Very few of us take a straight-line path into product management, and Chris is no exception. He talks about how his background helped prepare him for a career in product management, and what he learned along the way to help him be successful.A few things Chris wishes he knew coming into product management:Product managers often make decisions without all the information. How can we better prepare for this?Not everyone understands the value of product management. How can we do better?Product management is incredibly fun. As much hard work as it is, there are few careers as rewarding.Listen for a ton of other great information on moving into product management, the origin of Doritos, hamburgers, and using tacos to gauge your purchasing habits. 

What is product discovery?It is the process of building great productsIt is about building the right product and ensuring we build the product rightWhy is product discovery important?We need to address risks in product developmentHow do we do product discovery?How does remote work impact product discovery?We need to think about communicationWhat are some examples?

What is design thinking?EmpathizingDefiningIdeatingPrototypingTestingImplementingWhy is design thinking important?"Design thinking gets us out of our normal way of doing business and opens the door to numerous possibilities"How can we implement design thinking?What are the most important aspects?Links and mentions:Design thinking framework (Nielson Norman Group) Sprint (book)Lightning Decision Jam

What is user research?A tool to understand needsA way to find out what you don't knowWhat are types of research?InterviewsFocus groupsField studiesUsability testsSurveysQuestionnairesmany more...Why do research?To inform the design, the direction and gather insight"Be ready to be surprised"TipsHave a planDo it oftenDoesn't have to be perfectAdopt the mindset of a scientistHave fun and get the repsVolunteer to be on the other side to understand what it's likeReferenced in the show:User Research BasicsStop doing user research. Start having conversations.

How are we dealing with working from home currently?How has working remotely changed workflows for product managers?What are some tools and practices product teams are using to bridge the gaps?What are businesses doing to adapt now and in the future?Is this the new normal?

What is the ideal structure for product managers and product designers?What about scenarios when you can't have the ideal like when there are too few product managers or product designers?How should product managers and product designers combine forces?How can product designers better collaborate with product managers?How can product managers better collaborate with product designers? What are some keys to success?Shoutouts:The User Experience Team of One (book)Ermal Fraze, inventor of pop-top soda can

What is product design?Who is a designer?What's the difference between web design, visual design and product design?What makes a good product designer?How can you get into product design from other design fields?How can you get your company to buy into product design?Why is thinking about design important to save costs and work for your business?

What is product management?What makes a good product manager?What is the difference between a product manager and a product owner?What is the difference between product management and project management?Why is it important to know the difference?How can we incorporate the right mindset in order to avoid the build trap or becoming a feature factory?Break Free of the Feature FactoryEscaping the Build TrapHow can we get our organizations to begin to buy into product management?

In our first episode, we (Kyle and Eva) take a moment to introduce ourselves and talk about how we each got into product management and design. We also dive into various topics including our favorite moments in product, challenges in product management and design, how we define our roles, and where we see the industry going.