This Week in Product – Sep. 21, 2018

Get on the Slow Train

I was away on a three-day silent retreat earlier this week, so I’ve been playing catch up trying to find out what happened on the product internet this week. When this article popped up on my LinkedIn feed, it was like an algorithmic moment of recognition — nothing wrong with slowing down.

“Advocating for slower design doesn’t make me lazy,” says Dan Brown, a UX consultant, “I just want a moment to think about what might happen when this product is set loose in the world.” I’ve been hearing more product people talk about ethics, including Mariah Hay at the Mind the Product conference, and Nir Eyal on our podcast, and this is a great piece about the role of responsible design.

Just Say No

Here’s a useful diagram to help you decide if you should show a popup on your homepage.#webdesign #ux #usercentreddesign pic.twitter.com/sN3jFHrExP

— Stu Marlow (@StuMarlow) September 20, 2018

In totally other news, this tweet gave me a chuckle. I love a good flowchart, especially if all the answers are the same. Popups are such a scourge, but sometimes they’re actually the most effective vehicle. Hopefully, you didn’t just get one asking you to subscribe to the ProductCraft newsletter, but if you haven’t done so yet, what are you waiting for?

Pizza Product Philosophy

A new koan prompted by @liveink – if you buy a friend a slice of pizza but they don’t eat it, did you actually buy them a slice of pizza?

— Josh Elman (@joshelman) September 21, 2018

Or, you might ask: if you build that feature but it’s just sitting there unused, have you really brought users the joy of pizza? The VP of product at Robinhood App puts it in terms we can really understand.

Your Product Fortune Cookie

Value is created in a startup when you solve a really hard problem for a customer in an insanely elegant way. Scaling is somehow continuing to do this despite the constant threats that get in the way.

— Aaron Levie (@levie) September 20, 2018

You’re probably already following the founder of Box on Twitter (seems everyone does) and for good reason. This condensed little piece of universal product wisdom is just a good reminder of what matters. Clip it and keep next to your desk.

That’s So Meta

Cool job I noticed this week is with Lucidchart, who are looking for a UX designer. I like the idea of a designer working on a design software, which means they’re helping others use design in a smart and effective way. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving.