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Brand treatments

Brand treatments

The usual approach to a brand design system involves compiling a list of font families, typography guidelines, color palettes and patterns. However, this is falling short. We're missing a crucial piece in the jigsaw puzzle — brand treatments.

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Everything is a prioritisation problem

Everything is a prioritisation problem

When it comes to building a product, everything is a prioritisation problem. We might be building things right, but are we building the right thing? The journey of prioritisation begins way before the actual process of prioritisation starts. I would start by asking these key questions to the product leadership...

How I do product roasts

How I do product roasts

Product roasts are the best way to enhance one's sensibility around building better products. It's called a "roast" because it often involves a no-holds-barred, brutally honest critique of the product's features, design, user experience, and overall value proposition. In the spirit of...

In-person vision transmission

In-person vision transmission

I recently transitioned from leading a product team in a region to a more centralised role overseeing products across multiple geographies. As part of that transition, I needed to onboard the new product lead of that region, ensuring they were fully briefed While a virtual onboarding could have covered the...

The meeting before the meeting

The meeting before the meeting

If you think most product managers spend time in meetings, you're mistaken. The larger chunk of a PM's time is spent in preparation for those meetings - having the "meetings before the meeting", "the meeting", and the "meetings after the meeting....

Design that's so bad it's actually good

Design that's so bad it's actually good

Recently, a relative sought my help to tweak a badly designed poster on Microsoft Paint. This was meant to be circulated on Whatsapp as an advertisement for the handyman services his friend was offering in his locale. He wanted to ‘jazz’ it up and asked if I could help. I...

Better way to think about conflicts

Better way to think about conflicts

What's the hardest conflict you've ever encountered at your work? It's hard to avoid conflicts, but there are various ways in which we could mitigate conflict as much as possible. As a product person, apart from keeping the team running, working with stakeholders, shipping...

The role of taste in building products

The role of taste in building products

Take Marc Lou, a familiar figure within the Twitter Indiehacking circle. He's garnered attention for openly sharing his journey as a product builder. This transparency has piqued interest in his projects well before their launch, as followers have grown to appreciate his distinctive approach. A notable instance of...

Products need not be user centered

Products need not be user centered

Putting the user first has always been the golden rule in design. It’s so common that nobody really questions it anymore. We’re told, ‘The user knows best. Listen to them.’ I’ve had my skepticism about the framing of the term — user-centered design. I’ve kept myself from...

Pluginisation of Modern Software

Pluginisation of Modern Software

Transitioning from Adobe to Figma was a big change for me in my design journey. At that time, the whole design ecosystem was revolving around Adobe. For image manipulation, you had Photoshop, Illustrator for vector graphics, Indesign for reports, XD for website or app prototypes and so on. When Figma...

Let's make every work 'strategic'

Let's make every work 'strategic'

A 'strategic' wrapper can turn a $100 work into a $10,000 work. Thinking 10,000 ft. above sea level pays more. It’s a win-win for both sides. If we take a look at the field of writing, the standard rates in this profession, as well as...

Startups are a fertile ground for risk taking

Startups are a fertile ground for risk taking

Startups are interesting even if most startups fail. I’ve found Patrick Collinson’s argument to be the most convincing: “Part of the reason startups resonate with people is because the outcome is not guaranteed. If it were guaranteed, it would be boring… Whether or not you’re the best...

Insights are not just a salad of facts

Insights are not just a salad of facts

What is an insight? An insight for Elon was: “The most entertaining outcome was the most likely’. His tweet suggests that he believes in taking risks and embracing the unknown, rather than playing it safe. For Maya Angelou, the renowned poet and civil rights activist, it was: “People will forget...

Minimum Lovable Product

Minimum Lovable Product

We might have to rethink on the definition of the ‘Minimum Viable Prototype’. Especially since the bar for what’s viable keeps rising up, with the likes of Gumroad, etc being built in a weekend. Notion, Figma, Airtable, Superhuman and Discord with their extremly high quality user experience has led...

Methods are lifejackets, not straight jackets

Methods are lifejackets, not straight jackets

Design methods are life jackets. Not straight jackets. Structures, whether they’re processes, frameworks, or plans, are excellent tools to navigate complicated problems. They bring efficiency, reduce ambiguity, and offer defaults. However, when dealing with fundamentally complex problems, applying structure too early can lock in outdated notions. Because structures tend...

Digital Products built like physical artisanal tools

Digital Products built like physical artisanal tools

Tobias Van Schneider in his blog talks about a new way to think about building modern software— The advancements of our modern world mean there’s generally more of everything. The streaming age has led to a proliferation of low-quality content, churned out to satisfy the binge-watching masses. The ever-scrolling...

How to arrive at on-brand colours?

How to arrive at on-brand colours?

While creating a brand, one of the hardest things to do is to arrive at the right set of colors. Colors are a tricky subject—when done incorrectly, the emotions get mismatched, and in the worst of situations, the brand might just seem all over the place. Think of the...

Importance of Why

Importance of Why

When it comes to task management, a fundamental principle stands tall: explain the reason before the details of what and how. By letting others know the why behind a task, it facilitates faster completion. Recently, I had a pressing deadline for an urgent activity that needed immediate attention. I had...

Why I prefer indie softwares

Why I prefer indie softwares

The greatest consumer software tools that exist out there are built by hobbyists and indie makers. I prefer to write my notes on Obsidian. For scheduling tweets, I use Zlappo and Typefully. For creating AI interior renders, I use interior.ai. One thing which is common among all these examples...

Use code only if no code fails

Use code only if no code fails

It is that simple. I can assume that there might be counters, attacks and pushpacks to this heavy statement. Bear with me on this. Before we address the house on fire, let me take you on a quick detour. This was my first day of a new semester while doing...

Personal Observation Techniques

Personal Observation Techniques

When I first started doing design observations, there was ABSOLUTELY no structure. I just went ahead to observe the surroundings and talking to as many people as I can. Although I did get some insights from this process, I realised that there could be a better way. There are three...

Design is a confusing word

Design is a confusing word

As designers, we’re always asked to vouch for the user’s needs above anything else. But if the company takes a hit, all of our efforts might end in vain. To solve this dilemma, this note from Dan Winer comes in handy— Designers, don’t forget: You were hired...

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