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Personal

New Year’s Resolutions – 2014

Here’s my 2014 resolutions: A guideline: smile more A smile makes a better introduction and keeps you positive. Can’t go wrong with this. A lifestyle change: eat more vegetarian and in moderation I love food, but food does not love me at times. With a carnivore wife and son, finding a balance can be hard, […]

Categories
Personal

A look back at 2013

Coming into 2013 I made three resolutions. Here’s how I progressed with each of them: A guideline: listen more, talk less I felt I made some good progress here. Feedback from others was that I seemed more patient and that I was giving them the room they needed. That said, this might come back as […]

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Product Management

Product Management at Central 1 Credit Union

I had the pleasure of speaking last night at the inaugural Product Management meetup here in Vancouver. For those interested, here’s a copy of my presentation on Product Management at Central 1. Thanks so much for all the great questions and positive feedback on my presentation.

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Product Management User Experience

In order to create a truly innovative product

Three things: Study the tasks people use a product for Turn those tasks into a series of steps the person follows to get the task done Finally, start eliminating steps That’s it. Innovative products eliminate the friction of doing a task. Source: — Something Really New: Three Simple Steps to Creating Truly Innovative Products, by […]

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Creativity User Experience

You can’t save your way to innovation

Great post from Allan Cooper “…if there is something you can do to enhance the creative abilities of your people, it doesn’t really matter how much it costs, or how long it takes. What does matter is if it results in a successful invention, or a compelling design.” Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cooper-journal/~3/PIw69CLeS1E/you_cant_save_your_way_to_inno.html

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Product Management

On product management

Great quote from Satya Patel (formerly of Twitter): “Product management isn’t a role or a function, it’s a set of skills. Those skills help remove obstacles and grease the wheels so that the functional experts can do their jobs best. Product management also balances the needs of users, the business and the team and makes […]

Categories
User Experience

Never get wrapped up in “I can’t”

Love this quote (great article too) One thing I’ve learned over and over is to never get wrapped up in “I can’t“. Instead, I force myself to ask, “How can I accomplish this?” Even if it takes me days or weeks, living and sleeping and working and reading and eating with that question in mind, […]

Categories
Miscellany

What every Apple store employee knows

APPLE is an acronym ingrained into every Apple store employee before they ever even step on the retail floor. APPLE: Approach customers with a personalized warm welcome Probe politely to understand all the customer’s needs Present a solution for the customer to take home today Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns End with a […]

Categories
Miscellany

Before you die, make some changes

What do people regret the most before they die? Bonnie Ware worked in palliative care for many years, tending to people during the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. A handful of themes cropped up in the things they regretted during their final days: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a […]

Categories
Product Management

On risk

Adventure without risk is Disneyland — Doug Coupland I’ve been working on a big project for the past 2+ years and we’ve recently hit some bumps. Most of the bumps come down to risk. Risk is a funny thing. It makes people scared. It makes people worry. It raises issues of accountability, responsibility and a […]