All my writing — markrabo.com

#11–Myths

There are two definitions of the word myth, and the uncommon one is more useful in product design.

Product ManagementMark RaboOctober 20, 202230-60

The best teams aren’t made of best the individual players. This insight is how a startup can compete with big companies for talent.

Product ManagementMark RaboSeptember 6, 202230-60

#10–Elon Musk's 2 Rules for Learning

Information on the internet is plentiful but not organized. For information to be usable it must be paired with understanding. Otherwise it just makes you a great dinner party guest.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 29, 202230-60

#9–1000 True Fans

As Product Managers we aspire to build products that millions of people will use, but designing for your millionth user is different than designing for your thousandth.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 25, 202230-60

#8–Dieter Rams 10 Principles of Design

When it comes to consumer products, Dieter Rams is the Design Moses and every Product Manager should internalize his 10 Principles of Design.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 24, 202230-60

#7–Life finds a way

Product Managers should assume the world is chaotic and prepare for it, rather than think they understand it.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 22, 202230-60

#6–Ease in & Ease out

Things that move more naturally feel more familiar and predictable to people – both feelings you want people to have about your product.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 18, 202230-60

#5–Golden Hour

Product Managers must be able to move heaven and earth to make things happen, but the best ones have studied and understand the rhythm of the heavens and can use them to their advantage.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 11, 202230-60

#4–The Hero’s Journey

Every person you’re selling your product to is on their own hero’s journey. If you can create something that helps them along, you’ll be successful.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 10, 202230-60

#3–The Golden Ratio

Anything that makes people feel something but is hard to explain should be studied by PMs.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 8, 202230-60

100 Things Every Product Manager Should Know

💯 A limited run of 100 posts: Each with something that isn't taught to Product Managers but is key to making great products.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 8, 202230-60

#2–The Phoenix Checklist

The Phoenix Checklist is a problem-solving framework for navigating completely unique situations designed byt he CIA but useful for Product Managers.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 5, 20221-30

#1–How to talk to someone at a bus stop

Insights that lead to product breakthroughs are by definition uncommon, so creating great products means finding people that think different. And where do you find these people? Bus stops.

Product ManagementMark RaboAugust 3, 20221-30

Understanding and navigating company culture

We've all felt frustration at work – this model helps understand how to navigate the often inscrutable internal workings of a company.

Product ManagementMark RaboMay 29, 20221-30

Principle: Everything matters, and nothing matters

For those of us that crave certainty, uncomfortably embracing paradoxes is critical.

Product ManagementMark RaboNovember 16, 20211-30

Why products, teams, and companies fail

Every company or product failure I've seen has gone against this truth.

Product ManagementMark RaboNovember 9, 20211-30

Product Management Truth – Respect your intuition

No matter how much a Product Manager believes in the idea, their boss isn't about to allocate hundreds of thousands of dollars because they have a feeling.

Product ManagementMark RaboSeptember 18, 20211-30