Product Hero #10 — Horacio Soares

Published in

Product Arena

8 min readFeb 22, 2017

Happy New Year, Product guys! I'm back!

Not just me, but the Product Mobile Course also! The next 3 editions, with new contents, new cases and surprises will happens in:

Rio de Janeiro: 01/04 and 02/04. Book here: https://goo.gl/02vXJS

Belo Horizonte: 08/04 and 09/04. Save your seat here: https://goo.gl/xZsg1m

São Paulo: 29/04 and 30/04. Just click and book: https://goo.gl/66b23K

If you don't know if should did the course, take a look on this video about one of our editions:

Actually, this edition could be #50 because the Product Hero from today is so old…

Horacio Soares

I met Horacio a long time ago, when he was my Mobile UX teacher before I start working with mobile (It’s true!). Before that, I heard a lot about him, because when anyone in Brazil talking about Accessibility or UX, his name is unanimous.
He worked as a consultant, did a lot of projects about accessibility and UX, teaching at FGV and others universities, worked at Videolog.tv also. Then in 2014 we started as PM at Hotel Urbano and since 2016 he as PM at Gazeus Games, the startup that builds apps that have more than 5.000.000 downloads. And, of course, he is my partner on Product Mobile Course!

Horacio or just Kelly Slater of skateboarding…

How do you explain your job to ‘normal’ people? (like your grandmother..)

It’s not a simple task, but I try and explain that part of my job is to help create mobile apps that are easy to use and that entertain or facilitate people’s lives. However I must admit that they don’t always understand… :)

What is your morning routine at work as Product Manager?

Before starting my day I review the tasks at hand and check to see if anything new has taken place that would need to be taken care of, prioritized and eventually delegated. The first hours are special and very productive. That is why I try to get to work as early as possible so I can get focused on resolving problems, analyzing the numbers, dividing the epics, writing Job Stories, accompanying the Sprint chain and prioritizing whatever is necessary. I dedicate the first hour to analyzing the main numbers of the apps while focusing on any new Feature, improvement, integration or recently published Hotfix. In that way I can identify opportunities to make improvements and determine if an app is stable and if an implementation is functioning as it should with the desired results.

Where do you get your inspiration?

My main inspiration comes from people. That’s why I love to observe, interview and interact with the users of our products. But I must confess that the dynamics of our on-the-go lifestyles and the day-to-day runaround mean that getting feedback from our users is less frequent than it should be. We placed an OKR to implement a process that will make this reality change in our Q1.
I also like to observe people as they use their mobile devices on the street, subway, bus, coffee shop and other places, public or not. At times I feel like a type of voyeur, in the good sense of the word if that is possible. I have even approached some people and asked them about their experiences with their mobile apps. When I explain that I work with developing apps, they are helpful. I also have the habit of downloading all sorts of apps in both platforms, mainly games, e-commerce, travel, and services.
And to keep updated, I read all that I can, participate in events, meetups, Webinars and training seminars. I use and abuse Twitter to keep up with all the tendencies in the mobile market, UX, Design, Product, metrics, business, and technology; what they are talking about and doing. I also stay updated with certain companies in different sectors and participate in Slack groups.

What is your type of Product Manager?

The type that is concerned about the people and is always looking for ways to make each experience as good as possible.

What was your big mistake/failure? And what did you learn?

In 2014 when I became the Mobile Product Manager of Hotel Urbano, I ran an evaluation on their apps and found them to be extremely intrusive. Each visitor was asked to create an account just to access the e-commerce. Making the analogy with the real world, what would a consumers experience be like if he had to identify himself or create an account just to enter the store to see what was on sale.
I knew it was important to identify the users and get their contact info but I believed the login and account info should be asked for at a more appropriate time while at the same time offering them something in exchange. Since the app was not being tracked as it should have been and the numbers generated imprecisely, I decided to go with my intuition and remove the login/account creation process from the opening of the app.
Shortly after that, I discovered that though the apps represent just a small part of the hotel’s income, they were responsible for a major part of the new accounts. The marketing team subtlely brought this fact to my attention.
From this experience I learned:
A decision regarding a certain product should not be taken before the hypothesis is properly validated.

What worked in the past for Company A in a certain context probably will not work for Company B.

If the numbers generated by a Feature are incipient, you should first track the behavior of the users and use their information determine whether there are opportunities for improvement.

Decisions should not be taken unilaterally looking from the users perspective. We should always balance the needs of the users together with the objectives of the company.

The Stakeholders of a product should always (if possible) participate in the decisions or at least be informed ahead of time as to any changes in the product.

Making mistakes is part of the process, but we need to identify the mistakes as soon as possible.

Changing your mind is not a negative thing. Quite the opposite, when we change our minds, that is when we grow as professionals.

Your tips to anyone that wants to be a Product Manager.

It’s a super new profession but presents many opportunities in different parts of the world. Therefore learn as early on as possible a second and even third language.
It’s good to be prepared. Aside from learning or perfecting another language, you will have to study and learn all you can about the product, the business, the processes, the analytics, the user’s experience, the design and the technology. Even after studying a lot, you will discover that most of what you learn will come through trial and error as you proceed.
Collaboration and communication are magical words and can avoid problems, eliminate important barriers and can be the essential fuel that maintains your focus, alinement, and productivity.

Who is your favorite superhero?

There are a few, but I must confess that the villains are the most fun. Some say I look like the character Vector in Despicable Me. Could it be? He who has a Designer friend does not need enemies. Isn’t that the truth?
Speaking of heroes, they are normal people like you and me who decide to give their most precious commodity (their time) to help others.

Tell something about you that you would like to share (or not)

Between 2007 and 2010, part of my job consisted of helping companies make their digital products more accessible and easier to use by a greater number of people including those with handicaps. That has always been a great challenge, but unfortunately, one that most companies consider an unnecessary expense while the developers and designers, for the most part, ignore the recommendations and practices of accessibility.
With the goal of increasing the awareness of this need and responsibility by both professionals and companies, in May of 2007, we released the video “Acessibilidade Web: custo ou benefício?” (Web Accessibility: cost or benefit?) which shows the visually impaired and those with cerebral palsy using the Web and simple, practical recommendations to eliminate the main barriers that make it difficult for the handicapped.
In spite of the fact that this film was produced almost ten years ago (May will be the 10th anniversary), unfortunately, much of its content is still very applicable today.
Video: Acessibilidade Web: Custo ou Benefício? (Web Accessibility: cost or benefit?)
Spanish subtitles: https://vimeo.com/20682105
English subtitles: https://vimeo.com/20680965
Portuguese subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFI4CuxQjSA
For professional reasons, accessibility is no longer my focus, but occasionally I still participate in accessibility projects like the creation of a booklet in partnership with Leda Speita with the backing of W3C Brazil.
Volume 1 — Introdução a acessibilidade Web (Introduction to Web Accessibility)
http://www.w3c.br/pub/Materiais/PublicacoesW3C/cartilha-w3cbr-acessibilidade-web-fasciculo-I.html
Volume 2 — Benefícios, Legislação e Diretrizes de Acessibilidade Web (Benefits, Legislation and Guidelines concerning Web Accessibility)
http://www.w3c.br/pub/Materiais/PublicacoesW3C/cartilha-w3cbr-acessibilidade-web-fasciculo-II.html
Accessibility is looked at as a form of altruism, but it could become a great competitive advantage if it was in fact implemented by companies that want to make a difference in the world.
Afterall, with a smartphone in hand, everyone needs accessibility. As my friend Luli has said: in this mobile world, we are all colorblind and suffer from Parkinson’s disease.

What is your super power (beyond Product Manager)

I don’t have any superpowers, but if I had to point out a special characteristic, I believe it would be an infinite desire to learn. For me, happy is the day in which I learn something new or can think outside the box.

Your final considerations

There are no shortcuts, absolute truths, infallible recipes and no results without work and lots of collaboration.
Thank you for the invitation and partnership as always, Arthur! :)

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