Hello, again!

I’m a vegetarian, cat-dad, and friend to animals (except wasps: I’m allergic). I am also very picky about waffles.

Empathy
Integrity
Analysis

What I stand for

  • Morality, ethics, and empathy

    I believe every project, team, and relationship, should be approached honestly, respectfully, and responsibly, first and foremost.
    Which is part of what led me to creating a set of principles for product teams to approach and imbue their products with.

  • People first

    I believe everything we do is pointless if we aren't working towards something better, and that starts with our own people.

  • The right problems

    It's important to understand a problem before tackling it, and to make sure you're tackling the right problems. I believe that spending time identifying problems and breaking them down is just as important as spending time on solutions.

  • Outcomes over outputs

    I don't believe in busywork, or making "stuff." If you don't need a certain function or output for a particular project then we shouldn't; waste the effort. Our goal is to solve problems in meaningful and measurable ways, not providing artifacts.

  • Data drives decisions

    I use the scientific method to research, analyze, and find objective truth before jumping into engineering solutions, or to make decisions when at a crossroads.

How I work

  • Understand

    Research, investigation, and getting to know your users and customers is all part of the backbone of good product work. If we aren't first doing the work to empathize with our users and customers how can we possibly then also make sure we're tackling the right problems?

  • Explore

    Once there's understanding, I think it's important to think outside the box and try as many things as possible, but build them in real, tactile ways that can be tested early and often.

  • Materialize

    Going back to those users that we've built rapport and understanding with to test and iterate on our ideas before we implement is not only how we know we got it right but also how we fine-tune things to make sure they're the best they can be.

  • Measure

    We'll never know if we're headed in the right direction if we launch and leave– I think every team should make it a priority to always launch and learn. This also ensures we're reporting to the business what our successes were.

  • Celebrate

    Whether a launch or release was a success or not, if we followed a good process, got along, learned something, and had fun doing it, then it's time for a cheers in my opinion.

What I do

Product vision
Having a vision for your product is similar but not identical to having a vision for your business. I find it's important to build your product vision together with your key product stakeholders to keep everyone aligned and looking forward to what's being built.
Product strategy
Having good product strategies helps teams work towards the product vision, plan, and understand what they should or shouldn't be doing.
Business vision
Every company needs a north star to inspire teams and keep them aligned as they work forward. I collaborate with those same teams through a variety of exercises to create a shared vision everyone believes in.
Business strategy
Just like using data to make product design decisions, I help teams use market and customer research to set goals, plan jobs to be done, prioritize, and tackle initiatives.
Product research & design
Empathy for the user or customer is paramount, followed by tried and true processes of iterative design and data-driven decision making. Read more about my process or values that effect design decisions above.
Design systems & patterns
Sometimes all a product team needs to hit the ground running is a base of strong styles, components, patterns, and best practices, to guide them.
Heuristic product reviews
I review products against best practices, heuristic lists, and current industry standards to help identify areas for improvement or further investigation.
Team leadership
I help build, foster, and mature, strong teams that work well with one another and are backed by strong processes that fit within their unique contexts. I believe good people should be trusted and empowered, not micro-managed.
Teaching & speaking
I'm a fairly active speaker, have taught courses at the college level, and run many a workshop. Sometimes, when working as a consultant, this can be the best way to give clients more bang for their buck.