A presentation at Web Directions Summit in in Sydney NSW, Australia by Laura van Doore
The Pragmatic Product Laura Van Doore Head of Product Design, Fathom @lauravandoore
How could a book about programming written 2 decades ago be applicable to modern product development? @lauravandoore
Building Products in 2019
Pragmatic Adjective Solving problems in a sensible way that suits the conditions that really exist now, rather than obeying fixed ideas, theories or rules. @lauravandoore
Otherwise we end up with products like this: @lauravandoore
What makes a pragmatic product person? @lauravandoore
Trait #1 BIG PICTURE THINKER They think beyond the immediate problem and place it in a larger context @lauravandoore
Trait #2 DEEPLY REALISTIC They work with the chess pieces that are on the board, rather than the resources they wish they had @lauravandoore
Trait #3 INQUISITIVE They constantly re-evaluate and question current methods, approach & practices @lauravandoore
Trait #4 SKILLED CRAFTSPERSON They deeply care about their craft, and actively invest in new skill development @lauravandoore
Trait #5 SCIENTIFIC MINDSET They make informed decisions and intelligent compromises @lauravandoore
Pragmatic Product Mindset Traits Big picture thinker Realistic Skilled Craftsperson Inquisitive Test & Learn Mindset @lauravandoore
Cultivating a Pragmatic Product Mindset @lauravandoore
1 Speak more than one language
In 1999 Learn as many programming languages as possible @lauravandoore
The limits of languages influence how you think about a problem The Pragmatic Programmer @lauravandoore
In 2019 Building product is a team sport With many roles and players @lauravandoore
Learning the languages of your teammates is a super power @lauravandoore
SPEAK MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE ● Customers ● Engineering ● Product Management ● Design & UX ● Business @lauravandoore
Shared language and skill overlap breaks down barriers @lauravandoore
2 Be a catalyst @lauravandoore
Catalyst Noun A chemical substance that can be added to a reaction to increase the reaction rate without getting consumed in the process @lauravandoore
Be a catalyst Imagine this scenario: ● You have a really clear picture on how to make positive change ● You’ve got a great grasp on the resources you’ll need, and how to bring it all together. ● It’s a slam dunk @lauravandoore
Be a catalyst ● But when asking for permission to get started, you’re met with delays and blank stares ● People form committees ● Budgets need approvals ● Everyone starts to guards their resources @lauravandoore
STORY TIME Stone Soup @lauravandoore
Illustrations by Marcia Brown
Illustrations by Marcia Brown
Illustrations by Marcia Brown
Illustrations by Marcia Brown
Illustrations by Marcia Brown
Illustrations by Marcia Brown
Illustrations by Marcia Brown
Illustrations by Marcia Brown
BE A CATALYST People find it easier to join an ongoing success @lauravandoore
BE A CATALYST Showing a glimpse of the future helps folks to rally @lauravandoore
BE A CATALYST Sometimes people aren’t aware of the value they can contribute (They don’t know what they can bring to the pot) @lauravandoore
Be a catalyst by helping the people around you see an exciting possible future, with a clear path for how they can contribute @lauravandoore
3 Invest in your knowledge portfolio
Your knowledge & experience are your most important professional assets. Unfortunately, they’re expiring assets. The Pragmatic Programmer @lauravandoore
INVEST IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE PORTFOLIO Diversify The more areas you have knowledge in, the more valuable & adaptable you are. @lauravandoore
INVEST IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE PORTFOLIO Manage risk Tech skills exist along a spectrum from risky, potentially high-reward to low-risk, low-reward skills. @lauravandoore
INVEST IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE PORTFOLIO Buy low, sell high Learning emerging technologies or methods might be risky, but it pays off for early adopters who can end up dominating that area. @lauravandoore
Manage your knowledge investments in a similar way to how you would manage a financial portfolio @lauravandoore
4 Push for progress over perfection @lauravandoore
PUSH FOR PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION You can’t design perfect software There’s no single correct answer when building new features & products. ‘Perfect’ is dependant on the eye of the beholder. @lauravandoore
PUSH FOR PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION Plan to adapt and iterate. Permanently. Customers needs are always evolving, usually needing more and more sophisticated functionality. Product is never done. @lauravandoore
1 Speak more than one language 2 Be a catalyst 3 Invest in your knowledge portfolio 4 Push for progress over perfection @lauravandoore
Pragmatic Product Mantras 4 bite-sized knowledge nuggets @lauravandoore
Don’t live with broken windows Fix bad designs, wrong decisions, and poor code when you see them.
Horses, not zebras Look for expected cause first, rather than searching out something more exotic
No one from Brazil has purchased our product, people must not be interested. Later, user research showed their checkout form validation didn’t allow Brazilian postcodes to pass
Carve stones, but think cathedrals Focus on where the big picture meets the detailed implementation.
When in doubt ask the duck Rubber duck debugging is popular with devs, but is handy for other teams too
Thanks @lauravandoore
In 1999 a now infamous book called The Pragmatic Programmer was first published, and the mindset it introduced took the software development world by storm. After 20 years, a flick through the pages shows it’s filled with timeless advice that, with a little bit of examination and re-interpretation, can help anyone nurture a pragmatic product mindset.
Pragmatic product people are early adopters & fast adapters. They are inquisitive, critical thinkers and Realistic. The quintessential Jack-of-all-trades.We’ll explore the essential traits of a pragmatic product person, re-interpret the practical learnings from the book into a modern product context, discover many insightful parables along the way, and learn how we can approach all angles of modern product development with a pragmatic mindset to improve the way we work with our teams to build amazing products.
This presentation will be an enjoyable & compelling journey on how software programming techniques that were written 20 years ago, can be seamlessly applied to modern product design practices in organisations today.
The following resources were mentioned during the presentation or are useful additional information.
The original 1999 edition of the Pragmatic Programmer.
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