The hottest Product Development Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Business Topics

Finding Product-Market Fit

Build To Scale • 39 implied HN points • 19 Aug 23
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Product Development Market research Customer Feedback
  1. Being honest about product-market fit is crucial for startups. Make sure people care about what you're building.
  2. Spend time understanding customer pain points early on. Don't assume you know what they need before talking to them.
  3. Listen actively to customers, uncover their real problems, and focus on solutions that address their urgent needs.
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Why won't they give us the resources?

Sunday Letters • 159 implied HN points • 12 Jun 22
💼 Business Management Finance Strategy Product Development Market Analysis
  1. Deciding when to invest in new projects is tricky for companies because they need to balance costs and benefits. Too much spending too quickly can lead to financial problems.
  2. Finance teams focus on overall company health, like cash flow and profit margins. If a new project risks the company's profitability, they might hesitate to fund it.
  3. To get funding for new ideas, it's helpful to understand the financial risks and show how the project can improve profit margins. Developing strategies to lower risks can increase chances of approval.

Finding the way in

Sunday Letters • 59 implied HN points • 23 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Startups Consumer Product Development Innovation
  1. Building products means you will make mistakes, but listening to users helps you learn what works. If a product isn't useful, people won't care about it.
  2. Incumbent companies can be tough competition for startups. Sometimes, it's better to target smaller, underserved groups that bigger companies ignore.
  3. Being a startup has its own strengths. You can focus on specific needs and spaces that might grow into a big opportunity over time.

How to Sell Products and Retain Customers

Sarah's Newsletter • 119 implied HN points • 12 Apr 22
💼 Business Marketing Customer Retention Product Development User Experience Data Analysis
  1. Understand your audience and solve their real problems to attract and retain customers.
  2. Provide a smooth onboarding experience to help users transition from inefficient processes to using your product.
  3. Customers who find your product valuable will be forgiving of small bugs, but focus on seamless integration within their ecosystem.

#2 How I Select Which Ideas to Build: A Personal Approach

Nittarab’s Substack • 1 HN point • 19 Aug 24
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Startups Market Analysis Product Development Idea Generation
  1. Sharing your idea with others is key to getting feedback and refining your concept. The more you talk about it, the clearer it becomes.
  2. It's important to choose ideas that fit your interests and skills. If you're not passionate about the topic or understand the audience, it's better to pass on it.
  3. Evaluate the market and your competition carefully. Knowing how big the market is and who else is out there can help you understand if your idea has a chance to succeed.

Fit then optimize

Sunday Letters • 159 implied HN points • 10 Apr 22
🕹 Technology Software Optimization Project management Engineering Product Development
  1. Always focus on finding the right fit for your project before trying to optimize it. It’s easier to make improvements once you know what works.
  2. Watch out for a messy situation where too many things need fixing. Start cleaning up gradually once you see your project gaining traction.
  3. Avoid creating overly complex systems before you understand the problem you're solving. Keep things simple and relevant to ensure usefulness.

In praise of small weirdos

Sunday Letters • 139 implied HN points • 05 Jun 22
🕹 Technology Innovation AI Product Development Consumer Tech Startups
  1. New tech often starts out messy and complicated, not neat and finished. Most of the time, we see these products when they are already established.
  2. It's important to look for 'small weirdos', which are early-stage ideas that not many people understand or use yet.
  3. Being aware of these small weirdos can help innovators find new opportunities and stay ahead in technology development.

Brief thoughts on product management

Logos • 39 implied HN points • 11 Jul 23
💼 Business Management Leadership Product Development Organizational Behavior Team Dynamics
  1. The term 'product manager' can mean different things in different companies, which makes it confusing. This lack of clear definition can lead to misunderstandings and inefficiencies.
  2. Many roles within product management can overlap, such as those of engineers, designers, and analysts. It's important to recognize these roles and how they can work together in teams.
  3. A new approach could be to form multi-functional teams without a designated PM role, allowing individuals to grow into leadership positions while keeping their functional expertise.

The best behavioral frameworks for creating great products

The Kahneman Bot • 39 implied HN points • 13 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Behavioral Science Product Development User Behavior Psychology
  1. Behavioral frameworks play a crucial role in product development by focusing on influencing user behavior and decision-making.
  2. Frameworks like EAST, Hooked, and Influence offer practical guidelines for improving products by making actions easy, attractive, and timely.
  3. Models like COM-B and Fogg's Behavior Model help product teams consider the wider environment and factors influencing user behavior.

Roads to self-employment and beyond

Kenny’s Sub • 19 implied HN points • 21 Dec 23
💼 Business Freelancing Entrepreneurship Product Development Agency Self-employment
  1. Many people move from a steady job to freelancing, then to running an agency or creating products. This path allows them to gain independence and explore new opportunities.
  2. Freelancing offers flexibility but can feel like juggling multiple smaller jobs. It's important to find a balance and not get stuck doing client work forever.
  3. Building in-demand products is a key goal for many freelancers. This helps them earn more and reduces their reliance on client work.

From corporate slave to bored freelancer to boring businesses

Kenny’s Sub • 19 implied HN points • 21 Dec 23
💼 Business Entrepreneurship Startup Freelancing Product Development Passive Income
  1. After working in a corporate job, Ayush realized he wanted more control over his life and income. He decided to quit and pursue entrepreneurship to build passive income and assets.
  2. He experimented with various online business ideas, including freelance work and e-commerce, but found more success in digital products and software. He aimed to focus on products that can grow and generate income over time.
  3. Ayush learned the importance of focus and long-term planning in business. He now emphasizes building sustainable businesses with evergreen demand and higher leverage, like software, instead of just temporary spikes from services or e-books.

AI Is Eating Software: How to Build a Product That OpenAI and Big Tech Don't Disrupt and Make Obsolete

The Rise of AI by Iyanuoluwa Ajao • 2 HN points • 12 Jul 24
🕹 Technology AI Software Tech industry Startups Product Development
  1. Software industry is evolving with AI becoming a key disruptor in creating innovative products
  2. Startup products face vulnerability to obsolescence due to competition from AI giants like OpenAI
  3. Key strategies for building enduring AI products include focusing on user experience, outcome-driven design, process knowledge, and unique data

User Interviews Considered Harmful

Likely Wrong • 3 HN points • 15 Jun 24
💼 Business Product Development User Feedback Market research Entrepreneurship
  1. Users may not always be truthful about their needs and preferences during interviews, leading to unreliable feedback.
  2. Identify if users are making genuine efforts to solve the problems they complain about, as lack of actions may indicate low urgency or value for a solution.
  3. Users often believe their problems are unique and require custom solutions, when in reality, they might just need common tools or products.

How Intercom Launched Fin AI

Good Better Best • 3 implied HN points • 18 Oct 24
💼 Business SaaS Product Development Pricing Strategy AI Technology
  1. Teasing features before they launch can create excitement. It helps customers know what's coming and encourages the team to work harder.
  2. Doing a soft launch allows a company to gather feedback and make improvements. It's important to stay flexible and adapt based on what you learn.
  3. Having a pricing strategy ready before launching is crucial. It saves time and helps ensure the product is set to succeed right from the start.

Building Codiga: Don’t believe the hype

Tech Ramblings • 19 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Venture Capital Product Development Technology Trends
  1. It's important to focus on real value for users rather than chasing trends. If your product doesn't help people, it may fail.
  2. Many startups get attention for being trendy, but often they lack substance and can collapse quickly. Investors sometimes get blinded by hype.
  3. Staying true to solid principles and avoiding the latest fads will lead to better, longer-lasting companies. Always ask if what you are offering is truly valuable.

Building Codiga: Building an Iteration Engine

Tech Ramblings • 19 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
💼 Business Startups Entrepreneurship Innovation Product Development Market Analysis
  1. Your first idea for a startup is not usually the best one. Many successful companies started with different ideas and adapted over time.
  2. The speed at which you improve and learn from mistakes is crucial. Startups have the advantage of being quick and flexible compared to larger companies.
  3. Creating a culture of constant improvement is key. Regular meetings, tracking data, and listening to user feedback can help you make better products while respecting user privacy.

S2 E2: From Stone Sculptures to Building Cities - Focussing on the Bigger Picture

CAUSL Effect • 19 implied HN points • 09 Oct 23
💼 Business Management Product Development Marketing Analytics Customer Insights
  1. Focus on details is important, but remember to see the bigger picture too. Each person's work should fit well into the overall goals of the team or company.
  2. Like the sculptures on the Arc de Triomphe tell a story, all parts of a project should connect to create a clear message for the audience.
  3. Using self-serve tools can help teams get quick insights. This lets everyone focus on the important work that benefits the entire organization.

The most valuable MVP

Better After a Nap • 19 implied HN points • 22 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Product Development User Experience Digital Technologies Tech industry Research
  1. The initial product or feature is not static; teams always have plans to iterate and improve after launch.
  2. User contexts, expectations, and external factors like technology evolution, legislation, and resource constraints require continuous refinement of products.
  3. The true MVP in product development is the customer, who expects fully formed, functional products, not works in progress.

Is Your Team a Cost Centre Without Product Understanding?

🔮 Crafting Tech Teams • 19 implied HN points • 31 Jul 23
💼 Business Team Dynamics Product Management Engineering Tech Culture Product Development
  1. Product understanding is crucial for a strong team. A team without it may struggle to bring products to market efficiently.
  2. Ensuring a strong product culture is essential. It involves keeping the product team and founders aligned and integrated into the engineering process.
  3. Maintaining a balance between product and engineering value streams is key. This helps in avoiding a disconnect that can make a team function more as a cost center.

What Alt Data Should Learn from Alt Rock

The Data Score • 19 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
💼 Business Data insights Financial Markets Product Development Data products
  1. The success of alternative rock band Nirvana in the 1990s can be seen as a tale of achieving product-market fit, blending novelty with familiarity, and capturing lightning in a bottle
  2. Just like how Nirvana and alternative rock made their way into the mainstream, alternative data companies need to craft unique, valuable products that merge novelty with familiarity to cater to a wider audience
  3. Challenges in adopting alternative data include aligning products with client needs, making data accessible, and building a narrative around data products to drive adoption and ensure impact

Wiz: Visible Vulnerabilities

The Product Person • 19 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Startup Cloud Computing Sales Product Development
  1. Wiz achieved remarkable success with $10 billion valuation by rapidly growing in the cybersecurity industry.
  2. Wiz's founding team had a strong background in security from Israeli Intelligence, and previous successful ventures set a solid foundation for their new startup.
  3. Wiz's swift growth was boosted by their cloud-first approach and fast product implementation, attracting high-profile customers and significant funding.

The Problem with Chat

Maximum Tinkering • 19 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🕹 Technology User Experience Artificial Intelligence Design Product Development
  1. Chat interfaces offer a user-friendly way to interact with computer systems, making tasks easier than traditional forms.
  2. As chat interfaces become more common in software products, the challenge of providing guidance amidst endless possibilities arises.
  3. Innovations like starting conversations with pre-set questions and providing a menu of interactive options help address the issue of choice overload in chat interfaces.

Stop thinking and go to market

Nate is Learning • 19 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
💼 Business Market Analysis Product Development Sales Decision-making Entrepreneurship
  1. When testing new markets, go straight to market with your offer instead of wasting time on research.
  2. Going to market quickly gives you real-time feedback, helps you make money, and uncovers the truth about product-market fit.
  3. By engaging real buyers, you will shorten your learning curve, spend less money, and make sales in the process.