The Feedback Loop

I’ve posted before about the Idea, Build, Launch and Learn loop, but the essence is that getting feedback about a design is the only way to grow and improve your product. Now I know this a questionable metaphor so bear with me—my career is my most important product. As an overachieving wannabe perfectionist, it was alwaysContinue reading “The Feedback Loop”

Regression to the Mean

Wikipedia defines regression to the mean as the phenomenon that if a variable is extreme on its first measurement, it will tend to be closer to the average on its second measurement—and if it is extreme on its second measurement, it will tend to have been closer to the average on its first. In simpler terms, things even outContinue reading “Regression to the Mean”

Your data smells

You know what a product manager eats for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner? Data. It’s always about the data, and it’s not always palatable. When I started working as a product manager, I had absolutely no experience with any kind of data analysis tool—hell, I didn’t even know how to do a VLOOKUP in Excel. I remember spendingContinue reading “Your data smells”

Both Sides of the Table

I’m going to be a bit of a fangirl here so bear with me. Twitter is proving to be a great source of reading material, and I’m starting to see the appeal of it now more than ever. I’ve also come to the inevitable conclusion that there is no single formula to become a great entrepreneur,Continue reading “Both Sides of the Table”

Combining form, function and design

I came across what I think is a stunning product – one that combines form, function, and design. It’s called a soft scale and what it does is deceptively simple. It converts an ordinary bathmat into a weight and BMI scale Fiber optic LEDs sewn into the mat display weight trends of the past two weeksContinue reading “Combining form, function and design”

Behavioural Design

I happened to read a really interesting paper on Behavioural Design and the impact it can have on development policies. In technology, decoding user behaviour is one of the most important components of the design process, however these tenets of product management are yet to be adopted effectively outside the tech industry. The implications ofContinue reading “Behavioural Design”

Parallels – Neopets, Xanga and Twitter?

My journey on the interwebz began with Neopets when I was eleven. For the uninitiated, it’s a virtual pet community with “free games, shops, auctions, chat and more!” Personally, I couldn’t care less about feeding my pets or clothing them. I knew they weren’t really hungry or dying as they liked to remind me (Neopets are immortal),Continue reading “Parallels – Neopets, Xanga and Twitter?”

Finally giving in to the Fitbit

I’m not usually a huge believer of tracking devices because I think if you do what you’re supposed to be doing, you should be fine. Want to lose weight? Run around the block a few times. Trying to slim down? Eat less. I’ve never meticulously documented the calories I’ve consumed or the number of stepsContinue reading “Finally giving in to the Fitbit”