I remember the transition to Figma a few years ago. Facilitated and encouraged almost by remote working, COVID and a need for better online collaboration, Figma is now the go-to for so many design practitioners. Design systems have become a critical part of modern...

Although no-code or low-code platforms have risen to prominence over the past few years I have fond memories of using some of the first variants over 25 years ago! Macromedia Dreamweaver and Fireworks were my go-to when I wanted to build websites in my twenties....

A while ago a service designer told me about an incredible music app start-up she was working on. The app in question was well funded and had some of the smartest minds on the project. From kick off, the team set about building a raft of incredible features that wowed...

It is amazing to think that Design Sprints were first introduced by Jake Knapp over 10 years ago! Once the buzzword in product teams as a surefire way to bring cross-functional teams together for successful ideation, I often get asked about the relevance of design...

I remember reading ‘Trillion Dollar Coach’ and being fascinated by Bill Campbell and how he coached some of the world’s greatest leaders. Something I realised later in my career in product is that continuous learning allows us as leaders to both take and receive...

I’m late to the party on this one but I recently started watching HBO’s brilliant series ‘Industry’. The premise ‘Young finance graduates venture out in the cut-throat competitive world to get a job during the recession times that followed as a result of the 2008...

It seems that every few months there are a bunch of shiny new tools to help us build products, design stuff or manage projects or teams. What’s your go-to stack for product management / development? Over the past few years remote work has been thrust to the fore....

We’ve all been there - you work tirelessly for months (or even years!) on the most groundbreaking new product or release but as soon as users get their hands on it all hell breaks loose. There are so many stories of disastrous product launches but also quite a few...

I spent the last week with my 16 year old son on holiday. It was amazing to have that uninterrupted time with him and we spoke on so many subjects. Both my children have been brought up in North London and I love how this has shaped their values when it comes to...

Ring-fencing product managers from the realities of the business is no longer acceptable. It is not enough to task product leaders with vision and strategy remits without tying these closely to the overarching business goals. Additionally it is now imperative for...

'Product-led' has been such a buzzword in recent years. The story goes that product-led companies not only harness great work cultures but are also set up for commercial success by this very culture and way of working. But what does it mean to be 'product-led', and...

There have been so many analogies and directives around what the role of a product manager entails. One minute it is being 'CEO of the product' and then not, another being 'data-driven' or product-led and so on. In reality the role of product managers has become...

Apple often wait in the sidelines - not always first with technology or innovation but most certainly extremely impactful on launch. Why is this so interesting? For years ‘intelligent assistants’ such as Google’s assistant have stolen the march on Apple’s often...

Communication is key. After running teams, coaching and also being a parent I realise that with good communication issues can be resolved quickly with the minimum amount of pain all round. A few years ago I decided to introduce Kim Scott's 'Radical Candour' concept to...

The old adage 'be careful for what you wish for' can often apply to career moves or aspirations. Many product managers see moving to VP Product, Head of Product or even CPO a natural career progression. However the transition to C-suite might not be for everyone. With...

Building products is hard, getting them to market harder and then turning that initial traction into something that becomes part of our daily lives...well, that's something different altogether! Whilst your teams or company may never reach the stratospheric heights of...

Epilogue 16 years ago, MindCandy, a kids' entertainment brand, launched an incredibly successful MMORPG (multiplayer online role-playing game) which was played in a web browser. With over 80 million registered users across 150 territories at several points the company...

Recently our CEO at Steer73 shared a Loom as part of a client update. And this got me thinking - there are so many great tools out there that help us make work easier, faster and more collaborative. As part of a ‘Tools’ series I’m going to dive into things that I use...

I came across this fascinating podcast last week - https://www.finguppodcast.com. Hosted by Deanne Rhynard the discussions centre around the realities behind success stories. The f’ing up podcast aims to ‘normalise the feelings of failure we all experience throughout...

The old adage ‘lead by example’ could not be truer than in cementing your position as a leader within a product-led organisation. Product management requires not only the wearing of so many hats but also a high level of understanding, stakeholder and crisis...

Moving from vision to a successful product launch is almost like setting sail into uncharted waters. The reality of bringing anything to market is always fraught with unexpected crests and troughs. A roadmap is almost like the rope helping you along that journey. A...

I’ll never forget listening to AJ&Smart founder Jonathan Courtney on the much loved ‘Jake and Jonathan’ podcast (Previously known as The Product Breakfast Club)  Being a founder, CEO, strategist and much more, Jonathan chose in one episode to simply state ‘we’re...

Whilst the world of product continues to espouse theory, seminars, training and hefty tomes on process, one aspect remains timeless and paramount: effective leadership. However, the definition of effective leadership has undergone a significant transformation. Today,...

Not a day goes by where I do not see colleagues past and present posting news of their redundancies or lay offs. As the economic uncertainty, rise of AI and reassessment of company’s orgs continues to bite at the tech sector what can you do if you’re suddenly facing...

In fact there are a few more than 5. In any case as I approach my 50th year on this planet I find myself reflecting a little on life and realise that there are quite a few things in both my personal and professional life that I wish I'd known earlier. Some are...

As product managers or leaders we are, by design, meant to be experts at multitasking. From juggling multiple projects simultaneously to responding to emails while on a conference call, multitasking has become synonymous with productivity. I've found working as a...

A good few years ago programs such as Reforge were held in high esteem as an exclusive members only way to learn product mastery. There was an application process, a not insignificant fee associated with the learning and a slew of online seminars, documents and...

We often dream of endpoints. Travelling to a certain place, launching a product or achieving a goal we set ourselves. But as we move through life as humans we come to realise that arriving at a point is often anti-climatical. Nothing stops, things continue. Our lives...

Last year I jumped on a mini audit of a popular mobile app. I found that a lot of stuff wasn’t working well. There were a few bugs, some technical and performance issues, UX conundrums and I also recommended some minor UI tweaks. If the application was going to grow...

The slack brush notification tapped incessantly through my AirPods Pro as I headed into the co-working space. Yet again there was a flurry of activity as another piece of ‘urgent’ data was being discussed in any number of channels. A swarm of voices began chiming in....