The 41st Edition - On Harford, Feynman, Leadership and Shape Up
Did you know that usability testing...
Did you know that usability testing has shown that users don't need everything in 3 clicks?
They really just need to know that each click brings them clearly closer to their desired outcome. Users will continue to click as long as the resulting response meets expectations and there is a sense of progress, even if an action requires 5, 7, or even 9 steps. (source)
Read: The Feynman Learning Technique
You may have seen this technique before (here, here).
I was recently stuck on a project trying to explain the decision framework for user research.
I realised:
I needed to actually teach it;
I had some gaps that I needed to fill myself.
In general, if you’re in a situation right now where you’re trying to get someone to do something that seems straightforward to you, try it.
What would it be like to teach this to them? I bet you’d find a lot of gaps.
That’s one of the reasons I’ve not yet created an online course: I’m still learning the things I’d like to teach.
Here’s a great summary of the technique:
Watch: How to Be More Creative
In 2016, Tim Harford gave one of the most interesting talks at the Mind The Product conference.
The subject: frustration makes us creative.
There are a lot of great takeaways for org design & product development.
It even applies when you’re disempowered in your role. Check it out:
Remember
A strategic challenge may be triggered by a large opportunity—the challenge being how best to grasp it.
Richard Rumelt (source)
You will be judged on how well you treat those who can do nothing for you.
Kevin Kelly (source)
Consider
12 Books to Radically Improve Leadership Skills
A short thread to seed your reading list with some great books, one of which I’ve never heard of before! (source)
15 Core Patterns in Shapeup
Edo is one of my favorite product content creators. A while back he shared this graph mapping core patterns for the dabbler and the practitioner of the Shape Up method. (Many in product have no idea what Shape Up is. I’ll let you discover it on your own in full, but the source article is a great intro.) (source)
Theme-Based Roadmap Framework
I’ve been reading Ken Sandy’s “Influential Product Manager”, and found this great roadmap document that wasn’t bloated and actually useful. (source)
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