Product Thinking

Loss aversion, or the endowment effect, is a cognitive bias that describes why, for individuals, the pain of losing is psychologically twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining. Once you recognize the endowment effect or loss aversion, you will begin to see it more frequently. From switching airplane seats to company changes. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Ai...

Working on the right thing is one of the most important aspects of product development. It is one of the key roles of product management. So understanding the right framework for getting our priorities correct is critical for all product managers and product teams. We can’t overlook the broader strategic prioritization framework while we’re considering how to prioritize within our products. So don...

Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore is a classic for good reason. The principles are as relevant today as they were 20 years ago. And while the companies continually change, the need to understand that our marketing, sales, and product development need to adapt in order to meet the needs of the right group of customers at the right time will always be constant.  It’s easy to get lost in our curre...

Another month, another host of great articles, listens, books and other finds from Product Thinking and around the internet. Here’s what you may have missed. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Taylor Swift, Quiet Quitting, Ninja Turtles and Books Or just want to leave a tip: buy me a coffee ? Twitter: @kylelarryevans and @producthinking and @prod_by_design ★ Support...

With 2022 coming to a close, we’re finally ready to put this rollercoaster of a year behind us. But before we do, we need to back at some of the best books we reviewed from this past year, along with a few others we’ve read and recommended for outside of the office. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Top Books of 2022: A Look Back at our Favorite Product and Non-Pro...

While ChatGPT and the underlying AI aren’t necessarily the imminent threats that many have called them, they have the potential to reshape our industry and many industries in ways we won’t be able to predict. So hold on to your butts. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: ChatGPT and Cautious Optimism: Imminent Job Killer? Probably Not. Or just want to leave a tip: buy...

If you feel you're in conflict, or simply feel you are always trying to get more done that you’ll ever be able to, you should definitely pick up a copy of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. Hopefully, it will change your perspective as much as it has changed mine. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Four Thousand Weeks: Book Review O...

Another month, another host of great articles, listens, books and other finds from Product Thinking and around the internet. From Reggae albums to holiday gifts to blue checks on Twitter. Here’s what you may have missed in November. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Reggae, Holiday Gifts, Blue Checks, and Van Gogh: Monthly Wrap from November Or just want to leave a...

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. Don't forget...

To create an excellent product or product feature, two things are critical: An understanding of your users An understanding of the problem Without these elements, you will miss the mark most of the time. Elon Musk has been putting on masterclass so far at Twitter (and on Twitter) in everything not to do at a company. Let’s set that aside for a moment though, and zoom in on one specific area of the...

Creativity is a critical part of our jobs and our lives. Yet it is often misunderstood. In his new book, The Laws of Creativity , founder Joey Cofone identifies 39 laws of creativity and discusses how each law applies to different scenarios in our lives and how we can harness these laws and ideas to recognize creativity and become more creative. Let's dive into it for this month's book review. Don...

Another month, another host of great articles, listens, books and other finds from Product Thinking and around the internet. Here’s what you may have missed. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Underpants Gnomes, Chess Cheating, and The Laws of Creativity: Monthly Wrap from October Or just want to leave a tip: buy me a coffee ? Twitter: @kylelarryevans and @producthi...

I initially balked at the idea that sales and product/engineering should be treated the same. Then I realized that it is exactly what we are always asking for. We want the focus to be on the impact, not on the features. Listen in for more discussion about product management and commitments. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Sales Commitments vs. Product Commitments...

The more thought we put in ahead of time, the more thoughtful and prepared we can be. I’ve long been of the opinion that no one is great at “thinking on their feet” as we like to say. Rather, some people have simply put more thought in ahead of time and can draw on that preparation more than others.  So put in the preparation now. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter:...

If you are like me, so much of the work you do, and the work your team does, is invisible to most outside observers. You may understand what you’re working on, and your team likely understands it as well. But as soon as you move outside of the inner circle, the work becomes opaque. Move further away, it becomes a black box that outsiders peer into, but can’t discern what is happening. This is ofte...

Another month, another host of great articles, listens, books and other finds from Product Thinking and around the internet. Here’s what you may have missed. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Lumber Prices, Second Jobs, Floppy Disks and Pax Romana: September Monthly Wrap Or just want to leave a tip: buy me a coffee ? Twitter: @kylelarryevans and @producthinking ★ S...

Bringing ideas from abstract concepts to reality is a critical part of product and design thinking. The better we understand how to do it, the better we can create the best experiences for our users. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Being Overconfident, Getting Stupider, and Banning NFTs: Monthly Wrap from July Or just want to leave a tip: buy me a coffee ? Twitte...

It is easy to complicate our work. Many of the tools we use these days make it incredibly easy to add more and more with less and less effort. Steve Jobs knew that keeping things simple was the key to a good user experience. We can add two keyboards to an iPad, but users don’t need two keyboards to type on. We need to keep our work simple too. And we explore that in this episode. Don't forget to s...

This month we're reviewing Loved: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products by Martina Lauchengco . It is the latest book from SVPG and focuses on product marketing. So how does it stack up? Overall, I was disappointed by Loved . I had hoped for a solid book on product marketing with insights or tidbits I could use as a product manager or product leader. I didn’t feel like I got that. It felt mor...

Another month, another host of great articles, listens, books and other finds from Product Thinking and around the internet. Here’s what you may have missed. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Systems, Three-Body Problems, Resurrectionists and Yellowstone: August Monthly Wrap Or just want to leave a tip: buy me a coffee ? Twitter: @kylelarryevans and @producthinking...

It’s interesting to think about how much our pets influence us vs. how much they are a reflection of our existing preferences. I suspect it is both, though how much is an open question. We certainly can’t escape how our decisions shape our environment, which in turn shapes our decisions. It seems like a stretch to say that dog owners take more risks and conform to their pets’ stereotypical traits...

The system we work in is critical for our success. We can make improvements within the system, and those are important incremental changes. A new rule or a new process can improve the system. But we need to assess the system holistically. Is it the right system? In our work and our lives, this means critically thinking about everything around us. In this episode, we explore some classic examples o...

When we zoom out and consider the entire system, we’re able to see that the problem may not be optimizing the existing system, but rather changing it entirely. Because we get so caught up in the water we’re swimming in that we don’t see the problems all around us. And that is at the heart of product thinking. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: The Forest for the Tre...

As people, we gather frequently. For meetings at work, for dinner as friends, for holidays as families. Yet so frequently, our gatherings disappoint us. But we still continue to do the same things, expecting different results (insanity, right?). Book: The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker: Book R...

Another month, another host of great articles, listens, books and other finds from Product Thinking and around the internet. Here’s what you may have missed. Don't forget to subscribe at productthinking.cc Weekly newsletter: Being Overconfident, Getting Stupider, and Banning NFTs: Monthly Wrap from July Or just want to leave a tip: buy me a coffee ? Twitter: @kylelarryevans and @producthinking ★ S...