This is a shortened version of my talk, Be a Great Product Leader, given at the Raisin Conference in Berlin, Germany on September 14, 2018.

1. Adam Nash
@adamnash
Beyond Metrics: The Value of Delight
Raisin Conference
September 14, 2018

2. World Class Product
This all started with a conversation with Reid Hoffman in 2007.
Great product leaders go beyond metrics.
These are the top lessons I’ve personally gained over the past two
decades about product for modern consumer software.

3. Prioritization: Three Buckets
Metrics Movers
These pay the bills. In the end, software that doesn’t justify itself will lose
the ability to fund itself.
Customer Requests
If you don’t listen to customers, they will lose faith and eventually hate you.
Delight
If you don’t delight customers, you won’t inspire passion and loyalty in
your users.
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4. It’s About the Whole Product
Can’t we find features that have all three? No.
Metrics movers are rarely requested or delightful.
Customer requests rarely move metrics or delight people.
Delight features rarely move metrics & by definition, are not requested.
Great products, however, combine all three.
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5. Find the Heat
There are two ways to boost engagement: lower friction or increasing desire
Software teams love to focus on the first, and rarely dive into the second.
Exceptional experiences depend on capturing the real nuances of human interaction.
Heat is a placeholder term for emotions that drive action, both positive and negative.
Emotion. Passion. Desire.
What strong emotions drive the actions in your products?
Look for “Magic Moments”
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6. Simple is Hard
It’s true in design, metrics, prioritization, and strategy
We all fear the fate of Microsoft Office
What’s the one thing you want the user to do?
What’s the job your customers are hiring you to do?
The great gift of mobile-first design
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7. Einstein’s Razor 5
Make things as simple as possible, but not simpler.

8. Build Products Your Customers Love
Separate: Metrics, Customer Requests, Delight
Focus on the Whole Product
Find the Heat
Simple Is Hard
Remember Einstein’s Razor