Talking Code

Product Design and User Experience

Episode Summary

Sven Lenaerts joins us to share his expertise on product design and user experience. This conversation includes some thoughts on MVPs, when to hire a designer, and what a product person really does.

Episode Notes

Sven Lenaerts joins us to share his expertise on product design and user experience. This conversation includes some thoughts on MVPs, when to hire a designer, and what a product person really does.

Here's what to listen for:

• 00:46 What do you do as a product designer and UI/UX designer?
• 04:18 What should I figure out before I talk to a designer or developer about building a product?
• 07:01 What things can I do inexpensively that are lower-risk to see if building an app is the right solution for the problem I am trying to solve?
• 12:35 What are the biggest mistakes people make when trying to define their Minimum Viable Product (MVP)?
• 15:29 Should you do much experimentation before the product goes out into the wild?
• 17:53 What do you do when clients are including features in their MVP that they shouldn’t be?
• 21:22 How do you formulate conversations to make sure the vision of the product is realized? What do those conversations look like?
• 27:13 Does your vision document have a narrative start/finish to it?
• 31:17 What “expensive mistakes” can be made when building products?
• 34:58 Are there any qualities that would distinguish a good product person from a bad one?
• 38:38 What can I do if I want to stretch my skills and be a little risky without feeling like I’m putting a client at risk?
• 44:32 What do you do when you find yourself becoming cynical about product ideas and features?
• 50:06 What can I do to help a UI/UX design person do their best work?