Learn Fast and Well With Experimentation – Product Science Journal #31

Hello friends,

It’s been far too long since I’ve sent one of these e-mails, but there’s no time like the present to fix that! If you’re new to my list, welcome, and thanks for joining! If you’re a long-time reader, thanks for opening my e-mail again after all this time.

I’ve been having lots of fantastic conversations in preparation for Season 4 of the Product Science Podcast. We’ve covered what it’s like leading product at scaling companies, how to have more fun at work, how to be an everyday leader, and more. The season will begin in February, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of it!

In the meantime, I’ve been thinking a lot about experimentation. So I wanted to share this podcast recording I did a while back for the Product Momentum Podcast, an article on running a good solution test interview from my friend Jim Morris, and an article from Ant Murphy on what Design Sprints are and aren’t the right fit for.

What do you think?

Warmly,
Holly

Holly Hester-Reilly on learning fast and learning well with experimentation (Product Momentum Podcast #33)

Product Momentum

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Sean Flaherty and Paul Gebel on the Product Momentum Podcast about learning fast and learning well with experimentation. We talked about how experimentation is not about right or wrong but rather about learning things that you genuinely didn’t know.

How to Plan a Successful Solution Test Interview

Product Discovery Group

In this article Jim Morris walks you through how to prepare for a Solution Test Interview. He covers scheduling and setting up, planning questions and hypotheses, getting important answers, and mentally preparing yourself for the interviews. He talks about how getting these things right up front has led to faster and more effective synthesis and better results in the end.

Why you should be doing longer Design Sprints

UX Collective

Ant Murphy wrote a great piece on the reason why design sprints are 5 days and in which situations that makes sense for a modern product team. Most of us don’t have the constraints that were present for Jake Knapp and his team when they created the Design Sprint, so we can go a little slower in order to build towards a better outcome.

Podcast Season 4 Coming Soon

We’re working hard on Season 4! Check out these episodes from Season 3:

• The Randy Silver Hypothesis: When the World Changes You Need to Reassess Your Assumptions
• The Amy Jo Kim Hypothesis: Drive Deep Product Engagement by Optimizing the Core Loop with Game Thinking
• The Adam Thomas Hypothesis: If You Do Research Well It Never Feels Like a Waste of Time
• The Robbie Kellman Baxter Hypothesis: The Best Membership-Oriented Businesses Focus on the Long Term
• Season 3 Highlights: The Product Science Success Path

I’m Speaking at Dubai UX Design Conference!

I’m excited to be speaking on the topic of High Impact Product Design Experimentation at the Dubai UX Design Conference, May 16-17, 2022. Check it out here.

Brought to you by H2R Product Science

Our team at H2R Product Science partners with startup founders and product leaders to share The Product Science Principles and the accompanying framework, the Product Science Method, which I’ve developed over my time in tech startups. Through our coaching and consulting work, we help our clients figure out which product growth opportunities they should pursue and build the product management skill to deliver on their goals. Reach out if you’d like to explore working together, whether as a client or a team member!

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