post

B2B product management

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML)

Building Product Teams

Business Strategy

Data Driven Product Management

Digital Transformation

Diversity and Inclusion

Minimum Viable Product

OKRs

Prioritisation

Product Design

Product Research

Product Development Process

Product Ethics

Product Discovery

Product Leadership

Product Management Career

Product Strategy

Stakeholder Management

🌎 <a href="https://www.mindtheproduct.com/world-product-day/" style="color:#FFFFFF;text-decoration:underline;">Happy World Product Day!</a> Be sure to celebrate product, yourself, and your peers today! 🎉

How internal product teams drive growth at Wise

Leading B2B product management in high-resistance environments

10 tips for writing good product handover documentation

Poll results: What tools are product managers using the most?

Leadership coaching: 5 reasons why you should do it

Footer About

Footer Contribute

Footer Get Involved

Footer Links

Mind the Product

Guest Post

Ideating in the problem-solving stage of the Product Operating Model

Artificial intelligence (AI)

How to build an AI product that doesn’t suck

Janna Bastow is one of the co-founders of Mind the Product, and kicked off her first event for product people with ProductCamp London in 2010, in an effort to meet and learn from other product managers. 

As a product manager always looking for better tools, Janna also co-founded <a href="https://www.prodpad.com/" title="product management and roadmapping software">ProdPad</a>, product management and roadmapping software for product people. 

She often starts and stops conversations with the question: “What problem are you trying to solve?”

CEO/Co-founder

Janna Bastow

<p><a href="https://www.mindtheproduct.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/littlewoodrows.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-4747" alt="ProductTank at Little Woodrow's" src="https://www.mindtheproduct.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/littlewoodrows-300x225.jpg" width="300" height="225" srcset="https://www.mindtheproduct.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/littlewoodrows-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.mindtheproduct.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/littlewoodrows-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.mindtheproduct.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/littlewoodrows.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a></p>
<p>A couple weeks ago, the MTP team headed out to Austin for the SXSW festival.  This was our third year running, and held a great <a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/e/producttank-drinks-sxsw-edition-3rd-annual-tickets-10698614845" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ProductTank Drinks @ SXSW</a> event, taking over the patio bar of Little Woodrow&#8217;s on the popular 6th street downtown.</p>
<p>Once again, the sun (just barely) came out for ProductTank, and we had a great gathering of some of the most interesting and best connected product people from around the world.</p>
<p>A huge shoutout and thanks to <a title="Talent Acquisition Software" href="http://www.gild.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gild</a> for sponsoring the event, meaning we could all enjoy a fantastic lineup of great beers and ciders on a Sunday afternoon.</p>
<p>Among the attendees, we had folks representing great communities of product people from all over the place.  We heard a little about each of them and what they got up to at SXSW:</p>
<p><a style="line-height: 1.5em;" href="https://twitter.com/Li_Li_D">Alicia Dixon</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> (Mobile Product Manager at The Sheridan Group but also a <a href="http://www.productcampdc.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ProductCamp DC</a> organizer) spoke on the </span><a href="http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_IAP18547" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Your Founder is Your Product Manager</a> panel, and shared the following:</p>
<blockquote><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">We had a full room &#8211; to the point where they made a few people wait outside until others left before letting them in. Also, almost the entire session was from audience questions; so they were pretty engaged which made the discussion lively. When we surveyed the room most of the audience was composed of product people as opposed to startup founders or engineers.</span></p></blockquote>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/ttorres" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Teresa Torres</a> (Product Consultant and Coach, <a href="http://teresatorres.com/producttalk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ProductTalk</a>) echoed a lot of our own thoughts about the fringe (the outside events and parties) being more interesting than most of the official sessions themselves:</p>
<blockquote><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">I spoke on a panel (</span><a style="line-height: 1.5em;" href="http://schedule.sxsw.com/2014/events/event_IAP18547" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Your Founder is Your Product Manager</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">), but aside from that, I mostly went to meetups and parties. I was more interested in meeting folks than attending the conference itself. It was a great week and I expect to go again next year. </span></p></blockquote>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="https://twitter.com/nealcabage" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Neal Cabage</a> (Founder of <a href="http://www.productcamp.la/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ProductCamp LA</a> and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321905016/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0321905016&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thesmasta-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Smarter Startup</a>) had the following to say about his SXSW experience:</span></p>
<blockquote><p>SXSW is the center of the Internet universe for a week every year. Every famous entrepreneur, blogger, and speaker is there, and often just walking the same lobby or having a drink at the same bar. The Film festival is happening at the same time as Interactive so you&#8217;ll also find you&#8217;re mingling with a number of film makers and actors.  It&#8217;s not only a lot of fun, I particularly like how the event brings together art and technology in a way that reminds me of why I got into technology to begin with.</p>
<p>Despite all of the excitement and activity that is SXSW, I attend primarily for the Startup Village. I&#8217;ve had the opportunity to present material from my book the past couple years.   This year I presented on <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/nealcabage/startupopportunityevaluation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Startup Opportunity Ideation and Evaluation</a> with my book&#8217;s co-author, which is basically product strategy for startups.  Aside from my own work, I enjoy seeing all of the innovation and new approaches to solving problems here; its a great way to stimulate one&#8217;s product mind and instigate new ideas and realizations.</p></blockquote>
<p>With the brilliant combination of interesting people, the blend of tech and the arts, and a plethora of fantastic gatherings, sessions and parties (and of course, Texas sun and barbecue!), SXSW is definitely a destination for any product manager.</p>
<p>We&#8217;ll be back next year, no doubt.  This time, though, we&#8217;d love to make something bigger of it &#8211; we&#8217;re considering planning a large trip and invite out dozens of fellow product people from the UK and elsewhere to join us on an organised group trip.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;d like to hear more about this, sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know the details, or send us a message at <a href="mailto:team@mindtheproduct.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">team@mindtheproduct.com</a> to get involved.</p>
<p></p>
<div id="mc_embed_signup">
<form class="validate" id="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" action="http://mindtheproduct.us5.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=9f9609492007e56236a074b27&amp;id=babd9cfe61" method="post" name="mc-embedded-subscribe-form" novalidate="" target="_blank">
<div class="mc-field-group"><label for="mce-EMAIL">Email </label><br />
<input class="required email" id="mce-EMAIL" type="email" name="EMAIL" value="" /></div>
<div class="clear" id="mce-responses"></div>
<p></p>
<div style="position: absolute; left: -5000px;"><input type="text" name="b_9f9609492007e56236a074b27_babd9cfe61" value="" /></div>
<div><input class="button" id="mc-embedded-subscribe" type="submit" name="subscribe" value="Subscribe" /></div>
</form>
</div>
<p><script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[
var fnames = new Array();var ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';fnames[3]='TWITTER';ftypes[3]='text';fnames[4]='COMPANY';ftypes[4]='text'; try {     var jqueryLoaded=jQuery;     jqueryLoaded=true; } catch(err) {     var jqueryLoaded=false; } var head= document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0]; if (!jqueryLoaded) {     var script = document.createElement('script');     script.type = 'text/javascript';     script.src = '//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.4.4/jquery.min.js';     head.appendChild(script);     if (script.readyState &#038;&#038; script.onload!==null){         script.onreadystatechange= function () {               if (this.readyState == 'complete') mce_preload_check();         }         } } var err_style = ''; try{     err_style = mc_custom_error_style; } catch(e){     err_style = '#mc_embed_signup input.mce_inline_error{border-color:#6B0505;} #mc_embed_signup div.mce_inline_error{margin: 0 0 1em 0; padding: 5px 10px; background-color:#6B0505; font-weight: bold; z-index: 1; color:#fff;}'; } var head= document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0]; var style= document.createElement('style'); style.type= 'text/css'; if (style.styleSheet) {   style.styleSheet.cssText = err_style; } else {   style.appendChild(document.createTextNode(err_style)); } head.appendChild(style); setTimeout('mce_preload_check();', 250); var mce_preload_checks = 0; function mce_preload_check(){     if (mce_preload_checks>40) return;
    mce_preload_checks++;
    try {
        var jqueryLoaded=jQuery;
    } catch(err) {
        setTimeout('mce_preload_check();', 250);
        return;
    }
    var script = document.createElement('script');
    script.type = 'text/javascript';
    script.src = 'http://downloads.mailchimp.com/js/jquery.form-n-validate.js';
    head.appendChild(script);
    try {
        var validatorLoaded=jQuery("#fake-form").validate({});
    } catch(err) {
        setTimeout('mce_preload_check();', 250);
        return;
    }
    mce_init_form();
}
function mce_init_form(){
    jQuery(document).ready( function($) {
      var options = { errorClass: 'mce_inline_error', errorElement: 'div', onkeyup: function(){}, onfocusout:function(){}, onblur:function(){}  };
      var mce_validator = $("#mc-embedded-subscribe-form").validate(options);
      $("#mc-embedded-subscribe-form").unbind('submit');//remove the validator so we can get into beforeSubmit on the ajaxform, which then calls the validator
      options = { url: 'http://mindtheproduct.us5.list-manage2.com/subscribe/post-json?u=9f9609492007e56236a074b27&#038;id=babd9cfe61&#038;c=?', type: 'GET', dataType: 'json', contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
                    beforeSubmit: function(){
                        $('#mce_tmp_error_msg').remove();
                        $('.datefield','#mc_embed_signup').each(
                            function(){
                                var txt = 'filled';
                                var fields = new Array();
                                var i = 0;
                                $(':text', this).each(
                                    function(){
                                        fields[i] = this;
                                        i++;
                                    });
                                $(':hidden', this).each(
                                    function(){
                                        var bday = false;
                                        if (fields.length == 2){
                                            bday = true;
                                            fields[2] = {'value':1970};//trick birthdays into having years
                                        }
                                    	if ( fields[0].value=='MM' &#038;&#038; fields[1].value=='DD' &#038;&#038; (fields[2].value=='YYYY' || (bday &#038;&#038; fields[2].value==1970) ) ){
                                    		this.value = '';
									    } else if ( fields[0].value=='' &#038;&#038; fields[1].value=='' &#038;&#038; (fields[2].value=='' || (bday &#038;&#038; fields[2].value==1970) ) ){
                                    		this.value = '';
									    } else {
									        if (/\[day\]/.test(fields[0].name)){
    	                                        this.value = fields[1].value+'/'+fields[0].value+'/'+fields[2].value;									        
									        } else {
    	                                        this.value = fields[0].value+'/'+fields[1].value+'/'+fields[2].value;
	                                        }
	                                    }
                                    });
                            });
                        $('.phonefield-us','#mc_embed_signup').each(
                            function(){
                                var fields = new Array();
                                var i = 0;
                                $(':text', this).each(
                                    function(){
                                        fields[i] = this;
                                        i++;
                                    });
                                $(':hidden', this).each(
                                    function(){
                                        if ( fields[0].value.length != 3 || fields[1].value.length!=3 || fields[2].value.length!=4 ){
                                    		this.value = '';
									    } else {
									        this.value = 'filled';
	                                    }
                                    });
                            });
                        return mce_validator.form();
                    }, 
                    success: mce_success_cb
                };
      $('#mc-embedded-subscribe-form').ajaxForm(options);

    });
}
function mce_success_cb(resp){
    $('#mce-success-response').hide();
    $('#mce-error-response').hide();
    if (resp.result=="success"){
        $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
        $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(resp.msg);
        $('#mc-embedded-subscribe-form').each(function(){
            this.reset();
    	});
    } else {
        var index = -1;
        var msg;
        try {
            var parts = resp.msg.split(' - ',2);
            if (parts[1]==undefined){
                msg = resp.msg;
            } else {
                i = parseInt(parts[0]);
                if (i.toString() == parts[0]){
                    index = parts[0];
                    msg = parts[1];
                } else {
                    index = -1;
                    msg = resp.msg;
                }
            }
        } catch(e){
            index = -1;
            msg = resp.msg;
        }
        try{
            if (index== -1){
                $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
                $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg);            
            } else {
                err_id = 'mce_tmp_error_msg';
                html = '





<div id="'+err_id+'" style="'+err_style+'"> '+msg+'</div>




';

                var input_id = '#mc_embed_signup';
                var f = $(input_id);
                if (ftypes[index]=='address'){
                    input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]+'-addr1';
                    f = $(input_id).parent().parent().get(0);
                } else if (ftypes[index]=='date'){
                    input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index]+'-month';
                    f = $(input_id).parent().parent().get(0);
                } else {
                    input_id = '#mce-'+fnames[index];
                    f = $().parent(input_id).get(0);
                }
                if (f){
                    $(f).append(html);
                    $(input_id).focus();
                } else {
                    $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
                    $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg);
                }
            }
        } catch(e){
            $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').show();
            $('#mce-'+resp.result+'-response').html(msg);
        }
    }
}
// ]]></script><br />
</p>

core/freeform

Product Management

LLM workflows for product managers: 3 key takeaways (Niloufar Salehi, Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley) – ProductTank SF

How to survive the next phase of tech – Jonty Sharples (Product and Strategy Consultant)

Transformed: Moving to the product model by Marty Cagan

Product teams in flux – Pendomonium+#mtpcon roadshow: Berlin

AI in practice at Berlin’s leading companies – Pendomonium+#mtpcon roadshow: Berlin

Product teams in flux – Pendomonium+#mtpcon roadshow: Amsterdam

Product teams in flux – Pendomonium+#mtpcon roadshow: London

What’s next for product management in 2024? Nichole Mace (SVP Product and User Experience, Pendo)

“You’re not as competent as you think” 5 lessons from Ken Chin on navigating a product career (CPO, Spark Networks)

Product Management at SXSW

Janna Bastow

Read more

Comments