World Product Day 2023: Learnings from around the globe

Today marks this year’s World Product Day! An occasion to celebrate product people from around the world who make it their core purpose to build great products.

In 2018, on the eight-year anniversary of the first ProductTank meetup – ProductTanks in 90 cities across 43 countries had fun highlighting the craft of product management with their communities and delivering talks that emphasised the different perspectives that different cultures bring to the craft of product management. The anniversary became an annual event and today World Product Day brings product people together to celebrate, connect, and learn.

We figured there was no better way to celebrate than to look back over the past year at some of the best insights from our amazing ProductTanks around the world. Catch up on what we learned by reading on, from OKRs to product ethics. Here’s to another year of building products!

Weaving ethics into product management by Tanya Johnson

This talk by ProductTank Auckland, led by Tanya Johnson, Chief Product Officer at Auror, emphasised the importance of incorporating ethical considerations into products. She suggested that product managers have a responsibility to consider the potential impact of their products on users, society, and the environment. Throughout her talk, Tanya delved into examples of how product managers can apply ethical principles throughout the product development process, including involving diverse perspectives, conducting user research, and setting clear ethical guidelines.

She also encouraged product managers to continuously evaluate the ethical implications of their products and make changes accordingly. Tanya’s talk highlights the potential benefits of ethical product development, including increased user trust, improved brand reputation, and positive social impact.

Watch Tanya’s ProductTank talk

Experiment like a boss by Merissa Silk

Over at ProductTank Sofia, Merissa Silk, Senior Staff Product Manager at Onfido argued that experimentation is critical to successful product management. Merissa outlined a framework for designing and conducting effective experiments, which includes identifying the problem, defining success metrics, generating hypotheses, and executing the experiment. Throughout her talk, she emphasised the importance of testing a single hypothesis at a time, and of designing experiments to produce actionable insights.

Merissa also highlighted the need for collaboration between product managers, designers, engineers, and data analysts in order to conduct experiments effectively. She wrapped up by stressing the importance of learning from experiments and applying those learnings to improve future product development.

Watch Marissa’s ProductTank talk

The good, bad, and ugly of OKRs by Jenny Herald

OKRs are still the talk of the town and in October 2022 it was no different. At ProductTank Heidelberg, Jenny Herald, VP of Product Evangelism at Gtmhub shared her experiences with working with OKRs. In the talk, Jenny explained how the framework can help product teams to align around a shared vision and track progress towards goals, but can also lead to unrealistic expectations and a focus on short-term results over long-term outcomes.

Ultimately, Jenny suggested that product managers should approach OKRs with caution, and outlined several best practices for using them effectively, such as setting realistic goals, providing regular feedback, and fostering a culture of learning. Additionally, she encouraged us to consider alternative goal-setting frameworks and to experiment with different approaches to find what works best for our teams.

Watch Jenny’s ProductTank talk

The role of an AI product manager by Hiroki Hakamura

It’s no surprise that an AI-based talk was on this list. With everything going on in the world with new digital products and the advancements of AI, it was great for Hiroki Nakamura, Product Manager Lead at rinna Corp, to talk us through the role of an AI Product Manager at ProductTank Tokyo in March 2023.

In his session, Hiroki outlined the key skills and knowledge required for an AI product manager, including a deep understanding of AI technology, data analysis, and user experience design. He also discussed the importance of balancing the benefits of AI with ethical considerations, such as privacy and bias.

Throughout the session, Hiroki provided examples of how AI can be used to improve product performance and enhance user experiences but noted that successful AI product management requires a collaborative approach involving stakeholders across the organization.

Finally, he emphasized the need for AI product managers to stay up-to-date with the rapidly evolving landscape of AI technology and its potential applications.

Watch Hiroki’s ProductTank talk

Fireside chat with Marty Cagan

Last and definitely not least, in May 2022 ProductTank Zurich invited Marty Cagan, Partner at Silicon Valley Product Group, and “The Godfather of Product” to touch upon several key aspects of product management.

Throughout the session, Marty Cagan, Tanja Lau, Founder of the Product Academy, and Dominique Jost, Head of Product at Doist, discussed the importance of team culture, the role of leadership, and the need for a clear product vision. Marty emphasized the value of empowering product teams to make decisions and take ownership of their work, as well as the need for product managers to stay focused on the needs of the user.

The fireside session also touched on the impact of technology and innovation on product development, as well as the challenges and opportunities presented by remote work.

Overall, the conversation highlights the complex and dynamic nature of product management and the importance of continuous learning and adapting to new challenges.

Watch Marty’s ProductTank talk

Did we miss any amazing insights from ProductTanks around the world? Let us know in the comments. Happy World Product Day!

Get involved by sharing your love for product online, with your peers in the office (or virtual office), or find your local ProductTank and sign up for the next meetup!