolutely biased comment to open this one up: this was my favorite talk of all.

Mary has a background in early product development with the 3M team. Her talk titled “No champion? No product” – dug down into what a product champion was back in the day. Often, it was the person that did everything necessary to get that product to market, working with various members in leadership positions, such as: tech (feasible), marketing (viable), design (usable). 

Most importantly, Mary highlighted that in order to work as a team, you shouldn’t have conflicting goals. You had one goal that everyone worked together to achieve (hello again, OKRs).

My favorite part of her whole talk was her statement on making decisions. “Hold off,” says Mary. Why make a decision if you don’t have enough data to support making it? It’s better to wait than to build something nobody will use. 

Absolute mic drop moment.

You’re a gem, Mary.

Day Two of Our Mind the Product Roundup

‘All These Worlds Are Yours.’ By Cennydd Bowles

Cennydd challenged us from the getgo to think about our use of technology. While tech has made our lives infinitely better, it has also reared its ugly head with unforeseen consequences. From Uber to Twitter – the promises of tech helping make our lives better, to a certain degree is true but it has also breached our privacy. From accidentally racist chatbots to political radicalization, the public has viewed for many years these scandals as “minor” or just did not understand. 

How did we let technology get so far from its original intentions? While our hunger for technology grows, it’s the product manager’s role to keep ethics at the forefront. Work with your teams, talk to researchers, and take the time to add responsible product ethics to your product process.

Ethics might seem fuzzy, but there’s a wide body of work already available. Don’t just do the performative “ethics washing”. Do the research. 

User centricity has blinded our wider responsibilities – “Our loyalties must be with the world, not just our OKRs.” 

‘How to Create a Product Strategy.’ By Amy Zima

Amy Zima took us through the steps of creating a solid product strategy. 

Step 0: Have a solid vision.

Why we love this: There is no strategy without vision. *CLAPS ALL AROUND*

Step 1: Understand the problem you are trying to solve.

• What problem are we solving? (data and insights)
• What needs to be true to make this vision happen?
• Who are we really building for?
• How do we differentiate? Why us?
• What does success look like? What could go wrong?

Step 2: Identify your choices and look at the pros and cons.

That’s it, you’re done. Well no, you’re not done, but you can now start creating your outcome-based roadmap, run validation, discovery, and build amazing products.

‘The Anatomy of a Pivot.’ By Asha Haji

Pivoting can be one of those moments that makes or breaks a company. Asha ran us through how some of the most well known companies came about from a pivot moment. 

Did you know Slack started out as a gaming company? Originally building a game called Glitch, and with millions (although I think I heard billions) in funding, the game never actually took off. The founders then had a decision to make – take the loss or pivot to something new, and lo and behold, we now have Slack.

The bigger the company, the more dramatic the shift. Discuss how to pivot, when to pivot, and most importantly – include your product managers.

Using the pivot pyramid is also a good way to gauge who and what will affect the pivot. Regardless of your choices, understand that customers will always be affected.

‘Product Leadership is Hard.’ By Marty Cagan

The difference between great product companies and everyone else is a gap that has not been shrinking whatsoever over the last few years. What’s the key differentiator? Good leadership.

An empowered product team is one where they exist to serve customers in ways the customers love but meet the needs of the business. In contrast, a feature team is there to serve the business. Can you really hold a feature team accountable if they’re given the solution without any other context? Of course not. The responsibility is yours, says Marty.

If you want to empower your product teams, you must provide them with context!

Where to start? With the product vision, of course. Step 0, remember?

A product vision first and foremost puts the customer front and center (not your company.) It’s all about understanding how the customer’s life will be better by using your product.

Good product visions are emotional. They also show which industries you will leverage, and how your teams will keep aligned against a common North Star.

Understand objectives, focus on key results to move the needle forward. Less features, more outcomes.

Keep Those Product Management Conference Vibes Going

Well that’s a wrap for our Mind the Product roundup. ProdPad’s virtual booth is always up and running. Head over there now and check out some of our great resources, including our sandbox where you can try out ProdPad to see if it’s the right tool for you. 

If you want to chat to our product experts about product management best practices and learn a little more about ProdPad then feel free to book in for a personal demo.

The post Mind the Product Roundup: Takeaways From Our Favorite Product Management Conference appeared first on ProdPad.

World Product Day 2020 was always going to be a little different, but that didn’t mean we were going to let it pass us by. We played to our strengths and brought World Product Day to people scattered around the globe.

Our virtual World Product Day booth was where the magic happened. At the center of this were the free, one to one, Product Mentoring Sessions that were available to anyone who booked a slot. ProdPad’s product experts had cleared their schedules, making themselves available to chat to product people throughout the day.

Our community jumped at the chance to speak to them. It wasn’t long before our team of trusty product experts were deep in a variety of conversations. They offered advice and guidance, made roadmap recommendations, discussed new ideas, made suggestions, were a fresh pair of eyes, and sometimes they were just someone different to talk to – whatever the topic, our team showed up and delivered. 

“The team and I enjoyed some really worthwhile conversations during World Product Day, and I am delighted with the response. Not only were we able to help people with their product-related queries, but we also got to spread our positive vibes and enjoy the day with our community. Yes, we advised. But most importantly, we celebrated.” Janna Bastow, CEO and Co-founder at ProdPad.

As well as booking in for a session, visitors to our virtual booth could also download one of our Handy Guides for Product People, check out some of our resources, and even learn a little more about ProdPad’s features.

World Product Day doesn’t need to end – you can still book a session

Who cares that World Product Day is over? We’ve received such great feedback that we’re keeping them going a little longer. Our product experts are still offering these valuable sessions to anyone who wants to have a chat about product management. 

Do you want to learn about ProdPad’s lean roadmap, backlog management, and feedback tools? Perhaps you’re after some advice and guidance for your own roadmap? Book yourself in for a session and we can go from there. If you just fancy a chat about best practice in product management then that’s totally fine, too. 

Fill in the below form to grab the last few slots.

The post The One Where We Celebrated World Product Day appeared first on ProdPad.

Product/Market Fit is a popular topic among growing startups, but it’s vastly misunderstood. That’s probably because it’s a made up concept that’s open to interpretation, rather than a fixed state, but that doesn’t stop people from taking a stab at trying to pin down what it is.

What is Product/Market Fit?

Marc Andreessen coined the term in 2007, when he said that product/market fit means being in a good market with a product that can satisfy that market. Since then, lots of other takes have been heard. Paul Graham from Y Combinator says that you’ve hit product/market fit when you’ve made something people want, while Sam Altman, also of Y Combinator, says it’s when users spontaneously tell other people to use your product. Another one that’s popular enough to have been heard from multiple sources is simply: you can feel it.

Now, this might be the story for some startups. You hear of startups who hit on something that results in customers begging for more, running low on stock or server capacity and frantically hiring to keep up with demand.

It’s not the story for all companies. Some companies take funding to gain extra time to find their product/market fit. Other companies, like my own journey with ProdPad, found product/market fit over time, through learning and iteration and measured adjustments at each step.

Multiple Definitions of Product/Market Fit

The main problem with a lot of these definitions of product/market fit is that their not measurable. And if they’re not measurable, they’re not actionable. And my inner nerd needs more than that.

Back in the early days of ProdPad, I recall someone telling me that product/market fit is when you’ve got 10 completely unconnected paying customers; people who aren’t your family or other friendlies, but legitimate customers. Yes, it was tough finding our first 10 customers – the first version of ProdPad was built by myself and our co-founder and was a shaky MVP at best, and each sale was a slow, painful process to get a new customer on to a tool that was frankly, no where near done. But we got there!

And then we discovered that this was a lie, probably conjured up to encourage fresh-faced entrepreneurs like myself to set achievable goals and to keep going. But no, in hindsight, getting those first 10 customers was actually a lot easier than I realized, certainly more-so than what was to come.

Product/Market Fit is Way Beyond 10 Customers

What I’ve discovered is that product/market fit is way beyond 10 customers. At 10 customers, you can fairly say we reached problem/solution fit, and could show that we could create a product to solve a problem. But we were a long way off proving there was an actual market for it.

Product/market fit was probably closer to the 1000 customer mark for us. Though as you’ll see, it’s not always a clear defined mark or milestone you’ll reach, but a constant struggle to get closer and closer.

A Moving Target

Product/market fit is a moving target. It’s not a fixed goal, nor is it a singularity. It’s more of a window that moves, usually away from you, as the market matures. Your competitors up the ante, new technologies become available and change expectations, your target market matures and changes, and so what you thought was a goal some years ago will not be a fit by the time you get there.

It’s important to remember that you are not your market. We made this mistake and built the first version of ProdPad to suit our own needs. After all, it was one of those products that was born out of solving our own problem, and we were Product Managers ourselves. Getting it out to our first customers quickly proved us wrong. Which meant we had to throw out a bunch of work.

Equally, your early customers are not your market. Early adopters are a special sort of user. They tend to put up with half-baked beta products, and naturally have different needs and tolerances than ‘regular’ people.

In that same vein, Beta testers and people who sign up from ProductHunt campaigns are not your market. The problem with testing with Beta testers is that Beta testers are good at testing beta products. But not good at acting like real users who get frustrated when things aren’t clear or break, and aren’t an indication of how the wider market would use your product.

Just as the market for your product changes, what defines fit also changes.

For example, just because someone pays for your product, it doesn’t mean it fits their market, or even solves their problem! If you’re charging less than $100 a month for your product, you’ll find that people will buy it and try it for a few months (what’s a few hundred dollars to a company?) and inevitably churn if their extended paid trial doesn’t work out.

And finally, your users change. When we first launched ProdPad, all of our users were from basically the same cohort, and were novice users of the product. However, several years on, we now have users who are experts, having used it for several years now, while we still have to build for all the new users coming in. The old users want more and more advanced functionality. The new users want something simple. Your users’ needs change, and if you don’t change with them, you’ll lose product/market fit.

How to Get To Product/Market Fit

Getting to product/market fit rarely happens overnight. Start by talking to people. Talk to your customers incessantly. Talk to people who visit your site. And, Talk to people who tried your product but decided they don’t like it. Those can be the most insightful of all! One of my favorite questions to ask is: What frustrates you most about our product? If the person is a fan, they’ll tell you any niggly things that are bugging them that you can fix up. If the person isn’t a fan, they’ll absolutely unload on you, and you’ll have lots of actionable insights to take home.

Talk about your long term vision. There’s no point in building if you don’t have a clear idea of where you’re going. Make sure you and your team have a shared understanding of your product vision (use this product vision template to get started). Create a public version of your roadmap to check your assumptions against.

Remember that your roadmap isn’t meant to be a list of your features and delivery dates. It is a strategic communication document that outlines your assumptions about the problems you need to solve. In that way, it’s more like a prototype for your strategy.

Test and Adjust When Needed

As product people, we’re adept at testing our products. But many of us shy away at testing elements outside of the code and interface. When you’re looking to find product/market fit, you’ve got to spend time testing your value proposition, your pricing, your packaging, and other elements around how your product is perceived in the market. Adjusting these can make as much, if not more, of an impact on your product/market fit.

Since the window for product/market fit is always moving away, you’ve always got to be moving fast as well. This is why having a regular release cycle and an agile cadence is good for business. Keep up with the moving target.

Sometimes with product/market fit, you’ve got to be ready to ask yourself some tough questions (and be ready for some tough answers). Sometimes, product/market fit never quite comes, and you’ve got to set your ego aside. Every once in a while, ask yourself and your team: If our product didn’t exist right now, would we still build it? This question forces you to think about whether you’re building on the back of sunk costs, or whether you truly do have something special and worth fighting for.

How Do I Know If I Have Product/Market Fit?

A well crafted survey format, put together by Sean Ellis in 2009 is one of the best tools I’ve come across for measuring product/market fit. He’s recently made it available as a template at PMFSurvey.com, or you can create your own using Typeform.

It asks questions like: What initially attracted you to [our product]? This helps establish what problem the person was trying to solve when they came across your product.

The magic question is: How would you feel if you could no longer use [our product]?, with multiple choice options of: very disappointed, somewhat disappointed, and not disappointed at all. The theory then goes that if you have 40% or more of respondents saying that they’d be very disappointed then you have product/market fit. That’s not the whole story though, as the survey goes on to ask some more pertinent questions.

It asks: What would you likely use as an alternative, if [our product] were no longer available? The beauty with this question is that it doesn’t ask about competitors… it asks about alternatives. This is when you find out whether people are still going back to whiteboards and sticky notes.

Product Recommendation

It also teases out what people think you’re best at when it asks: What is the primary benefit that you received from [our product]? And, it helps you understand who your target market should be when it asks: What type of person do you think would benefit most from ProdPad?

One particularly apt question is: Have your recommended [our product] to anyone? Notice that, unlike the Net Promotor Score (NPS) question of ‘how likely are you to recommend this?’, it’s asking about past behaviors not asking the respondent to comment on future expected behavior. People are notably bad at determining how they’ll act in the future. This is one of the failings of the NPS questionnaire.

It then follows up with: Please explain how you described it. Leave plenty of room in this one, as you’ll end up with some long answers. This question is a gold mine and can provide tons of insight into your marketing copy. After all, you should be talking about your product the same way your customers talk about your product. That’s a step closer to product/market fit.

Segmentation

The final set of questions is around segmentation. Ask about their role or other demographics, and use that to segment down your answers. You might find that you have product-market fit for one market group, but not for another.

Finally, with all of this surveying, segmenting, testing, checking, measuring and moving fast, you essentially, are adapting. Companies who reach and maintain product/market fit are the ones who are adaptable and lean.

The journey to product/market fit is likely different for every company. While it’s not a key measurement you can check off and say you’ve completed, it’s something you can measure in a way, and adapt to over time. The key is to understand your own handle on product/market fit. Don’t scale too early and therefore risk burning up resources along the way.

Where are you on your journey? How do you measure product/market fit? We welcome your comments below. Or, get in touch if you would like more information and to discuss product/market further with someone from the ProdPad team.

The post Finding Product/Market Fit appeared first on ProdPad.

Henrik Kniberg

Coach, Mojang

Henrik has a fascinating background, previously having worked as a game developer at Lego, coach at Spotify, and part of the Minecraft team.

A great first question was proposed to the audience: How do we get makers to build great products that are useful?

Let’s start with what makes an awesome product.

With that in mind, Henrik presented two examples of companies he’s worked with: Lego and Minecraft.

Lego: A 250 person project, 4000 man hours wasted of work for a project that was shut down two years later!

Minecraft: Built by two people, with the first public release in six days, and 100 releases within first year. They took all feedback and iterated constantly, before selling to Microsoft for $2.5 billion.

Great companies screw up, but learn from their failures. Mediocre companies will continue making the same mistakes.

So what was the difference?

The team at Minecraft was able to do faster iterations allowing them to pivot quickly. 

Frequent releases = easier planning and less frustration.

YSK: At ProdPad we release twice a week every week. We also don’t focus on timeframes, we focus on listening to our customers and shipping things based on feedback.

And then came a warning: drop the “MVP” and focus instead on “MLP” (Minimum Lovable Products). Show things that are still usable and build trust with customers as you go along. Changing the language with stakeholders can make a world of difference.

One of Henrik’s last points was making sure team communication was clear and transparent. Make sure your teams are working and communicating with each other, learn from your mistakes. Don’t ship burnt toast!

Misalignment can be a problem if there’s no cross-team transparency. You could end up working on the same problem with two different solutions (which have already been completed). This leads to time and money wasted.

How can you fix this?

Demo within teams, show what you’re working on. Allow teams to show what they’re working on and most importantly, make sure they’re talking about these findings to each other.

YSK: The ProdPad team demos stuff to each other all the time. Product will also give a specific demo to the customer team and answer questions about competitors, functionality, market interest.

TLDR

• Release often
• Get real user feedback
• Slice the elephant
• Autonomous teams
• Radical transparency
• Curiosity > Pride

Andy Ayim

Managing Director, Backstage capital

Andy started out with a very thoughtful quote on the Mind the Product stage:

“What does inclusion mean in practice?

Ask who’s not in the room. Who’s perspectives are not being represented at that time.

Who’s voices are not being heard?“

He then proposed mental models and frameworks for thinking. 

So what are mental models, anyway?

• They challenge you to keep things simple
• They help you reframe problems
• Aid to help you think differently 

First principle thinking

Answer the simple question of how do we solve this problem more efficiently if we start from scratch?

A first principle is a basic truth that cannot be deduced any further. 

Start with fundamental questions. What:

• Do we know is true?
• Do we know has been proven?
• Are the facts that cannot change?

Second order thinking and unintended consequences

Try to think through the problem and the consequences that may arise from the solution you’re looking to implement.

Second order thinking is useful when thinking of long-term goals. 

Inversion

Inversion is about looking at problems backwards. 

Think about everything that can possibly go wrong in order to move a product forwards.

Take that worst case scenario and use it as a project inspiration to figure out your solution. You’ll end up with a list of risks you can eliminate and manage. 

Five key things to help you get started

Our favorite recommended reading: Daniel Kahnemman’s Thinking Fast and Slow. 

C.Todd Lombardo

VP Product and Author of Roadmaps Relaunched

Are we building the right things? 

Let’s talk about that. 

Today’s talk is all about product research with C.Todd.

We’re currently meeting Bill Nguyen, a serial entrepreneur who, amongst all of his achievements, sold a company for $850 million – before the age of 29.

Bill is awesome.

Bill also thinks he doesn’t need to do research (my inner product manager is also freaking out with C.Todd about this!).

I think we know how this turned out.

Why do products fail? Above all, bad product research. But do you want to waste 45% of your resources? If the answer is no, do product research?

But what is product research?

It’s not just about evidence, it’s about experimentation. 

We have user research, market research, product analytics. Product research is the intersection of all three. We can’t just be one, we need to be all of them.

Rule #1 Prepare to be wrong, because you will be

Check your ego, you will be wrong and that’s ok.

In order to be wrong you need to accept that there are things that you do know, but also that there are things you don’t know. 

Rule #2 Get curious with your data

Start with what you’ve got, generate questions, and settle on a research question to answer. 

What you ask and how you speak matters – a constant throughout this conference so far. If you ask people to predict their future behavior, it will only validate your ego, not whether you’re working on the right stuff.

Based on how teams ask questions, diagnostic teams go up the charts and accelerate in growth. They’re trying to solve real problems for real people, not trying to confirm assumptions they already have.

Rule #5 Interview and ask questions

We’ve gone from two to five, maybe we should be asking questions.

What people say is not as telling as what people do. Humans are unreliable (Sorry, humans).

Rule #6 Go beyond the interviews

Interviews only tell you so much, walk in their shoes. Try and visit your users where possible, watching them interact with your product can give you a world of insight.

Rule #8 Inspire actions through insights

We’ve missed a rule, but this is so good we don’t even care.

Don’t just write a report, facts don’t move people. Stories and co-creation do. 

We are now meeting Jeff. Jeff is from Appcues, and we should all be like Jeff.

Why?

Jeff runs user testing sessions the last Wednesday of every month.

YSK: The ProdPad team runs constant user testing sessions and gathers feedback from our community. We’re with you, Jeff!

Rule # 9 – Make it a habit

It’s all about continuous discovery.

We’ve also just found out why the numbers don’t match up, there’s a lot more rules, but C.Todd has cherry picked the most important for us.

Kriti Sharma

Google Scholar and UN Advisor

Kriti built her first robot at the age of 15, and since then her mission has been to solve global issues through AI. Recently named 30 under 30 in the Forbes list!

So what did this robot do?

It grabbed a snickers at 3pm every day. 

Nowadays though, Kriti is working on a robot with better eating habits. The robot aims to have engaging, long conversations with people. It takes information from various news sources in order to hold these conversations, which is massively impressive.

Which leads to the question… can AI create a fairer world?

Kriti’s talk is touching a lot on product ethics, and whether or not these algorithms are working with a human touch, or solely based on gathering data which can cause bias and have unintended consequences.

A human-centered AI, says Kriti, can actually help solve problems better, and as an unintended consequence with her own product, resulted in humans trusting machines more than other humans.

Kriti is taking a bit of a dive at how humans interact with computers. Why does a cat with a jetpack have more credibility in the tech world than a girl with two computer science degrees? (Major applause from the audience)

And now we look at AI systems. Google Home, Alexa, even Cortana – what do these all have in common? All of them have female voices to do things for you. Could this have been avoided? Kriti suggests by asking the right questions and involving members from different backgrounds a lot sooner, we could spot these issues before a product is released.

How can we avoid these biases and unforeseen consequences?

You can use a canvas-style document to allow you to answer those questions. Is there a sustainability aspect to your product? What problems are you trying to solve? 

A few tips on building AI

• AI should reflect the diversity of the users it serves 
• AI must be held to account – and so must users
• Reward AI for ‘showing its workings’
• AI should level the playing field. It should be developed for the common good and benefit of humanity
• AI will replace, but it must also create

On the bright side, we can hope that when the machines take over, at least they will be nice.

Jonny Schneider

Head of Product Strategy and Design, Thoughtworks
From Melbourne, Australia

Is this what design thinking looks like?

Jonny tells us no.

Design is an ability. Process only helps with getting started. It’s about empathetic learning, learning from others, fast experimentation and optimizing systems of work.

Agile is not just about responding to change over following a plan. Agile came out of trying to do delivery and software better – it’s how we adapt to change as it happens.

How do we bring these things together in meaningful ways?

The bad news: You have to figure it out for yourself, but that’s because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all.

The good news: Jonny can give us a place to start!

1- Continuous learning is the new competitive advantage

The cost of creating software has reduced over time, but complexity and uncertainty has increased. Try to validate stuff before putting it out in the market – it can only serve you as an advantage. Nowadays experimentation is a lot easier. Continuous learning does not replace strategy, but it’s there to support it. Focus on confidence, not certainty.

2- Design the right experiments to learn the right things

Chiming in with what other speakers have said, Jonny warns us of making assumptions. Are the problems you are focusing on worth solving?

What type of learning will each experiment you run provide you with? It’s all about understanding the context of the problems you are trying to solve.

Most importantly – is there a demand for the problem you are aiming to solve?

When thinking about experiments, think of cost vs confidence.

3- Measure only things that contribute to decisions

Are you measuring the right stuff? Don’t let yourself be fooled by fancy data. Remember that whatever you choose to measure, those items are related to goals. Focus on impact on objectives.

A starter template for clear metrics from Jonny:

4- Solve for next order problems

Problems just have a way of unfolding on you.

“Different people from different parts of an organization will have different perspectives and will stand at a different distance from where the action is.”

It’s all about bringing the right people together.

When you do this, you can bring together the different elements of a [good] strategy. As a product manager, you’re there to enable people to come together to figure this out as a team. Most importantly, learn from the things that don’t work and apply that to your iterative process.

Kate Leto

Product Coach

What does it mean to be successful in product management? Kate is here to tell us.

In 1918, Charles Riborg Mann was asked to run research on engineering education in the US. Was the education preparing young men (only) for success?

Yes, 1918.

Mann sent out a survey to 30,000 people (wowza!) and asked them to prioritize criteria for job success. Only 7k people responded.

At the time, character was the most popular answer. The research was validated and the conclusion was that character/personal development was necessary.

We flash forward 101 years… and here we are at the Barbican!

The vocabulary in the last 100 years has changed, of course. From “personal development” to “EQ,” see how things have changed below:

By 2020, the expectation is that most employers will be looking for emotional intelligence as a skill.

Don’t know what that is? Kate explains with the following chart:

Individuals with higher emotional intelligence make up to 30k a year more.

Teams with higher self awareness can deal with conflict better, are higher performing, and coordinate better with each other.

Unfortunately, most conversations with companies don’t focus on emotional intelligence as much as they should. However, is the disconnect necessary?

EQ is related to building a great roadmap, says Kate.

As a product community, it’s time to take a look at our narrative in success and product management. It’s time to reframe that and realize the things we do are important, but they’re taking up too much space in conversation. We need a bit more space for emotional intelligence. After all, emotional intelligence powers our behaviours behind the things we do.

A good area of focus to get started is how we hire teams

Bad hiring decisions are bad for us, our teams, and our organizations.

People leaving companies has nothing to do with skills or tools, but rather not fitting in with the culture of the organization.

A few tips on person-organization fit

1- Build a role that matters

Don’t hire like this!

People aren’t just born ready to lead. Common guys!

This isn’t a real person, it’s just a unicorn!

Hire with emotional intelligence instead.

2- Broaden your interview techniques

Don’t interview in a way that makes you feel clever, it’s just satisfying your own ego. Ask behavioural interview questions instead:

• Tell me about a time where you handled a difficult situation?
• Have you ever encountered someone at work who was unreasonable – How did you respond?

This is designed for you to be able to listen, not to trick the interviewee. Focus on the narrative the candidate is sharing.

Further reading: The EQ Interview by Adele B. Lynn.

3- Hiring doesn’t end at the offer

Orchestrate long-term learning. 12 months down the line do a retro and evaluate the role in question – you can include the person you hired, too.

Most importantly, take a look at yourself. If you’re going to hire someone based on EQ, make sure you test your own EQ as well.

Lindsey Jane

VP Product @Monzo

The importance of being clear and how to do it.

Why clarity matters

Clear statements strips away the stuff you don’t need, and focuses on the items you can use to communicate a clear picture.

Noise vs signal – which ones does your organization have?

Too many organizations are so busy with filling out numbers and words that don’t mean and achieve anything – make sure you aren’t filling out the fields just to fill them up.

Be the batman in a field of princesses.

Take a position and be memorable.

We need fewer, better things. Have a clear idea that can be communicated well.

Critical thinking is the least taught, and most highly-valued quality in a product manager.

How to achieve clarity

If you’re going to be spending so much time writing, get good at it! It’s not about having perfect grammar, just be good at expressing yourself in a clear and coherent way.

You can’t hide a bad idea in clear, simple writing. Either the idea is terrible, or you will see a flowing of logic coming out of it.

Bad writing is what clipart is to design. DON’T DO IT!

Make things brief

Brevity is hard, but very important. Remove every word or phrase that isn’t essential. Use short sentences and strong verbs – break up sentences if you can.

Most importantly – use the active voice.

“Once you’re left with something clear, you can see if the idea stands up to scrutiny.”

Share early and often

Transparency is key. It builds trust and amplifies ideas, helps find problems early, shortens feedback cycles, and invites unexpected expertise.

Whatever it is you’re working on, make it visible.

Diversity of thought will stem out of sharing something in clear, plain language that a wide audience can understand. You’re not simply talking to people that understand or are familiar with what you’re doing, but invites outside thoughts and improvements.

Is this scary? Yes! But that’s ok – when you do your best work and it gets criticized, it can only be a starting point to create better things.

If you don’t know where to start, give it a shot with your closer team members. Build up the confidence to widen out the audience as you go.

Do the hard work and be brave.

Ezinne Udezue

VP Product @Procore

With a background in product management with Bazaarvoice, Discover, T-mobile, Motorola and Nokia, Ezinne spoke to us next.

“A product manager’s job is to create the right conditions for the team to solve the right customer problem with the right solution, delivered at the right time to drive the right business value.”

That’s a lot of stuff, huh.

No wonder product management is one of the most stressful jobs.

At the heart of it, it is about people, product, and process.

PM competencies can be somewhat categorized into six main buckets.

But what is next level?

Invest in understanding and valuing people

Bring together people with different backgrounds to make a better product.

We are in the process of a huge transition. Product is not just about the intersection of UX, Product, and Engineering, but moving towards success, marketing, and QA.

It’s important to remember you are working with humans.

“Slow down and put our humanness in the forefront of your interactions.”

Relentlessly focus on impact.

We know about outcomes, we know about outputs… but we have yet to learn about impact.

Is there a better or faster way to achieve things? Most importantly – was it all worth it?

Seek clarity in your impact and convey it. Be intellectually honest, link up to value.

Get someone in the rom to challenge you. Common topic today.

Develop continuous empathy for your target customers

Listening is not empathy – it is part of it. Walk in other’s shoes, be curious.

Talk to people, ask questions!

Empathy is:

• Anticipating needs
• Industry knowledge
• Support calls
• Onboarding
• Customer experience
• Market research
• Customer development
• Bugs

To be a true advocate, watch people – but do it because you care about the customer. It’ll only make you a better product manager and help you build for tomorrow, not today.

“Embody your role as the customer’s advocate. Evolve with your customer.”

Deliberately curate frameworks and systems for the craft

Respect the craft, do the work.

Use mental models that help with decision making, don’t assume the framework will do the work for you. Make it yours.

There is no hack for this. There is no quick workaround. If you read the book, use it, put things you learn into practice.

Product management is a team sport. If you want to lead, it’s important that you invest in understanding the people you work with. Focus on impact, that is your story. Be an advocate for your customer. And remember… do the work.

Brendan Dawes

Interaction Designer

Last but not least, Brendan Dawes took to the stage.

Like many of us, Brendan’s mom doesn’t know what he does for a living. He tried to explain it and it turned out something like this.

So what does he do? Well, he runs experiments. These experiments will raise patterns that will power deviations.

“All well-made products are made up of perfect timing mechanisms.”

If we use universal themes to connect with people. People aren’t interested in technology per say, it’s a conduit to communicate, says Brendan.

Brendan is now showing us the value of analogue, human pleasures. Combining these with digital can lead to amazing things- as the Happiness Machine (which prints receipts or happy online stories) demonstrates.

We are also seeing some cool data visualizations of different Twitter feeds, including Manchester United winning!

Now showing off his creative process (seem familiar, anyone?)

Thank you all for a great Mind The Product.

The post Mind the Product London 2019 – Live! appeared first on ProdPad.

The one where Janna Bastow went in hard on Twitter

And the product management world loved it.

What did Janna’s 19-tweet thread include?

The tweet thread began with an expert explanation on why timeline roadmaps set product managers up to fail. She then continued with a step-by-step guide on why ‘product people of the world’ should ditch these types of roadmaps. And to conclude, Janna revealed why everyone should be using lean product roadmaps instead.

Oozing with product-passion, a wealth of experience, and a few carefully chosen emojis – Janna’s tweets went viral. Above all, this resulted in some great conversations and discussions on product management.

Janna hadn’t planned the Twitter thread. However, she was prompted to do so after trying out a new eco-friendly search engine:

“I was testing Ecosia, a search engine that plants trees with its ad revenue, as opposed to lining Google’s pockets. I checked the search results for ‘product roadmap,’ as I wanted to see if Ecosia showed the same thing Google does. Oh yes, same problem – timelines everywhere. However, it spurred me on to revive a talk I gave on why lean product roadmaps are the way forward.” Janna Bastow, ProdPad.

Let’s learn about lean roadmapping

Here’s why product managers need to be embracing a lean, outcome focused roadmap in order to become better product people. Please get in touch, or book a ProdPad demo if you’re looking to discuss your own product strategy. 

Janna will be putting together a Q&A – which will answer the most popular questions from this Twitter thread. Watch this space.

The old school way of roadmapping is a timeline format. You can tell it’s still popular by just doing an image search result for ‘product roadmap’ and seeing the resulting mess.

But here’s what’s wrong with the format… pic.twitter.com/kXWb36DDUa

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

If you deconstruct a timeline roadmap, it’s basically just a chart, with:
– Time on the x-axis, creating a timeline
– Things to do on the y-axis

Which is simple at first, but the further out that timeline stretches, the more you’re making things up. pic.twitter.com/oLC9ye9oDC

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

A timeline roadmap, by its very format, means that you are giving a due date and duration to every thing you’re putting on that roadmap.

That’s a whole lot of assumptions you’re making there pic.twitter.com/Xg99vIa7Mb

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

One assumption you’re making when you make a timeline roadmap is that you know how long each feature is going to take.

This might be easy in the short term when you’ve got clarity from your developers on delivery plans, but it gets harder and harder the further out you plan.

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

Having a timeline roadmap also forces you to assume that nothing else is going to come in and disrupt your plans.

No new competitors, no changes in the market, no need to change your plans…

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

You’re also assuming that each feature you build is going to work as soon as you finish it, and that your timeline roadmap can continue along at some magical cadence without looking back.

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

(For what it’s worth, I’ve never met a product team who gets everything right the first time. Every product and every feature needs to be open for iteration and therefore changes in their timeline!)

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

And the last assumption any product team working with a timeline roadmap is making is that each feature on the roadmap actually deserves to exist! That each one is the right thing to build and therefore should be assigned a delivery date and codified into the strategy.

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

A timeline roadmap is just a big pile of assumptions that nothing is going to change.

And that’s a dangerous assumption given how fact things *do* change.

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

So this is why I implore all the product people of the world:

DITCH YOUR TIMELINE ROADMAPS!

There are alternatives that won’t set you up for failure:

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

Step 1: Start with a product vision

Here’s a format that works well. It’s the elevator pitch template from @geoffreyamoore‘s fantastic book, Crossing the Chasm, and it asks the right sort of questions to get you started on your vision statement. pic.twitter.com/LhjVqKdLlt

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

Step 2: Think outcomes, not output

Your roadmap should be tracked to company-level objectives, not a pile of features for features’ sake.

We here at @ProdPad like to use OKRs (Objectives & Key Results), and show the objectives off on our roadmap in bright colours. pic.twitter.com/swyienRK3f

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

Step 3: Switch out your timeline for time horizons

It makes sense: You’ve got greater visibility on the things right in front of you, and less on the things further away. Each column represents a change in visibility and flexibility in your roadmap. pic.twitter.com/JPfYQ2Fnyg

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

Combine the vision, your objectives, and your time horizons to articulate your product strategy in a new way. Ditch the timeline roadmap and embrace the lean product roadmap.

Here’s a couple ways yours might take shape: pic.twitter.com/6YwlkqAZ3T

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

Remember, your roadmap is not meant to be a perfect plan of everything you’re doing.

Your roadmap is a prototype for your product strategy.

It’s meant to change as you learn more, and a lean roadmap format gives you that flexibility.

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

At the end of the day, the value isn’t in the ‘roadmap’ itself. It’s in the process of roadmapping, which is inherently a discovery process.

(Just as the value of a prototype isn’t the prototype, but in the prototyping and all of the learning that comes from it).

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

And so that’s why timeline roadmaps are causing product teams to fail, and why the switch to lean, discovery-centric roadmapping processes is so important.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

Woah, this hit a nerve!

This is probably a good time to mention that me and my team at @ProdPad do roadmap troubleshooting clinics to help #prodmgmt folks like you

Sessions are free and you can sign up here: https://t.co/2KWT32jhrB

— Janna Bastow (@simplybastow) September 2, 2019

The post Timeline roadmaps suck – Janna Bastow’s Twitter TED Talk appeared first on ProdPad.