PM Snacks #15 / Ask better questions (x2), monetisation UX and six lessons from Shopify

1️⃣ New to Product Management? Here are 6 foundations you should build! • Aug 2020 • 8 min read
A good framing of the most important "foundations" you need as a PM. Simplify problems (so important!), balance customer obsession with business viability, communicate clearly, prioritise (good is better than perfect), set consistent product goals and (really) understand your data #skills

2️⃣ Asking Better Questions • Oct 2020 • 5 min read
To measure efficiently your product, you need to simplify. Don't measure everything you can think of, just in case... otherwise you'll ruin the signal to noise ratio. Start with the questions you really want to answer. Then use the prompts suggested in this article to find the right metrics #datainformed

3️⃣ Why You Are Asking the Wrong Customer Interview Questions • Mar 2016 • 11 min read
After the series on preparing for interviews, I'm starting a new one about product discovery (= the skill you should improve to have a massive impact on your product). In the next few weeks I'll share several articles on customer development, user research, interviews, etc. This first one reminds you of the difference between what a person think & what they do, and how to ask question discarding this bias #userinterviews

4️⃣ how we pay for software • Oct 2020 • 6 min read
Quality software costs money to make and there is only a handful ways to monetise them, most often: a subscription. The author (Adam Wiggins) argues for more innovation in that matter (from early access/crowdfunding options to day passes) and reminds us of the importance of tying the business model with the app user experience #ux 

5️⃣ Six Lessons from Six Months at Shopify • Oct 2020 • 11 min read
Lessons 1 & 6 really stuck with me. Lesson 1: In your first 6 months you'll be useless so take time to familiarize yourself with the dozen (smart) senior people operating philosophy. Then become effective by applying their thinking right away. Lesson 6: games are actually a great way to learn skills you require in a compressed way (I'm not a gamer myself). What lesson do you prefer? #insideshopify 

Olivier

PS: in other news, I left comet mid-October to work on a few ideas. Stay tuned! 

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I'm Olivier Courtois, former Head of Product @ comet / Product Director @ManoMano & Startup advisor. You are receiving this email because you signed up to productverse, a weekly newsletter about Product Management. Thank you for being here. If this email was forwarded to you, subscribe here

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