Product to Product

Latest Episodes:

Your product, your community, your emotional wheels Nov 09, 2021

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Good product managers are customer-obsessed. They build products and features that will solve their customers' problems. But Peter Yang from Reddit argues that great product managers focus on how products make customers feel. Dive into this episode with us as Peter teaches us all about the emotional wheel and how PMs can learn a thing or two from gaming.

Want all the highlights quickly? We've got them for you here:
https://roadmunk.com/guides/podcast-product-to-product-peter-yang-emotions-optimized/

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How Webflow PMs use product sense to drive their roadmaps Oct 26, 2021

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Is product sense a superpower? In this candid conversation, Webflow PM Frank Ramirez, details the tough transition he made into product management, the mistakes early PMs make, and much more. This episode may even help you discover your PM superpower!

Want all the highlights quickly? We've got them for you here: https://roadmunk.com/guides/podcast-product-to-product-frank-ramirez-webflow-pm-product-sense-roadmap/

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Are User Interviews a Waste of Time? Oct 13, 2021

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It's always a good idea to talk to your customers. But Hinge's Chief Product Officer, Michelle Parsons, thinks we're looking for the wrong things in our user interviews.

In this episode of Product to Product, Latif and Michelle dissect how a good product sense might actually make you prioritize quantitative data over qualitative data. Michelle brings a wealth of experiences from her time at Netflix, Spotify, and Kayak. You might want to share this episode with your product friends.

Want all the highlights quickly? We've got them for you here: https://roadmunk.com/guides/podcast-product-to-product-michelle-parsons-are-user-interviews-a-waste-of-time/

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A Scientific Approach to Product Sense Sep 30, 2021

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Product sense is more than a gut feeling or intuition. Avrum Laurie, VP of Product at Wealthsimple, walks us through a scientific approach to employing product sense predictably and effectively.

In this episode of Product to Product, Avrum shares example after example of how he and his team think about product sense. Latif uncovers how Wealthsimple ships impactful products loved by Canadians from coast to coast. Pull out a notepad for this one, you'll want to take notes!

Want all the highlights quickly? We've got them for you here: https://roadmunk.com/guides/podcast-product-to-product-avrum-laurie-scientific-approach-product-sense

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What does product sense look like at a startup? Insights from a CEO Aug 31, 2021

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Data is important but it's only one piece of the puzzle. Kristin Chen, the CEO of Top.gg, reminds us that data can only show us where a fire is but not what caused it.

In this episode of Product to Product, Kristin guides Latif through her most noteworthy product management experiences from Soundcloud, Pinterest, and Twitch. Now, as she leads Top.gg, you'll learn how she's deploying product sense as a startup CEO.

Want all the highlights quickly? We've got them for you here:
https://roadmunk.com/guides/podcast-product-to-product-kristin-chen-product-sense-startup-insights-from-ceo/

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Can you lose product-market fit? Balancing data and customer stories Aug 19, 2021

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Don't get too comfy once you've found product-market fit! Our guest today, Ramli John, warns companies that if they don't keep their thumb on the pulse of their customers they could lose their market.

On this inaugural episode of Product to Product's season 8, Latif and Ramli dive into what product sense looks like in a number of contexts. Throughout this conversation you'll hear them cover a range of topics; from customer stories to product-led growth.

Want all the highlights quickly? We've got them for you here: https://roadmunk.com/guides/podcast-product-to-product-ramli-john-balance-data-customer-stories/

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Early adopters and laggards give the most useful user feedback - Abhi Bhatt @ Amazon Alexa Jul 28, 2020

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(Disclaimer: These episodes were recorded prior to the coronavirus outbreak as well as the Black Lives Matter marches.)

For Abhi Bhatt, Head of Product at Alexa Identity, who’s worked on innovative and category shaping products (like the first generation Motorola Razr phone and North’s AR smart glasses), early adopters and laggard customers give the most insightful feedback.
He says product teams need to work backwards when building something that hasn’t been done before. You’ll need to figure out the segmentation and what the customer base will look like. Also, find out what these customers care about. Based on the psychographics and demographics, choose a segment that has the most resonance. Ultimately, product teams should be spending a lot of time with their customers, to the point that they become your “partner” in development.
When it comes to customer feedback, Abhi says quantitative data is like looking in the rear-view mirror. It’s already happened! It reflects on how people are behaving in the sandbox you’ve created. On the other hand, qualitative data points to understanding why they are behaving this way and the motivations behind it. This set of data also pressure tests if you’ve built the right thing for customers. Both lenses need to be applied to your product, whether it’s early and innovative or a mature product.

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Customer feedback is constant and helps grow user empathy–Sarah Pyo @ Shopify Jul 14, 2020

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(Disclaimer: These episodes were recorded prior to the coronavirus outbreak as well as the Black Lives Matter marches.)
Shopify Product Lead Sarah Pyo says it’s crucial for PMs to be close to user feedback; by joining customer calls, reviewing feedback channels and blocking out time with the customer success team. These sessions, called “bridge the gap” meetings at Shopify, remind PMs that empathy is the core of user-centric products. It’s easy to lose sight of this as you’re working with various stakeholders on day-to-day tasks, Sarah cautions.
Sarah also says that, for product people, the user is your BOSS. Creating an experience that resonates with them should be prioritized. If you build it, they will come. Likewise, if you build a product users love, you will reap the benefits for your company, she adds.
Sarah advises that, in order to ensure your metrics give you real feedback instead of setting up vanity metrics you can gamify, PMs need to have requirements in place while chasing a product company’s ultimate North Star.

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Ditch the MVP, embrace the MLP and listen to your users - Veronica Hudson @ Twilio Jun 30, 2020

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(Disclaimer: These episodes were recorded prior to the coronavirus outbreak as well as the Black Lives Matter marches.)
Ditch the MVP, embrace the MLP and listen to your users, says Veronica Hudson, senior PM at Twilio at the time of the interview (She’s now at ActiveCampaign in the senior PM role.). A product can be viable, but are customers going to use it? She says PMs should figure out what the problem you’re solving is and pinpoint who you can solve it most widely for. The goal of an MLP is to be able to release an open beta and not feel like there needs to be a gatekeeper of who can use it, Veronica adds.
Also in this episode, listen to how Veronica, who originally worked in NYC’s book publishing industry, finds the evolution of female pop stars like Jennifer Lopez and Robyn to be inspirational.
For Veronica, quantitative and qualitative feedback work hand in hand. She suggests PMs spend time with support teams to learn what hacks they’re teaching users and you’ll find underlying customer problems that the data can’t tell you.

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Focusing on the wrong customer segment? Fire them - Asheesh Birla @ Ripple Jun 02, 2020

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(Disclaimer: These episodes were recorded prior to the coronavirus outbreak.)
Fire the customer if you need, says Asheesh Birla, Ripple’s SVP of Product, when talking about the importance of customer segmentation. Asheesh says if your company is going after the wrong customer and fixated on why they’re unhappy, it’s time to re-evaluate if they’re a fit for your product. Instead, the winning Venn diagram in his opinion is this: a customer segment whose pain points your product can easily solve.
Also in this episode, find out how early in Asheesh’s career he volunteered to carry luggage on a work trip for Thomson Reuter’s COO (who was 20 levels higher than him on the org chart at that time!) and how he was able to gain a mentor through that.
For Asheesh, product teams who are too tactical in their daily triage miss the forest for the trees. He says you need to understand whether the landscape is changing in a macro way or if a new competitor is coming in. Your product org may be making incremental changes, but startups need to make massive changes to be successful, he adds.

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