Weekly Product Hits: Turning Thoughts Into Insights, Paying Less, Aligning Goals with Resources
Product Hits: September 15, 2025Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! How to turn thoughts into insights by Linda Zhang Linda Zhang, founder of Product Lessons, explains that insights aren’t raw thoughts but the result of deliberate processing. She shares tactics like documenting early ideas, stepping away to let the subconscious work, and honing pattern-matching skills. For PMs, this discipline turns scattered observations into sharper strategy and more credible communication. Do Your Customers Really Want to Pay Less? by Noa Ganot Noa Ganot, founder of Infinify, challenges the assumption that customers always want lower prices. She argues that what people really value is the balance between what they get and what it costs, and urges PMs to weigh trade-offs across customer needs, company limits, and their own biases before deciding. Aligning Goals with Resources by Victor Cheng Victor Cheng, VP of Product at LivePerson, cautions that goals without resources are fantasies. He suggests a simple audit: compare your stated priorities with how you actually spend time, resources, and energy, then rebalance. Cheng reminds PMs that roadmaps and calendars should reflect strategy, not drift toward the loudest requests. Behind the ScenesHey there, it’s Clement! When teams say they want to be “data-driven,” it can quickly turn into every decision needing a chart, every experiment needing statistical significance, and anything unmeasurable getting pushed aside. This is awfully dangerous territory to be in. Why? Because data is just one input out of many. Yes, strong product managers use data to inform decisions; but, they don't use data to replace judgment or critical thinking. For example, sometimes the numbers say something’s broken when it isn’t. A dip in engagement might look alarming, but zooming out could reveal an expected seasonal lull. On the other hand, a spike might seem like success until you realize it came from low-quality traffic or a short-term promotion. When metrics are murky, go back to what users are actually doing. If feature usage drops, ask customers: are they finding workarounds? Did friction creep into the experience? A handful of interviews often reveals intent that data alone can’t show. Pay attention to what isn’t in the numbers too. A low clickthrough rate might mean a feature isn’t useful, or it might just be hard to discover. Pairing analytics with usability sessions, heatmaps, or support tickets usually uncovers the full picture. And not every improvement will register right away! Simplifying flows, reducing cognitive load, or improving accessibility may not drive KPIs immediately, but they compound into stronger outcomes over time. If your team has leaned too heavily on metrics, it may be time to recalibrate towards customer empathy and discovery! How are you balancing data with judgment? I’d love to hear what’s worked for you. With love, Let's do more together!
|
Product Teacher
In-depth essays and thought-provoking reads for product managers.
Product Hits: February 16, 2026 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Onboarding people to AI product experiences by Krystal Higgins Krystal Higgins, Staff UX Designer at Google, argues that when a product behaves unpredictably, explanations aren’t enough to build trust; and, AI-driven experiences are inherently unpredictable. Instead of front-loading information, she shows how guided interaction and reversible decisions help users...
Product Hits: January 5, 2026 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! The curse of knowledge by Cindy Alvarez Cindy Alvarez, Director of UX at Microsoft, explains how expertise can distort communication, causing leaders to assume shared context when none exists. She urges PMs to design communication deliberately by spelling out intent, anticipating confusion, and explaining the why so teams can actually align and act. Get Out of Your...
Product Hits: November 17, 2025 Every week, I share three great product resources from a variety of perspectives. Let's dive in! Why OKRs Fail by Radhika Dutt Radhika Dutt, Chief Product Officer at Moveprice, explains that OKRs often fail because they compensate for a lack of clear vision, pushing teams toward short-term wins and metric gaming instead of genuine progress. Dutt urges PMs to replace goal-setting with vision-driven strategy instead; in other words, PMs should treat initiatives...