BOOK REVIEW & PANEL DISCUSSIONHOST: TREMIS SKEETE, PRINCIPAL PRODUCT MANAGER, NEXTIER INNOVATIONSSPONSOR: ALPHA

PRODUCT THINKING NYC5.23.2017

SENSE & RESPOND

Chul KwonHead of Product InterviewJet

Jenine Lurie DirectorInnovation by Design at Genpact

Jordan Bergtraum Management Consultant (formerly VP of Product Management at ServiceChannel)

Nis Frome Co-Founder & Head of Content Alpha

1. Valuing individuals and interactions over processes and tools

2. Focus on creating working software over comprehensive documentation

3. Establishing product team and customer collaboration over contract negotiation

4. Responding to change over following a fixed, anticipated plan

1. Creating two-way conversations with customers.

2. Focusing on the outcomes.

3. Embracing continuous change and continuous processes.

4. Creating collaboration.

5. Creating a learning culture.

1. What can we do to facilitate these two way conversations?

2. How can we articulate the right outcomes?

3. What does continuous change and processes actually look like?

4. What are the best steps towards generating collaboration?

5. What are the best steps towards creating a learning culture?

1. What can we do to facilitate these two way conversations?

Why should we have two way conversations?

• To find out what customers really want• To get feedback

The power of user generated content, via YouTube:

“YouTube has been flooded with how-to videos.”

“It’s not because the brands haven’t tried to create their own content. It’s because users want to hear from other users.”

(p. 83)

How does Xiaomi release products quickly?

1. Xiaomi releases phones in “small batches”

2. Customers provide feedback on the Xiaomi online forum

3. Product managers review feedback for ideas

4. Product managers work with engineers on new feature requests based on ideas

5. New phones with new features are developed and deployed

(p. 35)

How did Facebook fix their “inappropriate photo” reporting feature?

“Because [Facebook] team members weren’t sure what was going on, they started to update the product in a way that would help them figure it out.”

Each update was designed to:

1. Fix the problem, and2. To get more information about the problem.

(p. 20)

The power of user generated content, via Amazon.com:

“By allowing customers to review products on its site, the company actively engaged in two-way conversations with its customers and provided a material advantage to other shoppers seeking to purchase products on the internet.”

(p. 82)

2. How can we articulate the right outcomes?

Outcome:What happens as a result of doing something.

Output:What can be made and delivered to someone.

Outcomes Outputs

“As our software systems get more complex, it becomes harder to predict

what people will do with them [outcomes].”

(p. 17)

Outcome-based Road Map

“It neatly ties the work you’re planning to the outcomes you believe the work will have,

and it ties the outcomes you seek to the strategic objectives you are trying to achieve.”

(p. 129)

3. What does continuous change and processes actually look like?

Software (and now hardware) can be made to improve continuously and over time.

(p. 23 & 34)

4. What are the best steps towards generating collaboration?

The Balanced Team

Design: “What kind of product will users want to use?”

Engineering: “What kind of product can we really build?”

Product: “How can the product meet business goals?”

(p. 144)

Multichannel Services:Lessons Learned from

(p. 87)

1. Collaboration is about providing a service.

2. To generate the best outcomes, you must work closely with the business, and more importantly, their consumers.

3. Designers must find more ways to satisfy customers via collaboration.

4. That’s why providing a product or service is not enough. Create experiences for your customers.

5. What are the best steps towards creating a learning culture?

Elements that make up a learning culture (p. 196)

1. Humility

2. Permission to fail

3. Self-direction

4. Transparency

“Sandboxes, blameless postmortems, and other safe-to-fail learning tactics mitigate the big risks

organizations face. They allow teams to learn and to respond to changing conditions. They do this by

encouraging small amounts of risk.”

(p. 201)

“For every Netflix that has embraced change from the beginning, there is a Blockbuster that

has failed to create the adaptability it needs in order to survive.”

(p. 220)

Talk with your colleagues and management about:

1. “We understand that designing software is a continuous process.”

2. “We want to admit that we don’t always know the answers.”

3. “We are always willing to find the answers.”

4. “We need the time and opportunity to research and experiment.”

5. “We will fail sometimes, and find the wrong answers.”

6. “We still want your support in continuing to find the right answers.”

A special thanks to our guest panelists:

A special thanks to Thor Ernstsson, Nis Frome, and the team at…

Alphahttp://alphahq.com

NexTierInnovations.com

productthinkingnyc@gmail.com