The truth behind scope creep (Take 3 Podcast)
I recently appeared on Take 3 Scene 16: The Truth Behind Scope Creep with my colleague Adam Hahn to talk about how there is no such thing as scope creep, it’s just change managed badly. The podcast was inspired by the article “Scope Creep or Just Change?” that I co-authored for Mind the Product. Image: Found this abstract image of […]
The problem with big bang design
It starts with a really fancy deck in your inbox. I’ve received these as both an internal head of UX and as a product consultant. The deck is lovely, comprehensive, well written and detailed. It makes be a bit jealous. The problem is that only about 15% of what’s in it will actually be implemented […]
Talking planning with Peter Morville
Recently I sat down with Peter Morville to have a fascinating conversation about planning for his new book. Peter is a very accomplished information architect and author of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, Intertwingled, Search Patterns, and Ambient Findability. I’m not a born planner, I’m not the kid who color coded their schedule in elementary […]
10 books to help you make your company and product better
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses Eric Ries It’s a must read at my company and we’re not alone. Lean Customer Development: Building Products Your Customers Will Buy Cindy Alvarez Cindy’s approach is simple and powerful. I’m such a fangirl that I have a signed copy. Inspired: […]
Pre-Mortems are great for kickoffs
The first few weeks of any product development effort are tricky. You are trying to figure out what you’re doing and how to work together. The expectations are always high and the timeline short. Recently I discovered the premortem in the excellent book Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less by Robert Sutton and […]
Why accessibility matters and how you can get there (Take 3 podcast)
I recently sat down to talk about accessibility with my colleague Jenna Warren. We talked about: The definition of accessibility and why it’s important for every user, not just disabled users The pressure from advocacy groups to be more accessible like the lawsuit against SweetGreen How to improve accessibility and fit into into ongoing development
RFPs are the worst
I am in the services business to help people do product development well. RFPs make me crazy because they make it so hard for me to help. They made me feel like I’ve got blinders on and one hand tied behind my back. When I go through one of these I end up with a […]