Prodity: Product by Design

Harnessing AI in Healthcare: Insights from RJ Kedziora

Kyle Evans — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 08:40:00 -0700

In this episode of Product by Design, Kyle Evans interviews RJ Kedziora, co-founder of Estenda, a company specializing in custom software and data analysis for healthcare. We discuss RJ's journey in technology and entrepreneurship, the importance of energy management over time management, and the role of AI in healthcare. RJ shares insights into the challenges and future of AI applications, the need for ethical considerations, and the potential for personalized healthcare solutions. He also offers advice to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to make a difference in the industry.

Links from the Show:

Website: Estenda
Book: Productive Harmony, The Power of When
LinkedIn: RJ Kedziora

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on TikTok

Follow Kyle on TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Unlocking the Secrets of AI Entrepreneurship with Founder Andrew Amann

Kyle Evans — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 09:30:00 -0600

In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle Evans interviews Andrew Amann, CEO and co-founder of NineTwoThree AI Studio. Andrew shares his extensive experience in entrepreneurship, product development, and the challenges of building AI products. We discuss the importance of understanding product-market fit, the patent process, and the journey of founding multiple companies. Andrew emphasizes the significance of focusing on a specific audience and the value of holistic entrepreneurship, where success is measured not just by financial gain but also by personal fulfillment and work-life balance. We also explore the future of AI, its applications across various industries, and the evolving landscape of technology.

Andrew Amann
Andrew Amann is the CEO and co-founder of NineTwoThree AI Studio, an AI Agency building products for funded startups and established brands, such as Consumer Reports, Simplisafe, and Experian. He is the founder of 14 companies with 3 exits, owner of 2 patents, and founder of an Agency Intelligence Community.

Links from the Show:

Company: NineTwoThree
LinkedIn: Andrew Amann
Book: The Alchemist

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Evolving Teams - with Jason Monberg

Kyle Evans — Wed, 07 May 2025 08:00:00 -0600

In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle chats with Jason Monberg, CEO of Presence, about the power of product thinking, the thrill of building from scratch, and the importance of team chemistry. With over 25 years of experience spanning engineering, product management, and entrepreneurship, Jason shares lessons from starting companies like Carbon Five and Presence, including how to find the right people, build resilient teams, and apply technology thoughtfully. We also dive into the hype and reality of GenAI, navigating constraints in enterprise organizations, and yes—even homemade pizza ovens. It’s a wide-ranging and insightful conversation you won’t want to miss.

Jason Monberg
Jason Monberg is the founder of South Park Products and the former CEO of Presence. He has over 25 years of experience in digital product development. He previously served as VP of Product Management at MarkLogic, where he drove product strategy and achieved $80 million in annual revenue. Jason also founded Carbon Five, a consultancy specializing in agile software development, and helped grow Composite Software to $20 million in revenue.

Links from the Show:

Company: Presence Consulting
LinkedIn: Jason Monberg
Book: The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell

Other: Ooni Pizza Ovens

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Structured Thinking for Unstructured Data: A Conversation with Founder Kirk Marple

Kyle Evans — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 09:10:00 -0600

In this episode of Product by Design, Kyle is joined by Kirk Marple, founder and CEO of Graphlit, to explore the world of unstructured data and how it’s transforming with the rise of LLMs and AI-native tools. Kirk shares his journey from working at Microsoft and General Motors to building Graphlit—a platform designed to make unstructured data as usable as structured data.

We dive into:

The difference between structured and unstructured data
Real-world use cases across industries like healthcare, real estate, and construction
Building long-term knowledge graphs and their role in enabling better search and RAG applications
Lessons learned from starting a developer-focused platform
Balancing horizontal scale with vertical specificity
The importance of product vision, scalability, and listening to customers
How AI is reshaping engineering and product development from the ground up

Whether you're a founder, developer, product manager, or just curious about the future of AI-powered data platforms, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.

Links from the Show:
Kirk Marple
Graphlit

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Revolutionizing Investment Research with AI

Kyle Evans — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 09:15:00 -0600

In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle interviews Andrew Einhorn, CEO and co-founder of LevelFields, an AI-driven fintech application that automates investment research. Andrew shares his unique background in epidemiology and data science, detailing how it led him to create LevelFields, which focuses on event-driven trading strategies. The conversation explores the importance of user feedback, the role of AI in investment analysis, and how LevelFields differentiates itself from traditional investment platforms. Andrew emphasizes the need for continuous innovation and the lessons learned from his previous ventures.

Takeaways

User feedback is crucial for product development and improvement.
AI helps in analyzing vast amounts of data quickly and efficiently.
Understanding user behavior is key to designing effective software.
Continuous innovation is essential for staying relevant in the fintech space.

Andrew Einhorn
Andrew Einhorn is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of LevelFields, an AI-driven fintech application that automates arduous investment research so investors can find opportunities faster and easier. His mission is to create AI tools that make advanced financial strategies effortless and accessible for all. With over 10 years of experience in building and leading technology and tech-enabled service firms, Andrew has a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions that solve real-world problems and generate value for customers and stakeholders.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/einhorn/

Website: https://www.levelfields.ai/

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Lessons in Data Engineering: Scaling, AI, and Open Source with Sandy Ryza

Kyle Evans — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 08:15:00 -0700

In this episode of Product by Design, Kyle chats with Sandy Ryza, lead engineer on the Dagster project, author, and thought leader in data engineering. Sandy shares his journey through the world of data—from building big data tools at Cloudera to working as a data scientist, product manager, and engineer—and how those experiences led him to help create Dagster, an open-source data orchestration platform.

We discuss:

The evolution of data engineering and the growing complexity of modern data pipelines.
The role of AI and unstructured data in shaping the future of data platforms.
How organizations should think about data platforms to avoid costly rework.
Best practices for managing data complexity using software engineering principles.
The future of open-source tools in data infrastructure and the push toward interoperability.

Sandy Ryza
Sandy is a lead engineer, author, and thought leader in the domain of data engineering. Sandy co-wrote “Advanced Analytics with PySpark” and “Advanced Analytics with Spark”. He led ML and data science teams at Cloudera, Remix, Clover Health, and KeepTruckin.

Sandy is currently the lead engineer on the Dagster project, an open-source data orchestration platform used in MLOps, data science, IOT and analytics. Sandy is a regular speaker at data engineering and ML conferences.

Links from the Show:

Twitter: @s_RYZ

Dagster: dagster.io

Book: Advanced Analytics with Spark – O'Reilly

Podcast Recommendation: Empire (British Empire & Ottoman Empire history)

Books Sandy is Reading: The Shortest History of India, The Sun Also Rises, Werner Herzog’s Autobiography

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Redefining the Digital Landscape: JB Benjamin on Privacy, Blockchain, and the Future of Technology

Kyle Evans — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 07:04:00 -0700

In this episode of Product by Design, host Kyle sits down with JB Benjamin, the CEO and founder of multiple tech companies under the Akuma Engineering umbrella. JB shares his innovative journey in building products designed for a more equitable, decentralized, and privacy-focused digital future.

From post-quantum encrypted messaging tools to Vox Alive's ad-free social media platform, JB dives deep into the philosophies and technologies driving his work. We discuss everything from post-quantum encryption to blockchain to Universal Basic Income. You won't want to miss this one.

JB Benjamin
JB "Jor-El" Benjamin is a tech maverick reshaping the digital landscape. JB has introduced the world to Vox Messenger, a trailblazing post-quantum encrypted messenger, and Vox Crypto, an unprecedented group transaction crypto wallet, both renowned for their ironclad protection of personal data.

Links from the Show:

Websites: Akuma, Vox Alive

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Scaling Authorization with Jake Moshenko: Lessons for Product Leaders

Kyle Evans — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 10:00:08 -0700

In this episode, Kyle sits down with Jake Moshenko, co-founder and CEO of AuthZed, to discuss his journey from working at major tech companies to becoming a two-time founder. After his first company Quay (a Docker registry service) was acquired, he founded AuthZed to solve application permission challenges. Jake shares the contrasts between his two founding experiences, transitioning from a bootstrapped two-person company to a venture-backed enterprise-focused business. He emphasizes the importance of choosing the right problem space and being prepared for the long journey of entrepreneurship. We also discuss the significance of open-source in modern software development and his perspectives on AI technology.

Jake Moshenko
Jake Moshenko has been an innovator in the cloud-native ecosystem for over 15 years. After engineering roles at Amazon and Google, Jake founded Quay, the first private Docker registry, which was acquired by CoreOS. Jake then became an engineering leader at CoreOS, which was acquired by Red Hat (and then IBM). He is now the co-founder and CEO of AuthZed, the company commercializing SpiceDB, the industry-leading cloud-native permissions database.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Jake Moshenko

Website: AuthZed
Books: The Martian
Games: Azul

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Character Over Skills: A New Framework for Growth and Leadership with David CM Carter

Kyle Evans — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 12:42:25 -0700

In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle sits down with David CM Carter, a serial entrepreneur and mentor. With over 40 years of experience mentoring top leaders and building innovative businesses, David shares his insights on what separates high-performing organizations and individuals from the rest: character development.

David introduces the concept of "Entelechy"—the realization of one’s full potential—and discusses how his Entelechy Academy is helping individuals and organizations worldwide develop 54 essential character qualities. These qualities not only address the so-called "soft skills crisis" but also provide a practical framework for personal and professional growth.

From stories of transforming workplace productivity to practical advice on becoming the best version of yourself, David shares interesting examples of how focusing on character traits like discipline, kindness, and accountability can yield extraordinary results. Whether you're a leader, a team member, or just someone looking to grow, this episode is packed with actionable takeaways.

David CM Carter

A serial entrepreneur otherwise known as “the World’s Leading CEO Mentor” with a 40+ year track record in creating innovative businesses. David CM Carter has mentored leaders and influencers around the globe.

Entelechy Academy is the entelechy of David’s career and his legacy project, where he has gathered brilliant minds in education, coaching and professional organizations to support millions in becoming the best version of themselves.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: David CM Carter

Website: Entelechy Academy

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

The Power of Visual Thinking in Product Management with Christoph Steinlehner

Kyle Evans — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 08:54:56 -0600

In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, host Kyle interviews Christoph Steinlehner, a product management coach with a background in interaction design. Christoph shares his journey from web development and multimedia production to product management coaching, where he helps product managers and teams navigate complex challenges, improve communication, and find focus. He emphasizes the importance of visual methods in facilitating better team collaboration and product strategy, offering insights into how product leaders can balance internal and external priorities. Christoph also introduces his "Mapper Method," a six-step framework designed to clarify assumptions, risks, and strategies through visual mapping. Our conversation also delves into practical advice for improving product processes, creating effective communication, and advancing careers in product management. If you are interested in starting or advancing your product career, you won't want to miss this discussion.

Christoph Steinlehner

Christoph Steinlehner is a Product Management Coach. He helps Product Managers and Leaders who are feeling stuck in their work, caught up in endless detail discussions, and struggling to facilitate between different perspectives.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Christoph Steinlehner

Website: mapperclub.substack.com

Links: todoist

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Personalized Nutrition: How AI, Data, and 3D Printing Are Transforming Health with Ari Tulla of Elo

Kyle Evans — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 07:45:00 -0600

In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle sits down with Ari Tulla, co-founder and CEO of Elo, a smart nutrition service using AI and data to personalize health solutions. Ari shares his fascinating journey from his early passion for gaming and technology to becoming a leading figure in the healthcare space. He discusses how Elo is turning the concept of "food as medicine" into reality, using biometric data, wearable devices, and AI to create personalized nutrition solutions. Ari also delves into the challenges and innovations that come with building a product in a space where technology, health, and human experience intersect, emphasizing the importance of balance in life and business. Join us to learn more about the future of health and how personalized nutrition is set to revolutionize wellness.

Ari Tulla

Ari Tulla is a San Francisco-based entrepreneur, co-founder, and CEO of the smart nutrition service Elo

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Ari Tulla

Website: elo.health

Instagram: Elo Health

Books: Expeditionary Force Series

Links: Hardcore History

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

The Intersection of Authenticity and Innovation: UX Insights from Oak Theory Founders Hannah Ryu and Veronica Shelton

Kyle Evans — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 08:30:00 -0600

In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle sits down with the duo behind Oak Theory, Hannah Ryu and Veronica Shelton. These co-founders share their story of turning a chance encounter into a thriving design studio, all while navigating the chaos of a pandemic. Get an inside look at how Oak Theory is redefining UX/UI with a bold focus on inclusivity and raw authenticity.

Hannah and Veronica break down the latest trends in design, from the rise of AR to the subtle shift toward softer, more organic visuals. They also offer a candid glimpse into the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship—highlighting the grit, resilience, and creativity it takes to build something truly unique. If you're into cutting-edge design, tech innovation, or just love a great startup story, this episode is a must-listen.

Veronica Shelton and Hannah Ryu

Hannah Ryu and Veronica Shelton are the Co-Founders behind Oak Theory, a design studio specializing in UX/UI, web and application design.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Veronica Shelton, Hannah Ryu

Company: Oak Theory
Instagram: Oak Theory
Books: What Doesn’t Kill Us, Build the Damn Thing

Other Links from Show: Figma, Clickup, Moleskin

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Cybersecurity, Identity, and Building Trust in the Age of AI: Insights from CEO Aaron Painter

Kyle Evans — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 08:40:00 -0600

In this episode of Prodity: Product By Design, Kyle welcomes Aaron Painter, CEO of Nametag, to discuss the critical role of identity verification in preventing social engineering attacks. Aaron shares his extensive experience working at Microsoft and leading global teams, emphasizing the importance of understanding diverse cultural and business contexts. Together, we explore the challenges and innovations in cybersecurity, particularly how Nametag addresses the vulnerabilities in traditional authentication methods. Aaron highlights the impact of AI in both facilitating and combating cyber threats and underscores the importance of design and UX in building trusted products. Join us for a deep dive into the future of identity verification and its implications for personal and corporate security.

Aaron Painter

Aaron Painter is the CEO of Nametag Inc, the identity verification company that stops social engineering attacks at the employee IT Helpdesk.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Aaron Painter

Company: GetNametag
Book: Loyal: Listen or You'll Always Lose

Other Links from Show: Elon Musk Biography, Ring Doorbell

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

The Subterranean Drone Revolution: Transforming Grain Storage with Dr. Lorenzo Conti

Kyle Evans — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 07:30:00 -0600

In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle interviews Dr. Lorenzo Conti, founder and managing director of Crover Ltd, a groundbreaking startup based in Scotland. Dr. Conti shares his unique journey from academia to entrepreneurship, detailing the development of the world’s first subterranean drone designed to revolutionize grain storage. They discuss the challenges of creating technology that moves through grain without damaging it, the significant impact of customer feedback on product development, and the importance of resilience in building a successful startup. Dr. Conti also touches on the potential future applications of Crover’s technology, including space exploration, and the exciting expansion plans into the U.S. market. Join us to learn about the innovative advancements in grain storage technology and the inspiring story behind Crover’s success.

Lorenzo Conti

Dr. Lorenzo Conti is Founder & Managing Director of Crover Ltd, a Scotland-based startup that developed the world’s first ‘subterranean drone’ (i.e. a CROVER).

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Lorenzo Conti

Company: Crover

Email: info@crover.tech

Stop Making Products that Suck - A Conversation with Debbie Levitt

Kyle Evans — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 08:44:00 -0600

In this episode of Prodity: Product by Design, Kyle interviews Debbie Levitt, often referred to as the Mary Poppins of CX and UX. With a wealth of experience in strategy, research, and customer experience, Debbie shares her insights on the importance of good UX, the need to challenge conventional wisdom, and the critical role of research in product development. Whether you're a product manager, designer, or someone passionate about customer experience, this episode is packed with valuable insights and actionable tips about making products that don't suck.

Debbie Levitt

Debbie Levitt, MBA, is the CXO of Delta CX, and since the mid-1990s has been a CX and UX consultant focused on strategy, research, training, and Human-Centered Design/User-Centered Design. She’s a change agent and business design consultant focused on helping companies of all sizes transform towards customer-centricity while using principles of Agile and Lean.

Clients have given her the nickname, “Mary Poppins,” because she flies in, improves everything she can, sings a few songs, and flies away to her next adventure.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Debbie Levitt

Company: Delta CX Website

Books: Customers Know You Suck

YouTube: Customer Experience - Customer Centricity

Other Links from Show: Ryan George - Pitch Meetings (YouTube)

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Mastering Product Development and Team Dynamics - With CEO Ben Johnson

Kyle Evans — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 08:28:00 -0600

Ben Johnson is the CEO and founder of Particle41, a dev firm specializing in software development, DevOps, and data science. In this episode, Kyle and Ben explore the interaction between product management and software engineering, and how important both are to product development. Ben shares his journey as a serial entrepreneur and his approach to balancing work and life through the four pillars of faith, family, fitness, and finance. He delves into the importance of agile scrum processes, the role of a fractional CTO, and the significance of outcome-based communication in business. We also discuss the challenges and strategies for app modernization and team formation, exploring the importance of blamelessness and system optimization.

Ben Johnson

Benjamin Johnson is a serial technical co-founder with a track record of success and hands-on open-source programming experience. He has a wide range of being both a board-level advisor and founder but also an in-depth understanding of how things work. Through his 20+ years as a software developer and leader, he has gained extensive experience with remotely distributed development teams and business hacks.

Benjamin is the CEO & Founder of Particle41, a dev firm founded by industry veterans that aims to help companies accelerate their initiatives through Software Development, DevOps, and Data Science.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Ben Johnson

Books: Building a Story Brand

Links: Claude.ai, 99designs

Site: particle41.com

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Episode 100 Celebration! Five Lessons from the Last Five(ish) Years

Kyle Evans — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 10:45:01 -0600

It's hard to believe we're at episode 100! Who would have thought? Not me. So to celebrate, we've decided to talk about a few things we've learned through the past 100 episodes and highlight some discussions that have been part of the journey so far.

I wish I could highlight all the moments, but here are some episodes that will give you a sample of the topics and insights:

Learning from Others

Episode 29 - Balancing life and product
Episode 37 - Writing as a forcing function
Episode 93 - Evolution and future of product management

Prioritizing is Everything

Episode 33 - 3 predictors of burnout
Episode 67 - Emptying and refilling the tank
Episode 80 - Gathering and prioritizing feedback

Focus on People

Episode 49 - Human-centered design
Episode 70 - Breaking down silos
Episode 50 - Diverse perspectives

Creating a Clear Vision

Episode 58 - Creativity
Episode 69 - Product vision and strategy

Adaptability

Episode 63 - Pivoting and invention
Episode 91 - Evolution of technology

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Bridging the Human-Technology Gap with AI Avatars - A Conversation with Founder Chuck Rinker

Kyle Evans — Wed, 29 May 2024 12:33:04 -0600

In this episode of Product by Design, host Kyle welcomes Chuck Rinker, founder and CEO of PRSONAS. Chuck shares his journey from a cattle farmer to a pioneer in AI and digital human technology. He delves into the creation of PRSONAS, one of the earliest AI avatar companies, and its mission to humanize technology. Chuck and Kyle discuss the transformative potential of AI avatars in healthcare, their impact on patient experiences, and their broader applications in various industries. We also explore the importance of empathy, trust, and practical implementation in leveraging AI for better human engagement. The conversation also touches on Chuck's personal experiences and the inspiration behind his passion for making technology more accessible and effective for people. Don't miss this incredibly enlightening conversation!

Chuck Rinker

Chuck Rinker is the founder of PRSONAS, one of the earliest digital human and AI Avatars companies, where he currently serves as its Chief Executive Officer. As an innovative tech leader, Chuck is deeply committed to transforming businesses through cutting-edge technologies.

Beyond his accomplishments in the tech industry, Chuck is a late-stage colon cancer survivor, which has instilled in him an unwavering determination to make a meaningful impact in everything he does. Alongside his tech pursuits, he is also an experienced aviation pilot, finding solace and inspiration in the skies.

Links from the Show:
Links: Prsonas.com
Linkedin: Chuck Rinker

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Navigating Tech Innovations and Strategic Partnerships with Varag Gharibjanian

Kyle Evans — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 09:32:18 -0600

In this episode, I sit down with Varag Gharibjanian, the founding partner of Actuate, a boutique advisory firm. Varag shares his personal journey from an engineering background to pioneering in business strategy and technology partnerships, especially within AR/VR spaces. We delve into his early career challenges, significant milestones at major tech companies, and the lessons learned from merging technology with business. Varag also discusses the current trends in XR and AI technologies, providing insights into future developments. If you're interested in business strategy, the future of technology, or growing a business, you won't want to miss this discussion.

Varag Gharibjanian

Varag Gharibjanian is a visionary leader known for his ability to drive growth through innovative strategies, disruptive technologies, and transformative deals. With a clear purpose of leaving the world better than he found it, Varag is passionate about bridging business opportunities with technology to create tech-enabled products that make a meaningful impact.

Over the last 10+ years, Varag has dedicated himself to untangling the knots and bottlenecks faced by enterprise and start-up technology companies. Drawing upon his expertise, he has assembled a team of unique strategists, operators, and technologists who share his vision of helping companies grow through better strategy and powerful deep technologies, including AI, AR, VR, hardware, semi, wireless, mobile, and IoT.

Links from the Show:
Links: actuatetech.io

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

The Rise of Video and the Future of Virtual Communication

Kyle Evans — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 08:20:00 -0600

Video has become ubiquitous in our communication. From virtual meetings and virtual doctor visits, to social media, virtual events, and live commerce, we expect video everywhere. But the technology that makes this happen isn’t easy, and needs and expectations are changing rapidly. So what does the future hold for our virtual communications? How have we solved these challenges in the past and how will we continue to solve them? How do we think about the UX of virtual communication and video? What should you do if you want to get into design and what communities should you join or create? We explore these questions and many others in this episode.

Pete Hawkes:
I’m a designer and developer, tinkerer and mentor, with a passion for human-centered design and development. I have built next generation interfaces and experiences at the intersection both the digital and physical. I have contributed to patents in gestural and spatial design, developed remote collaboration prototypes and products to define new modes of work, and led cross-functional teams to envision and implement large-scale, immersive environments for fortune 500 companies including IBM, Lockheed Martin, and McKinsey. Storytelling and iteration are central to my work and process. I leverage narrative and prototyping at scale to align contributors and stakeholders around a shared vision and to connect and motivate the individuals and teams I work with.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Petehawkes.com, Peterhawkes.com

Books: So Anyway, Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens

Links: Swiss Army Knife, Daily.co

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Navigating the AI Revolution in Video Creation: A Deep Dive with Vikram Chalana

Kyle Evans — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 06:20:00 -0700

In this episode, host Kyle Evans interviews Vikram Chalana, the founder behind Pictory, an innovative AI video creation tool for content marketers. With a deep background in technology and entrepreneurship, Chalana shares his journey from building a startup in his garage to leading a groundbreaking AI venture. Together, we delve into the evolution of content creation, emphasizing the shift towards video and the role of AI in enhancing productivity and storytelling, including Pictory's mission to democratize video creation, allowing professionals across various fields to craft compelling narratives without the need for complex tools. We also discuss the broader implications of AI in business and society, including the challenges and opportunities it presents.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, marketer, or tech enthusiast, this episode provides valuable insights into the intersection of AI, content creation, and business strategy.

Vikram Chalana

Vikram Chalana is a visionary entrepreneur and trailblazer in the world of AI-driven content creation. As the CEO of Pictory, Vikram leads a team dedicated to revolutionizing the way we generate video and social content. With Pictory’s groundbreaking AI technology, long-form content, such as blogs and webinars, undergoes a miraculous transformation into a month’s worth of engaging visual and social media content – all accomplished in a matter of minutes.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Vikram Chalana

Books: Crossing the Chasm
Podcast: This American Life

Links: Pictory.ai - Use code Podcast25

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Extending Human Potential: Creating Personal AIs with Founder Suman Kanuganti

Kyle Evans — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 08:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Kyle interviews Suman Kanuganti, co-founder and CEO of Personal.ai. Suman discusses his journey from an engineer with a robotics background to launching innovative ventures like Aira, assisting visually impaired individuals, and Personal AI, aimed at extending cognitive abilities through AI. The conversation explores the technology behind Personal.ai, its unique approach to personalizing user experiences, and the importance of data privacy. Suman also shares his insights on entrepreneurship in the AI space and the ethical considerations of AI development.

Suman Kanuganti:
Two-time venture-backed entrepreneur, AI enthusiast, and accessibility champion awarded Forbes 40 Under 40 and Smithsonian’s Top Innovator to Watch awards Suman Kanuganti is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Personal.ai.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Linkedin

Books: Sapiens

Links: s.personal.ai

TV: Painkiller, Altered Carbon

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Revolutionizing Product Management with Ryan Glasgow, Founder and CEO of Sprig

Kyle Evans — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 08:30:00 -0700

In this episode, Ryan Glasgow, the founder and CEO of Sprig, shares his insights on product management and the impact of AI. He and Kyle discuss his background in product management and his experience scaling companies like Weebly and Vurb from startup to successful exit. Ryan also explains the importance of product market fit and how to determine if a product is meeting customer needs. We also explore the concept of feature market fit and the role of AI in analyzing user data. Ryan provides advice for aspiring founders and product managers and shares his recommendations for interesting podcasts and products.

Takeaways

Put in the time and gain experience in product management before starting a company.
Product market fit is determined by how disappointed customers would be if the product no longer existed.
Feature market fit is about understanding the importance of specific features to users, even if they are infrequently used.
AI is revolutionizing product management by providing insights and analysis at scale.
Consider using AI to analyze user data and gain deeper understanding of the product experience.
Founders should focus on building enduring businesses and not just raising seed funding.
Google Bard is an AI tool that has shown promise in providing accurate and real-time responses. OpenAI requires advanced prompt engineering and custom instructions, while Google provides more basic prompts and easier responses.
Google's approach to product management focuses on polished consumer-grade experiences, while OpenAI's models require more hand-holding.
The ease of use of AI models is becoming more apparent in Google's offerings, potentially impacting user preferences.
The future outlook involves observing the race between OpenAI and Google in terms of mainstream adoption and product development.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background
03:28 Getting into Product Management
06:09 Starting as a Product Manager at Early Companies
11:32 The Process of Patenting
16:27 Understanding Product Market Fit
20:03 The Importance of Feature Market Fit
28:01 The Impact of AI on Product Management
31:02 Incorporating AI into Product Insights
42:24 Advice for Founding a Company
47:18 Advice for Product Managers
49:05 Interesting Recommendations
50:12 Product Recommendations
51:11 Comparison between OpenAI and Google
52:42 Ease of Use and Product Management
53:29 Conclusion and Future Outlook

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanglasgow/

Books: Competing Against Luck, Amp It Up

Website: https://sprig.com/

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Engineering the Future of Product Management: A Deep Dive with Hubert Palan

Kyle Evans — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0700

Welcome to another episode of Prodity: Product by Design with your host, Kyle. In this insightful episode, we're joined by Hubert Palan, founder and CEO of Product Board, to explore the evolving landscape of product management and its impact on the tech industry. In this episode, we discuss the evolution of product management, the importance of gaining a deep understanding of customers, and leveraging AI and other tools to amplify your impact. Join us for an incredibly insightful discussion as we dive deep into product management and design!

Hubert Palan Bio:
Hubert Palan is the founder and CEO of ProductBoard, a company focused on product management. He was previously the VP of product management at GoodData. Palan holds a master's degree in computer science from Czech Technical University in Prague and an MBA in entrepreneurship from UC Berkeley.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hubertpalan/

Books: Outlive

Website: Productboard.com
Links: Lex Fridman Podcast

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Fostering Product Excellence and Customer-Centricity with Vidya Dinamani

Kyle Evans — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0700

In this episode, Kyle interviews Vidya, founder of Product Rebels, who shares her experience in coaching product teams and transforming organizations. We explore the importance of understanding the customer problem and achieving product-market fit. We also discuss the challenges of pricing and the characteristics of successful product teams.

Additionally, Vidya shares advice for those interested in getting into product or starting a company. She emphasizes the importance of curiosity, understanding human behavior, and having the desire to learn and ask questions. Vidya also highlights the fun and end-to-end perspective of working in product. For those considering starting a company, she suggests looking for unmet needs and pain points that can be solved. Additionally, she highlights her work in investing in female founders and startups and the importance of diversity early on.

Takeaways

Focus on understanding the customer problem and achieving product-market fit.
Consider the pricing model that aligns with the customer's willingness to pay.
Build a strong product team with a customer-centric mindset and effective communication skills.
Invest in female founders and startups to address implicit biases and promote diversity. Curiosity, understanding human behavior, and the desire to learn are important qualities for those interested in getting into product.
Working in product offers a fun and end-to-end perspective on the growth of a company.
When starting a company, look for unmet needs and pain points that can be solved.
AI and video are fascinating areas to explore and experiment with.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vdinamani

Books: https://www.amazon.com/Groundwork-Get-Better-Making-Products/dp/0578776324

Links: https://podcasts.apple.com/sk/podcast/product-rebels/id1663094377

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Amplifying Your Intelligence Through AI - With Kevin Surace

Kyle Evans — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:19:50 -0700

From the early days of AI and AI assistants, Kevin has spent his career building technology and companies. With his experience at General Magic paving the way for OnStar, Siri, and Alexa, to modern applications of AI, we discuss Nobel prize winning auction theory, biometric cybersecurity, and AI driven software testing, along with lessons learned and what is coming next.

In this episode, we explore AI tools that amplify productivity today, from coding to finding bugs in software, and how these tools will become as intertwined in our lives as computers or the internet. We also discuss becoming an expert in a field and applying expertise from one field into other areas of your life, whether in business or personal, like music or theater.

Kevin Surace
Kevin is a Silicon Valley innovator, serial entrepreneur, CEO, TV personality and EDUTAINER. He has been featured by Businessweek, Time, Fortune, Forbes, CNN, ABC,MSNBC,FOXNews,and has keynoted hundreds of events,from INC5000 to TED to the US Congress. He was INC Magazines’ Entrepreneur of the Year, a CNBC top Innovator of the Decade, World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer, Chair of Silicon Valley

Forum, Planet Forward Innovator of the Year nominee, featured for 5 years on TechTV’s Silicon Spin, and inducted into RIT’s Innovation Hall of Fame. Mr. Surace led pioneering work on the first cellular data smartphone (AirCommunicator), the first plastic multi-chip semiconductor packages, the first human-like AI virtual assistant (Portico), soundproof drywall, high R-value windows, AI-driven building management technology, Generative AI for QA, supply-chain multivariate auctions, and the window/energy retrofits of the Empire State Building

and NY Stock Exchange. He is also an accomplished music director, conductor, Broadway and streaming producer,and percussionist.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Kevin Surace

Books: Impromptu

Links: 1660vine, Adcreative.ai

Companies: Appvance.ai, Tokenring

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Creating a Brand - Content, Empathy, and Communication

Kyle Evans — Thu, 16 Nov 2023 11:21:25 -0700

Felix is an art director and former competitive skier. In this episode, we discuss creating a brand voice and effectively communicating with your audience. This often means embracing new ways of engaging with your audience and meeting customers where they are, which can be difficult for big companies. We talk about companies who do branding and advertising well, and those who do not, and what you can do to reach customers effectively. We also explore the psychology of advertising and the importance of empathy.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Felix Lundqvist

Books: This is not my memoir

Shows: Black Mirror, I know this much is true

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Creating Online Marketplaces

Kyle Evans — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 10:26:40 -0600

In this episode, Kyle interviews Shirish Nadkarni, a serial entrepreneur and author. We talk about his early experience as a product manager at Microsoft, and his work on the acquisition of Hotmail, which inspired him to eventually start his own company. We discuss the companies Shirish founded, Livemocha and TeamOn Systems, and the lessons he learned from each of those.

We also discuss his latest book, Winner Takes All, and the history of digital marketplaces as well as what we can learn from the largest marketplaces in the world. And how to compete against monopolies and regulate monopolies like TicketMaster and Amazon. You won’t want to miss this amazing discussion.

Shirish Nadkarni

Shirish Nadkarni is a serial entrepreneur with proven success in creating multiple consumer businesses that have scaled to tens of millions of users worldwide. Shirish was the co-founder of Livemocha, the world’s largest language learning site with 15+ million registered members from over 200 countries. Livemocha was acquired by RosettaStone in 2013. Prior to Livemocha, Shirish was the founder of TeamOn Systems, a mobile wireless email pioneer that was acquired by BlackBerry in 2002. The TeamOn technology served as the core foundation for Blackberry Internet E-mail which serviced over 50 million BlackBerry users. Shirish started his career at Microsoft where engineered the acquisition of Hotmail and launched MSN.Com which became a leading web portal in the early days of the internet.

Shirish received his MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSE in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He serves on the board of TiE Seattle where he chairs a number of programs including the GoVertical Startup Creation Workshop, the TiE Entrepreneur Institute and the Z5 Catalyst funding initiative.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Shirish Nadkarni
Book: Winner Takes All: How Online Marketplaces Are Creating Modern Monopolies

Links: ShirishNadkarni.com

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Product Consulting, Driving Outcomes, and Managing a Product Career

Kyle Evans — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 15:12:11 -0600

Evie is a product consultant who has taken her experience as a product leader and now works with companies to help them grow their products, refine their product strategies, and shift their focus. On this episode, Kyle and Evie discuss how product managers can grow their careers, both within companies or moving into product consulting roles.

We also discuss managing your career in the context of your broader life vision and goals. And how what makes great product managers and great product teams. As well as bridging the gap between expectations and reality for ourselves and our teams as we align around priorities

Evie Brockwell:
Evie is a Product Leader who has gained valuable insights into what it was like to grow a PM career successfully. Now she's on the path to find the perfect balance between career satisfaction and life, all whilst consulting with huge businesses & continuing to learn and grow in the product field.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Evie Brockwell
Book: Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

Links: Down Dog Yoga

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Mobile Gaming and the Future of AR, VR, and the Metaverse

Kyle Evans — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 11:14:48 -0600

With extensive experience in mobile gaming, as well as spatial data and real estate, Beau Button co-founded Atlas Reality, a mobile gaming company that bridges the digital and physical worlds. On this episode, we discuss how he’s created augmented reality games like Atlas Earth, plans for Web3 games like Atlas Mars, and the future of blockchain in gaming, content creation, and beyond.

We also discuss our favorite old school video game consoles from NeoGeo to Commodore 64. And the future of AR/VR, designing games in VR, and the future of the metaverse as a presentation layer. As well as the use of artificial intelligence in gaming and software development.

Beau Button:
Beau Button has been actively involved with software development since he was 11 years old. He got his start learning about computers around age 9, digging into the hardware side of things first, and eventually picked up software development at age 11. Having spent most his career as a serial entrepreneur working in the government space, Beau has now transitioned into the mobile gaming space through his company Atlas Reality, Inc. Beau has become a technology & automation enthusiast, even in his personal life. He spends a majority of his time outside of work building through 3d printing, and is very passionate about hunger/food scarcity, education and veganism.

Links from the Show:
LinkedIn: Beau Button

Links: AtlasEarth.com

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Design by Constraints - Creating Holistic Experiences and Authentic Brands

Kyle Evans — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 15:23:40 -0600

Curt has worked with brands like Harley Davidson and Nike, and we discuss the lessons he’s learned--such as the importance of embracing constraints, being authentic and creating user experiences that consider everything from the first time a user encounters a brand or a product all the way through to the end. We also discuss the importance of all stakeholders, from customers to employees to society at large, and how we can design across the multi-stakeholder landscape.

Curt Schreiber

Curt is the Chief Creative Officer at VSA Partners, a brand-led customer experience agency that works with companies like Nike, IBM, and Harley-Davidson. Throughout his career, Curt has been honored by several design and communications organizations such as AIGA, Cannes Lions, and Cooper Hewitt.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Curt Schreiber

VSA: vsapartners.com

Magazine: Magazine B

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Synthetic Agents and Democratizing AI - A Conversation with Ahmed Reza, CEO and Founder of Yobi

Kyle Evans — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 16:34:04 -0600

Ahmed has been utilizing technology to help people and businesses since an early age. With over 20 years experience in AI, he’s now helping democratize the power of artificial intelligence so everyone can extend their own capabilities through AI. In this episode, we discuss the potential of AI, using synthetic agents to augment and optimize your work, and the future of technology. We also discuss how having aligned digital agents will not only make us more productive, but give us the ability to focus on the most meaningful areas of life.

Ahmed Reza
Ahmed Reza is the CEO and founder of Yobi, a company that simplifies customer relationship management for businesses.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahmedreza/

Books: Life 3.0, Faster Cures by Mike Milken

Phone: 667-220-7187

Yobi: https://yobi.app/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AhmedRezaT

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahmedrezat/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AhmedReza

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

The Future of Design Software

Kyle Evans — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 07:30:00 -0600

Most design tools we use now are desktop tools. But we are increasingly in a mobile world. So why don’t our design tools allow us to use the medium we’re designing for? That is the question Dan from Play began exploring with his other co-founders. As design software has continued to evolve, we need to be closer to the actual medium and the materials of that medium.

Dan LaCivita

Dan LaCivita is an entrepreneur and servant leader who has built, grown and led successful teams and businesses for over 20 years.

His latest venture, Play, is transforming how teams create mobile products by empowering them to design, build and experience their product in real time—all on the medium they’re designing for—their phone.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Dan LaCivita

Books: Outlive by Peter Atia

Links: CreatewithPlay.com

Twitter: @createwithplay

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Product-Led Growth for New Companies - A Conversation with founder Peter Schroeder

Kyle Evans — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 07:30:00 -0600

Peter started as a musician but shifted his focus to technology as he discovered problems that needed to be solved. In this episode, Kyle and Peter discuss product-led growth for young companies, AI technology, and the importance of design across a business.

Peter Schroeder:
Peter Schroeder is an accomplished DJ, entrepreneur, and technology pioneer. With over 20 platinum records, 20 years of experience creating cutting-edge technologies for companies such as Facebook, Samsung, and Airbnb, and his latest venture, Telzio, a pre-unicorn unified communications company that he founded.

Links:
peterschroeder.com

whimsical

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Founding Companies, Understanding User Problems, and Leading Digital Transformations

Kyle Evans — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 13:43:28 -0600

After founding several businesses, Peter is now working on the Uber/Shopify for recurring service-based businesses. We discuss the importance of understanding user problems and the benefits of digital transformations in companies and industries. We also discuss the importance of communication in a relationship—from communication within an organization to communication with customers and users.

Peter Wasmer

Peter Wasmer is a long time Naples, Florida-based entrepreneur who helps pragmatic small business owners manage like a pro. He understands both sides of the business coin and uses his deep experience to bring constant innovation to small businesses. His latest project is provalet.io focusing on helping small and medium sized service businesses increase revenue, improve efficiency, and drive down costs while improving customer communication and retention.

Links:
peter@provalet.io

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

The Evolution and Future of UX Design

Kyle Evans — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 09:36:25 -0600

With four decades of experience in UX design, Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D has seen the evolution of design from its earliest days. In this episode, Kyle and Dorothy discuss the importance of good UX design, showing the value of UX, and understanding users. We also discuss the current state of UX and the changes to UX and design over the years, including the specialization and siloing of designers. We also discuss the future of technology, including AI and its implications on design. Finally, we explore natural user interfaces (NUIs)

Dorothy Shamonsky, Ph.D

Dorothy is the UX Strategy Officer at Mass.-based Integrated Computer Solutions (ICS) and its design studio Boston UX. Dorothy is focused on designing natural user interfaces (NUIs) to achieve simple-but-compelling user experiences for IoT devices, specializing in robotics, medical and automotive. She’s managed creative teams at MTV, Merrill Lynch and elsewhere; taught design at NYU, Pratt Institute and Brandeis; and earned a doctorate at MIT and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Dorothy Shamonsky

Books: Brave NUI World, Superintelligence

Links: BostonUX, ICS

More by Kyle:

Follow Prodity on Twitter and TikTok

Follow Kyle on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Prodity on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Prioritizing Customer Feedback and Creating Data-Driven Roadmaps

Kyle Evans — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 14:42:07 -0600

Gathering customer feedback and creating a product roadmap is one of the most important parts of product management. So why does it always seem like a struggle? In this episode, Kyle and Kareem Mayan of Savio discuss the importance of validating product features against actual data from customers. And the importance of having all of that information in a single place so we can make good decisions.

Kareem Mayan

Since 2001, Kareem has founded and run Product teams at four software companies (3 exits), and PMed at companies like ESPN.com, MySpace
He’s built over a dozen products doing everything from customer interviews, wireframing, UX work, prioritizing, roadmapping, leading teams, working with devs, managing stakeholders, and more.
Currently co-founder of Savio, a TinySeed-backed Product Management Platform for B2B SaaS companies where he’s talked with hundreds of PMs about their process

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Kareem Mayan

Twitter: @kareem

Links: Savio

k@savio.io

Readwise

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Overcoming imposter syndrome and establishing executive presence - a conversation with Anna Peterson

Kyle Evans — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 07:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Anna Peterson, a product coach, joins Kyle to discuss key skills for product managers. From overcoming imposter syndrome to stakeholder management to establishing a confident, executive presence, we explore many of the skills product managers and product leaders need to be successful.

Anna Peterson (Kotliarevskaia)

Anna is a coach helping product leaders go from inhibited to intuitive.

Prior to becoming a coach, Anna spent 15 years working in tech companies worldwide. During this time, she went from UX design to product management, to leadership. Most recently, Anna was a Director of Product at ServiceNow where she led the company's Enterprise Agile Planning solution from inception to market leadership.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Anna’s LinkedIn

Links: tech-happy.com

Horace and Pete

Downdog app

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product Thinking on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Focusing on Customer Experience and Building Value - With Brad Hawkins

Kyle Evans — Thu, 22 Jun 2023 12:13:01 -0600

When is a product done? When should you build vs buy? Join host Kyle on this episode of Product by Design as he speaks with Brad Hawkins, Chief Solutions Officer at ServicePower as they discuss product development, user experience, AI, and more. With 28 years of experience, Brad shares his passion for finding solutions and elevating customer experience. Listen as they discuss prioritizing user experience in software development, the evolution of claims processing, and unifying a platform. Get ready for insightful discussions about machine learning, practical solutions, and personal growth.

Brad Hawkins

Brad is the Chief Solutions Officer at ServicePower, a leading field service management software for companies like Costco, LG, Whirlpool and more. Brad has more than 25 years of experience in developing field service solutions that enhance processes and elevate customer experiences.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Brad Hawkins, ServicePower

Links: ServicePower

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Timestamps:
[00:00:07] Field Service Management with Brad Hawkins
[00:03:35] Golfing and Career Journey with ServicePower
[00:06:58] Streamlining Warranty Payment Processes
[00:10:06] Value Creation and Workforce Management in ServicePower
[00:13:37] Unifying Platform Technologies Through Acquisitions
[00:16:36] Prioritizing User Experience in Software Development
[00:19:56] Continuous improvement and buying vs building software
[00:23:16] Long-Term Employment
[00:26:41] Career Growth Within One Company
[00:30:02] Building Platform and AI in Software Industry
[00:33:19] Challenges with AI and Machine Learning Implementation
[00:36:44] Learning Simplicity in Career
[00:40:09] Staying focused on core competencies
[00:43:04] ServicePower's Unique Workforce Solution
[00:46:17] Embracing Life's Unexpected Journey
[00:49:37] Speaker's Social and Digital Media Promotion

AI Tools and Personalized Marketing - A Conversation with Omneky

Kyle Evans — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 14:17:05 -0600

Get ready for an exciting episode of Product by Design! Host Kyle Evans welcomes Hikari Senju and Matt Swalley from Omneky to talk about their AI marketing platform. Along with discussing their backgrounds, we share our views on the changing AI environment and the potential exponential growth in technology. We also delve into how using generative AI with advertising can impact the way marketers scale creative multivariate testing. We also discuss how AI is making advertising more accessible, unleashing an order of magnitude more creativity.

Additionally, we discuss the importance of hiring the right people and building a great team to achieve success in a venture-backed company. Along with sharing their experiences in Silicon Valley and growing a startup, Hikari and Matt provide insights on how to maintain focus and integrity while building products for customers. The episode wraps up with some cool technology and book recommendations, including the potentially sentient AI read "After On" by Rob Reid and exciting tech like vector databases.

Get ready to be inspired by this podcast and stay ahead in the fast-moving industry by reskilling yourself with AI tools!

Hikari Senju

Hikari Senju is the Founder & CEO of Omneky, an AI platform that generates personalized ads at scale. Hikari founded his previous startup, an on-demand tutoring app called QuickHelp, while studying Computer Science at Harvard. Hikari later sold QuickHelp to Yup.com and became the company’s Head of Growth. During his time at Yup.com, he saw how much money was being spent on inefficient content and saw the opportunities in generative AI to solve this, inspiring him to found Omneky. Since then, he has grown the company into the leader in the AI generative ad space. Powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4, DALLE-2, and their own proprietary algorithms, Omneky’s platform empowers customers to analyze the design preferences of all the customer’s target audiences and manage thousands of AI-generated ads designed to drive conversions for each customer profile.

Matt Swalley

Matt Swalley is Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer of Omneky. Previously Matt was the Chief of Staff to Global Business at AT&T, was part of AT&T’s strategy team and led midmarket sales at AT&T

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Hikari Senju, Matt Swalley

Books: After On, Chip Wars, Alignment Problem, Competing in the Age of AI

Links: Ben’s Bites

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

[00:00:07] Starting an AI marketing platform with Omneky
[00:03:49] Personal Interests and Backgrounds in Tech
[00:07:03] How Computer Vision and Generative AI Meet Marketing
[00:10:30] Early days of Omneky's generative AI development
[00:13:58] Advancements in AI technology
[00:17:16] The impact of AI on Google and Microsoft
[00:20:42] Legal Responsibility of Chatbots
[00:23:55] The Importance of Reskilling in AI
[00:27:08] The Impact of AI on Marketing and Advertising
[00:30:28] The democratization of coding
[00:33:47] Building a Successful Team in Silicon Valley
[00:36:58] Aligning Mission and Market for Startup Success
[00:39:49] Customer obsession in product development
[00:42:38] The Value of Customer Feedback and Advertising Data
[00:45:35] Lessons from the California Gold Rush
[00:48:41] Favorite technology recommendations for podcast listeners

Revolutionizing Meetings: The Power of AI

Kyle Evans — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 16:14:53 -0600

In this episode of Product by Design, host Kyle Evans welcomes Artem Koren from Sembly.ai. Join them as they explore the revolutionary and ever-evolving world of AI and its application in meetings. Artem, the Chief Product Officer and co-founder at Sembly.ai, shares his background in technology and management consulting, and how the idea for Sembly.ai was born.

We discuss our experiences with AI and the various applications in different industries like walking tours and graphic design. We also discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of using AI in meetings, and how it could change the way we work and interact with each other. Don't miss out on Artem's suggestions for trying out new AI-based technologies and his recommendations for thought-provoking podcasts.

Check out Sembly's website for a free trial of their AI-powered meeting automation tool. Follow and subscribe to the podcast for exciting insights that will leave you thinking about the limitless possibilities of AI.

Artem Koren

Artem is the Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Semby AI, a SaaS platform that uses proprietary AI algorithms to transcribe and analyze meetings. Artem has 16+ years of product management experience and has applied AI learning to his work since 2009. Artem is passionate about using AI to enrich humanity and create positive change.

Links from the Show:
Sembly.ai

Twitter: @clearlykoren
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akoren/
Sam Altman Podcast
DreamStudio.ai

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

[00:00:09] AI meeting transcription and analysis technology
[00:04:48] From Chess to Sembly.ai
[00:08:56] Early Neural Networks and Cancer Detection
[00:12:59] The Evolution of AI Technology and Terminology
[00:17:15] The Evolution of AI and Machine Learning
[00:21:33] The Potential of AI in Meetings with Sembly.ai
[00:25:22] Harnessing AI for Effective Meeting Management
[00:29:03] VoiceAI's Impact on Meeting Productivity
[00:33:12] The Future of AI in Meetings
[00:36:59] The Future of AI in Meetings
[00:40:59] The Use of AI in Meetings
[00:44:47] The Future of Everyday Life with AI
[00:48:57] AI's Impact on Life and Work
[00:53:07] The Impact of AI on Various Industries
[00:57:39] The Benefits of Trying AI-Based Technologies
[01:02:18] Dream Studio AI and Generative Images

Storytelling and Crafting a Brand through Copywriting

Kyle Evans — Thu, 25 May 2023 11:23:45 -0600

Join Kyle in an exciting podcast episode with guest Fredrik Svensson Von Schreeb, a talented copywriter with experience in various industries. They discuss the importance of storytelling in branding and how copywriting impacts a company's voice. With discussions on rebranding, creating brand guidelines, and consistent messaging, this podcast offers valuable insights for anyone in product development, advertising or marketing industries. Kyle and Fredrik also talk about the need for collaboration and staying up-to-date with current trends in storytelling to keep your brand relevant and engaging. Don't miss out on this creative and insightful conversation!

Fredrik Svensson Von Schreeb

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredrik-von-schreeb-ab9072148/

Links from the Show:

Movies: Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

From Our Partners:

Future London Academy’s MBA for Design Leaders: bit.ly/chiefdesigner

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

[00:00:12] Introduction of Guest Frederick Ron Schreeb
[00:03:54] Importance of Copywriting in Advertising
[00:07:37] The Power of Brand Storytelling
[00:11:08] Copywriting's Impact on Branding & Agency vs In-house Work
[00:14:31] In-House Vs Agency: Brand Campaign Pros and Cons
[00:18:12] NBA for Design Leaders & Rebranding
[00:22:10] Crafting a Consistent Brand Voice Across Teams
[00:25:57] Importance of Style Guides in Map Writing
[00:29:53] Maintaining control over product messaging
[00:33:52] Adapting storytelling to cultural shifts
[00:37:39] The Art of Writing and Refinement
[00:41:09] Value of Patience in Creative Process
[00:44:52] Use of thought starter tool

Building Global Leading Brands with Ryan Margolin

Kyle Evans — Thu, 18 May 2023 14:19:28 -0600

Join host Kyle Evans and guest Ryan Margolin, entrepreneur and founder of Professional Hair Labs, on this episode of Product by Design. Ryan shares his experience in sustainable product development across 15 different countries and his journey to building a stronger brand for his company. Kyle and Ryan also discuss their love for music and how they encourage their kids to explore their creativity. Discover Ryan's insights on developing the right product and effective marketing strategies, as well as his decision to manufacture products in-house instead of outsourcing. Get inspired by Ryan's advice on personal development and self-motivation for business owners. Don't miss out on the talk about a new technology with the potential to change everything that Ryan and Kyle are experimenting with in their businesses. Follow or subscribe to Product by Design on various platforms to stay updated on the latest episodes!

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmargolin

Links:

From Our Partners:

Future London Academy’s MBA for Design Leaders: bit.ly/chiefdesigner

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Timestamps:
[00:00:08] Global brand building with Ryan Margolin
[00:03:41] Musical Family Values and Creativity
[00:06:58] From Construction to Hair Replacement Business Success
[00:10:11] Entrepreneurial success and personal growth
[00:13:30] Future London Academy and Product Marketing
[00:17:14] Essentials of Successful Product Development
[00:20:35] Lessons from expanding into new markets
[00:23:49] Tackling Counterfeiting in Watchmaking Industry
[00:27:02] Technology for Counterfeit Prevention in Cosmetics
[00:30:35] Challenges of Product/software Development
[00:33:53] Why We Chose In-House Manufacturing
[00:37:12] Transforming Company Mission and Family Business
[00:40:21] Company Expansion and Product Development
[00:43:22] Focusing on personal growth in business
[00:46:21] Prioritizing Tasks and Embracing Technology as a Busy Business Owner
[00:49:23] Revolutionizing information gathering through technology

Sustainable Investments: Using AI and Data Analytics

Kyle Evans — Thu, 11 May 2023 09:36:10 -0600

Get ready for an informative and exciting episode of Product by Design, as host Kyle introduces his guest, Gopal, the CTO and head of Sust Global, a climate and data startup. In this episode, Kyle and Gopal discuss the increasing use of climate-related data and analytics in corporate reporting and risk management. They also dive into how Sust Global has developed an API and dashboarding products to help companies understand and prepare for climate risk. You'll learn about the importance of driving a shared understanding through data and how machine learning and AI can help with climate analytics. Gopal also shares valuable advice for those starting out or looking to level up in data analytics. Don't miss this insightful episode filled with expert tips on how to effectively address the challenges posed by climate change.

Gopal Erinjippurath:

Gopal serves as CTO and Head of Product at Sust Global, a venture focused on geospatial analytics for climate adaptation.

Most recently, he led the Analytics Engineering team at Planet Labs (NYSE:PL), an integrated aerospace and data analytics company that operates history’s largest commercial fleet of earth observation satellites. Planet Analytics serves a range of customers from city planning teams in governments and the World Bank to defense and intelligence functions across the world. He is known for agile engineering execution from concept to scalable high quality products. He has been an invited speaker at global industry conferences like Google Cloud Next and leading technical conferences in the machine learning space such as ICML, CVPR and NeurIPS.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gopalerinjippurath/
Sust Global: https://www.sustglobal.com/

From Our Partners:

Future London Academy’s MBA for Design Leaders: bit.ly/chiefdesigner

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

[00:00:12] Remote sensing and climate modeling for predictive analytics
[00:04:42] Sports and Climate Risk for Businesses
[00:09:05] Creating API and Dashboard for Specific Market Use Cases
[00:13:40] Sustainability and Climate Change Risks
[00:18:08] Machine learning & AI for climate change adaptation
[00:22:31] Driving Shared Understanding through Data
[00:26:51] The Three Dimensions of Successful Businesses
[00:31:21] Challenges of Working with Earth Observation Satellites
[00:35:33] Bridging gap between early adopters and mainstream users
[00:40:03] Tips for Advancing in Data Analytics

Innovator's Insights: A Conversation with Hussein Almossawi

Kyle Evans — Wed, 03 May 2023 13:16:56 -0600

In this exciting episode of Product by Design, host Kyle Evans interviews the talented and accomplished product designer, VFX artist, and author, Hussain Almossawi. The conversation centers on Almossawi's recently released book, The Innovator's Handbook, which explores his personal stories and experiences in the industry, as well as his journey from a small island home in Bahrain to New York City. Kyle and Hussain also discuss the importance of curiosity, innovation, and failure, and how they can lead to success in product design.

The duo shares insights on the necessity of experimentation, iteration, and brainstorming without constraints in the industry. With thoughtful discussions on biomimicry, diversity, and first principles, this podcast is a must-listen for anyone pursuing product design. Join Kyle Evans and Hussain Almossawi and be inspired to ignite your own creativity and change the world. Don't forget to follow the podcast and their social media accounts for more exciting product conversations.

Hussain Almossawi:

Hussain Almossawi is a Product Designer, VFX Artist, and bestselling author based in Brooklyn, New York. He has worked on a wide range of products across different industries worldwide, including footwear, automotive, and tech. A significant part of his work has been consulting with companies such as Apple, Nike, Adidas, Google, Ford Motors, and other world-known brands.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: https://mossawistudios.com/hussainalmossawi

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mossawi_

Site: https://mossawistudios.com/

The Innovator’s Handbook: https://www.theinnovatorshandbook.com/

From Our Partners:

Future London Academy’s MBA for Design Leaders: bit.ly/chiefdesigner

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

[00:00:12] Interview with Product Designer Hussein Elmosawi
[00:03:40] A Designer's Path to Success
[00:06:51] Self-publishing and Creative Freedom
[00:09:46] Enhancing Innovation and Creativity
[00:13:03] Laser-focusing and curiosity in innovation
[00:16:22] Curiosity & Cultural Understanding
[00:19:15] Design Leadership & First Principles Innovation
[00:22:43] Innovative Product Creation with First Principles
[00:25:56] Importance of Supportive Team in Sportswear Design
[00:28:59] Embracing Failure for Growth in Product Development
[00:32:18] Overcoming Failure in Innovation
[00:35:22] The Value of Failure in Learning
[00:38:30] Iterative Product Development for Footwear
[00:41:40] Unconstrained Innovation in Footwear Design
[00:44:55] Importance of Diversity in Creativity and Design
[00:48:40] Biomimicry in design practice
[00:52:01] Importance of Personal Story in Professional Life
[00:55:19] Book review and podcast promotion

Driving Change: Insights from Agilence's Russ Hawkins

Kyle Evans — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0600

Join Kyle Evans as he interviews Russ Hawkins, the president and CEO of Agilence, a leading data technology company, on the Product by Design podcast. Russ has spent over 35 years in the technology industry driving change from the inside, and he shares his experience on how external change can require internal change to bring organizations to their full potential.

From reassessing company values and assets to understanding the competitive landscape, Russ reveals his secrets to success. In this informative and engaging podcast, Russ also speaks about his passion for building companies and spending time with his family and two Irish doodles. Tune in to hear why having an aligned team is crucial for any small technology company and how to navigate change and uncertainty in business today. With recommendations on biographies and wireless headsets, this podcast is perfect for professionals looking to transform their companies and achieve their goals. Listen now to the Product by Design podcast with Kyle Evans and Russ Hawkins.

Russ Hawkins:

Russ Hawkins is the President and CEO of the leading data technology company, Agilence. Russ has spent over 35-years in the technology industry, helping established organizations and

small start-ups reach their full potential by driving change from the "inside."

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Russ Hawkins

Books: Teddy Roosevelt

Links: AgilenceInc.com, rhawkins@agilenceinc.com, noahpinion

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product Thinking on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

[00:00:01] Russ Hawkins' Business Journey

[00:03:56] Developing effective company strategies

[00:08:30] Reassessing Company Capabilities and Personal Growth

[00:12:14] Lessons from diverse work experience

[00:15:41] Setting Goals & Adapting in Business & Life

[00:19:49] Overextension and Cutbacks: A Warning Sign

[00:23:56] Staying Nimble in Business Landscape

[00:27:39] Effective CEO Onboarding Strategies

[00:31:25] Team Collaboration and Evaluation

[00:35:34] Building Alignment in Organizational Change

[00:39:13] CEOs and decision-making in teamwork

[00:43:06] The Evolution of Data and Analytics

[00:47:24] Optimism in AI and Setting Goals

[00:51:32] Balancing Passions and Responsibilities

[00:55:00] Guest Recommendations for Further Learning

[00:59:10] Book and Tech Recommendations

Service Design, UX, and Change Management - A Conversation with Justin Zalewski

Kyle Evans — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 13:15:00 -0600

What are the most important questions a business needs to ask itself, and what are the biggest barriers to change? In this episode, we explore how service design can help answer those important questions and be a force for change within any organization.

Service design is a connector between the disciplines of UX design, UI design, product, engineering, customer experience, etc. While many of the principles of good service design aren’t exclusive to service design, there is an emphasis on co-creation, iteration, people-centricity, and a holistic perspective.

When we take a more holistic perspective, we design better experiences and better services. We avoid shipping our organizational charts (Conway’s Law) and instead ship a delightful experience. But we can only do that when we break down the silos.

Justin Zalewski

Justin is the Director of Product Design and Strategy at Studio Science where he leads a team of product designers and works with clients to solve business problems through design. He and his team are experts in rapid prototyping co-creation with customers.

He has led projects with clients ranging from market-leading tech companies to Fortune 500 brands. Clients include: Angi, Genesys, Simon, Stack Overflow, and Cummins.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Justin

Books: Red Rising, Design for the Real World

Links: JustinZalewski.com, StudioScience.com

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product Thinking on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Creating a Product Vision and Using Metrics to Align Product Teams - A Conversation with Neha Bansal, Head of Merchant Growth and Monetization at Google

Kyle Evans — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 10:44:35 -0600

Google has a long history of putting customers first, thinking about the long-term, and being design-centric. Those values are part of the core product culture and help define how many products get built and go to market. In this episode, Neha and Kyle discuss product management processes and practices, talking to customers frequently, and establishing a product vision.

Launching at scale is also very different. Google starts with the product vision, strategy and roadmap. They then break these down into OKRs and do customer research to create the PRDs and eventually the UX design for an MVP for development.

Neha Bansal

Neha is the Head of Merchant Growth and Monetization for B2B Commerce at Google, where she is leading efforts to build the next $1B+ B2B business (zero to one product) for the company. She has worked at Google for ~5 years and has led various products in the Ads and Analytics space. She was the lead Product Manager (PM) for Google Analytics Intelligence. In this position, Neha oversaw the launch of Google Analytics 4 Search and Insights, a tool millions of businesses use to make the best marketing decisions that help them grow.

She has also spearheaded many diversity and inclusion initiatives relating to hiring at Google, which have resulted in the elimination of unnecessary requirements in the PM hiring process for interns across the company.

Before joining Google, Neha worked at Essex Product Consulting, where she helped Fortune 500 financial services companies build products that increased their bottom line by $50B+. She has 11+ years of experience as a PM and has guided many newly minted PMs in reaching their career goals.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Neha Bansal

Books:
Hangry - A journey of GrubHub by Mike Evans
The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen

Growth Hacking Marketing by Ryan Holiday

Other Links:

Product Management Course - https://forms.gle/kS7tSL2LwXZZdaUXA

Bio Link: https://bio.link/nehabansal

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product Thinking on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee or supporting us on Patreon

Building Companies, Going to Market, and the Future of Audio and Podcasting -- A Conversation with Audio-Tech Co-Founder and CEO Jonas Rinde

Kyle Evans — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 12:00:00 -0700

Creating amazing products often comes down to the right timing, the right technology, and the right customer demand. It also means pivoting and iterating based on feedback and unexpected use cases. Which is how Nomono has grown and expanded. In this episode, we discuss growing a company, finding the right technology and the right team to build it, and understanding the trends in the market to stay ahead of what’s next.

Jonas Rinde

Jonas is one of the Nordic’s most successful and acclaimed tech founders and investors, behind companies such as Nomono, Huddly, Acano, and Tandberg, the latter two of which were acquired by Cisco for a combined $4B USD.

Links from the Show:

LinkedIn: Jonas Rinde

Site: Nomono.co

Links: Polestar

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product Thinking on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Accelerating Your Career Through Coaching - A Conversation with Founder and CEO Zach White

Kyle Evans — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 09:00:00 -0700

Breaking out of the downward spiral of more and more work that leads to burnout, and transforming our approach to focus on a better process and better approach to work and life, is key to success and happiness. For those of us who have experienced burnout, we understand how difficult it can be. And the need to constantly be evolving and improving the way we approach work and life.

Much of what we learn when we’re young and in school, such as putting our heads down and studying more to do better on the next test, is the wrong lesson for our careers. It’s no longer about getting to the next level and next level. We need to shift our focus to a more “infinite” game.

We don’t have to wait for something massive to happen to us, but can use life’s little signals to understand when we need to change. Often that means getting an outside perspective, like a coach, to help accelerate your career.

Coaching can be a confusing term though. Anyone can claim to be a coach, so how can you determine what you need and who will help you transform your career? We discuss key things to look for and the benefits you can get beyond just resume and interview prep. And how to get the most out of coaching.

When we think about sports, it is almost absurd to think of athletes without an array of coaches. That’s what makes them professionals. But we as professionals have very little coaching in our careers. And it’s a shame, because we need it as much as any athlete. Our managers aren’t always qualified to be coaches either.

Zach White

Zach is the Founder & CEO of Oasis of Courage, known as OACO, a fast-growing company with unique and proven coaching programs exclusively for engineering leaders. He also hosts a top rated show, The Happy Engineer Podcast, where listeners discover the steps to engineering success through expert interviews and Zach's own transformational framework, the Lifestyle Engineering Blueprint

Links from the Show:

Website: Oasis of Courage
Podcast: The Happy Engineer Podcast

Books: Extreme Ownership, The Dichotomy of Leadership

More by Kyle:

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Product Development, Launches, and Lifecycle Management - A Conversation with Founder Karthik Suresh

Kyle Evans — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 08:00:00 -0700

Karthik worked at large companies like KCG and Facebook, and saw the difficulty of managing go-to-market and product launches. Which is partly why he co-founded Ignition, a hub for planning, executing, and measuring GTM launches. In this episode, we discuss product positioning, messaging, and taking products to market. We also discuss doing things that align with our purposes and personal long-term goals rather than just working for the sake of work.

Karthik Suresh

Karthik is the co-Founder of Ignition, the world’s first go-to-market platform that allows business to manage all stages of the product life cycle. Karthik has extensive experience building and launching products across consumer, enterprise, and data domains.

Links from the Show:

Website: HaveIgnition.com

LinkedIn: Karthik Suresh

Twitter: Karthik

Books: Build, Fooled by Randomness, Black Swan

More by Kyle:

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Product Discovery and Managing Company Procedures - A Conversation with CEO and Founder Owen McGab Enaohwo

Kyle Evans — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 08:00:00 -0700

What started as a problem in his agency business eventually became an idea and product to help other companies manage their processes and procedures. In this episode, Owen and Kyle discuss product discovery, customer interviews, and process documentation.

Owen McGab Enaohwo

Owen is the CEO and Founder of SweetProcess which helps enable company executives and their employees to collaborate together to quickly document and/or improve their standard operating procedures, processes, and policies.

Links from the Show:

Extended Trial: sweetprocess.com/productbydesign

LinkedIn: Owen McGab Enaohwo

Books: Built to Sell, Work the System, The Goal

More by Kyle:

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Prioritization, Focus, and Strategy - A Conversation with Entrepreneur Michelle Nedelec

Kyle Evans — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 11:30:00 -0700

Finding a market need, solving difficult problems, and scaling a business around those solutions. That’s the journey Michelle has taken in her business. We discuss productizing software and solutions, prioritization and focus, creating a strategy before tactics, and appropriate segmentation for products and businesses.

Michelle Nedelec

International bestselling author, Michelle Nedelec is an expert in Entrepreneurialism and the founder of Awareness Strategies. She’s run her own series of companies for over 22 years and for over 15 years has been helping Managers and Executives to continually double their profits and revenues. She not only has what it takes to help her clients build million dollar businesses, but she does it time and time again.

Michelle particularly loves to talk about Marketing Automation, Systems Integration and support both on and off of the stage. She teaches the key components of business: Strategy, Systems, Support and State of Mind so you know how to continually elevate all three components to build a healthy thriving business. For the past 6 years she’s been focusing on helping entrepreneurs bring their businesses online from conceptualization to Done For Your IT automation.

Links from the Show:

Website: Awareness Strategies

LinkedIn: Michelle Nedelec

Books: Scaling Up

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product Thinking on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Inventing, Launching, and Positioning New Products - A Conversation with Inventor and Founder Eli Packouz

Kyle Evans — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 10:00:00 -0700

Finding the right product-market fit comes down to solving a meaningful problem that people care about and are willing to pay for. Eli and Kyle discuss his journey inventing and launching multiple products across different industries, lessons learned, and how to ensure you not only find the right product-market fit, but have the right people involved along the way.

“You are never going to be ready, you are only going to be less unprepared.”

Eli Packouz

Eli Packouz is a serial inventor and two-time founder. He started his first company, Singular Sound, with his brother in 2013; they have since launched eight blockbuster products. In 2017, he partnered with Dr. Ralf Raud and Dr. Ana Mascarenhas to create the first device that automatically flosses all your teeth in only 10 seconds — Instafloss. After five years of research and development, Instafloss is ready to change the world, one tooth at a time.

Links from the Show

Websites: SingularSound, Instafloss

Books: Bullshit Jobs, Debt

Hallelujah Mountains

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Follow Product Thinking on Twitter and TikTok

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Getting Your Pricing Strategy Right - A Conversation with CEO Marcos Rivera

Kyle Evans — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 10:00:00 -0700

Pricing and packaging are difficult because most people and companies don’t know how to do them well. But with the right data and right strategy, we can create the right pricing and packaging for our products and the right framework to ensure we are exchanging value with our customers in the best way. Marcos and Kyle discuss pricing, strategy, and more. You won’t want to miss this excellent discussion!

Marcos Rivera

With over 20 years of experience, Marcos has a knack for effortlessly delivering complex ideas and helping companies figure out the right pricing strategy to unlock growth and capture value in B2B and enterprise software. He is the CEO of Pricing I/O and a former executive with Vista Equity Partners, focusing on the value creation areas of product management and pricing.

Marcos is also the author of the #1 new release Street Pricing. In his reality-based approach to monetization, he taps into his deep software experience to forge real-world examples with useful frameworks to create a remarkably dope playlist of hip-hop-inspired street smarts for the motivated entrepreneur.

Links from the Show

Website: Pricing I/O

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcoslrivera/

Book: Street Pricing

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

User Journey Management - A Conversation with CEO Jochem van der Veer

Kyle Evans — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0700

Description

A business is creating value for its customers. But to do that effectively, you need your whole organization aligned in creating and maintaining an excellent user experience. Having a journey-led organization allows you to have one common denominator for all teams to understand what are the priorities from the user perspective. In this episode, Kyle and Jochem discuss the benefits of being journey-led, the tools to get there, and so much more!

Jochem van der Veer

As Co-Founder & CEO of TheyDo, the customer journey management solution for enterprises, Jochem van der Veer is pushing the boundaries of modern CX management, enabling true cross-team collaboration in today’s increasingly virtual world.

Having worked in interaction and UX design for 10+ years, Jochem is well-versed in the power of truly walking in your customer’s shoes and passionate about helping companies transform towards a customer-centric way of working. His latest SaaS venture, TheyDo, is a platform that enables companies to visualize, standardize, and scale journey management so that their business goals align with customer needs.

Links from the Show

Website: TheyDo

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jochemvanderveer/

Book: Four Thousand Weeks

More by Kyle:

Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter

Kyle's writing on Medium

Product by Design on Medium

Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

10 Gift Ideas for Product Managers and Designers

Kyle Evans — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0700

The holiday season is upon us once again (I know, I’m struggling to believe it too). But that means egg nog, sugar cookies, and giving gifts. You may find yourself looking for ideas for holiday gifts for those special people in your life. Or struggling with ideas for your own gift list. And if you or anyone you know happens to be a product manager or a designer, we’ve got you covered.

More by Kyle:
Follow Product by Design and Product Thinking and Kyle on Twitter
Kyle's writing on Medium
Product by Design on Medium
Sign up for Kyle's Product Thinking Newsletter for more updates.
Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Communication, Stakeholder Management, and Product - A Conversation with Christina Weiss

Kyle Evans — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0700

Description
Stakeholder management and communication are critical to successfully managing a product and building a product team or organization, but are some of the most difficult skills to master. In this episode, Christina and Kyle discuss how to communicate better, manage stakeholders, and improve our skills as teammates and leaders.

Christina Weiss
Christina is a product management consultant & coach with 10+ years of experience in product, engineering, and digital health. An American based in Vienna, Austria, she works with startup founders, product leaders and PMs across the US & EU. She also teaches an online course on communication & stakeholder management for product managers.

Links from the Show
Website: https://christinakweiss.com/

Course: https://maven.com/christinakweiss/communication-and-stakeholder-management-for-product-managers (or bit.ly/product-comms)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ckells19

More by Kyle:
Follow Product by Design and Kyle on Twitter
Kyle's writing on Medium
Product by Design on Medium
Sign up for Kyle's Product Thinking Newsletter for more updates.
Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

The Laws of Creativity - With Author and Founder Joey Cofone

Kyle Evans — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 11:00:00 -0600

Creativity is not just for the professionals or the “creatives”. It is for everyone and is about the practice of ideas. More specifically, combining unrelated and abstract ideas in new ways. And it is so important. Not just because we need to solve problems, but because those who apply creative thinking get paid more and are nearly 300% happier at work.

In this episode, we discuss everything from video games and storytelling to art school and rediscovering your creativity. We dive into Joey’s book, the inspiration for the 39 laws, how we can apply and use them, and so much more.

Joey Cofone
Joey Cofone is the Founder & CEO of Baronfig, an award-winning designer and entrepreneur, and author of The Laws of Creativity.

Joey has designed and art directed over 100 products from zero to launch. His work has been featured in Fast Company, Bloomberg, New York Magazine, Newsweek, Bon Appétit, Quartz, Mashable, Print, and more. Joey was named a New Visual Artist and, separately, Wunderkind designer, by Print magazine. He is also a 1st place winner of the American Institute of Graphic Arts design competition, Command X.

Joey strives to make work that appeals to curious minds—work that’s beautiful, smart, and communicative. He believes that design is the least of a designer’s worries, that story is at the heart of all tasks, and jumping off cliffs is the only way to grow.

He lives in New York City with his wife, Ariana, and his dog (and writing buddy), Luigi.

Links from the Show
https://www.joeycofone.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeycofone/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joeycofone

The Laws of Creativity: joeycofone.com

https://baronfig.com/

Old Man and the Sea

Cyberpunk Edgerunners

PS5 Controller

Tips for Public Speaking, Presenting, & Communicating - With Brenden Kumarasamy

Kyle Evans — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 10:00:00 -0600

Description
Speaking and communicating well is critical for all of us. So how can we improve? In this episode, Brenden from MasterTalk joins us to discuss public speaking, presenting, and communicating better. We discuss overcoming your barriers and finding your motivation to become a better communicator at work and in life. We also discuss applying the “easy three” tips for improving your public speaking. You won't want to miss this one!

Brenden Kumarasamy
After coaching many business students on how to give amazing presentations for 2 years, Brenden quickly realized that public speaking is a very difficult subject to master. There are many nuances and generalities that make people afraid to get on stage and present confidently. Because of this, he created his channel to help everyone master even the slightest details of their pitch so that they can gain the confidence to deliver the best presentation they've ever dreamed of!

Links from the Show
Instagram: @masteryourtalk

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MasterTalks
Workshop: rockstarcommunicator.com

Book: Thirst

Driving Business Value Through Design: A Conversation With UXReactor Founder Satyam Kantamneni

Kyle Evans — Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:00:00 -0600

Description
Satyam has led various in-house design organizations at companies such as Citrix and PayPal. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School. He is now the founder of UXReactor, a specialized UX design firm and author of a new book, which we discuss. Anyone looking to become more user-centered as a team or company will benefit immensely from this excellent product management and UX discussion!

Satyam Kantamneni
Prior to founding UXReactor, Satyam led various in-house design organizations such as Citrix and PayPal. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School. While at Harvard, Satyam realized that most businesses aren’t leveraging the full power of User Experience (UX) Design as an engine for strategic growth. So, he resolved to change that. Through UXReactor, Satyam demonstrated that UX can and should drive enterprise-wide innovation and business outcomes. UXReactor has enabled its clients-partners to generate hundreds of millions in additional revenue from user-centered innovation. Satyam is passionate about user-centered innovation and he authored the recently-released book User Experience Design: A Practical Playbook to Fuel Business Growth.

Links from the Show
UX Reactor
User Experience Design: A Practical Playbook to Fuel Business Growth (book)
LinkedIn

No Code and Backendless Development - A Conversation with Founder Mark Piller

Kyle Evans — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 09:30:00 -0600

Description
Mark founded two successful companies and shares his experience with his latest venture, Backendless. We discuss his move to the United States, Ukraine, creating good applications, scaling, and how to become better at programming principles. Whether you are new to no-code/low-code solutions or are a seasoned product manager or engineer, this is a great discussion!

Mark Piller
Mark came to the U.S. as a refugee from the former Soviet Union in the early 90s and approaches his business from a perspective of grit, determination, and gratitude. He has worked in a variety of corporate roles in organizations from small start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. A technologist and engineer at heart, Mark is proficient in several programming languages and specializes in architecting complex computing systems.

Links from the Show
Youtube.com/backendless
Backendless.com
linkedin.com/in/markpiller
Dark Matter (book)
Bravo studio

Conducting User Research and Applying Behavioral Science - A Conversation with Florian Daniel

Kyle Evans — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0600

Florian is the co-founder of Carployee, an Austrian-based startup that was acquired by RideAmigos, where he is now a technical research lead. In this episode, we discuss changing our thinking about big concepts like commuting, applying behavioral science to tough problems, and changing behavior.

We also talk about:

Balancing short-term and long-term research in a start-up with lots of constraints
Sales-driven development vs. product-driven development
Shipping fast

Join us for a great conversation for anyone in product management, UX, technology, or working on advancing their career.

Florian Daniel:
Florian Daniel started working in the commuting industry in 2019 when he co-founded Carployee, a ridesharing startup born in Austria. In early 2022, Carployee was acquired by RideAmigos, a workplace commuter engagement platform that empowers employees with commute options and incentives. In his new role at RideAmigos, Florian leads the platform's technical research arm to help change how the world commutes to and from work where his biggest motivator is to help solve the climate crisis through smarter, sustainable commuting.

Links from the Show
Pavecommute.app
LinkedIn
Human Kind book
BlockPit

Trauma-Informed Research and Product Design - A Conversation with Dr. Bre Gentile (Dr. G)

Kyle Evans — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 08:00:00 -0600

Dr. G is a trauma-informed psychologist turned trauma-informed product researcher and designer. In this episode, we discuss getting into UX research, becoming an advisor, meeting people where they are, and emotional inclusivity. We explore trauma-informed design (understanding), restorative design (creating), and receptional design (receiving) as the product lifecycle.

We also talk about:

Going deeper for a small audience rather than trying to get all the audience
Focusing on getting design right
Designing for emotions other than just joy and delight

Join us for a great conversation for anyone in product management, UX, technology, or working on advancing their career or understanding people and how design impacts them.

Dr. G:
After 4 degrees in psychology (B.A., M.A., M.S., and Ph.D.) I've finally decided what I want to be when I grow up. As a trauma-informed product designer I help product and service designers become more restorative in their design process. I've finally fused my love for psychology and user experience (UX) research and design into one beautiful, complex career.

Links from the Show
drgslab.com
LinkedIn
Empathy in Tech
Empathy Exams by Leslie Jamison
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
Truebill app

Solving Problems and Developing Apps - A Conversation with Dan Hafner

Kyle Evans — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 09:29:54 -0600

In this episode, I spoke with Dan Hafner, a mobile app creator and entrepreneur who helps other businesses and entrepreneurs create apps and solve problems. We talked about focusing on meaningful problems, thinking through the user experience, no-code solutions, and who benefits from creating a mobile app. Join us for a great product management conversation.

Dan Hafner:
Dan started out building apps with zero ability to write a single line of code, yet somehow figured out how to build an entire app development business! He works with high-level coaches, content creators and entrepreneurs to put their idea into a tangible, sleek and scalable app model.

Links from the Show
Dappermobileapps.com

Mobile Domination

Mentorship, Networking, and Managing Managers: A Conversation with Roni Burgener

Kyle Evans — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0600

Finding a mentor is critical for your career, but it's a lot like dating--you can't force it. Eventually you'll both know and you'll develop a relationship and friendship that works for both of you. We discuss the importance of mentors and mentorship and how to find the right mentor.

We also talk about:

Dealing with sexism and discrimination, both blatant and subtle, and learning how to handle it and change it
Building relationships of trust to foster open and honest feedback and communication
Finding your passion throughout your career

Join us for a great conversation for anyone in product management, UX, technology, or working on advancing their career.

Roni Burgener:
Roni is a biological and chemical engineering grad with dog years of experience in her first four years in tech. After bouncing around between several companies and roles in tech - she has landed as an engineer at Comcast. When she’s not working she’s either creating content for her podcast Big Girl Money, cooking, or at happy hour with her girlfriends. She lives in Arvada, Colorado with her soon to be husband and two dogs.

Links from the Show
The Art of Gathering
Big Girl Money Podcast
The Oto Smart Sprinkler
LinkedIn
Instagram

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Jenny Meier, Cofounder of Kollektiv MFG

Kyle Evans — Mon, 13 Jun 2022 08:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Kyle Evans and Jenny Meier discussed starting a company, the importance of having diversity on your team (and consequences if you don’t), how the tools we use for communication have neglected diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and what they are doing to fix that at Kollektiv. We also discuss how technology can help, but how our value systems and mindsets are even more critical. Listen in for more great product management and UX insight!

Jenny Meier:
Jenny is the cofounder of Kollektiv MFG (Meier, Fischer, Gansauge), which is a collective of three women in tech, building digital products with a focus on projects that support the global 17 sustainable development goals.

Links from the Show
Kollektiv MFG
Calvah
Jennifer on LinkedIn

Human-Centered Design with Dr. Kenya Oduor

Kyle Evans — Wed, 18 May 2022 10:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Kyle Evans joined by Dr. Kenya Oduor, a human-centered researcher, strategist, and solution designer. We discuss moving from being a UX practitioner to a leader, working across all the disciplines in a business, democratizing user experience design, and when it makes sense to add more UX researchers and designers to your team. We also discuss avoiding bias in research and recruiting for our product discovery work, and how to ensure we’re building inclusively. Listen in for incredible product management/UX insight and a great conversation.

Kenya's Bio:
Dr. Kenya Oduor is a human-centered researcher, strategist, and solution designer. She is trained in human factors, experimental psychology and industrial engineering.

After nearly 20 years in enterprise software development organizations, she formed Lean Geeks. Lean Geeks, a business consulting and staffing firm, helps organizations discover market opportunities and define the most effective solutions for their market.

Links from the show:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenya-oduor-phd-02a63a/
Lean Geeks: https://leangeeks.net/
LinkedIn Post on statistics: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kenya-oduor-phd
Young, Famous, and African: https://www.netflix.com/title/81310218

Brace for Impact! Overcoming Fears and Increasing Influence - A Conversation with Daniel Tolson

Kyle Evans — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0600

Most of what holds us back are internal constraints and fears. So how can we recognize our limiting beliefs and overcome them to increase our influence and impact? I discuss that with Daniel Tolson, a business coach who has helped thousands of individuals understand what is holding them back and overcome it. So whether you're new in your career or 20 years in, buckle up for a great discussion!

Daniel's Bio:
Daniel Tolson is an internationally known business coach. He helped more than 15,000 businesses to catapult their influence, accelerate their impact and unleash new income levels.

Links from the show:
Website: https://danieltolson.com/
Masterclass: https://www.unleashedmasterclass.com/

Getting Product Pricing and Packaging Right: A Deep Dive with Dan Balcauski

Kyle Evans — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0600

Product pricing and packaging can be complex, which is why many companies and teams get it wrong or avoid it. It's why I spoke with Dan about how to do it right, and why he created Product Tranquility. From understanding and segmenting your customers, to creating the right packaging, to developing an ongoing process, we covered so many amazing tips for getting product pricing right. And more (like why to avoid freemium). Listen in for some great product management and UX insights, and a great conversation!

Dan's Bio:
Product Tranquility is a consulting firm founded in Austin, TX, led by Dan Balcauski. As the principal consultant for Product Tranquility, Dan helps high-volume B2B SaaS CEOs define pricing and packaging for new products. He is a TopTal certified Top 3% Product Management Professional and helps teach the Kellogg Executive Education course on Product Strategy.

Links from the show:
Website: https://www.producttranquility.com/#home

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balcauski/

Onboarding, Off-boarding, and Working With The Right The Right People - A Discussion with Barbara Elena Ramirez

Kyle Evans — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 09:00:00 -0600

Working with the right users and customers is critical for success. We need to find them, onboard them, and in the end, offboard them in the right way. And every step should be intentional and thoughtful for our businesses and our users. Listen in for some great product management and UX insights.

Barbara's Bio:
A latina with BIG global dreams, I've always been an advocate of following my heart and passions. I realized at 31 that age is just a number, and you can get to start over again no matter what, so I quit to my burnout corporate work and started looking for ways of launching a business from home, more relaxed = less stress, and more time for myself.

Barbara and Norberto, two Venezuelans working in this online world since 2015. They created My Virtual Partnr in 2015 to put together our corporate and strategic planning background and expertise and create a simple strategic planning program for Small Businesses, that are seeking to scale in business.

Links from the show:
https://myvirtualpartnr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/myvirtualpartnr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myvirtualpartnr/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myvirtualpartnr/

The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama: https://amzn.to/36hVdpK

Experimenting, Learning, and Growing - A Conversation with Lee St. James, Founder of Social Robots

Kyle Evans — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 08:00:00 -0600

Social robots started as Lee saw the problem of loneliness and isolation in retirement homes, as her own father needed more and more care. And she took up the cause right before Covid-19 hit, creating Social Robots and piloting them in several locations. She has learned an amazing number of lessons building a company, testing new ideas and new markets, and creating solutions to significant problems many of us are facing in our families today. From starting simple, to prioritizing privacy, to collaboration with retirement home staffs to create meaningful experiences. Listen in for some great product management and UX insights.

Lee's Bio:
Lee St James is a tech-savvy consultant and entrepreneur with over 25 years of business experience across a range of industries including consumer packaged goods and software. She is the founder and President of Social Robots, a technology start-up that is exploring how robots can engage, entertain, and educate residents, family members and staff at retirement homes and long-term care facilities. She is passionate about the opportunity for companion robots to relieve social isolation and loneliness and to help people be more connected with each other.

Lee has an Honors Business degree from Western University (London, Ontario) and a Masters degree in Business Administration from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France). As an experienced general manager, collaborative team leader and serial entrepreneur, Lee has expertise in digital transformation, strategic marketing and robots.

Links from the show:
www.socialrobots.ca

lee@socialrobots.ca

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-robots

Twitter: https://twitter.com/social_robots

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Social.Robots (FB page for Mindy too: https://www.facebook.com/mindy.stjames.71/)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/social.robots/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0vp2MOxEzGri0iAq4zqScw

Being Mortal by Dr. Atul Gawande: http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/

Happily Ever Older by Moira Welsh: https://ecwpress.com/products/happily-ever-older

Groupthink: Recognizing and Avoiding It

Kyle Evans — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 09:00:00 -0700

Unfortunately, groupthink continues to be pervasive on our product teams and companies. Whether it is minor features or big launches. Sometimes it is a poorly designed product. Sometimes it is a tragedy. But at the core, we can often find groupthink, which is why we need to understand it, recognize it, and avoid it. Listen in for more product management and UX insights!

Links from the show:
Groupthink — Understanding and Avoiding It
Groupthink — Recognizing It In Teams and Organizations

Building Better Products by Learning From Successes and Failures: A Conversation with Ed Vincent

Kyle Evans — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 08:00:00 -0700

As a long-time entrepreneur, Ed has built a number of companies and businesses, and seen what works and what doesn't. Learning from his time at MoviePass (along with his experience in software and live events), Ed has launched festivalPass, a festival subscription service for live events. We dive into lessons learned, using data well, the power of discovery, the creator economy, and what the future may bring. Listen in for more product management and UX insights!

We also dive into a number of great topics, from things like more support for creators, using crypto, minting and buying NFTs within the platform and more. We also discuss how to prioritize features within a marketplace in order to provide the most value to users.

Ed's Bio:
Entrepreneur with over 25 years business, technology and management experience including 6 years banking and valuation experience. Founded an e-commerce business in 1999 which was sold to a competitor in 2001. Repeat Founder including SimplyEngage, myProducer, & Predict Ventures. Currently Founder & CEO of festivalPass.

Links from the show:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edvincent/
festivalPass: https://www.festivalpass.com/

Hiring and Interviewing Tips for Managers and Candidates

Kyle Evans — Sat, 01 Jan 2022 11:28:35 -0700

In this episode, we discuss interviewing tips for hiring managers and candidates, including how to handle take-home assignments, cultural fit interviews, making a game plan before the product management or UX interview, and giving feedback. It was a great discussion with tons of excellent nuggets. And our farewell to Eva (and 2021).

Product Segmentation: A Conversation with Rob Ristagno

Kyle Evans — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 09:00:00 -0700

In this episode we have an incredible conversation with Rob Ristagno, CEO of Sterling Woods and expert in segmentation and product/market fit. We talk about the issues most companies have with segmentation, steps to improve segmentation, and how to identify product/market fit. Listen in for more product management and UX insights!

Links from the show:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robristagno
Segmentation tool: https://sterlingwoods.com/

Podcast: CEO Campfire Chat

Bose Sleepbuds (shout-outs): https://amzn.to/31onqsp

Product Manager and Designer Holiday Gift Ideas

Kyle Evans — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 07:30:00 -0700

Looking for ideas for holiday gifts? We've got you covered. Looking to start a trend of giving gifts for work anniversaries? We agree completely. And have got the perfect options for you. Listen on!

Links from the show:
Product Manager:

Affordable
- Funny notebook - $18 - https://wtfnotebooks.com/
- Book - $32 - Design https://amzn.to/32YyMUL
Moderate
- Ember smart mug - $149 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ember-temperature-control-smart-mug-14-oz-copper/6471972.p?skuId=6471972
- DJI Tello Drone - $99: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RQJHG8M
Expensive
- Azio Retro Keyboard and rest - $250 https://amzn.to/30WQ6Zp
- Oculus Quest 2 - $299 - https://amzn.to/3pkZy1c
- DJI Mavic Mini - $349 - https://amzn.to/3I7wIde
- Echo show 15 - $250 https://amzn.to/3DMTF2t

Designer

Affordable
- Great Designs - $25 - https://amzn.to/3lwOOeY
- Ergonomic wireless mouse - $20 - https://amzn.to/3EHorKZ
Mid
- UI Patterns Card set - $59 https://shop.ui-patterns.com/product/ui-patterns-card-deck/?v=7516fd43adaa
- External storage drive - $69 - https://amzn.to/3GgbaZX
Higher price point
- Adobe subscription - $360 - https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html
- Design keyboard - $199 https://amzn.to/3kZHacE
- Asus ProArt Display 27" (PA278QV) $319 - https://amzn.to/3EtZJ0r
- ViewSonic VP2768-4k 27" - $579 - https://amzn.to/3GibR5a

Product Thinking and Delivering Value in Software Development - A Conversation With Mark Taylor

Kyle Evans — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0600

Embracing product thinking as a product development team, an organization, and as practitioners is key to creating great products. Adopting a product mindset comes through education, experimentation, communication, and constant improvement. We explore how to shift mindsets, where project thinking falls short, and so much more.

Mark's Bio:
Mark is an independent IT consultant with almost 30 years of experience in Software Development - covering leadership, architecture, devops and hands-on development. He is also the host of the “Better ROI from Software Development” podcast - a short weekly podcast for the non-technical leader struggling with why their “traditional” management techniques aren’t getting the outcomes they need

Links from the show:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markbryantaylor/

Podcast: https://red-folder.com/podcasts or search for “Better ROI from Software Development”

DuoLingo (shout-outs): https://www.duolingo.com/

Cliq Chairs (shout-out): https://www.cliqproducts.com/products/cliq-chair

MVPs, Product Launches, and Learning New Skills - A Conversation with Jason Sherman

Kyle Evans — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 10:34:57 -0600

Jason Sherman - an entrepreneur, filmmaker, and futurist - joins us to talk about validating ideas through minimum viable products (MVPs), creating successful launches, and constant learning to build new skills and iterate on your ideas. Join us for another superb conversation.

Bio: Jason runs a web and mobile dev shop and film studio from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He gives guest lectures at area universities, and regularly supports hackathons or tech events as a mentor and judge. His methodologies on entrepreneurship and data driven decisions are his main source of education to those he helps all around the world. His startup book Strap on your Boots is the culmination of his life’s work to help other entrepreneurs succeed with a podcast of the same name, and is the focus of a class he created called Startup Essentials. He originally taught the course as a guest lecturer at area universities, including the Wharton School of Business and now the course is available online for students on Udemy and Skillshare.

Links from the show:
jasonsherman.org
Strap On Your Boots (book)
Strap On Your Boots (podcast)
Cutting Corners Documentary

A Product Conversation With Jens Goetzmann - Product Management, Writing, Working with Engineers & More

Kyle Evans — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 10:40:03 -0600

Jens is a longtime product manager, and he joins us to talk about all things product. We discuss the benefits of writing as a forcing function and how writing and product are so similar. We also discuss how to work with engineers and the role of product management as risk management. And so much more. Listen for one of the best product conversations we've had yet.

Bio: Jens is Head of Product at RevenueCat, a subscription management software-as-a-service. Previous product management roles include fitness app 8fit and Microsoft’s enterprise social network Yammer.

Articles:

Follow Jens on Twitter, Medium, or his website.

The Paradox of Choice - Less But Better

Kyle Evans — Mon, 20 Sep 2021 17:08:30 -0600

Having more options may seem better, but is it? In this episode, we explore the paradox of choice—when having too many options actually slows us down and paralyzes our decision-making. We discuss why we end up with too many features in our products and what we can do to avoid creating feature overload for our customers.

Killing Features (article)
Defeating Feature Fatigue (article)
Patrick Collison Tweet
Sign up for Kyle's Product Thinking Newsletter for more updates.
Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Grab Bag: Competition, Product Certifications, Timelines, Product Discovery, and More

Kyle Evans — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 10:05:56 -0600

We dive into 5 questions we've received recently and give some thoughts: How much should I focus on competitors? How much will a certification help me? How do I deal with timelines from stakeholders? What do you think about Customer Advisory Boards? How do you work with UX and engineering on discovery work? Buckle up for a rapid fire episode.

Killing Features
10 Heuristics for Good UX
Product Thinking vs Project Thinking
Sign up for Kyle's Product Thinking Newsletter for more updates.
Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Getting Into Product Management: A Conversation With Piyali Dey

Kyle Evans — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 10:00:00 -0600

Piyali Dey is a product manager with Microsoft. In this episode, she shares tips on getting into product management, including the skills new product managers need, how to leverage existing experience, and interviewing and networking tips. We also discuss what you can do to build your portfolio, how to avoid common resume mistakes, and whether you need certifications and specific education. Finally, we discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in our product teams. Join us for another great product conversation.

Books
Hit Refresh
Becoming
Cracking the PM Interview
Hooked

About Piyali
LinkedIn
Twitter
Bio:
Piyali is currently a Product Manager at Microsoft and one of the Board of Directors at a non-profit called ProductBC. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband, 10-month-old daughter and two puppies. Before joining Microsoft, she earned her master’s degree in computer sc from North Carolina State University, USA and spent several years working in enterprise companies and startups as a software engineer.

Piyali is known across the technical community in North America as an active community event organizer and a relentless advocate for diversity and equality in tech. The past few years have seen her in various lead roles at major events and community groups including IEEE Women in Engineering and Grace Hopper Conference. Building communities and empowering minorities in tech are two of her biggest passions.

Managing Burnout in A Design and Product Career: A Conversation with Carien Moolman

Kyle Evans — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 08:00:00 -0600

Burnout-chronic workplace stress that hasn't been successfully managed-is becoming more and more common. But what can we do about it? In this episode, we talk with experience designer Carien Moolman about her experience with burnout. We discuss the 3 predictors of burnout and what each of us need to overcome and avoid burnout in our careers. We also talk tips and tricks for avoiding burnout as product people.

We also dive into remote work, and how remote work has been in South Africa, where Carien is located. And we sprinkle in some lawn talk and predictions on Siri becoming our (humorous) robot overlord. Buckle up for a great conversation.

Article: How to survive a design career and avoid burnout

Carien Moolman:
Medium
LinkedIn
Bio:
Carien has been doing UX design (in South Africa) for the last 13 years. Before that, she designed microwave applicators to crack rocks. She has worked with banks, investment managers, insurers, a car manufacturer, a cinema, a maker of luxury linen, a fuel provider, some pretty strange loyalty programs and most recently, a fun startup building a platform for businesses who have field sales teams. She believes that tech should serve people and that Human Centered Design makes the world a better place. All her previous non-work-related interests have been replaced by raising two blonde toddlers, from whom she has learned more about human behaviour and decision making than all of the books combined.

Sign up for Kyle's Product Thinking Newsletter for more updates.
Like our podcast, consider leaving a tip by Buying Us a Coffee
Follow us on twitter: Product by Design, Kyle, Eva

Dark Product and UX Patterns: Dark Design and How to Avoid Manipulating Users

Kyle Evans — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 09:00:00 -0600

Dark design patterns are about manipulating users to do things that businesses want them to do, but that users may not want to do themselves. These patterns are as prevalent as they are evil. In this episode, we discuss some of the most common dark patterns and how different businesses and industries employ them. And why we need to be the voice to stop the manipulation.

Darkpatterns.org
Sign up for Kyle's Product Thinking Newsletter for more updates.
Like our podcast, consider leaving a tip by Buying Us a Coffee
Follow us on twitter: Product by Design, Kyle, Eva

Burnout - Understanding and Addressing Employee Burnout

Kyle Evans — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 12:05:22 -0600

Burnout is a serious issue, and is becoming an increasingly common workplace phenomenon. But what can we do about it? In this episode, we identify the symptoms of burnout, the common causes, and what we can do to prevent burnout in ourselves and our teams. From taking breaks, to finding the right role and company, to taking control of our "why" and our time.

B-Hyve Smart Sprinker
Sign up for Kyle's Product Thinking Newsletter for more updates.
Like our podcast, consider leaving a tip by Buying Us a Coffee
Follow us on twitter: Product by Design, Kyle, Eva

Product Features - Successful and Unsuccessful Features and How to Avoid Failure

Kyle Evans — Thu, 20 May 2021 11:25:41 -0600

We've all launched features that succeed and features that failed. But why are some successful and others unsuccessful? In this episode, we look at some examples of good product features from our own experience and from other companies, as well as unsuccessful features to examine what makes a good feature and good experience, and what we can learn from success and failure. From Snapchat Stories to Facebook Home, we've got some great examples to dive into.

Prioritization, Creating Order, and Product Management - An Interview with Rachael Larsen, Head of Education

Kyle Evans — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 10:32:43 -0600

In this episode, we are joined by Rachael Larsen, the new Head of Education at Product School. Rachael has been in technology and education for over 14 years, and has built software products that range from mobile apps to large enterprise systems. We discuss everything from "beta spring" weather to prioritizing in product and in life. We discuss tips for product managers, best advice, and some highlights and lowlights from Rachael's career in product.

Rachael Larsen (LinkedIn)
Inspired by Marty Cagan
Sign up for Kyle's Product Thinking Newsletter for more updates.
Like our podcast, consider Buying Us a Coffee

Tips for Product Careers - Interviewing, Job Searches & More

Kyle Evans — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 14:55:20 -0600

Managing your product career is critical to your success. It starts with applying a product mindset to your career, and taking that mindset to your job search and interviewing when that time comes. In this episode, we give our top tips on how to do that, from before you start looking for a job, to while your interviewing, to post interview tips.

MVP: What is the Real Definition of Minimum Viable Product and How to Use One

Kyle Evans — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 08:08:55 -0600

What is an MVP? Why is it important? Why is the idea of a minimum viable product so contentious? Are you building an actual MVP or just shipping crap and calling it an MVP? We tackle these questions and more as we discuss MVPs, their history, what an MVP really is, and how to use them in product development.

User Personas - What They Are, When They're Good, & Problems They Cause

Kyle Evans — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 08:51:28 -0700

User personas have been around for a long time. Creating them can be an excellent exercise and a useful tool for UX design and product teams. But are they always the right answer? And what about when the rubber meets the road? Personas can be great in theory, but in practice can fall short. In this episode, we explore the ways to use personas and the ways they can fall short, along with what to do for your teams.

Links

The Best and Worst Elements of Being a Product Manager or UX Designer

Kyle Evans — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 09:53:22 -0700

Being a product manager or UX designer can be great. But it can also suck. In this episode, we discuss the best and worst elements of working in product management and product design. From the highs of creating a strategy and solving real user problems to the lows of fighting constant bureaucracy and cranking out features, we tackle the reality of our favorite (and least favorite) parts of the job.

Links:

Tips For Starting a UX Design Career or Design Team with David Broschinsky

Kyle Evans — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 08:40:42 -0700

David Broschinsky is a Director of UX. He has over 20 years of experience, and has seen the field grow from almost nothing to its current state. As he's helped develop UX teams and UX practitioners, he's seen what works and what it takes to be successful. In this episode, we discussed where UX started and the changes we'll see in the future. We talked about how we can build good design teams and get support from our organizations. We also discussed tips for young UX designers. And, of course, a few of our favorite gadgets.

You can follow David at @sundiverdb on Twitter and @sundiverdb on Instagram
While you're there, don't forget to follow @kylelarryevans, @yanchauchau, and @prod_by_design

Recognizing Employees and Colleagues - How, Why, and When

Kyle Evans — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 10:09:34 -0700

Recognizing and acknowledging employees and colleagues is critical for motivation, engagement, and job satisfaction. But how can we do better at recognizing our team members and teammates? Who should do it? When is a good time? And why, as product people, is it especially important? Join us as we dive headfirst into 2021 and into the importance of acknowledging accomplishments, great and small.

15 Gift Ideas - The Perfect Gifts for Product Managers or Designers

Kyle Evans — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 15:26:41 -0700

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the product manager or UX designer in your life? Look no further. We've got you covered. Whether it's a small token of appreciation or a major splurge, there is something on our list sure to satisfy discerning tastes. We cover items for less expensive to very nice, along with a few surprise bonuses. So take a listen if you need ideas for yourself or someone in your life.

Check out the Holiday Gift Guide Article on our site as well!

Product Managers:

Estimation Dice - $12
Empowered - $28
1. Or check out any book from this list
Audible Subscription - $150
Leather Notebook Cover - $89
MTP Annual Membership - $250
Webcam and Mic - $220
Bose 700 Headphones - $340

Product/UX Designers:

Wireframing notebook from Moo $19.99
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8LRwrKH7_I
Subscription gifting:
1. Setapp, $9.99
2. The noun project, $39.99 for a year
3. Blush - modular illustration, $12/mo
4. Udemy - gift a course!
Wrist rest ($36)
1. We hotkey all day
Royal Seat Cushion from Purple, $79-99
Candle subscription for WFH from Vellabox, $60 for 3mos (prepay)

Bonus:
Gift card exchange

https://www.reddit.com/r/giftcardexchange/

Get stamps for your designer friends!

10 Product Shout-outs - A Thanksgiving Special

Kyle Evans — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:41:38 -0700

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we give 10 shout-outs (and a few bonuses) to some products we're using and love. From apps on our computers, to apps on our phones, to the best cup of hot chocolate, settle in for a holiday treat as we talk good product and design.

Secura Milk Frother
Setapp: Netflix of apps
Elevate: Brain training
CleanShot X: screenshot & screen recording
Fossil Smartwatch
Noizio: background noise
Weebly
Todoist: task management
TP Link: Smart home switches
Karabiner-Elements: Key-binding for keyboards
(Not a product but life-saver) All the sketch plugins by Jason Burns
Eva's keyboard: https://imgur.com/a/mQ9EGIl

Exploring Three Cognitive Biases on Product Teams

Kyle Evans, Eva Chau — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 10:58:29 -0700

In this episode we sat down with Adam Thomas, a product manager, leader and coach, to talk about 3 main cognitive biases in product teams and what we can do about them. We discussed how product managers are responsible for the decision fitness and process, and how to move from system one thinking to system two thinking. Buckle up for another great discussion.

Links and notes:

Building Trust and Effectively Working Across Disciplines

Kyle Evans — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 11:20:58 -0700

In this episode, we interviewed Ali Maquet, a Principal Portfolio Manager at WGU. She has had an array of experience, from working as a business analyst, a scrum master, a product manager and now a portfolio manager. She gives advice for moving into different roles, shaping your role, working with different disciplines, and building trust. Ali is one of the best, so get ready for an amazing conversation.

What to do if you're considering a move to product
How to shape your role
Having difficult conversations and building trust
Remote work and working agreements
Advice for leaders

Continuing Development As Product Managers and Designers

Kyle Evans — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 08:55:55 -0600

It's critical we continue our learning and development as product managers and UX designers. But it can be hard when our jobs take up so much time day-to-day. What are some of the best ways to continue professional progression? We dive into that topic and more on this episode.

Professional Learning:

Podcasts
Webinars, Publications and Newsletters: Product Thinking, Product by Design
Books
Conferences
Training
Mentoring

Netflix vs Hulu - A Breakdown of the Product Experience

Kyle Evans — Sat, 10 Oct 2020 09:43:54 -0600

Links:

Presentation Link: Google Slides

Prioritization: Choosing the Right Things from Strategic Initiatives to Products To Features

Kyle Evans — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 13:13:47 -0600

Choosing the right things to work on is often the hardest part in any role, especially product development. Whether it is strategic initiatives, product features, or backlog items, we have to ensure we're saying yes to the right things and saying no to the wrong things. In this episode we tackle a framework for making those hard decisions and how to incorporate the various prioritization methods (from MoSCoW to User Story Mapping) into your process. If you like this episode, you can find more information at https://productthinking.substack.com/p/strategic-prioritization

Product Roadmaps: Love, Hate (and Hate) - And How to Fix Them

Kyle Evans — Sun, 13 Sep 2020 15:27:43 -0600

Product roadmaps can be an extraordinary tool, or an extraordinary pain. It all depends on how we create them and use them. In this episode, we tackle product roadmaps, what they are, what they aren't, and how to get the most out of your roadmap. We also sprinkle in some pumpkin spice, because we all love pumpkin spice.

Notes:

What a roadmap isn't
What a roadmap is
What is its purpose
What are the principles in creating a roadmap
What are the components of a roadmap
Who should be involved

Links:
Product Roadmaps: Love, Hate (& Hate) article
Twitter thread

Reviewing the 10 Heuristics for Good Product Design

Kyle Evans — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 14:23:49 -0600

If you like Netflix, Audible, motorcycles, movies, or online shopping, we've got examples from all of the above and more. Join us for a thorough analysis of key usability principles and how many of the products you use incorporate them (or don't).

Links from the episode:

Creating a Product Strategy and Involving Product Designers in Your Strategy

Kyle Evans — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 11:54:02 -0600

In this episode we have a great conversation about product strategy, where design fits in strategy, and how to involve your product team, including UX designers in the strategy and vision.

Where does strategy fit?
What are the major headaches for product managers?
What difficulties are there in getting support for product strategy?
How can we create the product vision, strategy and measure it to ensure success?

We also tackle other important questions:

Star Trek, Star Wars, or Battlestar Galactica?
What is a Timberking 2000 and why Kyle needs one

What To Do When You Don't Have A Full-Time Designer On Your Team

Kyle Evans — Sat, 25 Jul 2020 17:50:51 -0600

Why don't teams have designers?

What can you do if you don't have a designer?

Get inspirations from wherever you can
Find tools and libraries to leverage
Utilize UI kits

What if you have a little budget for contract work?

There are some good options such as Upwork
Understand and be upfront about your budget, timeline and scale

Links from our discussion:

Moving Into A Product Design Career

Kyle Evans — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 10:00:00 -0600

We cover an array of topics, including

Jordan's background before design
How he got into design
How he moved into product design from graphic design
How is background contributed to the move
What he wished he knew before

Creating & Designing Inclusive Products

Kyle Evans — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0600

What is inclusivity?

How does it align with accessibility?

Why is inclusivity important in product design and development?

How can we begin to identify and overcome some of our own blind spots?

References:

Moving Into Product Management

Kyle Evans, Eva Chau and Chris Salway — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 09:00:00 -0600

Very few of us take a straight-line path into product management, and Chris is no exception. He talks about how his background helped prepare him for a career in product management, and what he learned along the way to help him be successful.

A few things Chris wishes he knew coming into product management:

Product managers often make decisions without all the information. How can we better prepare for this?
Not everyone understands the value of product management. How can we do better?
Product management is incredibly fun. As much hard work as it is, there are few careers as rewarding.

Listen for a ton of other great information on moving into product management, the origin of Doritos, hamburgers, and using tacos to gauge your purchasing habits.

Doing Product Discovery

Kyle Evans — Fri, 05 Jun 2020 12:30:00 -0600

What is product discovery?

It is the process of building great products
It is about building the right product and ensuring we build the product right

Why is product discovery important?

We need to address risks in product development

How do we do product discovery?

How does remote work impact product discovery?

We need to think about communication

What are some examples?

The Benefits of Design Thinking

Kyle Evans — Fri, 15 May 2020 17:00:00 -0600

What is design thinking?

Empathizing
Defining
Ideating
Prototyping
Testing
Implementing

Why is design thinking important?

"Design thinking gets us out of our normal way of doing business and opens the door to numerous possibilities"

How can we implement design thinking?

What are the most important aspects?

Links and mentions:

Design thinking framework (Nielson Norman Group)
Sprint (book)
Lightning Decision Jam

Doing User Research

Kyle Evans — Fri, 08 May 2020 09:00:00 -0600

What is user research?

A tool to understand needs
A way to find out what you don't know

What are types of research?

Interviews
Focus groups
Field studies
Usability tests
Surveys
Questionnaires
many more...

Why do research?

To inform the design, the direction and gather insight
"Be ready to be surprised"

Tips

Have a plan
Do it often
Doesn't have to be perfect
Adopt the mindset of a scientist
Have fun and get the reps
Volunteer to be on the other side to understand what it's like

Referenced in the show:
User Research Basics

Stop doing user research. Start having conversations.

Working Remotely as Product Teams - Part 1

Kyle Evans — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 17:00:00 -0600

How are we dealing with working from home currently?

How has working remotely changed workflows for product managers?

What are some tools and practices product teams are using to bridge the gaps?

What are businesses doing to adapt now and in the future?

Is this the new normal?

Product Managers & Product Designers

Kyle Evans — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 10:00:00 -0600

What is the ideal structure for product managers and product designers?

What about scenarios when you can't have the ideal like when there are too few product managers or product designers?

How should product managers and product designers combine forces?

How can product designers better collaborate with product managers?

How can product managers better collaborate with product designers?

What are some keys to success?

Shoutouts:

What is Product Design - A Deep Dive

Kyle Evans — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0600

What is product design?

Who is a designer?

What's the difference between web design, visual design and product design?

What makes a good product designer?

How can you get into product design from other design fields?

How can you get your company to buy into product design?

Why is thinking about design important to save costs and work for your business?

What is Product Management - A Deep Dive

Kyle Evans — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 08:00:00 -0600

What is product management?

What makes a good product manager?

What is the difference between a product manager and a product owner?

What is the difference between product management and project management?

Why is it important to know the difference?

How can we incorporate the right mindset in order to avoid the build trap or becoming a feature factory?

How can we get our organizations to begin to buy into product management?

An Intro to Product Management and Product Design

Kyle Evans — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0600

In our first episode, we (Kyle and Eva) take a moment to introduce ourselves and talk about how we each got into product management and design. We also dive into various topics including our favorite moments in product, challenges in product management and design, how we define our roles, and where we see the industry going.