Metrics of Success – Rik Higham on The Product Experience

We all know that we need to measure what matters; that if it's not measured, then it's not managed. We know that we need to have a North Star; that we need to run A/B tests; and that A/B tests are awful. We also know there's a massive difference between what we read in the books and how we actually practice on a day-to-day basis — so we grabbed Rik Higham (Deliveroo, ex-Skyscanner) to help us make sense of it all on this week's podcast.

In this episode, listen to learn about:

• Using metrics effectively
• Finding the right data
• Experimenting to make educated choices

Quote of the Episode

Are they [metrics] helping people to make informed decisions, or is everybody just sitting in a room and arguing? And maybe that’s an indicator that you’re not all pulling in the right direction, because people see different metrics as being the right or the wrong ones.

Links mentioned in this episode

• Follow Rik on Twitter and LinkedIn
• Rik's 'Getting Comfortable Breaking Your Product' talk at Mind The Product
• The Bertinet Kitchen Cookery School
• Henrik Kniberg's 'Minimise the Gap Between Maker and User' Mind The Product talk

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Our Hosts

The Product Experience is hosted by Lily Smith and Randy Silver.

Lily enjoys working as a consultant product manager with early-stage and growing startups and as a mentor to other product managers. She's currently Head of Innovation at Go Compare and has spent 13 years in the tech industry working with startups in the SaaS and mobile space. She's worked on a diverse range of products – leading the product teams through discovery, prototyping, testing and delivery. Lily also founded ProductTank Bristol (which now has 800+ members!) and runs ProductCamp in Bristol and Bath.

Randy is a product consultant and coach who has been working as an interactive producer and product manager across the US and UK for nearly 20 years. A recovering music journalist and editor, he launched Amazon’s music stores in the US and UK, and has worked across sectors including museums and arts groups, online education, media and entertainment, retail and financial services. He’s held Head of Product roles at HSBC and Sainsbury’s, where he also directed their 100+-person product community. Randy's book, What Do We Do Now? A Product Manager's Guide to Strategy in the Time of COVID-19 is out now, with all profits going to COVID-19 relief efforts.