Working notes from product people

Ask the people who’ve done it.

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01 — TopicsFourteen drawers, sorted.

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Product design & UX

131 notes · 24 people · 2005–2026
The Looking Glass podcastApr 14, 2026

How to Spot a World-Class Designer

Apr 14, 2026
Key learnings
  • World-class designers are distinguished by judgment and taste, not just the ability to execute polished visuals.
  • Excellent designers obsess over the underlying problem before jumping to solutions, which separates them from those who iterate…
  • Strong designers can articulate why a decision is right, tying craft choices back to user needs and business constraints.
Lenny’s Newsletter · Free post♥ 363

How to develop product sense

Mar 15, 2022 · 18 min

Jules Walter argues that product sense is a learned skill rather than an innate talent, defined as consistently crafting products that have the intended impact on users through empathy and creativity. He offers four…

Lenny’s Newsletter♥ 335

How Linear builds product

Sep 26, 2023 · 15 min
Subscriber post — summary only

Lenny Rachitsky profiles how Linear, the project-management tool, builds its product, based on an interview with CEO Karri Saarinen. The post's core argument is that a small, craft-focused setup works well: no dedicated…

@ttorres · Teresa Torres on X♥ 4
🎙️Unpacking Innovation Is innovation the goal — or just a byproduct of solving customer problems well? In this episode of All Things Product, Petra Wille and Teresa Torres unpack one of the most misused words in product: "innovation." Teresa makes the case that chasing novelty for its own sake…
The Looking Glass · Julie Zhuo♥ 159

When AI Has Better Taste Than You

Jun 24, 2025

Julie Zhuo argues that as AI systems get better at producing polished work, the traditional signals of skill and craft are eroding, pushing people to ask what human contribution still matters. The essay frames this…

Lenny’s Podcast100 min

Jenny Wen

Jenny Wen · Mar 1, 2026
Key learnings
  • Classic linear design process (research, diverge, converge) is breaking down as engineers ship prototypes quickly; designers…
  • Design work is splitting into two modes: supporting implementation and setting a vision, where the vision now often spans three…
  • Designers can use coding tools to do last-mile polish and prototype in real code, rather than waiting on engineers for every…
Lenny’s Podcast118 min

Inside Linear: Building with taste, craft, and focus

Karri Saarinen · Oct 8, 2023
Key learnings
  • Ship features early to a small set of users or internal teammates and polish only at general release, rather than perfecting…
  • Co-create early features with one or a few large customers to clarify how complex workflows should actually work.
  • Give project teams ownership of their features; craft often emerges when engineers and designers discover better interaction…
@joulee · Julie Zhuo on X♥ 86
The software of the future promises more power and flexibility for more imagination. We started with use-case software, moving to platform software, moving to all-purpose coding agents. Interface design is shifting rightward. A few things to keep in mind for designers: 1. Make the interface…

02 — FrameworksModels, annotated.

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03 — PeopleWho wrote the notes.

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04 — QuestionsAnswered from the notes.

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Where notes come from

NewsletterLenny’s Newsletter106 free posts, with a longer excerpt.
Subscriber postsSummary only229 paid posts: our summary, at most two short quotes, and a link.
PodcastLenny’s Podcast322 episodes, each with 5–8 key learnings and timestamps.
EssaysSVPG · The Beautiful Mess499 essays from Marty Cagan and John Cutler.
Substack & blogsShreyas · Julie · Jason · Hiten577 essays and posts from independent writers.
XPosts on product58 posts, filtered for product relevance.