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This Week I Learned…

Following some beautiful inspiration from Diana Kimball, I’ve decided to write a quick recap of what I’ve learned this week. As Diana eloquently put it: “Chances are, you’re never not learning. Why not write about it?”

What I’m reading:

• Articles, mostly. Lots from this list by Robert Lenne. Lots from Quibb.
• The Inmates Are Running the Asylum by Alan Cooper.

What I’m doing:

• Moving apartments

What I’m learning:

• Uber XL is a hyper convenient way to get an ikea dresser you find on Craigslist
• Cardboard boxes make your clothes smell dank.
• Your user always has a “next step”… design for it.
• Using the JTBD (Job to be done) framework for defining competitors.
• Network providers REALLY don’t want you to have a data-only Sim for a smart phone.
• The world is getting older.
• The UI Stack consists of 5 states: Blank, Error, Ideal, Partial, and Loading — design for all 5.
• Gall’s Law: A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked. A complex system designed from scratch never works and cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start over with a working simple system.
• WeChat makes $7 ARPU on users — 2015 data.

What I’m ruminating on:

• My current definition of “close friend” is someone you can call without texting first.
• Force touch, and what features various apps choose to highlight with it.
• How entrenched we are in the “personal” aspect of Personal Computing, and how we will navigate to an era of Communal Computing.
• With chat-based products, my “Recent Contacts” in iMessage and Messenger is quickly becoming as much of a “homescreen” as my dock.

Until next time,
Anna Marie

It’s Next time! See Week 2 here. Bots! and Slack! And starting a new PM role.