Finding the Money in Podcasts: An Industry Dilemma

[Originally published on Medium]

Radiolab hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich crafting another masterpiece. Photo from KERA News.

Podcasters are leaving a ton of money on the table with its current advertising strategy. In episode 17 of the Startup podcast Alex Blumberg talks about the business of making podcast ads, where ads in the Startup podcast are created with more TLC. In the show, host Lisa Chow curates stories with sponsors like Audible and Squarespace, interviews users in the real world, and creates a story-driven narrative of the service from discovery to solution.

Native ads on Facebook Newsfeed and Google Search was proven out for better part of the 2010’s, where the ad format has improved overall performance for advertisers through better conversion and less intrusive UX. So it’s not surprising that radio/podcasts are taking a stab at their version of the native ad format with the same hypothesis: less intrusive for listeners and higher conversion for advertisers.

One minor detail: 30s skip button. The moment I hear the dreaded “I’m an Ad” music overlay, I furiously tap the 30s skip button precisely 4 times to get back to the content. No amount of TLC can overcome an impatient listener.

Tired of waiting? Your user-friend skip button is here to save you from long ads.

The Challenges with Ads on Podcasts

Ultimately, there hasn’t been a ton of adoption of the native format on podcasts simply because of the higher overhead and lower ROI. In addition, podcast ads also face a handful of unique challenges when comparing to ads on mobile, web, and video. Monetization is seemingly a distant dream, as most podcasts are nonprofits that run on quarterly fundraising events.

• It’s hard to tell a great story in under 30 seconds. Humans are inherent visual creatures (remember silent movies?) — we interact daily with others through body language and visual cues. When limited to only the audio format in the podcast ads space, marketers are forced to craft extremely action-oriented ads. Imagine a marketer trying to run a Windex commercial on radio — how does one convey the brightness in the windows without saying it? As marketing analytics permeate throughout the industry, marketers are feeling the pressure to get measurable impact. Radio ads, in the meantime, continues its evolution to a full-flight audio coupon book, i.e. “use promo code STARTUP to get x months free.”
• Higher user intent with podcast consumption. The direction that Alex Blumberg’s taken is to leverage Gimlet Media’s expertise in storytelling and tell a better advertisement story. With this strategy, ad length grew from 30 seconds to 2 minutes (or with Reid Hoffman’s Master of Scale podcast — chop them up into 4 segments and unveil throughout the episode). When contrasting this against web/mobile native ads, where content is less in-your-face and easier to tune-out, 2 minute podcast ads are extremely disruptive to the listener experience. I can’t just go somewhere else and come back. As a listener, I’m forced to make the decision to either skip or sit through a painfully long ad.
• Production cost of high-quality audio ads. While I do appreciate the story of Squarespace changing small business owners’ lives, this story does grow stale quickly. Because these ads are specifically designed by the host podcast, ad creation becomes a to-do for podcast producers — which introduces more overhead for the already budget-constrained organizations. An extra 6 hours of edit time for the upcoming episode, or to improve the overall story? Take your pick.

FB native ads have been around for better part of the decade, and has proven out to be a worthwhile investment for Facebook, Google, and many others.

• eCPM doesn’t reflect true value of ads. As an advertiser, I’m less inclined to bid the same amount per impression on podcasts versus other channels because I 1) ultimately don’t know how effective the podcasts are at reaching its audience (total impressions), and 2) it’s difficult to gauge true performance of advertising campaigns (conversion). This is because iTunes and other podcast distribution channels often only provide opaque metrics like downloads and listeners — where web and mobile channels have moved on to more robust tracking like impressions, CTR, and conversion. To make matters worse, there’s little incentive on the distribution side to provide advanced metrics because the distributors (iTunes, Stitcher) don’t get a cut of revenue (though that’s changing as iTunes will soon be sharing advanced podcast analytics). As if that wasn’t enough, podcast distributors across the board have introduced the 30s skip button to improve listener retention. Goodbye monetization.

Limiting Distribution to Grow: Catch-22

If podcast distributors won’t play ball and are effectively the bottleneck to your topline growth, what do you do if you’re WNYC, NPR, or This American Life? Simple: you take your podcast off of iTunes/Google Play/Stitcher/Spotify and get the ball back on your court.

According to Podtrac Industry Rankings, top publisher NPR has an MAU of 12M+ listeners with upwards of 93M+ streams & downloads per month. Assuming each download has 3 ad slots, and each ad pays $5 eCPM, NPR would be making ~$1.4M/month from podcast advertisements from its 40 active shows. Not bad for public radio.

Estimated monthly revenue from NPR via podcasts, data from Podtrac for July, 2017.

That said, average revenue per listener per month is a measly $0.038 (gasp)! If NPR is able to convert 5% of its listener base to pay $1/mo for ads-free, supported by 95% advertisement on its own NPR platform app, it’d be looking at at least ~$1.95M/month, or +38% lift in revenue. That’s not accounting for any lifts in ads eCPM as they’d be able to 1) take away the 30s skip button from its own platform, 2) upsell the premium-ness of the ad slots, 3) provide better than ever user demographics for targeting, and 4) gauge true performance metrics from slots. Such model has worked for New York Times and Spotify — why not podcasts? NPR is in the best position to do this as it has the most clout in the industry, and others would likely follow suit if the biggest player were standing up to the distributors.

Total downloads for top 10 podcasts per Podtrac — with NPR way ahead of the pack and coming in

Even better, by taking its podcasts off of iTunes, NPR would be able to do better cross-promotion across its podcast network in addition to providing better podcast discovery. Control the platform, control the experience, and increase overall network engagement.

While such drastic shift may be too bold for public radio — and frankly, too risky as it may lead to lower listenership — it might be the right strategy for Gimlet Media, the makers of The Startup Podcast. Let’s face it, while $1.4M/month revenue is a nice figure to strive for, accounting for the operating cost of running 40 shows makes the podcasting business a high-margin, low ROI business (40 shows X 3 people/show X $10k/mo/person = $1.2M/month). Certainly not a business that investors like Chris Sacca would be looking to invest in.

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Good stories take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to produce. As consumers are getting accustomed to paying for premium content in apps and in video, podcasts — especially those of high-production value — should take a second look in the mirror and understand that it’s time to get the consumers on board to truly support them.

I couldn’t wait to tune into S-Town when it came out. Especially with the rave reviews, I could have easily been a $10 consumer for the podcast. Instead, I listened to a total of 20 ads and derived $0.1 of value for the producers. This post is for you, podcast producers — stop leaving money on the table.

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Death of Traffic — Uber’s Path to Transit Dominance

[Originally published on Medium]

Typical drive in Los Angeles, any time after 7am. Image from The Wall Street Journal.

Death of Traffic — Uber’s Path to Transit Dominance

For a long time, I’ve resisted using ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft when I was living in LA. Before Uber X/Pool and intense price competition in the industry, these companies were glorified taxi services in the early 2010's, costing $30+ each way between the Westside to Downtown.

Things changed after I moved to San Francisco — a city that’s evidently allergic to transit.

• Downtown parking lots costing at least $15 for short durations, unless you venture into the tenderloin for the $5 spots
• Buses/trains that are compelled to stop at every single block — WHY!
• Competitive street parking with lots of metered, permit, and street cleaning rules
• Stop. Signs. Everywhere.

In LA, I was at least covering some distance in my car. In SF, I settled into my quadrant of the city — too paralyzed about finding parking, and too bitter about the MUNI system that NorCal folks often raved about.

Uber + Parallel Processing = Engineer’s Dream

If San Francisco were a computer, Uber and Lyft are akin to multi-core systems that enable more parallel tasks to run. Conversely, existing trains and buses are serialized systems that are antiquated and prone to single-point failures. With Uber and Lyft, one single bus carrying 50 passengers became 50 cars getting the job done.

Moving to San Francisco? Consider getting a bike for faster ETA’s.

After 3 years of Uber, I’ve racked up 70%+ of my rides this year because of price changes and life events.

As overall pricing becomes more competitive with Pool/Line, these ride-sharing services are taking over as the de-facto solution to SF’s lagging public transit system and expensive car ownership. While I’ve gotten by on my trusty ’86 Trek for a years — beating the ETA for cars and getting in shape at the same time — lowered prices (yes I’m cheap) and a bad back’s converted me to using Pool more frequently. Case in point: I’ve taken over 70% of my lifetime rides on Uber in 2017.

Uber’s been a lifesaver in getting me between work and doctor’s appointments, edging out public transit from a cost and convenience perspective ($2.99 per UberPool pass ride vs. $2.75 per MUNI ride). Over time, we’ve seen more fixed-rate options that’s put more pressure on public transportation. While such shift has introduced interesting partnerships between Uber and public transit as municipal government find it too expensive to run public services, whether the privatization is net positive for society as a whole — that’s for another debate.

Path to transit dominance: automate everything

The truth of the reality is that our cities don’t have infinite capacity to accommodate the additional vehicles on the road. Most San Franciscans will tell you that traffic’s gotten worse over the last few years, and it’s true: Uber/Lyft is contributing to 20% + of San Francisco’s traffic, making traffic in the city the fourth worst in the world.

While Mayor Ed Lee is talking to these companies about pilot programs to reduce traffic, I doubt such talks will reduce the number of cars within the city. Here’s an alternate win-win solution that’ll solve consumer transit woes and get Uber/Lyft deeper into the B2B game: automate everything.

Self driving is already here — but who will win the war? Photo from Uber Newsroom.

Self driving is already here — but who will win the war? Photo from Uber Newsroom.

Stage 1 — self driving cars: while we’ve seen the proof of concept and we’ve read the news, the truth is that car manufacturers are not good at software development. There’s a reason why Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are taking over the car OS, with 60+ car companies in their portfolio — car manufacturers do not want to build software. Enter Uber and Lyft, who are primed and ready to be the plug+play autonomous vehicle partner with car manufacturers. The reasons why Uber/Lyft have an advantage over other players in the space is twofold: 1) access to consumers who are already relying on them for transportation needs, and 2) lower barrier to adoption in the consumer space, given consumers can utilize the service without having to purchase the vehicles.

With more than a handful of companies working on this problem, the industry will likely see more consolidation as it matures given the mostly undifferentiated product. Use case: I need the car to 1) get me from point A to B, 2) doing it safely and legally, and 3) don’t make me throw up. For meaningful competition to exist in the industry, companies will have to create more a differentiated product. So far it’s been too early to tell. That said, the winner of this market has a solid case of winning freight and logistics as well.

Stage 2 — active traffic management: this exists in some shape or form, but has limited upside today because people drive unpredictably. In a world where all vehicles are self-driving and conform to some standardization, we can 1) control traffic flow to accommodate higher trafficked areas, and 2) coordinate all self-driving cars to move at predictable manners to maximize efficiency. Rip out the stop signs and open up the roads! The term “traffic” will forever be a relic that our children will never understand — like cassettes and floppy disks.

Uber/Lyft’s strength is in optimizing routes for algorithmic problems, and traffic management’s an industry for them to own if they’re designing the self-driving cars and setting standards. Also doesn’t hurt to have some of tech’s most powerful lobbyist and lawyers to work with municipal government.

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If you think all of this is reminiscent of Minority Report, you’re right. What seemed like a pipe dream in 2002 is could happen in our lifetime. While there are tons of nuances to solve (pedestrians, hackers) and policy repercussion (job loss, infrastructural costs), what’s interesting is that there are companies emerging that could own both the front-end and back-end of the transportation problem. Owning the value chain in transportation has huge impacts on the physical world — in our safety, the ways we move, and how cities are run.

Uber/Lyft’s rise to Silicon Valley stardom relied on working with the individual, and shifting its focus to solve self-driving and traffic management is a change in philosophy by collaborating with car companies and government agencies. While a Minority Report future is still decades out, I can dream of a world where I’m no longer F-bombing my way through the jammed streets of San Francisco.

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Airbnb is Eating the Tourism Industry

[Originally published on Medium]

Ever been a part of an organized tour? Nope, not my cup of tea either. Photo from Gentleman Marketing Agency.

Airbnb just announced Airbnb City Hosts, and it’s going to disrupt tourism as we know it.

Airbnb sent me an email on Monday to tell me to try Airbnb City Hosts for my upcoming trip to LA. Having lived in LA for more than 8 years, I was surprised to find a handful of interesting experiences available —learn to surf, hang with a street artist — but none that were up my alley.

That said, the launch is an interesting move as Airbnb continues tackle the tourism vertical. With the strategy and marketing around the “Don’t go there. Live There.” campaign, the company’s main challenge will be its transition from offering low-touch services (accommodations) to high-touch experiences (tours).

Looking at Airbnb’s success in accommodations and how the company found product-market-fit, it’s a no brainer that the company is offering experiences — the user lifecycle and use case between accommodations and experiences draws a perfect parallel.

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Evolution of travel accommodation — as millennials become HENRYs

Having travelled to more than a dozen countries in the last decade, I’ve stayed mostly in hostels and guesthouses that cost less than a McDonald’s meal in the US. As my disposable income has increased over the years, I’ve began booking accommodations exclusively through Airbnb because:

• Turning 30 also means that sharing a room with a handful of 18 year olds is no longer appealing, and I can certainly afford to spend more.
• But let’s face it, most hotels are still much more expensive than comparable Airbnb’s and I’m not getting that mileage like a consultant.
• Airbnb lets me explore the more authentic side of traveling , though ironic because most Airbnbs are curated to feel authentic. Our generation’s obsession with authenticity has also popularized microbrews, instagram filters, and fixed gear bikes — but I digress.

Airbnb’s ability to enter the tours is contingent on its success in accommodations

And while accommodation has never been a problem in my travels (big shoutout to Hostelworld in 2007), discovering interesting things to do has always been challenging. In both villages and metropolitans, I often find myself roaming the streets and simply exploring with my Lonely Planet guidebooks.

Most results from GoAhead Tours gave me results that are $2,000+, yuck!

It’s during these walks that I find myself signing up for a tour via the 1) hostel front desk, 2) sketchy travel shop in the city, or 3) running into Sandeman’s New Europe groups on the street. Don’t take me wrong, most of these have been adventures in themselves, but similar to accommodation, tourism has traditionally been a fragmented industry — tons of mom-and-pop players, lack of trust, inflexible, and often overpriced.

Over time, traveling has taken on more meaning than simple adventures. Living the life like a local — not an outsider looking in. If there’s anything that I’ve learned from being a PM, it’s that users always want more transparency, more control over choice, and feeling special. Enter Airbnb City Hosts: who is the host, what you’ll be doing (less commitment than 10+ day tour), and how you’ll be taken care of.

Nemesis of experience as a service: trust & safety, consistent quality, and scale

Airbnb City Hosts may not be a runaway hit as it enters beta, but it’s a first step towards an authentic approach to tours and experiences. While the product-market-fit is there for Airbnb’s City Hosts, the challenge is ensuring quality of experience as the service expands (areas where Homejoy had failed).

The problem is simply not as easy as handing over the keys and hiring a cleaning service — it’s making sure that the experiences are fun and unique. Before you know it (give it some time, let’s just say worldwide launch summer of 2017), you’ll also be surfing with a pro in LA for $175 a pop.

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3 Things to Consider When Choosing Between Mobile vs. Web PM Gigs

[Originally published on Medium]

An age-old debate that will fundamentally change your (work) life - Photo from Dominic Cushnan on Slideshare

As an aspiring product manager, you might not know the difference between being a mobile vs. web PM — I certainly didn’t when I started the job. While both products are identical in that they are consumed on mobile phones (seriously, it’s all converging on mobile), the difference lies in their development, design philosophy, and distribution.

Mobile = Native = Download & install

Web = Hosted = Visit Site on Mobile & Desktop

Although mobile vs. web is a subtle difference on paper, it’ll fundamentally change the way you approach your work. Here are 3 factors to help you decide your next move.

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Batch vs. Continuous Development

Because web apps are not installed on local clients and compatibility is a thing of the past (more or less), it’s not unusual for a web team to deliver product updates on a daily/weekly basis. Such is the privilege and challenge of working on a web team — test and iterate as fast as you can, but be ready 24/7 to fix and deliver.

Mobile (especially on iOS) is quite the opposite, where release cycles are often planned around Apple’s notorious 1 week review process. When managing both iOS and Android apps, engineering and QA teams have to develop for compatibility across different OS and devices. Want to build for tablet? Add another week of QA and dev time.

What this means

Web: Be ready and flexible on deliverables, because the expectation is to deliver ASAP

Mobile: Have a solid vision for where you want to take your mobile product, because retroactive change is slow and hard

Personal vs. Functional

For a long time, paying with Paypal on the web meant digging through your contacts and hoping that you’ve got the right info — Screencap from Lifehacker

Web apps originated on the desktop and focused primarily on solving specific problems within the browser. For a long time, desktop web apps were purely functional and transactional.

• Need directions? Check Google Maps.
• Paying someone? Use Paypal.

As people started taking their devices on the go, native mobile apps evolved not only to solve similar problems as the web app, but also added extra layers of context. This is possible as we provide more permissions than ever to mobile app developers — including push notifications, contacts, and location. The mobile app has gotten much more personal and we are no longer using them to solve a single problem.

• Need directions and know what other people have seen on the road? Check Waze.
• Paying someone and check out funny exchanges between your friends? Use Venmo.

With Waze, an additional layer of social meant better, real time data — and a better navigation system

While Google Maps and Paypal have become native since their introduction, these are desktop-first products at their cores. Google Maps Street View was not introduced on mobile until 2012. On the Paypal native app, I struggled to find an easier way to send money to friends via phone contacts. When deciding on the mobile vs. web PM position, keep in mind whether the product is a desktop-first or mobile-first product — it’ll drive much of the product roadmap and where the cutting-edge features will be built first.

What this means

Web: Expect more development around core feature set given that the product will be catered for both mobile and desktop web, with snippets of personalization

Mobile: There will continue to be more innovation on contextual and personalization tech to engage users and stay top-of-mind, with aggressive optimizations on push notifications

Centralized vs. Fragmented Distribution

A quick sketch of your industry value chain will tell you that the kingpins are Apple and Google in the app ecosystem — no one else quite holds the same power in the States (China is a different story)

If you’re an iOS developer and your app is not approved by Apple, you’re dead in the water. It’s no secret that Apple and Google controll the entire app ecosystem value chain (at least in the US), and these two partners can be your biggest allies or enemies. A simple featuring on any of the app stores can drive hundreds of thousands of installs — translating to millions of dollars in value. Who wouldn’t want Apple or Google on their side?

While partnership management is critical in both mobile and web, the breadth of coverage on web is much more challenging. Distribution plays a fundamental difference on mobile, and less so on web..

What this means

Web: Growth highly dependent on social viral channels and word of mouth

Mobile: Working with Apple and Google on distribution and app featuring (if you have leverage), with growth also dependent on social viral channels — in addition to organic growth via app store discovery

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While devices may all be converging on mobile, it’s still unclear whether native has won out against mobile web (in fact, I see a future where the two can coexist peacefully, but that’s a separate topic). The good news is that you can’t go wrong either way — especially as smartphone distribution continues to grow. The bad news is that you’ll have to decide the path lifestyle that fits your personal stack rank — analysis paralysis!

Craving a faster-paced environment? Web may fit the bill. Curious about user engagement and staying top-of-mind? Mobile has all the tools for you to achieve your goals. There are still clear opportunities in both web and mobile — each with their own set of advantages and challenges — just know what you’re getting yourself into.

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5 Truths About Getting a Tech Job as an MBA

[Originally published on Medium]

What you didn’t think about when you signed the $150k loan. Don’t worry, you’ll be alright.

Photo from Digital Trends

Congrats! You’ve gotten into a top business school and you’re one step away from getting your dream job in tech. With ample opportunity in Silicon Valley — just ask the 205 HBS grads who are flocking to the Bay (Marc Andreessen says that this is a sign of the bubble, but I digress) — why settle for less?

The answer: you don’t have to. With the right head on your shoulders, you can do anything that you want to do. Sky’s the limit. While the business school firehose hits the moment you step onto campus, it’s important to remember these 5 truths if you want to land a job in tech.

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Fact 1: Tech companies don’t come to school to recruit

You’ll quickly realize that most pre-IPO tech companies are not itching to send recruiters across the country. Hiring business people with little experience to do strategy work is just not their top priority, and you’re likely on your own (with the exception of select West Coast schools).

Do you only date people who willingly fall into your lap? If the answer to the question is yes, then off-campus recruiting is probably not for you. Off-campus recruiting is akin to courtship, and you must show the company your love for them before it will love you back. Put your heart on your sleeve and go with it. Seek out companies as you seek companions on Coffee Meets Bagel — be targeted, open, and assertive.

With friends and fellow Lookout blogger @kalpanaadlakha, visiting Twitter HQ & hanging with former CEO/Michigan alum Dick Costolo.

In reality off-campus job search isn’t so different from your on-campus job hunt, you just need to dig into the rolodex (yes, call your friend from high school who you haven’t talked to in over 8 years because he actually does want to catch up) and put your ego aside. Oh, don’t forget to sign up for a LinkedIn premium account and use the alum network. You are an MBA, right?

Hot tip: while a warm intro is always preferred, you should cold email liberally if your network is limited. Obviously don’t be an ass when you email, but note that it’s easy to guess the email of key execs (firstname@company.com).

Fact 2: Plan B is the new Plan A

Do you really want to be mingling in the circle of death? I surely didn’t — albeit great company.

Your school’s career services counselor will be drilling this into your head on day one, and it makes perfect sense. Priorities matter when you’re trying to set yourself up for success.

However, this message often backfires and delivers the wrong impression for students — that it’s more important to find a job than the right job. Subsequently, plan A (ie. consulting, banking) is only optimal because of timing and not because of opportunity. If you commit to spending time preparing for plan A, chances are that you will never have a chance to try plan B (ie. tech, off-campus) because tech jobs don’t start rolling until halfway into your first year of business school. That’s not to say you don’t have to do the work to nurture the relationships in the meantime. The best jobs take the best applicants, not plan B preparation.

“B should stand for best.”

If your priority is to get any job, then go for it — waste the only real opportunity that you have to chase your dreams with minimal consequences. Understand your priorities and your risk tolerance.

Fact 3: Gotta know a thing or two about tech — coding not required

There’s lots to learn in your local tech scene — and you’d be surprised how many are willing to teach.

Students from non-technical backgrounds always stress out about their inability to code. If you think every job in tech wants you to code, then you are absolutely delusional. Does Pfizer want you to be a chemical engineer/pharmacist to work in its finance department? No.

What does matter is that you know the difference between Windows vs. OS X, Fitbit vs. Jawbone, Glass vs. Oculus. Read tech news (Techcrunch, Crunchbase), listen to podcasts (a16z podcast), and understand the trends. This is the typical preparation that you’ll have to do to find a job in any industry. If you are not curious about the “why,” then why do you want to work in tech in the first place?

Hot tip: watch for the funding rounds on Crunchbase because companies tend to hire/increase headcount when they get money (duh).

Fact 4: Don’t confuse function vs. industry

Many first-year students often say “I don’t care what role I do as long as I get to work in tech.” This is where their plans go awry. Statements like that often convey the candidate’s inability to identify his/her strength or lack of interest in the company.

While you could be the most brilliant person in the candidate pool, it’s impossible to get across the finish line if you can’t get the message across. Though this process is a two way street and the company needs to make sure that a specific role sounds exciting to you, it also needs to know that you have the skills that will fit the role. Don’t work in any role for a company — go after the job that you want to do. This will not only help you narrow the scope of the research, but will also make more engaging conversations.

Fact 5: Build a portfolio

Built something cool? Don’t be shy about showing it off.

The best way to convince a company that you can do the job is by showing them your prior work. The resume is an obvious requisite, but for those who want to stand out and find the best job in tech (product manager, I know I’m biased), build a simple portfolio like this one with Squarespace, Wordpress, or HTML/CSS to share ideas that you’ve worked on. If you need a bit more structure, take a class in the design school or engineering school at your nearest campus. One day of work will pay dividends in the future.

I will be the first to admit that business school is the safer alternative to trailblazing my own path. While my risk tolerance isn’t extremely high, I took a riskier approach when it came to my career and stuck to my guns. Whenever I was derailed by the elusive consulting and banking firms, I put my blinders on and inched myself closer towards tech.

If you find yourself hedging your bets, you’ll soon learn from your strategy courses that straddling is never a winning strategy. Don’t sell yourself short and work in another job that you hate — we all know why you came to business school.

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Medium, So Simple It Hurts (Literally)

[Originally published on Medium]

Don’t let Medium’s beautiful design fool you — the writing environment can leave you more frustrated than writer’s block.

Photo from The Cookiemonster

When my colleagues and I started this publication a few months ago, we had decided to write on Medium over Wordpress, Squarespace, LinkedIn, and others. Medium met the bill on a number of dimensions, including:

• Distribution — if our content is entertaining and relevant, then organic discovery can occur through Medium’s platform. Under our own domain, we would have to rely on social and other referral traffic to get eyeballs — that’s hard work.
• Collaboration — given that there are multiple contributing writers, we needed a platform that allows us to easily share posts and collaborate on a topic while maintaining our own voice.
• Quality — several organizations, including Medium, have professional writers and experts curating high-quality content in publications. Think of Medium as the longer form of Quora, where content comes from voices of authority — and we strive to create a brand of expertise for our publication.

After 3 months of writing on Medium (granted, this will be my 3rd post), the platform has met our needs — mostly. I’ve always admired Medium for how beautiful it is as a product, but as I’ve been using it more I’ve also developed a love/hate relationship with the writing environment. Though not explicitly stated in our initial requirements, I had assumed that writing on Medium would be both frictionless and minimalist (distraction free). Boy, was I wrong.

Frictionless and minimalism are related but not necessarily the same. Often they are conflated which can lead to design debates that are difficult to resolve. — Steven Sinofsky, Board Partner @ a16z

Where’s the onboarding?

Onboarding in mobile has been all the rage — especially for unfamiliar interactions, which is why it’s always a pleasant surprise when companies decide to give desktop apps awesome onboarding experiences. The one thatSlack created is gold medal worthy, providing help to the user in an unobtrusive way. Medium, on the other hand, throws the user right to into the action. Though it’s simple enough to find the “Write a Story” icon, things get a little fuzzy from there on.

Medium chooses to leave the most helpful tidbits and tricks in its publications The Story and About Medium, but it wasn’t so clear how to find these publications. While it may be simple to omit onboarding altogether, it only works when the app is truly frictionless (ie. Uber) — which is not the case when dealing with Medium’s writing environment.

Slack’s onboarding experience is helpful yet onobtrusive

Medium is a beautiful space for reading and writing — and little else. The words are central. They can be accompanied by images to help illustrate your point. But there are no gratuitous sidebars, plug-ins, or widgets. There is nothing to set up or customize. — Ev Williams, Founder @ Medium

Simplicity at its best/worst

One of Medium’s best and most frustrating assets is its “distraction free” editor. It’s so uncomfortably simple that it threw me off the first time I started a post. Once you get started, though, it’s as simple as writing in Notepad — no frills, nada. Highlighting texts bring up little snippets that helps you format.

No, the + sign is not just an indicator for where your cursor is — except it mysteriously disappears as soon as you start typing.

The most frustrating and distracting part, though, was adding the beautiful cover photos (and other multimedia) that other writers have used. As a habit, I often type in my thoughts prior to adding images and photos. This habit happened to work completely against Medium’s design — as soon as I typed in the title, the + button disappears to my dismay. It was like playing hide and seek, except I was chasing a ghost. In fact the button didn’t catch my attention until 15 minutes later, after I had a mental meltdown. I mean, what is a more compelling call-to-action? Text that asks the user to input the title and “Tell your story…”, or an innocent looking + button?

In a recent interview with re/code, Ev Williams suggested that other users are experiencing similar pains:

In my opinion, it’s almost too sparse — in fact, we did a redesign of the navigation late last year, and it’s a little less sparse. We put more things on the page because we realized it was too cryptic. So it will always be our main focus to build the best user experience possible, but a lot of people are sometimes, like, “well, there’s nothing there.” Like, “I’m confused.” And so we tried to correct for that. — Ev Williams, Founder @ Medium

Don’t get me wrong, Medium is a great ecosystem to be a part of — especially as its network continues to grow — it’s just that some of the product’s minimalist design introduces unnecessary friction for first-time writers. In an interesting recap of Medium’s design in the early days, a screenshot shows that the “Add Feature Image” icon was front and centered (only if!). Perhaps I’m the 0.1% user who gets stuck on an intuitive feature, or perhaps such design change made little impact to the retention of Medium’s new users — whatever it might be, it’s great to see the evolution of a company that is obsessed about UX and simplifying lives. I just hope it’s not at the expense of frictionless.

An early mockup of the writing environment from Teehan+Lax.

Mario, Just Another Plumber

[Originally published on Medium]

As Nintendo begins its transition to mobile, Mario and his friends are heading into retirement.

Photo from The Examiner

If you’re around my age (born circa 1986), you probably remember turning on the NES (or a bootlegged version if you’re from Taiwan) at your cousin’s house where the only game around was Super Mario Bros. With Goombas and shells coming from any direction, you’ve learned to perfect every move.

The infamous gap in world 1–1 that everyone will fall into at least once. Nope, too early (photo from Mariowiki).

Super Mario Bros. was an unforgiving game — it was simply Game Over when you ran out of lives. And despite Nintendo’s portfolio of hardcore games at the time, the company enjoyed decades of success riding on Mario’s coattails. Over time, Nintendo transformed itself into a casual gaming company with the Wii(which, mind you, was the most successful console of its generation) — so much so that I’ve purchased a Wii for my 60-something, tech illiterate parents. And while Mario has become one of the most recognizable gaming icons today, Nintendo’s success is primarily attributed to its uncanny ability to innovate and reimagine player interactions.

The Wii has become the gaming darling for older folks (photo from Buzzfeed).

Gaming, Reimagined

Nintendo has rarely competed on its technology alone. In fact, Nintendo’s most innovative systems have often carried outdated hardware. With that said, the company has consistently delighted its players in the way it approaches games and devices with existing technology:

• The NES Duck Hunt popularized the Light Gun Shooter genre and became one of the most successful Nintendo games.
• Mario 64 became one of the earliest open-world 3D game, helping players reimagine traditional platformer games.
• The Nintendo Wii captivated its audience with the handheld pointing device — the first to incorporate a gyro sensor in game consoles and becoming Nintendo’s best selling console.
• The Nintendo DS became the first handheld game console to include a touch device, predating the arrival of the Apple iPhone. It’s now the Nintendo’s best selling handheld game console.

The Mobile Nintendo and a Distant Dream

It wasn’t surprising when Nintendo announced its decision to head towards mobile. Since the introduction of the iPhone, casual gamers have been steadily migrating to mobile platforms. Though the company’s decision is admirable, albeit 8 years too late, Nintendo is better off focusing on innovations for its consoles rather than half-assing its way into mobile.

“Now that we have decided how we will make use of smart devices, we have come to hold an even stronger passion and vision for the dedicated video game system business than ever before. Nintendo will continue to focus on dedicated games as a core business, [though] many may misunderstand [this partnership with DeNA] and think this announcement is because we are pessimistic of the video games industry” - Nintendo President Satoru Iwata

Mobile: A Cultural Transformation

Traditional gaming is much like art rather than science — with little data to back the design decisions. Understandably so, traditional console/PC developers struggle when they shift to mobile because the analytical, data-driven, and iterative approach to mobile game design is a huge cultural change. Mobile can’t simply be an afterthought. While Nintendo intends to have its mobile division be an extension of its current portfolio to improve audience reach, such move will require the executive team to let the mobile guys have free rein, and allowing them to translate the true Nintendo experience onto mobile.

While one can argue that players can move up/down the gaming stack (from mobile to console, and vice versa), such consumer purchasing behavior won’t come to fruition because of the drastically different use case. In most cases, mobile gamers are killing time and console gamers are devoting time to gaming. It’s not conceivable that players who are used to freemium games would be compelled to spend upwards of $200 for a premium experience in console and one game. The challenge is in getting users to commit, and many users can’t even commit to relationships that are more than a few weeks long.

Nintendo will be a big fish in a very large pond (ocean), and its ability to truly succeed in mobile will depend on whether it can find new, untapped interactions in mobile games.

Brand <> Profit

While I agree that Nintendo’s mobile games will be amazingly efficient at acquiring users, retention and monetization will prove to be much bigger headaches for Nintendo. In the 90's, Sonic the Hedgehog was as equally ubiquitous as Mario. Today, Sonic is a tired relic from the past. Despite over 50M downloads for Sonic Dash on the Google Play Store (and other Sonic games with equally impressive downloads), none of Sega’s games are close being in the top 50 paid, free, or grossing apps. In fact, Sega just recently announced that it will be pulling games from the app stores. As a Nintendo fan myself, I would hate to see a Mario reskinned as another endless runner. Mario doesn’t run from Goombas — he destroys Goombas.

At the core, Nintendo will have to deliver on its products to succeed in mobile. Is DeNA the right partner to work with, given that the company has traditionally developed web games (Mobage, DeNA’s mobile gaming subsidiary, is primarily a distribution platform)? How will Nintendo find innovation in mobile, when popular game mechanics are the low hanging fruits (no more connect 3 games, please)? Can Nintendo successfully balance its innovation in both mobile and consoles, or will mobile be a distraction to consoles?

Nintendo’s innovations were always inherently polarizing and unexpected, and Mario rarely blew competitors out of the water with killer technology. He didn’t need to go to college because he’s a hacker and a tinkerer. Rather than getting an engineering degree and becoming mainstream, he’ll need to find inspiration again in the everyday — it’s just that this time, I’m not sure if the mushroom will be enough.

Mario will have to innovate again to avoid his ultimate fate.

Like what you’ve read? Drop us a line in the comments and follow The Lookout publication.

Building the PM Squad: Redefining MBAs in Silicon Valley

[Originally published on Medium]

Photo from ComicsOnline

For many of my peers in business school, a career in tech is the golden egg opportunity. Former consultants and bankers have longed to ditch the suit and tie to join startup firms with gourmet chefs and stock options. For others like me, who’s been nerding out about products at a young age, we want to make an impact on millions of lives. While I had trouble selling product vision in my prior life as an engineer, business school has taught me to be more analytical and structured — akin to the Power Rangers going into Super Mega Mode.

Though the perception of MBAs is starting to shift in the Valley — from opportunists looking to cash in on hot startups to savvy generalists who can provide real value — the number of PM roles available through MBA programs are far and between (in fact, business schools have traditionally bucketed the PM function under marketing, which is a misnomer for Brand Management). To land a PM gig at a West Coast firm, the candidate not only must demonstrate product intuition, but also connect with the people and culture of said company. This is not an easy feat for the aspiring PMs. Throughout my time at Michigan, I was fortunate to have met other like-minded folks to build our expertise together (partners in crime @kalpanaadlakha, @jknauss, @nkemdilim, and@swaiing). This is the story of how this group of aspiring PMs came together, and we are excited to kick off the publication with you.

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PMs, unite!

In typical PM fashion, we thought hard about the needs and goals of this publication as the idea incubated. At Ross, we were frustrated by the lack of direction in navigating the path to becoming a PM. Looking across the available resources in this space, we noticed two categories of material that either speaks to 1) how to be an effective PM (Quora Product Management,Medium on Product Management), or 2) product/industry strategy (Stratechery, Ben Evans). While these are indispensable resources to the PM discipline, we couldn’t find others on product discussions through the PM lens — how PMs are thinking about specific products, or what precisely makes one product better than another.

Finding the “sweet spot” is the holy-grail for PMs alike

We believe this collection of product discussions and PM learnings will marry the intellectual capital at Ross and the greater PM community. Ideally, this publication will satisfy both the experienced and the aspiring PMs. For the aspiring PMs, the publication will provide a medium (pun) for discussion and deeper learning. For the experienced PMs, the publication will bring a fresh perspective to your thoughts about products.

Deliver a great product

Our goal for the publication is to deliver content to an engaged readership that feels empowered and entertained. As our respective careers progress, we hope to share new thoughts and experiences on the publication. This is the beginning of a dialogue in our community, and I encourage you to engage with us throughout this journey. Drop us a line in the comments or via Twitter, and don’t forget to follow the publication!

Million Dollar Life

[Originally published on Wordpress]

there’s always a question that people ask – what would you do with a million dollars, and how would you live your life differently?

to some, the idea of the million dollar life may imply luxury – getaway vacations, nice cars, beachfront mansions, etc.  to others, this implies the ultimate luxury of freedom.  the million dollar life is a mindset, and it’s a way of freeing your mind from the traditional “milestones” of american life – to do what you want to do, when you want to do.

i’ve worked hard in every facet of my life – graduated in the top of my high school class while researching a genetic bone disorder, completed a dual degree in engineering and economics in 4 years, landed jobs in fortune-500 companies, and obtained my master’s while working full-time.  despite these so-called accomplishments, i’ve felt dissatisfied and disappointed every step of the way.  i was an impostor who bragged about jobs and degrees that i didn’t care about.  while my life’s been one full of privilege, i struggled to appreciate everything that i have.  somewhere along my journey, i lost my purpose, and it left a huge void in my heart.

i needed inspiration.  during my first year of full-time work, my roommate, who was still then in undergrad, asked me why i stuck with a job that i hated.  three years later, i am finally grasping the boldness in her statement.  while i knew that my life was destined for something bigger, i had no roadmap.  instead, i ended up chasing an american dream that i never intended of dreaming.  i stopped looking for the answers.  i stopped blaming my circumstances.  i stopped, and i reassessed all of the principles that have driven my life decisions thus far.

the change-makers will tell you that in order to succeed, you must be ok with failing.  i’d like to argue that in my situation, my small successes have provoked my desire for failure.  i wanted to be uncomfortable, and i needed a huge change in my life.  thanks to the amazing individuals, who are living the changes that they want to see, who have inspired me to take a leap into the unknown.

it’s been almost four months since i left my cushy 9-5 to join a journey that i had never imagined.  i am currently living my million dollar life.  it’s not to say that this has been easy – in fact, it’s been extremely unsettling and uncomfortable.  however, by keeping a vision of the end in my mind, i’ve been able to make my toughest decisions to date.  for the first time in my life, the paths have disappeared and are replaced by destinations.  the milestones, if any, are now self-imposed, reevaluated, and readjusted.  i embrace the zig-zags and i’m constantly inspired by the deep human connections along the way.

here are some ideas that have helped me in my transition:

• do>think
• the only change that matters is the change that lasts/you create with others.
• be the change that you wish to see.
• there is no right or wrong.  it just is.
• understand the difference between head/heart/gut.
• be gentle with yourself.

this is a promise to myself that i will live my life with love, and without boundaries.  this is my million dollar life.