Will Wu: Top Five Product Lessons from Creating Snapchat "Discover" and "Chat" | E1111
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Will Wu is the CTO @ Match Group, the owner and operator of the largest global portfolio of popular online dating services including Tinder, Match.com, OkCupid, and Hinge to name a few. Prior to Match, Will was VP of Product at Snap Inc. As the 35th employee, Will spearheaded the creation of Snapchat’s “Discover” content platform. He also led the creation and growth of the “Chat” messaging feature, which today is a primary Snapchat engagement driver that connects hundreds of millions of people each day.
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Timestamps:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:58) Will’s Tech Journey & Satellite Story
(00:04:19) Snapchat Product Design Experience
(00:07:24) Evan Spiegal's Product Mastery
(00:08:20) Building Discover on Snapchat
(00:10:06) SnapGaming Platform Insights
(00:12:41) Product Design: Art vs Science
(00:15:47) Human-Centered Design & Apple Watch
(00:18:32) Identifying Your Target User
(00:20:15) Simplicity in Product Design
(00:23:37) Execution Speed & Product Reviews
(00:25:30) Inspiring Creativity in Teams
(00:28:52) Product Team Culture & Hiring
(00:32:07) Multiplayer Gaming: Crash Club
(00:33:34) Traits of a Top Product Designer
(00:34:27) AI's Impact on Product Design
(00:36:46) Keeping Match Relevant in Dating
(00:51:59) Quick-Fire Round
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In Today’s Episode with Will Wu We Discuss:
1. The Journey to Snap VP of Product:
How did Will make his way into the world of product and come to meet Evan Spiegel?
What are 1-2 of his biggest takeaways from his time at Snap?
What does Will know now that he wishes he had known when he started in product?
2. How to Hire Product Teams:
How does Will structure the interview process for new product hires?
What are the most telling questions of a candidate’s product skills in hiring?
What case studies and tests does Will do to assess a candidate?
What are 1-2 of Will’s biggest hiring mistakes in product?
3. How to Do Product Reviews Effectively:
What are Will’s biggest lessons on what it takes to do product reviews well?
What are the biggest mistakes product leaders make in product reviews?
How can teams drive focus in product reviews? What works? What does not?
4. Product: Art or Science?
How does Will balance between gut/intuition and data in product decisions?
Is simple always better in product design?
What is human-centered design? How does it impact how Will approaches product?
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