Product Builders Podcast Majestyk

Infusing product design with empathy and efficiency is a surefire way to meet the ongoing needs of your users.

On this episode, Erica Kitaev, Senior Director of Product Management at Thomson Reuters, joins us to share her expertise on topics including:



- How Erika got into her role, the types of projects she works on and what her day-to-day responsibilities look like as a product manager.

- What products Thomson Reuters provides and how they deliver top-notch content to legal professionals and beyond.

- The pros and cons of being a subject matter expert (SME) and why it's important for SMEs to continually question their own assumptions.

- Why surprising and delighting your users means providing fresh experiences without frustrating expectations.

- Why any product you create should deliver a seamless and frictionless experience to your users.

- How Reuters aims to deliver the right content, at the right level, at the right place, at the right time.

- Why product designers and managers always need to remember that they’re creating products for humans who are looking to achieve a specific goal.

On this episode, Erica says, “Don't be afraid to commit to a course of action or an idea, lean into ambiguity, and be the first person in the pool. But also don't be afraid to pivot and course-correct. I think as important as it is to lean into ambiguity, it's as or more important to constantly reassess and be open to course correction. If you're constantly reassessing, you'll get to the right place.”



To learn more, head to https://www.majestykapps.com/ to check out the article associated with this episode.



This episode is brought to you by Majestyk Apps

We imagine, design, and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot, and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com



Please leave a 5-star review

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.com



Resources:

https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en.html





#digitalproduct #hiring #apps

Data science plays an important role for companies looking to improve their products and deliver better experiences to their users. However, data needs to be leveraged properly to produce concrete outcomes.


On this episode, Florent Blachot, VP of Data Science and Engineering at Fandom joins us to share his expertise on topics including:


- His unique journey into the world of data science.

- The scale of Fandom and what it delivers to users.

- How he defines data science and why forming an exact definition is a challenge.

- The layers and areas of expertise within the field of data science.

- The methods used to collect data and gather insights from it.

- The tools used to support data collection and analysis.

- How he hires data scientists and what it takes to build an effective team.

- How to connect data to business value and KPIs.

- The advantages and challenges of working with large data sets.


On this episode, Florent says, “You have to focus on the “why” behind your data science efforts from start to finish to make a real impact. When data science projects fail, it's typically because the team forgot their “why” along the way.”


To learn more, head to https://www.majestykapps.com/ to check out the article associated with this episode.

#digitalproduct #hiring #apps


This episode is brought to you by Majestyk Apps

We imagine, design, and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot, and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com


Please leave a 5-star review

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit https://www.majestykapps.com/product-builders-podcast

For product teams to succeed, they need to have effective internal communication and focus on staying connected to their users. Furthermore, organizations that promote a “product culture” are better positioned to meet the ongoing needs of their user base.

In this episode, Abhishek Nagaraju, Director of Product - Discovery and Experiences at Pluto TV, joins us to share his expertise on topics including:


- What it means to build a product culture and why it matters.

- Why failing fast can be your quickest path to a successful solution.

- How to get user feedback in the streaming industry and retain loyal users.

- Empowering your team to solve real problems.

- Changing TV viewer habits - how the Pluto TV business model/service attracts users.

- The responsibilities of product directors.

- How to effectively enter a new organization as a product director.

- Why putting yourself in your user’s shoes is vital for product success.


On this episode, Abhishek says, “I truly believe all problems are people problems. You’re always working with people and delivering products to people. You have to be willing to empathize with others, not judge too quickly, and focus on the human on the other side of any given problem.”

To learn more, head to https://www.majestykapps.com/ to check out the article associated with this episode.

This episode is brought to you by Majestyk Apps

We imagine, design, and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot, and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com

Please leave a 5-star review

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.com

Resources:


https://pluto.tv/

#digitalproduct #hiring #apps

Customers in today’s age have come to expect a certain level of cross-device connectivity with the products and apps they love. This means bringing an engaging experience to mobile devices, web-based platforms, and connected TV (CTV) is more important than ever.

On this episode, Sean Murphy, Director of Product at iHeartMedia, joins us to share his CTV and cross-device connectivity expertise on topics including:



- Why designers need to consider user habits when building products for CTV.

- The difference between product design for CTV and mobile/web-based platforms.

- The unique features that CTV can deliver to customers.

- Why gaining feedback from people that don’t work on your CTV products is invaluable for product designers and developers.

- How to design CTV products that create a frictionless experience for users.

- The tactics used to validate new features for CTV before launching.

- How teams can approach innovation without thinking they need to disrupt entire industries.

- How people interested in CTV can get their start in this emerging industry.

- The day-to-day life of a product director in the CTV space.



In this episode, Sean says, “Make sure you know the difference between your manager, your advocate, your mentor and your coworker or confidant. Each plays an important role in your career development, and knowing how to leverage each relationship is vital. Though a single person may take on multiple roles, you’ll more than likely find people in your organization that fit best into a single role.”

To learn more, head to https://www.majestykapps.com/ to check out the article associated with this episode.



This episode is brought to you by Majestyk Apps

We imagine, design, and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot, and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com



Please leave a 5-star review

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.com



Resources:


https://soundscapes.com/
https://www.iheartmedia.com/
https://personalsprints.substack.com/

Great mobile and web-based products must start with effective UX. The same holds true for the gaming industry.



On this episode, Ben Jones, Creative Director at ZeniMax Online Studios, joins us to share his gaming industry expertise on topics including:



- The importance of adaptability within the gaming industry.



- Why building an effective game development team starts with trust, transparency and effective communication.



- Why artwork and storylines need to be of high quality for games to succeed.



- The up-front work involved in game development.



- Why it’s important to establish clear guidelines right from the start.



- The pros and cons of working with existing IP vs. creating new IP.



- The changing landscape of mobile and web-based product connectivity.



- How to best manage and communicate with remote and hybrid development teams.



- The hiring process for building great development teams.



- Practical ways to start a career in game design and development.



In this episode, Ben says, “If you operate on transparency and trust as guiding principles when building a team, you will find success. Not just in terms of the product you’re building but also with your peers. This has brought my team a long way over the last five years, and I’m excited for where these principles can take us in the future.”



To learn more, head to https://www.majestykapps.com/ to check out the article associated with this episode.



This episode is brought to you by Majestyk Apps  



We imagine, design, and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot, and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com  



Please leave a 5-star review  



If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.com

Our educational infrastructure is now at a point where it can effectively implement various new educational technology solutions and reap the benefits of doing so.

In this episode, Andrew Lippert, Chief Technology Officer at McGraw Hill, joins us to discuss the opportunities, challenges, and technical details of the educational technology solutions industry.

Andrew shares that when utilizing innovative technologies for educational solutions, they need to be leveraged appropriately and truly unlock new possibilities for learning. It's not enough to simply use the latest tech available; there needs to be a pragmatic function related to better learning outcomes.

Andrew also highlights the importance of pairing new educational technologies with exceptional content. The delivery method, technological capabilities, and curriculum all need to work together to create a personalized learning experience that can transcend previous educational models.

For this episode's "Majestyk Byte," Andrew says, "Technologists need to understand how technology can pragmatically solve real problems instead of focussing on technology for technology's sake. It's not just about creating a cool experience. You need to think about how you can make people more efficient. How can you use technology as transparently as possible so people can actually take advantage of what the technology is meant to do? It's important for us in the tech field to get out of our own way and really understand the problems we are trying to solve."

To learn more, head to https://www.majestykapps.com/ to check out the article associated with this episode.


This episode is brought to you by Majestyk Apps

We imagine, design, and build digital products. With clients like Chevrolet, Audiomack, IBM, Barefoot, and more, you can be sure you are in good hands. Reach out to us at MajestykApps.com

Please leave a 5-star review

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave a 5-star review. For more information and links to all of the resources mentioned in today’s episode, visit ProductBuildersPodcast.com