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HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

I was going to be snarky and point out that the way to use this book is to read it, because it is a book, and that is generally what one does with books. Then I realized that wasn’t quite true, in this case.

I mean, yes, you should read it, but you should also stop reading it occasionally and do the exercises in each chapter. The process only works if you do the exercises.

The exercises were developed over the course of several years working with and coaching teams that were struggling to build and improve products. If you’re building products, the exercises will help you answer some of the questions you’re probably trying to answer.

But don’t just do them while you’re reading. These exercises were not designed to be performed once and then forgotten. They’re templates that you can use over and over again. They’re patterns you should weave into your development process. They’re simple frameworks for thinking about how to build better products.

So, in summary, do read the book. Do stop reading the book and do the exercises. Do keep the book around (preferably in some prominent place on your desk where all of your coworkers will see it, become terribly jealous, and rush out to buy their own copies) so that you can refer back to the exercises as they become relevant to where you are in the development process. Do come up with variations on the exercises and write to tell me about what you changed and why at laura@usersknow.com.

Do not wear this book as a hat.

Who Should Read This Book?

This book is for people building products. Many of the examples in the book are of digital products, but most of it’s applicable whether you’re building mobile apps or enterprise productivity products or connected cars or disruptive toasters.

Many of the exercises in this book are designed for teams to use together, and they work better if you include other people who are working on your product. This is intentional. The book was written for people who make product decisions, but the fact is that everybody on your team is making product decisions every day—product managers, designers, marketers, salespeople, engineers. Even the lawyers. Sometimes, especially the lawyers. Get them involved.

This book isn’t specifically for entrepreneurs or for people at large companies. I’ve used these techniques successfully with teams at companies of all sizes. The only requirement is that you are working on a product and that you are making some decisions about what you’re building.

What Comes with This Book?

This book’s companion website (www.usersknow.com/buildbetterproducts) contains additional content and templates.