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Join us on March 21st from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM for the Roseville Venture Lab's March Business Blend: Improving Team Alignment and Moving Ideas Forward Using Design Sprints (A Workshop) led by Jason Ugie. Register here: https://lu.ma/uqbc8h7z Startups and established company teams often get mired in meetings that yield little results, and jumping into development can be costly and introduce risks. Design Sprints are a structured four-day process rooted in design thinking that solves business challenges, creates new products, or improves current products. They mitigate risks, enable quick decisions, and align cross-functional teams to improve time-to-value. Join us for a hands-on workshop that will demonstrate the core elements of a Design Sprint and explain how you can apply the process in your organization.

Are We Solving the Right Problem? During my conversations with startup founders, I frequently hear one significant question: "Are we solving the right problem?" After spending countless hours listening, discussing, and brainstorming ways to help them create user-centric products, my team at User Connect Consultancy has conceptualized an approach to extend our expertise to more founders and seekers. Introducing 📢 "Brews & Breakthroughs" by UCC This is not a typical mentoring session. It's a casual, open conversation specifically designed for start-up founders. We'll ditch the jargon and focus on what matters most – understanding your users. Here's how it works: 1. Grab a virtual coffee. 2. Share your current user challenges. This could be anything – low engagement, unclear value proposition, or simply needing fresh perspectives. Think of it as a brainstorming session fueled by empathy and two decades of understanding real user & their stories. You'll leave the session with insights to make your product or service truly customer-centric. If you are ready for a session with no fancy tools, just focused conversation. Book your 1:1 session on https://lnkd.in/gzHkxguY #productdevelopment #startup #userresearch #userconnectconsultancy

Are We Solving the Right Problem? During our conversations with startup founders, we frequently hear one significant question: "Are we solving the right problem?" After spending countless hours listening, discussing, and brainstorming ways to help them create user-centric products, the team at User Connect Consultancy has conceptualized an approach to extend our expertise to more founders and seekers. Introducing 📢 "Brews & Breakthroughs" by UCC This is not a typical mentoring session. It's a casual, open conversation specifically designed for start-up founders. We'll ditch the jargon and focus on what matters most – understanding your users. Here's how it works: 1. Grab a virtual coffee. 2. Share your current user challenges. This could be anything – low engagement, unclear value proposition, or simply needing fresh perspectives. Think of it as a brainstorming session fueled by empathy and two decades of understanding real user & their stories. You'll leave the session with insights to make your product or service truly customer-centric. If you are ready for a session with no fancy tools, just focused conversation. Book your 1:1 session on https://lnkd.in/gzHkxguY #productdevelopment #startup #userresearch #userconnectconsultancy

Updates on How I’m Helping Startups Reach Their Goals 🎯 I’ve updated my Collaboration page to reflect how my skills directly translate into solving real-world startup challenges — whether it’s improving time to market, driving user engagement, or optimizing product operations. Here’s a glimpse of how I can help: 💡 Cost-Effective Product Validation: Rapid MVP building and A/B testing ensure your product meets user needs without wasting resources. 🔗 Enhanced User Engagement: In-depth research and journey mapping drive improved retention and satisfaction. 🎯 Efficient Feature Prioritization: I implement frameworks to ensure your team delivers the most valuable features first. ⏩ Faster Time-to-Market: Optimized workflows mean quicker product launches and reduced delays. 🔄 Process Optimization for Scaling Teams: I streamline communication and collaboration between cross-functional teams in larger startups, ensuring seamless value delivery despite complexity. 📌 The link to my updated collaboration page is in the comments below! Let’s chat about how we can solve your startup’s biggest challenges! #Startups #ProductDesign #UXDesign #LeanUX #Collaboration

If you want to explain your startup's workflow to clients more effectively: 1. Install the "Scribe" Chrome extension. 2. Begin recording your steps, no need to show your face, just click the buttons. 3. After completion, stop the recording. 4. Scribe will create a text-based workflow document. Do you prefer Scribe or Loom? #clients #startup #onboarding #marketing

We’re thrilled to have Kayikunmi (Kay) Stefan Sogo, Senior Product Management Consultant, for today’s exciting session at the Markhack Incubation Program! As an expert in Design Thinking Principles, Sogo will guide our participants through an immersive learning experience designed to transform the way they approach problem-solving and product development. Participants will gain a deep understanding of the Design Thinking methodology, which puts the user at the heart of the innovation process. They’ll learn the importance of empathy in understanding user needs, and how to use this insight to define clear, actionable problems. Through practical exercises, Sogo will teach them how to brainstorm and generate creative solutions, as well as how to build prototypes that reflect their vision. By the end of the session, our startup founders will not only have a strong grasp of Design Thinking principles but will also be ready to apply them to their projects. This will lead to more impactful products that resonate with users and drive success. Stay tuned for more updates as they navigate their entrepreneurial journey! Markhack GDM GROUP #MarkHack #Incubation #EIC #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #DesignThinking #Program

“You're the developer, you're the designer, I'm just the dreamer". I found myself saying this in a recent call with stakeholders as we were discussing new functionalities for Cocheero. To me, this captures the essence of the ongoing negotiation between Business and IT in product development. Communication, diplomacy, and perspective seem to be paramount in this dynamic. While developers and designers possess technical expertise, business owners and product managers bring vision and strategy. However, the vision isn’t always aligned with standard technical knowledge, and feasibility can often seem out of reach.  Yet, it’s through this rope pulling exercise that innovation thrives. What may initially appear impossible can, through patient exploration, communication, and compromise, suddenly emerge as a viable possibility. Who are the midwives of innovation? The developers or the dreamers? Probably both, each with their distinct set of skills. I’m fortunate to work with a supportive development team, the type that takes a short pause to think, consider, then very often answers "yes, we can do it". It's a joy, particularly when it is followed by great execution. I look forward to announcing the new functionalities once released. They promise to greatly enhance the user experience for both coaches and heroes, and to elevate the platform to new heights. Stay tuned. #ProductDevelopment #TechInnovation #BusinessStrategy #Collaboration #Teamwork #UserExperience #SoftwareDevelopment #VisionaryLeadership #DreamBig #InnovationInTech #EmpoweredTeams #Cocheero #Entrepreneurship #TechStartups #ProductManagement #TechVisionaries

🌟 Excited to Share My Experience at the Productization Course! 🌟 👥 Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the first session of an incredible and highly interactive course on Productization at DMZ. A huge thanks to Pouria Daliri and Rose Ghamari for providing this fantastic opportunity for me to learn, grow, and network. Your dedication and expertise are truly inspiring! This workshop is truly a game-changer for anyone looking to excel in the fast-paced world of startups and tech-driven companies. 🚀 From the get-go, the course immersed us in an engaging environment that emphasized hands-on learning and real-world applications. 🔧 One of the highlights for me was learning how to optimize resource allocation and usage for maximum efficiency. The practical exercises helped me identify areas where I could minimize waste and boost productivity in my own projects. The discussions around creating a clear product vision and effectively executing projects were particularly enlightening, giving me tools to apply immediately to my work. 💡 Another impactful aspect was exploring the emotional journey of customers and understanding how to enhance their experience. The techniques we learned for measuring customer loyalty and satisfaction through Net Promoter Score (NPS) were eye-opening, offering concrete methods to drive improvements. 🌐 The interactive nature of the sessions made a sense of community, allowing me to build meaningful connections with startup owners and Product managers who share similar challenges and aspirations. These connections are invaluable as we navigate our journeys in the tech world together. 📈 I’m eagerly looking forward to the next two sessions and continuing this journey of growth and learning! 🚀 #ProductLedGrowth #Startups #Tech #LeanDevelopment #CustomerSatisfaction #Networking #ProfessionalDevelopment #DMZ #Productization

10 Lessons from 100 Sprints I created Untapped Lab to help founders find focus, flow and momentum through coaching sprints – designing their ventures around the chosen constraints of their lives. These sprints borrow from the design thinking world of constant feedback loops on tested hypotheses. After doing over 100 innovation workshops and design sprints for big brands and startups alike since 2005, there are some shared takeaways no matter your scale and scope. These 10 key lessons still apply to the size-and scope-agnostic process of continuous improvement. They even work with building personal ventures. 1. Drop everything and sprint on a challenge until you solve a real problem. 2. Know your customer (and yourself!) beyond the superficial attributes. 3. Take advantage of your advantages (and leverage your strengths). 4. Get real about the competition (and your gaps). 5. Differentiation makes products click (highlight your secret sauce). 6. Product greatness lies not in features but how you relate to your customers. 7. Seek alternatives to your first idea early (problems take time to emerge). 8. Stretch your opinions before choosing a path. 9. It’s just a hypothesis until you prove it. 10. Experiment with tiny loops until your solution (or habit) clicks. Then build, test, iterate, repeat. (Yup, some of them are a bit cryptic—I guess you'll need to come work with me to figure out exactly what they mean 🤓) I look forward to seeing how these hold up or morph over the next 100+ *coaching* sprints! #designsprint #coachingsprint #founders #creators #personalventure

Ever found yourself at the crossroads of innovation, pondering whether to go left towards building an MVP or take a right turn towards crafting a prototype? 🤔 It's a decision that could shape the future of your project, and yet, it's not as straightforward as it seems. In the fast-paced world of startups and product development, understanding the difference between an MVP and a prototype is crucial. Both serve as stepping stones towards realizing your vision, but they do so in uniquely different ways. An MVP is your basic, yet functional version of the product, designed to meet the core needs of your target audience. It's about getting real user feedback early on, which is invaluable. On the flip side, a prototype is more about visualizing your concept, often used to attract stakeholders and investors before the actual product is built. So, here's the million-dollar question: How do you decide which path to take? 🛣️ Our article dives deep into the MVP vs. Prototype debate, shedding light on each approach's benefits and best practices. It's a must-read for anyone standing at this crucial juncture, ready to take their idea to the next level but unsure which direction to head in. I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Have you ever had to choose between developing an MVP or a prototype? What influenced your decision, and how did it pan out for your project? Check out the full article here for a deeper dive: https://lnkd.in/dXRkERjR #MVP #Prototype #ProductDevelopment #Celadonsoft