Learn, Make, Learn

We dive into our titular question with Nate Grubbs, who, unlike us, is a professional designer with strong views borne of decades of experience across UX, visual & product design.MEET NATE – 01:18THE AGE OF AVERAGE – 04:19Alex Murrell: The age of averageThe tyranny of the algorithm: why every coffee shop looks the sameHow Khruangbin’s Sound Became the New Mood Music (paywall)SOUL, FLASH & OLD MAN VIBES – 06:36A Farewell to Adobe Flash—and the Messy, Glorious WebDonnie Darko websiteFél...

We go off-the-cuff again, sharing product learnings from Miele vacuums, Snow Peak’s modular IGT system & Ableton’s singular vision for music creation.OFF-THE-CUFF – 00:59JOACHIM RECOMMENDS: MIELE C3 VACUUM – 01:38Miele Complete C3 Calima PowerLineBehind Dyson’s cycloneDyson Stick Vacuums Lose CR RecommendationWe’ve Recommended Miele Canister Vacuums for Almost a DecadeMy Middle-Aged Miele C2 Canister Vacuum Has a Long Life Ahead of ItErnest’s now discontinued Miele Cat & Dog VacuumJam...

In another short(er) format episode, we examine Apple’s recent “Glowtime” event. Please do let us know what you think of this new format at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or @LearnMakeLearnShow on Threads.OPENING – 00:00Suttle LakeSuttle LodgeHELP US NAME THIS NEW FORMAT! – 03:12APPLE’S ‘GLOWTIME’ EVENT – 05:08Apple EventThe Verge: iPhone 16 event in 16 minutesJohn Gruber describes his feelings after the event on ThreadsJOACHIM’S TAKE – 05:48Smartphone innovation is dead, and that’s fineRevisiting ...

We introduce a new, shorter, more off-the-cuff format focused on recommendations that we hope you’ll enjoy. Also, our apologies for the audio getting a bit crunchy in spots—we’re working hard to improve our audio quality. Please do let us know what you think of this new format at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.ONE MILLION CHECKBOXES – 03:20Are You a Checker or an Unchecker? (paywall)The Secret Inside One Million CheckboxesNolan Royalty on X‘Infinity Blade II: Clash...

Generative AI: step change or snake oil du jour? We enter this mire with Anmol Anubhai as our guide & insight into the future of GenAI x product creation as our destination. Join us for a refreshingly grounded conversation on a topic that’s typically full of hype.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:42The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Manual Mode Changes Performance EVs ForeverWTF is a Product Manager?Dare Obasanjo on Product Management at Figma Config 2024Dare Obasanjo on ThreadsShreyas Doshi on ThreadsShreyas on why pr...

The pressure to repeat history, as in the previous year’s sales for a given product, can be pernicious. We share ideas for unshackling yourself from this weight so that you can avoid, as Marshall McLuhan put it, marching backwards into the future.FOLLOW-UPS – 00:43Humane is looking for a buyerCoffeezilla on the Rabbit R1NOMOS at Watches & WondersNOMOS: The icon in 31 color compositionsNoel Gallagher on Jimi HendrixThe Panic Over Smartphones Doesn’t Help Teens (paywall)THE WEIGHT OF HISTOR...

The concept of fan service, which originated in anime and is now common across media, has pervaded the world of product creation as well. We discuss what it is & why it’s vital to serve your customers without pandering to them.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:11Progressive Complexity (aka Progressive Disclosure)THE PERILS OF FAN SERVICE – 03:50Star Wars: Fired Solo Directors Didn't Want Movie To Just Be Fan ServiceBlackBerry’s Future in DoubtClicks is a BlackBerry-style iPhone keyboard caseJanet Jackson G...

When it comes to products and product innovation, in our new era of higher-for-longer interest rates, enough *is* enough.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:23iOS spacebar memeWindup Watch Fair San FranciscoSteven Pinker is wrong about violence and warERA OF EASY MONEY IS OVER – 12:02The Era of Easy Money Is Over. That’s a Good Thing.The Price of TimeCASE STUDIES: BAD & GOOD — 18:34The Worst Product I've Ever Reviewed... For NowKilled by GoogleRabbit R1: Barely ReviewableTesla’s Stainless Steel Cybertrucks R...

Daniel Kahneman, credited as a grandfather of behavioral economics, passed away in March, and we devote this episode to an unfiltered discussion of his legacy through a product lens.KAHNEMAN’S LEGACY: THE BULL CASE – 01:55NY Times obituary of Daniel KahnemanKAHNEMAN’S LEGACY: THE BEAR CASE – 03:40The “Nudge” of the Obama Era Was Always Neoliberal NonsenseNudge economics: has push come to shove for a fashionable theory?JOACHIM’S PERSPECTIVE – 05:27A Quick Excursion into Behavioral EconomicsERN...

A decade ago, design thinking was all the rage across the corporate world. But, today, it's widely derided as a failed experiment. Is there still a place for design thinking or is it an idea whose time has passed?FOLLOW-UPS – 01:56Time to LearnHublot at Watches & Wonders 2024Cartier Santos-Dumont RewindJLC at Watches & Wonders 2024Should Products be Political?BobbieBobbie for ChangeByron Sharp: How Brands GrowDESIGN THINKING – 08:37IDEO Design ThinkingDesign thinking: Where did it go ...

Apologies for our delay this week! In this episode, with the Watches & Wonders show around the corner, we talk watches & the broader lessons we can draw from a product category rooted entirely in emotion.WRIST CHECK – 02:16IWC Pilot’s Watch Chrono Top GunMing 37.07HaliosRavenIn-House vs. Off-the-Shelf MovementsIdris Elba Wears a $500 WatchJOACHIM’S 👍 – 11:39IWCIWC and Carl Jung“The IWC Colors” with Pantone ERNEST’S 👍 – 19:05CartierCartier Watches: A Brief HistoryHow Cartier Changed It...

This week, we tackle a thorny topic: Should products be political? And to be clear, we don't mean brand messaging. Instead, our focus is products, and whether makers should intentionally imbue their products with their politics.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:15Eno—a groundbreaking generative film by Gary HustwitApple Vision Pros & ConsHugo Barra on Apple Vision ProSHOULD PRODUCTS BE POLITICAL – 05:34Herbert Simons–The Sciences of the ArtificialScenius or Genius?Ulm School of DesignBauhausBrasilia—Inside...

Musician Brian Eno defined a scenius as “the intelligence of a whole operation or group of people,” in contrast to the classic archetype of the lone genius. We debate scenius vs. genius in the context of product—is one more conducive to innovation than the other?FOLLOW-UPS – 01:42The Mentats in DuneMcDonald's ordering system suffers McFlurry of tech troublesHow Apple Sank About $1 Billion a Year Into a Car It Never Built• Bloomberg (paywall)• Apple News (iOS-only)How “Jobs To Be Done” Can Hel...

This week, we talk restomods. It’s a concept born of the automotive world—extending the life of a classic car by modernizing it—but we discuss the potential to apply this idea to categories beyond cars. With sustainability now a must-have in product creation, we believe the restomod concept is ripe for mainstream adoption.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:24Behind Apple’s Doomed Car ProjectRIP Apple Car. This Is Why It Died.CAN RESTOMOD CULTURE GO MAINSTREAM? – 08:28Restomod Culture is Just Getting StartedChar...

This week, we discuss the tension between integrated in-car UX platforms vs Apple’s CarPlay & Android Auto. When, if ever, does it make sense to give up control of your product experience?FOLLOW-UPS – 02:21Tesler’s Law, aka Conservation of ComplexityTheodore Leavitt on Marketing Myopia@geoffbaron: The difference between PMs & developers@tr3v: No one was ever inspired by a KPICARPLAY OR THE HIGHWAY – 12:20@kirankripakaran on ThreadsEverybody hates GM’s decision to kill Apple CarPlayWe ...

This week, we dive into Ernest's career as a product manager/product marketer and discuss what a product manager does, how to sift meaningful insights from the noise, how to enter the field & much more.FOLLOW-UPS – 02:25Surprised by the Hot Hand Fallacy?Imagined Consumption Reduces Actual ConsumptionI placed too much faith in underpowered studiesWTF IS A PRODUCT MANAGER? – 07:24Ernest’s blog post on this topicWhy The Hidden Risks Of Specialization Help Explain CrisesHow “Jobs to Be Done” ...

This week, we dive into Joachim's career as an applied microeconomist. What does an applied microeconomist do, how is it relevant to product innovation, how do you enter the field, and much more!FOLLOW-UPS – 01:43Margaret Heffernan: A Bigger PrizeEd Catmull on The Hungry Beast and the Ugly BabyWTF IS AN APPLIED MICROECONOMIST? – 08:44David Hume: “Reason Is and Ought Only to Be the Slave of the Passions”Ariel Rubinstein: Dilemmas of an Economic TheoristKarl Marx: Theses on FeuerbachMechanism D...

In this episode, we challenge tech industry dogma around A/B testing & Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), and propose alternatives better suited to today’s post-low interest rate economy.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:41Apple Vision Pros & ConsHow to book a Vision Pro demo at an Apple StoreApple Vision Pro has finally made virtual reality worth itFirst insights about Apple Vision Pro opticsSteve Jobs on the Post-PC EraApple Vision Pro review: magic, until it’s notAnil Dash on Apple Vision ProEXPERIMENT...

We dig into the perils of crossing over from niche to mainstream. How can a brand built on a niche product or service successfully expand its appeal? Should this even be an aspiration?FOLLOW-UPS – 01:24“Low-Resource” Text Classification78% MNIST accuracy using GZIP in under 10 lines of codeMNIST by zipClustering by compressionKolmogorov complexityNormalized compression distanceChatGPT is a Blurry JPEG of the WebLast week’s cover artApple’s LaserWriter Changed Everything (paywall)Adobe, Stabil...

Ernest & Joachim dive into the dilemma faced when a promising business opportunity conflicts with your own or your company's values. The duo offer perspectives on how to navigate this conflict, including tools you can apply to your day-to-day work making products.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:15History of Jobs-to-Be-DoneWHEN VALUES & OPPORTUNITY COLLIDE – 02:15Follow us on ThreadsApple’s Privacy Pledge Complicates Its AI PushGoogle staff criticize leadership over lack of visionWhat’s Gone Wrong at ...

Ernest & Joachim share a deep-dive on the jobs to be done approach to customer-centric product & service innovation. They explain what it is & why it matters, share real world examples of jobs-to-be-done in action, and highlight situations where it might not apply.FOLLOW-UPS – 01:11Apple Vision Pros & ConsDisconnect Blog & NewsletterTech Won't Save Us: Will AR Glasses Die Like Google Glass?SNL Weekend Update: Randall MeeksJOBS TO BE DONE: CONTEXT – 04:53Steve Jobs on “spee...

Ernest & Joachim debate Apple Vision Pro: Does it represent “the beginning of a new era for computing,” or will it offer more proof that VR is an answer to a question no one’s asking? E & J then highlight lessons that can be applied to anyone in the business of making products, irrespective of category.CONTEXT ON SPATIAL COMPUTING – 00:34WWDC 2023: Apple Vision ProSimon Greenwold's paper on Spatial ComputingJOACHIM’S CASE – 03:01Mentour Pilot: The Untold Story of Air France 447ERNEST’...

Get to know Ernest & Joachim, hear their hopes and dreams for Learn, Make, Learn, and get their first-ever weekly recommendations!INTRODUCTIONSMeet Joachim – 01:00Meet Ernest – 10:21PRODUCTS WITH A POINT OF VIEW – 18:51OUR HOPES FOR LEARN, MAKE, LEARN – 23:53WEEKLY RECOMMENDATIONS – 26:55Joachim – TelehackErnest – LaviniaText of Ursula K Le Guin’s speech in acceptance of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.Video of Le Guin’s speech, with a...