20Product: Top Five Product Lessons from Creating Snapchat "Discover" and "Chat", How to Hire the Best Product Talent and Why Case Studies in Interviews are not Helpful & How AI Impacts the Future of Product Design with Will Wu, CTO @ Match Group
Feb 2, 2024
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Will Wu, CTO at Match Group and former VP of Product at Snap Inc., shares his journey in tech and product development. He discusses building Snapchat's Discover and Chat features, emphasizing the importance of user engagement strategies. Will reveals his approach to hiring top product talent and the value of psychological safety in teams. He also explores the balance between intuition and data in product decisions, and the transformative role of AI in design, particularly within dating apps.
Having a strong product instinct and understanding social interactions are key to successful product design.
Effective communication is crucial in conveying ideas and vision in product development.
Understanding user traffic patterns and making user interfaces easily discoverable are important for enhancing user engagement and adoption.
Deep dives
The importance of understanding social interactions and values in product design
The podcast episode highlights the significance of having a strong product instinct, understanding social interactions, and embracing strong values in product design. The speaker praises Evan for his ability to quickly grasp social dynamics and create beautiful designs. The importance of effective communication in conveying ideas and vision is also emphasized.
The role of curiosity and passion in tech and product
The podcast guest shares their personal journey in tech, highlighting the role of curiosity and passion in their career. Growing up with an interest in technology, they tinkered with computers and had a formative experience connecting with experienced individuals online. Their experience with SnapChat and meeting Evan led them to discover their passion for product design.
Evan's product instincts and storytelling abilities
The podcast episode discusses Evan's remarkable product instincts, ability to understand human interactions, and create visually appealing designs. Evan is described as a brilliant product leader who effectively communicates his ideas and vision. His storytelling skills and his role in infusing the company's values in product development are also highlighted.
Lessons from the launch of Snap's Discover
The podcast episode mentions the challenges faced during the launch of Snap's Discover feature. It emphasizes the importance of understanding user traffic patterns and making user interfaces easily discoverable. Small design tweaks, like moving Discover to a more prominent location within the app, had a significant positive impact on user engagement and adoption.
Lessons learned from Snap's gaming platform
The podcast guest reflects on their experience with Snap's gaming platform, Snap Games, and highlights the lessons they learned. They mention the importance of building confidence and courage in overcoming challenges. With the launch of Snap Games being a stressful period, it taught them the importance of perseverance and challenging oneself. They also discuss the value of imposter syndrome and how it can foster growth and learning.
Will Wu is the CTO @ Match Group, the owner and operator of the largest global portfolio of popular online dating services including Tinder, Match.com, OkCupid, and Hinge to name a few. Prior to Match, Will was VP of Product at Snap Inc. As the 35th employee, Will spearheaded the creation of Snapchat’s “Discover” content platform. He also led the creation and growth of the “Chat” messaging feature, which today is a primary Snapchat engagement driver that connects hundreds of millions of people each day.
In Today's Episode with Will Wu We Discuss:
1. The Journey to Snap CPO:
How did Evan make his way into the world of product and come to meet Evan Spiegel?
What are 1-2 of his biggest takeaways from his time at Snap?
What does Will know now that he wishes he had known when he started in product?
2. How to Hire Product Teams:
How does Will structure the interview process for new product hires?
What are the most telling questions of a candidate's product skills in hiring?
What case studies and tests does Will do to assess a candidate?
What are 1-2 of Will's biggest hiring mistakes in product?
3. How to Do Product Reviews Effectively:
What are Will's biggest lessons on what it takes to do product reviews well?
What are the biggest mistakes product leaders make in product reviews?
How can teams drive focus in product reviews? What works? What does not?
4. Product: Art or Science?
How does Will balance between gut/intuition and data in product decisions?
Is simple always better in product design?
What is human-centered design? How does it impact how Will approaches product?
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