Hi All,
I hope you all are well. In big tech news this past week was a David vs Goliath story about Basecampās āHeyā - a mail app (side note : that has interesting features) being rejected by the Apple App store. Apple is not relenting and Jason Fried has written a blog post on this. Additionally Nilay Patel spoke to David Cicilline and Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson about this issue. Definitely an interesting issue and I think both sides have merit.Ā Apple finally did relent and the app is now available on the App Store (WWDC in the short run, Antitrust in the long run). So for those of you that have an additional $99/year to spend head over to hey.com and sign up!
As always if you like this please share ā¦ Thank you!
COVID-19 reads this week:
UKās contract tracing app fiasco : Ignorance, stupidity, or hubris?Ā
Absolutely expected that these quite honestly stupid attempts at building tracing apps would be doomed. The NHS is no match for Apple or Google. Appleās stance on privacy is so strong. What did NHS expect? That theyād give it up? This is purely ignorance on their part. Many such ātracing appsā are going to fail : The UKās contact tracing app fiasco is a master class in mismanagement
From the article:
First, the team focused on the potential upsides of a centralized app and initially disregarded all the extra challenges it involved. Outside concerns, many aired publicly, were ignored. The project was then managed chaotically and became the subject of bureaucratic tussles. The result was overspending, wasted effort, andāworseāwasted time.
The stakes for indecision and error are extremely high, especially given that Britain is one of the worldās worst-hit countries, with more than 40,000 confirmed deaths from covid-19 so far. Whether or not the fate of the original plan counts as a strike against digital contact tracing in general, it is clear that the lack of careful, clear communication from the UK authorities has damaged the potential of whatever technologies are now put in place.
Pandemic prosperity:Ā
Not too many surprises on this list : Prospering in the pandemic: the top 100 companies
On target customers, this below tweet and article are spot onĀ
On Product and company success:
On Game changing startups in 2020 from Cbinsignts : Game Changing Startups and Emerging Tech
On the Osborne effect : Osborne effect
From the wiki page:Ā
The Osborne effect is a social phenomenon of customers canceling or deferring orders for the current soon-to-be-obsolete product as an unexpected drawback of a company's announcing a future product prematurely.
The term was coined after the Osborne Computer Corporation, a company that took more than a year to make its next product available, and eventually went bankrupt in 1983
On Van Westendorp's Price Sensitivity Meter
From the wiki:
At what price would you consider the product to be so expensive that you would not consider buying it? (Too expensive)
At what price would you consider the product to be priced so low that you would feel the quality couldnāt be very good? (Too cheap)
At what price would you consider the product starting to get expensive, so that it is not out of the question, but you would have to give some thought to buying it? (Expensive/High Side)
At what price would you consider the product to be a bargaināa great buy for the money? (Cheap/Good Value)
This weekās readsĀ
Original Post on Shopify and Discovery. This is a post that I have written on why shopify wants to get into discovery but its not a good idea. As always comments and questions welcome!Ā
From the article:
Even if Shopify fixes their app (and you can search for a product rather than just a seller) how do they decide which seller wins the buy box? It could be paid listings the way Amazon does it, ranking based etc but that would upset sellers on the platform. Amazon doesnāt care about upsetting a seller, Shopfiy has to because they also have the Subscriptions product. Granted that there are switching costs and not many other options/competitors for Shopify.
Retention in the Times of COVID-19 ā Reforge
From the article:
āIs the marginal audience experiencing real value or only temporal value? To understand this you need to look at the underlying behavior that is driving engagement. If they are engaging only because of current events, but not experiencing the broader value prop, then those users will not retain.ā
A great read for PMās on how M&A works from Nitin Julka over at LNKDĀ
From the article:Ā
Ultimately, the best way to learn about Corp Dev and M&A is to get involved in a deal. Iāve heard of some companies āpracticingā M&A on smaller deals to build capacity.Ā
At the same time, product managers should invest most of their time in figuring out what they want to build with their existing team. Through the product development process ā interviewing customers, analyzing data, building strategies, planning road maps, writing PRDs, and taking products to market ā product managers should become experts on their customers, industry, and road map. Product managers should also be using competitor products, meeting with startups and companies in their industry, and being inspired by and learning from other companies.Ā Ā
Through the course of building your product strategies, if an R&D leader identifies an opportunity for an interesting company to accelerate the road map or vision, then Iād share the company with your BD and Corp Dev counterparts.Ā
12 competencies for Product managers at all levels .. How To Become a Peak Product Manager
Product Managers are like the mortar in a brick wall. Like mortar, they must fluidly fill the gaps to make the whole team stronger.
A good collection of examples that describe user delight : Little Big Details
Why Apple will become is a health company from Nathan Baschez : healthOS
From the article:
Specifically, theyāre building a system to aggregate data from modern connected devices (like watches, scales, fitness equipment, mattresses, etc) and integrate it with traditional health records (lab results, conditions, medications, procedures) in order to unlock a new, comprehensive view of your bodyās health.
Traditionally, these data sets have lived in silos. But what could happen if it all was aggregated safely in one place?
From a16z on The Partner Bank Boom
The rapid rise of this trend begs the question: Why has the number of partner banks increased so suddenly over the past decade? For one, the relationship is mutually beneficial. Fintech companies are able to offer banking products without the regulatory overhead of becoming a bank, while banks harness these partnerships to improve their returns by gathering low-cost deposits or growing asset-light fee streams. In addition, it has become increasingly easier to form these partnerships. Eliciting a partner bank used to require a herculean effort, due to both compliance concerns and technical hurdles. Now, thanks to the rise of companies that provide banking infrastructure as a service, fintech companies can launch products in a matter of months, not years.
Crash : An interesting take on job applications : Crash: Pitch a Company, Get a Job
From the article:
Job postings quickly receive hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of applications. To solve the problem -- to earn a job -- isnāt to send your resume to more applications, but rather to spend more time on a few applications you really care about.Ā
Crash helps their candidates build company āpitchesā where candidates might create a video, design something for the company (providing value before getting an interview!), and display a few skills or projects.Ā
On Superhuman : The Product Frameworks Behind Superhuman
From the article:
Consider all the features of your own product and ask yourself these questions:
Do they indulge playful exploration?
Are they fun? Even without a goal.
Do they create moments of pleasant surprise?
If so, you have a toy and youāre on the way to building a great gameā¦ even if it is productivity software.
Good read on psychological tricks to apply to your product : 20 psychological principles applied to product design
A good read on Figmaās product loops and flywheel : Why Figma Wins
Great read on the product leadership chasm and going from an IC Product Manager to a Product Leader. Crossing the Canyon: Product Manager to Product Leader ā Reforge
From the article:Ā
Going from APM ā PM ā SPM, you can keep doing similar things with deeper sophistication, more subject matter expertise, and better execution. But continuing to pursue those things will actually get you stuck at the Product Lead transition and you'll never break through to the next level. It's hard to get out of the motion that initially made you successful.
Thank you for reading. Stay safe, be well!Ā