Product Momentum Podcast

The best way to solve a problem is to first examine the people who have encountered it, instead of simply looking at the problem itself. Doing so allows you to get a different point of view. Through creativity, in-depth research of the people using your product, and technology, teams can exponentially improve the way software products provide value for users. In this episode, Joe and Sean talk with renowned artist Sebastian ErraZuriz about how he’s shaking up the art world and training minds to be creative in technology. Sebastian ErraZuriz employs technology and design to extend the reach of his art in unique ways. He does not create digital products in the traditional sense, but his perspectives can be applied to your practice no matter where you work. Creativity can be learned, Sebastian says, and it is “the key to pretty much everything, especially in this new era.” But he also uses data, employs strategies from top companies like Amazon and Nike to inform his work. Listen to this episode to hear more about: The importance of stamina and persistence for designers The future of art and exhibitions in our digital age Sources of creativity and new ideas in your day-to-day life Read our blog post here The post 04 / Creativity in Technology appeared first on ITX Corp..

Interested in adding gamification techniques to your product? Gregg Gordon is the person to talk to.  In this episode, Sean and Joe discuss gamification as an important part of the system design process, and then have a great conversation with Gregg Gordon, CEO of SSRN.com. Gregg has over 20 years’ experience in gamification, a means for eliciting specific behaviors from your users. This technique depends on the premise that humans are naturally competitive. Some people are more competitive than others, but competition is the basis for our economy and drives many of our behaviors whether we admit it or not. Many products that you use on a daily basis likely employ elements of gamification. SSRN is an online platform that seeks to make research readily accessible to the masses. Sean, Joe, and Gregg discuss how SSRN uses gamification within the SSRN.com environment to both foster friendly competition and encourage users to increase their usage of the system. Gregg also notes that these techniques can provide value for the user while distinguishing your product from others. Listen to the full episode to hear more on gamification from Gregg Gordon, including: The importance of integrity, reputation, and trust in incentivizing users to do things that they already want to do Using product testing to ensure every choice is the right choice How it manifests in other industries Read our blog post here The post 03 / Using Gamification to Build User Experiences appeared first on ITX Corp..

In this episode, Sean and Joe discuss the different aspects of creating and measuring product loyalty and advocacy and then talk with Adam Bates from Amazon about how he works on creating loyalty within his own customer base. Adam is the Head of Product Management at Amazon and has over a decade of experience working in product. Advocacy is the goal for any software product that interacts with humans. Your users are priceless advocates for your product. Whether you’re building a website, a mobile app, or any digital technology that interfaces with people, the goal is to build product loyalty and eventually advocacy among users. Adam Bates discusses the loyalty ladder with Sean and Joe: first earning trust, then building loyalty, and ultimately earning advocacy. If you try to force customers to be advocates without first earning their trust and loyalty, for example, they will not be nearly as valuable to you. Customers need to go up the ladder, and Adam discusses how they do this at Amazon. Listen to this episode to hear more from Adam, Sean, and Joe, including: Methods of measuring product success and customer advocacy How Amazon understands and prioritizes their customers using data Using Kerry Rodden’s HEART metrics framework to measure user experience Read our blog post The post 02 / Creating Advocacy & Building Product Loyalty appeared first on ITX Corp..

Personas have been used by marketers for decades, and they are invaluable in shaping a product that will be valuable to users from different backgrounds and of differing abilities. In this episode of the Product Momentum Podcast, hosts Sean and Joe first discuss personas and their role in the software development process. They then proceed to interview Jeremy Durham from Paychex. Jeremy is the Director of Portfolio, Strategy, and Implementation at Paychex and talks about his experience developing personas for its software platform with a broad user base – virtually everyone that works does or could use Paychex software. Personas are valuable because they help everyone on your software product development team to empathize with the users of your products. A great persona is one that helps your team inform those subtle feature decisions that can inspire and connect with your users. In fact, an accurate persona that is representative of your users can make an impact on your product experience that results in a truly differentiated experience. Jeremy explains that it is important to clarify personas before crafting your overall vision, and especially before you start building your product.  Listen to this episode to hear more from Jeremy Durham, Sean, and Joe, including: How to use the DISC model to shape personas Integrating product lines to improve user experience Paying attention to your user base, not just industry trends Read our blog post The post 01 / Developing Personas appeared first on ITX Corp..