Product

16 notes, 1 favorite. Often alongside startups, thinking and tech.

Surprise me in product

Start here · 8 min

How to Capture Attention(favorite)Slava Akhmechet · 2 min
How writing the Hacker News headline first, then building the release to match it, kept RethinkDB on top of HN and taught Akhmechet to write headlines that land.
How to Work W DesignersSlava Akhmechet · 3 min
Great designers see the world from a vantage point you can't share, so working with one means building a common language together until the confusion clears.
Measurable does not mean importantFay · 3 min
Using data to design sounds objective. On metrics versus intent, A/B tests, and why judgment still has to make the call.

All 16 notes

Take Something AwayTed Lamade Sep 24 8 min
Lamade argues we instinctively solve problems by adding things when subtracting often works better, from the pedal-less Strider bike and Chipotle's short menu to simpler investment portfolios.
Related
- Notes on Incident ResponseSlava Akhmechet
- Measurable does not mean importantFay
- Read Old BooksTed Lamade
- Our Achilles HeelTed Lamade
Read the original of Take Something Away (opens in a new tab)
How to Capture Attention(favorite)Slava Akhmechet Sep 10 2 min
How writing the Hacker News headline first, then building the release to match it, kept RethinkDB on top of HN and taught Akhmechet to write headlines that land.
Related
- How To Send Progress UpdatesSlava Akhmechet
- Notes on Incident ResponseSlava Akhmechet
- On Working with Product ManagersSlava Akhmechet
- How to Work W DesignersSlava Akhmechet
Read the original of How to Capture Attention (opens in a new tab)
How to Work W DesignersSlava Akhmechet Sep 10 3 min
Great designers see the world from a vantage point you can't share, so working with one means building a common language together until the confusion clears.
Related
- On Working with Product ManagersSlava Akhmechet
- How to recruitSlava Akhmechet
- On Starting a New JobSlava Akhmechet
- How to Capture AttentionSlava Akhmechet
Read the original of How to Work W Designers (opens in a new tab)
Notes on Incident ResponseSlava Akhmechet Sep 10 1 min
What good incident response takes under uncertainty and time pressure: the rare mix of equanimity, rigor, and urgency, plus calm, organized coordination of the war room.
Related
- Take Something AwayTed Lamade
- Measurable does not mean importantFay
- How to Capture AttentionSlava Akhmechet
- Gradient Descent ValleysSlava Akhmechet
Read the original of Notes on Incident Response (opens in a new tab)
On Working with Product ManagersSlava Akhmechet Sep 10 2 min
PMs own outcomes they don't control, and engineering and PM share strategic goals but diverge tactically by design, so the relationship is part partnership, part healthy tension.
Related
- How to Work W DesignersSlava Akhmechet
- How to Capture AttentionSlava Akhmechet
- How To Send Progress UpdatesSlava Akhmechet
- Leader v Follower ModeSlava Akhmechet
Read the original of On Working with Product Managers (opens in a new tab)
Measurable does not mean importantFay Sep 6 3 min
Using data to design sounds objective. On metrics versus intent, A/B tests, and why judgment still has to make the call.
Related
- Take Something AwayTed Lamade
- Notes on Incident ResponseSlava Akhmechet
- Premature optimizationSam Altman
- Vanity milestonesChris Dixon
Read the original of Measurable does not mean important (opens in a new tab)
Before GrowthSam Altman Aug 28 1 min
Altman argues startups should chase growth only after some users love the product enough to recommend it unprompted, since growth hacking a half-liked product fools investors only until they check retention.
Related
- Premature optimizationSam Altman
- Do Things that Don't ScalePaul Graham
- Hard StartupsSam Altman
- Idea GenerationSam Altman
Read the original of Before Growth (opens in a new tab)
Do Things that Don't ScalePaul Graham Aug 27 19 min
Startups don't take off on their own; founders have to push them early by recruiting users by hand and delighting them in ways that would never work at scale.
Related
- Before GrowthSam Altman
- Startup = GrowthPaul Graham
- Default blindSebastian Bensusan
- How to Raise MoneyPaul Graham
Read the original of Do Things that Don't Scale (opens in a new tab)
Premature optimizationSam Altman Aug 27 1 min
Altman argues that A/B tests and funnel tweaks only matter once users love the product, so early startups should chase a step change in the product itself rather than incremental 10% gains.
Related
- Before GrowthSam Altman
- Growth and GovernmentSam Altman
- Vanity milestonesChris Dixon
- Why vanity metrics are dangerousEric Ries
Read the original of Premature optimization (opens in a new tab)
Things You Should Never Do, Part IJoel Spolsky Aug 22 6 min
Netscape's rewrite from scratch shows why throwing away working code is the worst strategic mistake a software company can make.
Related
- The Iceberg Secret, RevealedJoel Spolsky
- Strategy Letter I: Ben and Jerry’s vs. AmazonJoel Spolsky
- A QuestionSam Altman
- Before GrowthSam Altman
Read the original of Things You Should Never Do, Part I (opens in a new tab)
Default blindSebastian Bensusan Aug 19 6 min
Bensusan argues software businesses are blind by default, since a paper shop clerk sees a Chinese New Year rush but an online store sees nothing unless someone asks, so people can stay lost for years.
Related
- Before GrowthSam Altman
- Do Things that Don't ScalePaul Graham
- Incentives as selection effectsSebastian Bensusan
- Lieutenants are the limiting reagentSebastian Bensusan
Read the original of Default blind (opens in a new tab)
Vanity milestonesChris Dixon Aug 15 1 min
Extends Eric Ries's vanity metrics to milestones: celebrity investors, brand partnerships, and press that feel like progress but don't help the company.
Related
- Agency problemsChris Dixon
- Steve Jobs on problem solvingChris Dixon
- Premature optimizationSam Altman
- Why vanity metrics are dangerousEric Ries
Read the original of Vanity milestones (opens in a new tab)
Why vanity metrics are dangerousEric Ries Aug 15 4 min
Gross numbers like "hits" feel like progress but hide who your customers are and what caused growth, so teams should track actionable metrics instead.
Related
- Premature optimizationSam Altman
- Vanity milestonesChris Dixon
- Information CompressionAlexandr Wang
- Take Something AwayTed Lamade
Read the original of Why vanity metrics are dangerous (opens in a new tab)
The Iceberg Secret, RevealedJoel Spolsky Aug 3 9 min
Non-programmers judge software by its visible interface, a small fraction of the real work, so make unfinished features look unfinished to keep expectations honest.
Related
- Things You Should Never Do, Part IJoel Spolsky
- Strategy Letter I: Ben and Jerry’s vs. AmazonJoel Spolsky
- A QuestionSam Altman
- Before GrowthSam Altman
Read the original of The Iceberg Secret, Revealed (opens in a new tab)
founding designer, explainedjerry Jul 30 7 min
A guide to judging founding designer offers by the founder, team culture, product, and real scope of the role rather than comp alone, with questions to ask current and former employees before signing.
Related
- how to pick the right startup to join [full guide]Christian Levan
- Before GrowthSam Altman
- Projects and CompaniesSam Altman
- Do Things that Don't ScalePaul Graham
Read the original of founding designer, explained (opens in a new tab)
Does data make us cowards?Benn Stancil Jul 13 11 min
Stancil argues leaders often order more analysis to dodge hard calls rather than learn anything, using data as a substitute for courage, and that analysts who want to lead must learn to own decisions the data can't settle.
Related
- The typical path of how people respond to life-changing inventionsChris Dixon
- Compounding OptimismMorgan Housel
- Take Something AwayTed Lamade
- When You Change the World and No One NoticesMorgan Housel
Read the original of Does data make us cowards? (opens in a new tab)

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